Have an opportunity to stay at condos in Mazatlan and Puerta Penasco. Have stayed in PV three times and loved it. Any info on the first two would be helpful?

Having been to all three several times, I can assure you that PP (aka Rocky Point) and Mazatlan will not compare to PV. I consider Mazatlan to be the armpit of the Mexican tourist beaches. I have never liked it. Puerto Penasco (note the spelling) was a fishing village that was a four hour drive from Phoenix. Arizonian's adopted it and flooded it with RV's, and later built expensive homes just north of the village. It's pretty up there. In the last few years, condo's and timeshares have popped up, but the rest of the town has remained much the same. Except for the pretty views, I can't say there's much of a draw. A lot of college kids and young families will be around regardless of the time of year. And it's very hot and humid in the summer.

Were it me, I'd go back to PV. If you are going to compare either of these two places to PV, you will certainly be disappointed. BTW - if you still want further info on Rocky Point, I'd suggest you post to the AZ board.

Could you go back to Puerto Vallarta instead?

given only a choice of PV, Rocky Pt and Mazatlan? Yes. BUT - since you've been there three times already, why not consider somewhere else? Maybe Cancun, Cabo, etc.???

Thing is we have 2 weeks condo for PV and 2 weeks condo for Mazatlan available for next year. The PV is interchangable with Puerto Penasco and other condos. The Mazatlan one isn't. We thought that if Mazatlan wasn't too bad we would take advantage of those two weeks. We were after a day whale watching excursion, which it does not offer. We thought that seeing how Puerto Penasco has whale watching with several types of whales, we might switch the PV condo for one session tr and then try out Mazatlan for another? We are thinking of the humidity too. Mazatlan is only available Jan.part of Feb. and "some" summer and fall months, and we were looking to go whalewatching then. Does anyone know when the humid weather in that area is? We felt very safe in PV and also wondered about the crime rate, seeing how the other two are closer to the border. Thank you for the advice so far. K.

Humidity is only a problem in PP in the summer months. In fact, the water may be too cool to swim during the winter months. It is, after all, quite a bit further north that PV. But I don't think one would feel unsafe there. I've never heard of anyone going there for whale watching, but that may be my ignorance.

I did not find Mazatlan a particularly pretty or comfortable place. I was there several times during the day off a cruise ship - I never stayed overnight. I have seen outside the city as well as inside the city. Others may disagree, but I found it, well, scummy.
Your dilemma is a result, I suspect, of time shares. I'm sorry that my opinion of the destinations cannot be more positive. In your position, I'd probably blow off the condo and go somewhere new and different and worth the airfare and other costs, but if that's imposssible, I'd probably select PV again. At least it's a nice place.

But I will remind you again to post questions about Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) on the Arizona board.

I have never been to Mazatlan. Friends who used to go there yearly, well once they saw PV, never went back.

I tried to arrange a trip last year since I was curious and had difficulty getting good information and simply did not find the range in budget hotels like I do in PV (couldn't find a downtown one with a tiny pool or on a beach, seemed very geared that tourists belonged out in the golden zone of resort hotels - which might be OK in your situation). Also traveling solo the safety issue came up in Mazatlan which never does in PV.

That said, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta are pretty close together on the same coast so seasons would not be that different. Jan/Feb should be nice. Summer months hot, humid, with more rain potential.

Thanks again folks. This is good info. K.

A note on whale watching in Puerto Penasco. Seeing whales there is rare and in only in the winter months (Jan. and Feb.) Check out www.cedointercultural.org for information about sea creatures. We love it there because the beaches are beautiful, but the town is not clean or touristy. There is nothing to do but swim, fish, eat at so-so restaurants and maybe take a sunset cruise.

Please excuse the difference of opinion...I like Mazatlan better than Puerto Vallarta.

Quite the opposite of jk's comments, I found PV to seem a bit rundown while Mazatlan seemed cleaner overall to me. I thought the beaches themselves at Mazatlan were far superior, better waves, better sand, more fun. Offshore fishing in Mazatlan seems better too.

But overall there are far more similarilties between PV and Mazatlan than any other two Pacific resorts. Both places are cursed with an overabundance of venders, condo hawkers. Both areas have wonderful stretches of beautiful scenery just outside of the city. Both have good bus service to get around. Easy travel and driving. similar weather. Not too expensive.