After reading some of the reviews, I was a little concerned about my choice in places to stay. I think the negative reviews are a bit overblown. My beach vacation is about relaxing, so not having loud pool activities and very few children was a positive thing to me. There was food and beverage service at the beach, although not as frequent as some places I have stayed, I found it to be adequate. The towel situation was a challenge as others have commented. We had to call numerous times for towels, which always seemed to be out to laundry. The staff was always pleasant. The beach was spectacular! Since Costa Bonita is away from the Golden Zone, there was a reduced amount of beach vendors.

We rented from an owner the last 10 days of December 2007. It was unseasonably cold (55-60 degrees with a stiff north wind!) which really put a damper on the time you would want to spend on the beach.

The ground floor condo was very nice and I would recommend it (search for Al and Amy's Oceanfront Getaway). The condo is nicely stocked with everything you need. It has a nice (small) patio with a peek-a-boo view of the ocean, which, during this time of the year meant you could watch the sunset from your patio. All in all, a very nice condo should you choose to rent it.

As for the property, it is a mix of owners (lots) and renters (not too many). It has nice beach access, with lounge chairs and palapas, and staff will bring you tables, chairs and pads, as you need them. It has a nice, adults only, hot tub (strictly enforced), and a nice pool--part heated; part not.

When we were there, the "lounge" never opened--in fact it had a sign that said "no food or drink." The restaurant is very plain (breakfast and dinner inside) but good. Lunch is served outside. Again, it was good.

The convenience store is small, but nicely stocked with the basics, but rarely open (it's at the whim of the clerks). I purchased some provisions early on and, upon returning to the room, was pretty sure that I was overcharged $10 bucks or so. Later I purchased some chips and was short changed $10 so I went to the front desk (as opposed to the clerk) and told them. He just handed me $10. Hhhmmm.

Computer room is useful, but is only open when the store clerk will open it for you. Has wi-fi, but I couldn’t get it to work (my fault—and my laziness—I didn’t really care).

Never could use the laundry room. The front desk kept telling me to buy tokens "tomorrow."

Grounds are beautiful and wonderfully maintained. The property is gorgeous and peaceful.

It is located on the bus route so take a moment to familiarize yourself with how the buses work. They cost between fifty and eight CENTS and will take you all throughout Maz. Again, just take a moment to look at the map (available everywhere, including the lobby) to get your bearings and off you'll go. Just give them an American dollar and let them keep the change--they'll always pick you up if you do that.

Please note that this complex is NOT located near anything you will want to see or do in Maz. There are a couple of nice restaurants on the beach to the North, but you are not anywhere near Zona Dorada (Golden Zone); Olas Altos and Centro (downtown). You can easily get there by bus or cab ($8-15, depending on your negotiation skills), but for a buck, the bus trip is the way to go. You cannot possible walk to these destinations. Trust me--they're a long ways away.

But again, it's a great beach (proportionally few beach vendors) and a nice pool, so if you are looking to relax, lie in the sun and enjoy your surroundings, this is a great place. Want noise and nightlife--you'll need Zona Dorada.

Although this condo is not horrible it is NOT by any stretch of the imagination a RESORT like it says in its title. If you are looking for a resort stay please book somewhere else. The beach and pool are nice but virtually no activities and definitely NO service by the pool or beach. You had to chase the waiter at the pool bar and then wait while he gave you your order because he would never bring it to you like at a regular resort. I am sure that if someone was just looking for a condo to switch into for a week or two with NO expection of service or entertainment then this is the hotel.

Truthfully they report that they have three restaurants, they only have one. It is the one that you eat at for breakfast which is actually quite good and reasonably priced!! The pool bar often didn't have food that we wanted to order from the menu (we finally made sandwiches in the room and brought them downstairs to eat-Walmart is a great place to shop and is not that terribly far) and the Costa deli is not really a deli. It is really a mini convenience store. Of course the very nice lady that runs it is hardly ever there. She takes more breaks then anyone I know!! Don't get me wrong, very very nice to talk to but just hardly there plus she runs the computer room so if she's not working then the computer room is closed!!!!

We saw a complaint in another review about the towels and sheets there and I agree that they are in sad shape. Plus in the time that we were there the maid NEVER changed our sheets on our beds. I usually expect them to be changed at least by the third day (we know about saving water etc) and we had to be in the room while she was cleaning it if we wanted new towels. Plus the beach towels they give you are for the entire week. You can not exchange them so you had better hope they dry out so you can use them the next day. Also the laundry they have on site there is exclusively for the owners, as a guest you have to pay $7 dollars or 70 pesos for a service to do one load of laundry for you.

The beds are the HARDEST Mexico has to offer and I have been to many hotels and resorts in Mexico. Ours had springs coming up and when we asked for a new mattress, the maintenance man came and flipped the mattress for us. By the second or third night, the springs had worked their way up the other way. Plus if anyone in your party is tall then they will spend the week in discomfort from the tiny beds.

Each condo is decorated and furnished differently so any pictures that you see of this condo's rooms and furnishings are different then what you will get when you arrive. Some of the individual condo owners very cheaply furnished their rooms which was the case of our room. Plus we had ants in our room that they couldn't do anything about according to the maintenance man except put down bleach?? Whatever...

The staff does try to be nice and helpful but there is only so much they can do because of the owners who live there. My children were playing in the pool by having underwater swimming races and one of the owners told them that they were too loud. WHAT?? They were under the water!!! How on earth were they being loud?? Of course, I didn't allow her to be rude to my children and once I took a firm but polite line with her then she left my kids alone and went to torture some Canadian kids on the beach who were playing in the sand. However, their mom just said she was sorry and bundled her kids back up to the room. There are several owners who live there that are very helpful and will point you in the right direction for restaurants.

There isn't a great deal to do or see in Mazatlan for kids except beach and pool so when the weather turned unseasonally cold for us there weren't many tours or activities to do. The restaurants are good and fairly priced however I have been to restaurants in Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun , Mexico City that had more "Mexican" flair then here in Mazatlan. There are many American and Canadian owned restaurants here so they have sanitized the whole restaurant experience. Of course, I know there are plenty of people who like that but I like Mexican food with the fresh fish, seafood, veggies and flair etc and it just seemed to be lacking in this part of Mexico. The people here are friendly towards Americans but for a "funner" time I would recommend Puerto Vallarta or Cancun (and I am NOT talking about drinking or partying.. I have two children and my partying days are LONG over).

We probably would have had a better time in a TRUE resort. Next year for the holidays I will be doing MUCH better research into the resort I stay at! However one last recommendation, if you do go to Mazatlan go to Pueblitos for dinner. They are beyond awesome and are one of the few restaurants here that have the Mexican flair I was talking about!! Ask for Alberto...he's the head waiter and he will take excellent care of you!!

Costa Bonita is not for everyone. It is safe, clean, well maintained, lush, and hosts a beautiful beach. It really is best for a couple (or couples) who want a quieter vacation. The reason is it is off the beat-and-path north of the new Marina on New Mazatlan. Just a couple of restaurants close by.

The complex has many seasonal retired owners that are not exactly tolerant of children. I've witnessed a child being scolded by an owner (who was reading a book) for splashing in the pool!. Psst; thats what Kid's do in the pool! My 13 year old was yelled at by someone because he was in the whirlpool without an adult. A crime I guess. Don't expect to see many small children. As adults, we like to find a couple with other children to "hang with" so the kids can play. That simply may not happen unless you are there during peak time. If you choose this location and you have small children, your Kid's will be bored.

It is true that I got the feeling (initially) that I didn't "belong" as I was a renter. There is some animosity. After talking with some of the seasonal people I blended in. They explained that the problem is the complex owns some rooms of there own and rents by the weekend and some owners rent well below what they should ($50 per night) and don't always attract the finest renters. So there is a constant change of people and I understand that they don't treat things like they own it. If you show up with small Kid's, you will feel the cold shoulder from some of the owners.

On the other hand if you are 40+ and are staying for a few weeks, expect to have a wonderful vacation so long as you are searching for a quiet spot.

The restaurant is fairly priced with $6 breakfasts and $8 lunches but the bar is way over priced with $3.50 beers and $5.50 mixed drinks. I was told it is a policy that you cannot bring your own drinks to the pool area (but you can to the public beach).

Others who have commented about the massages are correct in that it is WELL worth it. I had a massage from a women on staff (yea, a little phobic I guess) and she did a great job for $25. In fact, I got three!

The workout area is a pretty long walk and they charge a daily fee (free for the owners) and the hot tub area and grilling area is off limits to "renters" (again included for the owners).

So to break it down in letter grade format. A+ beach, A- facility, A- grounds, B staff, B quality food, C- cost of drinks, A security, C- location (proximity to restaurants etc), A location (because it is in an upscale area), C- owner friendliness, A- to a C range of rooms (depending on who you rent from), and D+ Kid Friendly.

So the bottom line is don't bring the Kid's (even teens) and don't expect to be partying. This is PERFECT for a 2 week + renter who is 40+ and whats to unwind in a nice resort. All others need not apply!

Dan from MI