So on my actual birthday I took a road trip to Solvang, California but the big birthday trip I took was with my roommate Todd – whose birthday is also in February – to Mazatlan, Mexico.
So we traveled at the end of February as most of the area was booked for Carnival. The good thing was that it was fairly quiet and low key while we were there, so definitely a great time for a quiet birthday week.
We stayed at the El Cid Moro resort, right on the Pacific Ocean. An all-inclusive resort.
Talk about an amazing view! And watching the sunset our first night there was so unbelievable!
Beginning our first night there, my friend Todd and I caught the dinner show they have and then made our way up to the bar for some karaoke. By the way, this became our nightly routine, and it was nice as we began making friends our first night there – including the waiter, Esteban, who made sure that our glasses were NEVER empty.
In an interesting way, this week in Mazatlan felt like being at summer camp. During the day we saw our friends around the hotels, on tours, or perhaps at the restaurants, but in the evenings these were the people that I ended my day with. All week long, they made me laugh and they made me smile.
Besides, all the food and drinks and great friends, one of the best parts of the trip was the tours. We took a fun trolley tour around the town of Mazatlan. Our tour guide was great and we were able to view some of the town surround the resort.
Mazatlan is just a beautiful city. You can walk from the resort and there are many, many restaurants and shops in which to walk too. The night life is amazing AND the city is very safe!
On our second day there, as we were taking the trolley tour, we came back to the hotel to find our room was clean AND they decorated the room with balloons, and the words HAPPY BIRDAY [yes they forgot the T] made from little rocks on our bed AND a nice birthday cake.
I took a tour by myself by traveling to the town of El Quelite. It is a small town about 30-35 minutes outside of Mazatlan. It is a very cute and quaint city. You visit a bakery, the cemetery, watch a simulated cock fight, dancing horses, as well as eat at the most wonderful restaurant EVER – El Meson de los Laurenos. The food was fabulous.
The tour of El Quelite includes a nice carne asada lunch at this restaurant. But due to my hemochromatosis I am unable to eat red meat, and they accommodated me with chicken enchiladas and you guys – no joke – this restaurant is amazing. The atmosphere is also really cool. It almost feels like something out of Disneyland in just the way it is decorated.
The final thing I want to mention is how amazing the staff was at the resort. I did do a nice review of my stay at trip advisor but I do think it bears repeating. They really did go out of their way to make our trip amazing.
The second to last day my friend and I took a great tour to Deer Island just off the coast of Mazatlan for some swimming, snorkeling, and banana boat riding.
I do love traveling and I do love seeing other places but I do hope that I get to take another trip to Mazatlan in the future – or maybe another city in Mexico.