Zona Dorada (Golden Zone)

A deserted stretch of sand just a few decades ago, the Golden Zone of Mazatlan is now the area where package tourists spend most of their time. Lined with hotels, restaurants, and bars, it pulses with activity from the morning until the wee hours. All the usual watersports are on offer and sailing trips depart to nearby islands.

Playa Los Sabalos is the center of the zone and is the best area for swimming, with a surf that is calm most of the time.  There are plenty of choices for toes-in-sand dining and drinking, as well as discos that are pumping at night.

Playa las Gaviotas offers more of the same, but has rougher waters and can be more crowded because of the size of the hotels fronting it. You can walk from one to the other along miles of golden sand or catch an open-air taxi called a pulmonia.