My wife and two children, ages 12 and 8, recently stayed at the Pueblo Bonito, Emerald Bay for about 8 days in February of 2008. This was the second time we stayed at Emerald Bay, and we were as delighted with our vacation and the Emerald Bay as we were the last time.

We booked our stay through Expedia and rented a studio. We attempted to rent a larger suite in the substantial internet aftermarket for time shares, and had two different people willing to rent us their 1 bedroom suites for the same price as we ended up spending for the studio (about $1600) through expedia. In both cases, however, the timeshare owners were unable to book the week we wanted in February 2008 (even though we were booking this in the summer of 2007), (This internet aftermarket for the renting and sales of timeshares should serve as a warning for those thinking of buying directly from the resort. Before you buy from the resort, check out the prices in the aftermarket and I think you will probably be able to do substantially better.)

But if you are looking for a great deal on a spectacular resort, keep your eyes peeled on the internet for people willing to rent their timeshares. If you are not looking ,as we were, for one of the of most sought after times of the year, you might be able to get an incredible deal for a spacious, and luxurious suite.

In any event, upon arrival, we were given a choice of rooms, and chose a room on the second floor at the furthest end of the resort , facing the ocean and on the second floor. The clerk warned us that we were not close to the lobby, but we chose this room anyway, because we liked the idea of the placement and were not terribly worried about the distance. Typically, for Emerald Bay, check-in was a breeze. One of the most remarkable things about this resort is that, even when you know it is extremely busy and probably full, it never, ever, feels overly crowded. I am not exactly sure why or how that is, but it is a phenomenon that my wife and I both independently noticed.

The room was spectacularly placed, with a gorgeous view of the ocean and beach. On the way, the person who helped us with our bags told us that if we thought it was too far we could always call for a golf cart and someone would come get us. Frankly, I thought this was ridiculous, because it wasn't really that far, but it was nice that he pointed out the option and I imagine some people might want to take advantage of the thoughtfully provided service.

The level of service at the Emerald Bay is beyond imagining and practically embarrassing. I have read reviews on this site in which people have complained from time to time about service. Either they have had individual, isolated experiences, or they have insane, outlandish expectations for "service". Good service does not mean that the world quails before you and your immediate unreasonable needs. Good service requires that you have the grace not to seek extraordinarily absurd advantage.

As a resort goes, the Emerald Bay is unmatched in terms of service, quality, and, believe it or not, value. Go to a supposedly outstanding quality resort anywhere in the United States and try to eat and drink "on campus" for anywhere even close to the prices at the Emerald Bay. We stayed at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas last year and experienced the "spit in your face outlandishness" of $10 bottles of water at the pool. Forget about the cost of food there. At the Emerald Bay, you can actually eat and drink at the resort. During happy hour you can get alcohol at the pool for a price that you couldn't buy an insult from a sullen server at an American resort. Forget it.

This is simply a spectacular place for a spectacular value.

As far as things to do in Mazatlan, we succumbed to many reviews that recommended the Mexican Fiesta at the "Playa Mazatlan" hotel. We do NOT recommend this. I can't imagine what possesses people to recommend it. The food is uninspiring, and the "comedy" consists of watching an older "comedian" gyrate his pelvis. That joke got real old real fast. And it was repeated again, and again, and again.

In contrast, the Mexican Fiesta that was sponsored by the Emerald Bay was wonderful. Instead of being trapped in what feels like a dungeon at the Playa Mazatlan, the one at the Emerald Bay is done in the open air on a rooftop space over one of the restaurants. In our case it happened the night of the total eclipse of the moon. It was a beautiful evening. The food is better, the entertainment is more interesting (the dancers and the rope trick guy I think were the same). They also have at the Emerald Bay Fiesta a mammoth pinata for the kids. Our 8 year old came back to the table with a giant piece of the pinata and a huge smile on her face. If you want to go to a "Mexican Fiesta" got to the Emerald Bay one. You'll have a much better time. It was amusing.

If you are considering a stay at the Emerald Bay have no fear. The place is spectacular. The crowd is certainly an older crowd and the resort is a distance from the city but it is well worth it.

26 of our close friends and family joined together to witness my sister and brother-in-law exchange wedding vows at this gorgeous resort. Enjoying Mazatlan and staying at Emerald Bay has been our best experience so far. The resort and service is fantastic. The free shuttle service every 30 mins into the sister resort in town is really handy. The food and beverage prices were better than what we had experienced in Cabo by far. We really enjoyed the whole atmosphere. We are not fans of humid heat, rather like the dry heat however given they were getting married Aug 4, we had humid Hawaii type weather. Not our favorite but we know we just need to go back in Winter & Spring to get the dry heat we like so much. We can't wait to go back & enjoy this cities offerings again.

We arranged transportation from the airport to Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay which was economical and efficient. When we arrived at PBEB we thougt we were on Fantasy Island; we kept expecting Mr. Roark and Tattoo any moment. The rooms were magnificent, clean and decorated with flair. A similar room in the U.S. would be 2 or 3 times more the cost. The outdoor pools were heated and the food at the main restaurant was very good. On Wednesday nights the hotel has a Mexican Fiesta gala which is well worth the price: traditional and reginal singing, dancing, and a buffet that is endless; also, an open bar. You can also buy goods and snacks in two of the delis on the premises. This resort is like a giant stationary cruise ship. I will be back again next year.

We just returned from a week at the PBEB Mazatlan. My family and I stayed in a junior suite that was spacious and had an excellent ocean view and a good view of the main pool as well(we were on the 4th floor). The decor was decent....with lots of blues, whites, and yellows. The deck was our favorite part of the room. Spacious and had 2 large lounge chairs with excellent padding (and a small table). It also had a little drying rack along the wall (to hang your wet bathing suits, towels, etc). The entire room had tile flooring which we noticed housekeeping mopped everyday when they cleaned the room. The drawback of having tile is that you hear everyone around you moving furniture (like pulling a chair from a table or moving patio furniture around)....it just echoed throughout. The beds (and the pillows) were very uncomfortable. There was a feather bed topper that kept bunching up and would always make the bed feel mushy. The sheet (their version of a fitted sheet) kept moving around so half the time part of the mattress was exposed. Small kitchenette (the oven cooktop labels on the switches were a bit worn, full size refrig, no dishwasher), nice size bathroom with seperate commode. The main room door was very heavy and slammed hard (which would always echo throughout the bldg, so if you're a light sleeper like me, it'll wake you up at night). No internet in rooms (you had to go down to the deli to use your computer...if sit outside it's free of charge, if you sit inside they charge you) The grounds and building exteriors are absolutely beautiful (and very clean...never even saw a wrapper on the ground)....lots of flowering trees and bushes. Throughout the property we saw flamingos, iguanas, geese, and peacocks. There are 2 pools (apparently another one will open once construction is complete) one is the main activity pool (loud, lots of people, hard to find a lounge chair during peak hours, many announcements over the loud speaker) and the other is a small "quiet" pool. Both have swim-up bars. The food by the pool was very good and reasonable, room service food was adequete, and we thought the food at their one and only restaurant was poor. One morning we had breakfast there, ordered the buffet, and found that many of their cereals had expired (by a year). The beach out front was rocky but if you walk a bit north you can swim in the ocean. Good walking beach and long. We did do the time share speal....never felt pressured, it was 90 minutes long, and you got not only $200 to use towards food & beverage at the resort (can't use it toward your deli/supermarket food bill), but also a free buffet breakfast (which was better than the restarant's buffet). If you have time check out one of their villas....they're very pretty and worth a look. We took the free shuttle a few times to the other PB property (pleasant and always on time for us). Definitely a good 15 minute ride. Old Maz is definitely a trek (at least 30 minutes away). Didn't care for the town itself.....dirty, lots of graffiti, just run down. One day we took a private boat tour which was fun. Went to Stone Island and checked out the other 3 islands as well. Saw dolphins and sea lions along the way.
Overall the resort was decent.....lots of construction going on the south end of the property.....definitely try to avoid rooms near it, because it can be loud at times.