Mazatlan is located in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.  Mazatlan is located on the pacific coast of Mexico, close in proximity to the southernmost tip of the Baja California Peninsula.  Founded in the 1820s, Mazatlan came into prominence after an influx of German immigrants helped establish the area as a commercial seaport, and major import area of gold and silver mining equipment.  Mazatlan was the capital of Sinaloa from 1859-1873, and is still the 2nd largest city in the state.  Mazatlan is also Mexico’s largest commercial port.  Tourism is also a major draw to Mazatlan, with a coastline boasting many beaches and luxury hotels, and a yearly carnival that takes place on Ash Wednesday.  The estimated population of Mazatlan is 340,000.

We went on August 2001.  The weather was the hottest in 20 years. 105 in the shade on the first day.  It cooled down by the time we left to about 90.  The Golden Zone is where we stayed and the prices were astronomical for a Mexican holiday.  Just the fact that Mazatlan is the shrimp capital of the world doesn't mean you'll find any deals for shrimp.  We went looking for a good price and the best we could find was a bucket of shrimp (about 12 large ones) for $15.  What a rip off for this place.  Other than this we was happy with the accommodation and service of the hotels.  Over all, I rate this place as too expensive for a "cheap" vacation.  It cost about the same as you will find if you went to Hawaii.

Because of the extreme heat and the high prices for everything, we cut our vacation short.  I had rather gone to Tijuana and at least I could have stayed in San Diego and visited during the day.