This was our second trip to Mazatlan and our first stay at the Emporio. We booked this hotel because there was to be no buffet, well that was all we got, our son had stayed here last year and told us each meal he had he was able to order off a menu, after checking with our travel agent we found out this was true, our main reason for booking it, disappointment #1. #2 was that there was no elevator at the far end of the hotel so each time we wanted to go to our room it was a walk up the stairs. #3 I woke up early one day to have a shower and went to our suit cases (which we left on the extra bed ) I noticed this big brown clump on the bed, I then turned on the light to discover it was rat feces, it made me sick to realize that rats were crawling around in the room. The maid cleaned it and they stripped our room right away and sprayed for rats. Other than that must say we enjoyed the stay, we found we only got good treatment if you tipped, and tips were to be included with our all inclusive. All in all the staff were friendly and helpful, location was great and sunshine was marvelous. Enjoy your stay.

My friend and I stayed at the Emporio for 3 nights at the end March for a girls weekend..
First the positives:
Location was fantastic.. Within walking distance to food, shopping. Very cheap cab fare to get into the city.
Room was clean. Smaller than expected, but served its purpose.
The bed was super comfortable - and the comforter must have been 6 inches thick.
Staff was very friendly, but english speaking was limited so it was sometimes difficult to communicate our needs. I know the staff tried very hard to help when they could though. A+ for effort.
Pool area was nice - towel service available.
They also had a gym and boutique which we didn't visit but both looked nice.
We did decided to get pool side massages - and it was great! The price was cheaper than home - $45 for 60 minutes..

Now for the negatives:
Loud - Loud - Loud..... The hotel is located in an area which has several bars/nightclubs.. The music blasted until 4am.. I had read this in previous reviews, but thought how bad could it really be? Unbelievably bad - unfortunately.. A trick we figured out on our second night is to turn the fan from the auto setting over to the on setting so it runs all night. Combine this with ear plugs and it worked quite well the 2nd night.
The 3rd night however even this didn't work as we had a group of 6 spring breakers right outside our door partying and yelling at 4:30am. Luckily this only lasted about 30 minutes, but the hotel could really use some security to patrol the property.
This would be a great hotel if you are planning on staying up late and partying, but I wouldn't recommend it for families or morning people..

All the good stuff in past reviews are true, the staff and rooms are number one in my books. The noise level from the street make the street side units impossible for the average light sleeper. At 4 a.m. the idiot fringe is out with musical car horns, drunken shouting and all that goes with it such as screeching brakes and sirens. We were moved after the first night to a very excellent room on the beach end of the hotel and had a great stay for eight days. Only one night the disco went ballistic at 2:00 a.m. We plan to return to the Emporio next year as long as we are well away from the street.

We stayed at the Emporio Jan 3-17'07: My husband and I, two daughters 14 & 17 and we brought their friend also 14. We truly felt at home here, and absolutely loved it!! Our room was simply amazing (Suite 200). Clean, clean, clean....

About the Suite:

Bathroom: dual shower heads, large walk-in shower, excellent water pressure and always had plenty of hot water. Large vanity, magnified makeup mirror.

Bed: softest bed we've ever slept on anywhere in Mexico!! King size with duvet - it was a great way to end each day.

Closet space galore, tons of drawer space, etc, and all very clean. Our room had 2 tv's, a dvd player, a dining room table which we put onto our huge balcony to make room for where the girls slept...

Maid turned down our bed at night and left 2 chocolates on our pillow with a card that told your tomorrow's forecast - a very nice touch!

In room coffee: first pouch is free, but you get charged 14 pesos each day that you use another one. Well worth it, just don't be surprised that it's not free coffee.

Restaurant: there is only one, but they sure pack a lot of punch into the flavors! Every morning the girls ordered an American Breakfast, complete with 2 eggs any style, hashbrowns, 2 strips of bacon, garnished with asparagus and tomatoes, came also with a beautiful fruit plate or juice and a basket full of toasted buns and those little jars of jam...all for 70 pesos (7 bucks). Great deal! There are better deals to be had, however we loved giving this attentive, adorable staff our business, plus it was handy and who doesn't love eating breakfast while overlooking the ocean??!! Also loved their caesar salad and their spaghetti of all things!

Pool was cold, hot tub was quite hot/warm...we made good use out of it!

It's a quieter resort meaning no Bingo or Aquacize...and by all means if you want to bring a cd to have them play it, they will play it for you. I wish I would've brought some Mexican music as it was lacking there, which I love to hear when I'm around a pool in Mexico, not Kenny Rogers! But that was minor...

Staff: accommodate you to the bone!! The waiters only make 50 pesos a day, so they truly appeciate the tips. We were very generous with our tips and still found the final tally to be totally reasonable at check-out.

Resort is immaculately clean - they were painting while we were there. By far the cleanest place we've ever stayed at in Mexico I do believe. They have an internet room with 3 computers. It cost 20 pesos for 1/2 hour. Also there's a phone down the hall from the front desk for using your prepaid phone cards. It was much quieter than on the street.

Location: Ideal!! Right out the front lobby you're in the thick of things: Hotdog stands, shops (Designer's Bazaar is a must!!), awesome restaurants: Ernie Tomatoe's, Gringo Lingo, Shrimp Factory, Cowboys....we took a 50 peso cab ride to Senor Frogs and actually walked home, it was a nice way to burn off what we ate!! So it's not that far at all.

Only downfall: Be prepared for loud music til 4:00 am every night, as the hotel is situated right beside a very loud beach bar and next to Joe's Oyster bar...we actually got used to it by about the 3rd night, but don't say I didn't warn you!! In fact some nights I'd go out on the balcony to assess the situation, and other family members were already on the balcony because they too couldn't sleep. We finally just went to these establishments on a few occasions with the motto: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!!

There are horse back rides available on the beach at sunset...very romantic!

TIP OF THE TRIP: AND...right beside the hotel is an empty parking lot. If you see a van with the sides cut out, that belongs to Fransisco, a local who's lived there 52 years. We asked if we could hire him for one afternoon to drive us around, and he was thee best tour guide you could ever find!! He took us to the marina where we got to see the Marlin's hanging on hooks, as well as a shark that we watched them fillet!! He took us to all kinds of remote, and amazing beaches...he's a very sweet family man and wanted to take us every day somewhere else!! Do look for him if you want to make your own personal adventures!! I've attached a picture of Fransisco and his van...Please tell him that Donny & Christine say hello!!!

As you can tell we enjoyed ourselves immensely at this resort and highly recommend staying here to anyone wondering what it's like. If you go, please tell the front desk that Donny & Christine Fulton sent you!!!! They will treat you like gold!!
Hope you enjoy your stay and do check out the attached photos.