02/15/2025
Riu Emerald Bay - Mazatlรกn, Mexico
We stayed here for the week with a group of 20 family members and here's my honest opinion...
Pros:
- Cleanliness was excellent, no crud in the corners of the rooms, everywhere I went, staff members were cleaning - washing floors, scrubbing lounge chairs, spraying tables.
- Efficient footprint - everything is easy to get to, no trolleys needed to move people here
- Beach is amazing - wide, with soft sand that you can walk for miles - shallow entry and waves to do a bit of surfing
- Friendly, helpful staff
- There is beach wait service - kind of - we saw a waiter maybe once or twice in a day
- Organized beach volleyball twice a day, our crew was big into that
- Handle food restrictions well - one family member is celiac & asked for a paper in Spanish at check-in to present at restaurants. They were taken around at buffets & shown what was safe for them to eat or the chef cooked a fresh meal for them
- Onsite waterparks - one for younger kids one for kids & adults
- And abundance of pool & beach loungers everywhere so the towel game isn't really a thing
- A 15 minute walk up the beach or street is an area that has a handful of restaurants/bars & some shops
Cons:
- Beds - if you like a firm bed, you'll be happy but my back is killing me after a week, lol
- Elevators are painfully slow at certain times of the day in the old tower (it's 22 floors) but personally I think the ocean views make up for that
- Food - this was my biggest complaint - there are only 3 a la cartes & they're not all open every night. I use a la carte loosely here as they are still buffet style for starters/desserts but you can order the main off the menu. I do NOT like buffets so we ate offsite a lot this week. Some restaurants are better than others but you can always find something to eat.
- No palapas on the beach, just palm trees for some shade
Birds - I hate birds so this is a nit-picky thing lol - they are thick here - if you have a plate of food at the pool or beach, you'll have dozens of followers instantly - the outdoor seating at the buffet is the same
They have 2 adult pools but the separation from the kids area is minimal so its not really an adult-only experience.
The entertainment is your standard, cheesy resort shows or bands that play the same song setlists over & over but they have something going on every night.
All-in-all this is a great resort for the price point. I've sent a lot of clients here over the years & wouldn't hesitate to send clients going forward.
We have direct flights out of the prairies & dollar for dollar, this is a good option to stretch your vacation budget.
Mazatlรกn as a destination made a bigger impression on me than I expected and I'll be sharing that in a separate post.
If you have questions, ask away.
