Marina El Cid – Mazatlán
As I write this article we are entering our eighth week at the El Cid marina. We had initially planned to stay there for around ten days before our crossing to Baja California, so needless to say, we love the place!
Marina access and check-in
The entrance to the channel leading to the marina is located at point 23°16.127’N 106°28.167’W. After about 300 meters the marina is on the starboard side. Having arrived outside office opening hours, we were able to moor alongside the fuel dock while waiting to fill out the paperwork and be assigned a location. Please note that in the case of a national zarpe, all the paperwork for check-in/out is managed directly at the office, which avoids having to go to the Port Captain office.
The installations
The marina has 120 slips for boats ranging from 25 to 120 feet. Water is available free of charge at each location, electricity is available in 30A, 50A and 100A and is billed on consumption.
Slips prices vary depending on the season and length of stay. As an indication, for a monohull up to 59′ the daily rate is 1.25USD per foot for a period of less than 30 days, 0.85USD up to 90 days and 0.65USD beyond.
In low season (June to October) the rate drops to 0.40USD. Paid wifi access is available from the docks.
Please note that Panama Posse members benefit from a 15% discount on the above rates.
The marina is part of the El Cid hotel group which owns several beachfront hotels in Mazatlán. The Marina El Cid hotel has two magnificent swimming pools, each with its own outdoor restaurant, an exercise room with paid access and a massage center as well as a laundry room operated with tokens on sale at the main office. The sanitary facilities are impeccably clean and there has never been a shortage of hot water.
The hotel’s main restaurant offers a morning buffet as well as an evening buffet in addition to à la carte service. The quality of the food is impeccable. It costs around 400 pesos per adult for the morning buffet and 750 pesos in the evening, children pay half price.
Activities
Activities are organized every day by a young and dynamic team near the main swimming pool: aquagym, water volleyball, bingo, blackjack, etc. A ping-pong table and a shuffleboard court are also available.
Access to the beach takes 5 minutes with a shuttle that crosses the channel and drops you off nearby. This service is offered free of charge by the marina. The shuttle is on site permanently so no waiting. Another beach is accessible on foot via the main road about 10 minutes from the hotel.
Transportation
The marina is located about ten kilometers from the historic center of Mazatlán. To get there, many options are available. Regular taxis whose fare is generally fixed, modified taxis whose sides and windows have been removed and which offer you an original transport experience to the rhythm of Mexican music.
Another option, especially for a larger group, are red-colored pickups, with bench seats in the back. In the last two cases, the price of the trip must be negotiated with the driver but it costs around 250 pesos to get to the center of Mazatlán.
The bus network is extremely convenient. A stop is located directly in front of the marina and it is rare to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus to arrive. Depending on your final destination, it is best to check with the driver what his route is. Getting to Mazatlán will only cost 12 pesos.
Also, a very practical option that we discovered is the Didi application. Similar to how Uber works, you have access to a driver within 5 minutes for a price agreed in advance. No need to provide a credit card number, you pay the agreed amount upon arrival. The vehicles have always been impeccably maintained and the drivers very courteous. For example, getting to the historic center of Mazatlán from the marina with Didi costs around 150 pesos during rush hour.
Finally, the marina hotel offers a free shuttle service between the different El Cid hotels in Mazatlán, so you can get closer to the city center using these shuttles.
The stores
Access to grocery stores from the marina is extremely simple and diverse. For food and fresh products we really liked the Fresh Market, it’s a large store located about ten minutes away on the main boulevard leading to Mazatlán. Also interesting, the Soriana supermarket is very easily accessible. The Walmart option is also available near the marina as well as a Sam’s Club for those who are members. A large, ultra-modern shopping center including a cinema offers a wide range of stores. Also located about ten minutes from the marina is the Home Depot.
Our opinion
El Cid Mazatlán is definitely one of our favorite marinas. All the activities offered, the swimming pools and the beach make it a truly family-friendly destination. Access to the city, shops and restaurants is very easy.
All the staff are incredibly kind. Another advantage is that the marina prices are also very reasonable. Finally, for those like us who have a dog, there is no problem walking around the site.
