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SuzMex

Aug 31, 2005, 6:18 AM

Post #1 of 10 (2054 views)

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Hotel Suggestions - Mazatlan & San Carlos

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We'll be driving to California from Jalisco this Christmas. We'll be pulling into both places after 10+ hours of driving so were looking for something that is easy to get to from the highway, has a pool (for our 3 year old), and costs around 500 pesos. In other words, we're simply looking for a clean place to crash.
Any ideas?

Marlene / Moderator

Aug 31, 2005, 8:43 AM

Post #2 of 10 (2043 views)

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Re: [SuzMex] Hotel Suggestions - Mazatlan & San Carlos

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In Mazatlan try the Hacienda Hotel right along Avenida del Mar. Clean, kitchenettes, pool and across from a nice swimming beach. Since you are driving you will appreciate the large secure parking lot on the property. Located in the Playa Norté area not from el Centro Historico.

In San Carlos try the Best Western Hacienda Tetakawi. From Highway 15 turn on San Carlos Road, travel 6 miles west where you will find it across from the ocean. Lots of amenities including a pool.

patricio_lintz

Aug 31, 2005, 2:33 PM

Post #3 of 10 (2030 views)

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Re: [Marlene] Hotel Suggestions - Mazatlan & San Carlos

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Hotel Tetakawi was quite pricey ($85 USD) last time I stopped in the summer. Also, the beds when I stayed there once, several yers ago, were just stucco platforms with no spring mattress. Hard to sleep at all.

Try the Motel Santa Rita at $350 to $450 pesos. Clean, very nice pool & kiddy play yard. It's on hwy 15, headed south on the left side, just past the San Carlos turn-off about 2 miles.

Esteban

Aug 31, 2005, 3:00 PM

Post #4 of 10 (2027 views)

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Re: [SuzMex] Hotel Suggestions - Mazatlan & San Carlos

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Is there a reason you are going so far off the highway at San Carlos? If not, I'd stay on the highway and spend the night in Hermosillo. I've driven from Mazatlan to Nogales in 12 hours. It's not that bad of a drive if you start at say 3:30 am. Those first hours before dawn are on one of the nicest, safest highways I've ever driven in Mexico.

kirkswig

Aug 31, 2005, 5:04 PM

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Re: [Esteban] Hotel Suggestions - Mazatlan & San Carlos

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Quote

I've driven from Mazatlan to Nogales in 12 hours.

You know, I just did a visa run to Nogales, and I have to report that I don't think this is possible anymore.

The bus was stopped a half-dozen times to be searched. These weren't searches for stowaways or anything like that, they were obviously looking for drugs, i.e., they make us get off as they search through our carry-on and the luggage checked in below. Each search took about fifteen minutes on average.

There were a number of other more casual searches where we got to stay on the bus; I lost count of these (slept through more than a few of them I'm sure.)

And yeah, they were searching cars and buses too. Really searching. Removing parts of vehicles, crawling under vehicles... the works. Each checkpoint was a big operation, and I could tell that different parts of the military were responsible for each one.

Coming back was a breeze of course. I could see twelve hours easy.

To boldly go where no wig has gone before.

Marlene / Moderator

Aug 31, 2005, 7:14 PM

Post #6 of 10 (2016 views)

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Re: [kirkswig] Hotel Suggestions - Mazatlan & San Carlos

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I think the guy in the tall hat hits the "libre" at appropriate times just to skirt the checkpoints! Kidding aside though, it is definitely a much longer trip going North than it is coming South. That is all for a good cause. They nab lots of smugglers in the Northbound searches, especially smugglers of parrot babies.

kirkswig

Aug 31, 2005, 7:46 PM

Post #7 of 10 (2009 views)

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Re: [Marlene] Hotel Suggestions - Mazatlan & San Carlos

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I didn't even know they smuggled that. Baby parrots? I had heard about tortoise eggs but not the parrots.

And I'm pleased to inform all of you that I've helped liberate no less than a half-dozen baby tortoises during my time on the beach.

I spoke too soon I guess. I had heard about their doing searches for stowaways, and since you can't stow away in a little bag, I figured it was drugs. Especially with all the commotion at the border these days.

But hey, what do I know? I didn't understand a word anybody said going up or coming back down.

To boldly go where no wig has gone before.

SuzMex

Sep 1, 2005, 10:08 AM

Post #8 of 10 (1987 views)

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Re: [kirkswig] Hotel Suggestions - Mazatlan & San Carlos

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Thanks for the responses. I especially appreciate Patricio's Motel Santa Rita suggestion - it sounds like it fits our criteria. We were planning on staying in San Carlos only because we've never been there before. How far away is it from the highway? We don't necessarily need to stay there, we just wanted to check it out.

Any suggestions for (more or less) roadside hotels in or near Mazatlan? Marlene's suggestion sounds good, but I believe the beach is quite far from Hwy 15. Besides, we won't really be in the room for long - we prefer Esteban's style. We start at 4:00 am (half hour more for beauty sleep) and that way our daughter doesn't even know she's in the car for almost four hours.

Oh, and if you guys want to get REALLY delayed at checkpoints, try driving with a blind Akita in the back of the crew cab! We did this for years, before she died of old age, and we had to suffer through a zillion questions. The most common was simply, "¿Porque no la sacrifica?" ("Why don't you just put her down?"). We finally resorted to pretending that we didn't speak Spanish........it cut hours off the drive.

Esteban

Sep 1, 2005, 11:59 AM

Post #9 of 10 (1980 views)

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Re: [SuzMex] Hotel Suggestions - Mazatlan & San Carlos

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Your'e right, the highway isn't close to the beach but if you want a hotel with a pool, you'll probably have to go near the beach. Most of the hotels on the highway, in Mazatlan, are the N0-tell motels. San Carlos is WAY off the highway. If you are looking to save time...forget it. You'll be able to hit Hermosillo and there are lots of Hotels there. Don't take the cutoff when you enter Hermosillo. Go directly through town. It's just as fast, cleaner and has all the hotels and eateries along the way.

ncferret

Sep 1, 2005, 4:02 PM

Post #10 of 10 (1964 views)

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Re: [SuzMex] Hotel Suggestions - Mazatlan & San Carlos

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San Carlos is worth a peak, IF you aren't in a hurry (plan 2 extra days). Otherwise, just do as Steve suggests and stay in Hermosillo. Driving south, there is a Holiday Inn on your left. Its $70 a night (expensive for MX), but the security is excellent. One of the few places it was easy to pull in with a truck and trailer.

Walking back North from the Holiday Inn, on the left side of the street is an excellent restaurant. I can't remember the name, but its just a few blocks from the HI and it has an outside seating area with a fountain. I plan to eat there on my next trip in a few weeks.

(This post was edited by ncferret on Sep 1, 2005, 4:02 PM)