Mazatlan

Mazatlán has the best of all worlds for a Mexican Pacific resort. As well as the long, wide sandy beaches and getaway islands where you can relax in the sun or partake in most imaginable aquatic activities, the city boasts a charmingly revitalized old town with cobblestone streets, 19th-century buildings and a burgeoning gallery, cafe and cultural scene. Throw in meals of Mazatlán's famed fresh seafood, one of the country's wildest annual Carnaval celebrations (the week leading up to Ash Wednesday in February or March), legendary sportfishing, a throbbing nightlife scene, and plenty to please kids including the MazAgua water ...

Mazatlán has the best of all worlds for a Mexican Pacific resort. As well as the long, wide sandy beaches and getaway islands where you can relax in the sun or partake in most imaginable aquatic activities, the city boasts a charmingly revitalized old town with cobblestone streets, 19th-century buildings and a burgeoning gallery, cafe and cultural scene. Throw in meals of Mazatlán's famed fresh seafood, one of the country's wildest annual Carnaval celebrations (the week leading up to Ash Wednesday in February or March), legendary sportfishing, a throbbing nightlife scene, and plenty to please kids including the MazAgua water park, and you have a place to be enjoyed by everyone. The city stretches in agreeably spread-out fashion along almost eight miles of coast with Old Mazatlán on a promontory at the south end. Visiting the galleries, good small museums and cafés of Old Mazatlán and taking in an event at the Teatro Ángela Peralta or another venue provides a refreshing counterpoint to the unlimited vacation fun along the beaches.

About the Expert

John Noble is a coauthor of Lonely Planet's Spain, Andalucia, and Mexico as well as many other LP titles from Indonesia to Belize to Brazil.