Oceanfront, 3 Bedroom, 2800 Square Foot, top floor Condo In Historical Mazatlan

The trip started off with some check-in issueS - Javier, the property manager, understood how we were inconvenienced and comp'd our meal at the very nice restaurant he manages, to make up for the issues. That was a satisfactory resolution. The other issues included: one bathroom with a sewer odor strong enough to make it unusable. Javier attempted to have it fixed and told us to let him know if it was not resolved. Because there were 3 other working bathrooms we decided to not ask Javier to come back when the issue was not fixed on the 1st attempt. The wet bar water filter system sprung a leak. We notified Javier but did not require it to be fixed during our stay. When I opened the area under the wet bar to clean up the leak there were several misc items just strewn about (Tabasco sauce, empty containers... basic disarray.) The condo appears to be used as a part-time residence for the owner(s). There were shoes and other items in closets. When I went to do some light cleaning - there were 3 empty cleaning product containers, empty laundry soap container, empty trash bag container. Expired food items in the pantry (some dated 2017). It would have been nice if space had been cleared to have our items stored separately. I did take all the left behind pantry items and move them to one cupboard so all our items could be in a separate cupboard. The mattress on the bigger bed in the master bedroom closest to the laundry room is horribly uncomfortable. I am not complaining about the water/leak issue or bathroom issue - clearly, we managed fine, and we did not ask them to be fixed during our stay. The reason we would not choose to stay here again has to do with the general lack of care taken. Having other people's things in the closet, empty containers, expired food items, … all these little things added up to a general lack of care and less than appealing vacation environment. The 24/7 security staff is AWESOME. The location is beautiful. A little more time spent on the details would require very little, and would have gone a long way in making this a perfect vacation rental.

We were immediately wowed when we walked into the condo. You just can't beat the view from the wrap around balcony on the 10th floor. We had more than enough room for two couples. The condo could fit 6 very comfortably. The pool area was very nice and clean, the temperature of the water was refreshing. The beds are comfortable, plenty of towels, and the full size washer and dryer are a nice amenity as well. We were too lazy to work out in the fitness room, so I can't comment on that. The two bedrooms in the back of the condo were very quiet, the other couple could hear music from the malecon from the master bedroom at night, so be sure to pack earplugs. They remembered to bring some and they said it drowned out the music and taxi noise just fine. This is no fault of the condo whatsoever, the locals just like to have fun after the sun goes down. As to the previous reviewer that freaked out about ants in the kitchen: this is the tropics. Whenever you have warm humid weather there will be a few teeny tiny sugar ants if you don't keep all your carbohydrates (sugar, crackers, cereal, etc.) in the refrigerator. We have lived in the US Virgin Islands, so this was common sense for us. This condo is the perfect location for walking to nearby restaurants on the malecon and el centro historico, with all the beautifully restored buildings, the beach, and you can easily catch a taxi from the front door when you get too hot and tired. We spent most of our beach time at Playa Norte because the vendors had umbrellas for rent. Olas Altas looked nice too, but there aren't any vendors there. We went to several fine dining restaurants in el centro that were delicious with amazing service, and it is so beautiful there at night with the street lamps and lights in the sidewalks. The Looney Bean across from the malecon was our go-to for coffee and breakfast burritos, which was a short walk from the condo. We were walking distance to museums, art galleries, the big market, the Angela Peralta Theatre, Plaza, Machado, and the roof top deck of Hotel Posada for the sunsets. We are so glad we stayed away from the drab touristy area up north and stayed in this condo where all the culture is. After writing this review, I'm sad that I'm not there, and we would definitely love to go back!

We really enjoyed our stay but there were some things lacking in the condo, proper coffee machine for a group, towels, toilet paper etc. There was also a very bad ant problem in the kitchen that wouldn’t go away no matter how many times we or the the cleaners tried to get rid of them. This is why we are rating it a 3. BUT...... The condo is spacious and provides lots of privacy for everyone. The balconies were perfect for watching things on the Malecón and providing shade when needed. Javier the property manager was amazing. He followed through on everything we asked help for, arranged transportation and always responded in a timely manner. The building is very well cared for as well. The common areas and pool were clean and well cared for and security was friendly and helpful in every way.

We (6 adults) really enjoyed our week stay at the condominium. For much of the day there is a refreshing breeze from the Pacific Ocean (from late morning through much of the night). When we returned from the beach or Centro Historico, we always promptly opened the balcony doors to enjoy the ocean air, sometimes on the balcony and other times in the living room. My wife and I slept in the secondary master bedroom with the balcony door open about a foot, the rest was perfect (although it should be noted that on the weekends there are activities in the squares below, so the noise may bother some, but it definitely did not us). The condominium is close to Centro Histórico with its wonderful shops (Cielito Lindo Expresión Mexicana on Paseo Olas Altas, Casa Etnica and Colores Latina, both on Sixto Osuna, Nidart at Caranaval and Constitución, and Michael Gallery at Ángel Flores and Heriberto Frías) and enjoyable eateries (Rico’s and Looney Bean both on Paseo Olas Altas (breakfast, lunch, or just coffee or Frappe Mocha), Allegro Caffe & Bistro at Sixto Osuna and Belisario Domínguez (breakfast, lunch, dessert, or Frappe Mocha), Gaia Bistrot on Plazuela Machado (evening dining), Dolce Mami on Belisario Domínguez (snack, dessert, or Frappe Mocha), Hektor’s Bistro at Mariano Escobedo and Heriberto Frías (very fine evening dining), Via Condotti next door to Hektor’s on Heriberto Frías (breakfast, lunch, dessert, or Frappe Mocha), newly opened Totem across the street from Michael Gallery at Ángel Flores and Heriberto Frías (breakfast, lunch, snack, or Frappe Mocha), the evening street “café” offering tacos and drink – recommended is the drink made from Hibiscus flowers – on Campa at Plazuela Hidalgo (delicious food at a fraction of the cost of a typical meal, very popular with an expat couple whom we know).