My father retired in mazatlan about 3 years ago and i have been visiting him there ever since. The golden zone definatly is the place to be , my favorite place personally is Mango's its got the best drinks and the nicest waiting staff, be carefull though when going to senior frogs because i have been ripped out of some money, so just pay as you go dont run up a tab!

January 2003. This area definitely has some of the nicest shops, hotels, and restaurants, it is however generally pricier than other equally nice places we found.

The busiest part is from the south end Valentinos (white castle looking on the point) to the Dairy Queen on the North. Helados Bing is across from the DQ and is the better choice for ice cream. All the shops and restaurants are very nice. The Mazatlan Arts and Craft Centre is located here as is Sea Shell City. Joe's Oyster Bar is nice (south end). Beware of cruise ship days when it is packed (Weds. & Thurs. when I was there).

One of the nicest shops I found was Micheal's Gallery. There's a small location in the middle of the busy part, then there's a much larger location 3 blocks North of the DQ. There's other really nice shops for about 5 blocks North of DQ so don't miss this area.

We found it a little cheaper for souvineers north up Camaron Sabalo and for a nice shrimp dinner at La Pontilla (by the Stone Island ferry dock) than in the Golden Zone. It is however very clean, convenient and can be walked (Valentino's to DQ and beyond, and back in a morning)

I purchased two paintings from Casa Maya, which is located in the Golden Zone and purports to be a legitimate business. After two months, I have still not received my paintings, and have had to call them a half-dozen times to get any follow up. We'll see if they ever show up, but I couldn't be any more ticked off about my purchase. This store is advertised heavily through the cruise lines, etc., and I will be contacting them as well. If you buy something, make sure it is something you can take with you.