12 Best Hotels in Mazatlan, Mexico

This three-story Zona Dorada low-rise is close to everything. Its straightforward accommodations are softened by white-and-yellow walls, colorful bedspreads, and a stand-alone bar called La Capilla (the chapel). Rates bounce up $15–$25 a night during Carnaval, Easter, and school vacations (Christmas through New Year's, July, and August).

The 12-story Freeman faces the ocean and fronts a delightful maze of narrow postcolonial streets that surround nearby Plazuela Machado. Other than the spacious and gleaming tiled bathrooms, the rooms don't deviate from the standard chain hotel look—don't expect colonial character—but they are bright and up-to-date and have some amenities (like free Wi-Fi and more than two English-language channels) that you won't find in many of the more expensive hotels. The rooftop bar and pool are marvelous spots to watch the sunset.

An oasis of home-style tranquillity wedged among Zona Dorada's high-energy high-rises, Casa Contenta consists of two buildings: one with seven one-bedroom apartments (some with waterfront terraces) and the other a house that can accommodate up to eight people with its three bedrooms, three baths, and living-dining room. The live-like-a-local quality is authentic down to the cheerful Mexican furniture, well-stocked kitchens, and meticulously tended gardens.

The grand, old, Centro Histórico home of a prominent Mazatlán doctor and former mayor is now this excellent bed-and-breakfast. A stay here puts you across from two museums, a block from the beach, and three blocks from Plazuela Machado. Each of its six rooms is dedicated to a different Mexican personage, Pancho Villa and Frida Kahlo among them. Rooms don't have TVs—more reason to head out and explore—but there's a media center with cable TV and a DVD. There's also a central courtyard and a rooftop terrace.

One of the Centro Histórico's nicest and newest hotels is in a remodeled mansion across from the Pedro Infante monument. Rooms are simple, but each has unique details and subdued colors as well as Italian ceramic floors, Mexican furniture, a plasma TV, plush robes, and windows so soundproof that you could sleep through a Carnaval procession in the street below. Most rooms also have terraces with views of the Olas Altas beach and the Pacific. The staff is friendly, and service is personalized. Dinners and other special functions are sometimes organized for guests during holidays and events in town.

Named after Spain's legendary medieval leader, Mazatlán's largest resort has four properties, three of which are together in the Zona Dorada. The most upscale are the all-inclusive La Castilla and El Moro. The Granada costs less because it's the oldest, has no beachfront, and operates on the European Plan (that is, no meals included). A free shuttle connects these to the upscale, all-inclusive Marina El Cid Hotel and Yacht Club, at the north end of town, overlooking the 100-slip marina. Staying at any El Cid property gets you access to the full-service spa and fitness center, the city's best golf school and course, tennis and racquetball courts, and the aquatics center. Among readers, the Marina seems to be the favorite of the properties for its friendly staff, superior upkeep, and serene mood.

This small seaside inn is rich in history and low in price. Rooms are plain but comfortable; beds are firm, and the TVs have cable. Exterior halls and stairways are made of romantically creaking wood and surround a sweet-smelling courtyard where dieffenbachias grow to primeval proportions and doves roost in tropical almond trees. The first-floor patio is ringed by such nonaffiliated businesses as a car-rental office and a travel agency. El Shrimp Bucket restaurant provides room service.

Accommodations are sunny, clean, and tasteful, and most open onto terraces or balconies. The well-kept grounds are mature but not dowdy, the pool is large, and there are palapas lining the beach. When you ask for an ocean-view room, specify that you want one away from Joe's Oyster Bar; also check that it's one of the refurbished rooms.

A sense of calm, confident service pervades this all-suites hotel. Colors in the garden are rich: deep terra-cotta, strolling pink flamingos, expansive green palms, pristine white umbrellas, and golden koi ponds. Chandeliers and beveled-glass doors sparkle in the imposing lobby. Guest quarters have cool aqua-tile floors, built-in sofas with earth-tone upholstery, beds with egg-crate-foam and pillow-top mattress pads, and pillow menus that let you choose the cushioning that's best for you. Kitchens are well equipped. It all opens out onto a glistening beach.

The neoclassical elements of Mazatlán's most remote and luxurious resort feel so close to holy that you may find yourself whispering. Balconies protrude from all 425-square-foot suites, where you can contemplate gardens that undulate with the curves of spotless sidewalks, then seem to melt into the shifting sand and rippling ocean beyond. It's easy to enjoy the pillow-top mattresses or 350-foot-long shocking-blue pool. But if you don't like being marooned 10 km (6 mi) north of town, then choose another location. There is a driving range, and a golf course is planned for the future.

Bring on the partying at this beachfront high-rise just inside the southern entrance to the Zona Dorada. It's home to Joe's Oyster Bar, an open-air dance club–volleyball court that is popular with locals and tourists alike; things really rev up on weekends. Amenities are tasteful, however, with comfortable white-walled rooms highlighted by blue-and-green fabrics.

Everything feels supersize in this 12-story pyramid in the throbbing heart of the Zona Dorada, from the marble-heavy atrium lobby to the one- and two-bedroom suites that are done in bold blues and oranges. Even the glass elevators that take you to and fro offer amazing views. All rooms have balconies (be sure to request an ocean view, and if possible a room above the third floor). A delicate touch is the bridge to the pool, which spans a fishpond.