Want to get day pass access to the best beachfront resorts in Mazatlán without spending big bucks for a room?
There are many hotels in the Golden Zone that allow you to buy a ‘Day Pass’, which lets you chill at the pool and beach all day without being an overnight guest.
Most Day Passes will give you all the perks a regular guest has, just no actual hotel room. However, you still get to swim, eat, drink and suntan and relax the day away.
Day passes are great for a few different reasons:
FOR EXPAT OR RETIREES-
If you are an expat or retiree living here year-round, your house or apartment might not have a pool or beach access. Instead of spending extra thousands on rent, you can just buy a day pass every once in a while to enjoy the best facilities in the city. This is also great if you have out of town guests who want to stay with you, but also want to have a ‘resort’ type experience for the day.
FOR CRUISERS-
Many cruisers like to get a day pass to a resort to enjoy a beach day! It’s nice to get a pass to a hotel where you can use their towels, bathrooms, swimming pools, and of course dedicated beach chairs. I have to admit, Mazatlán is horrible for not having bathrooms near the beach. It’s almost impossible to find any, which is why day-passes are so highly sought after.
We actually included ‘Getting a hotel day pass’ as one of the top 30 things to do on a cruise stop in Mazatlan.
TO TRY OUT A RESORT-
You might even be a tourist who wants to ‘try before you buy’ and sample what the pool ambiance and beach is like before you book an entire week at that resort. A day pass is a great way to sample the food and the property before you commit to a long stay.
How Much Is a Day Pass & What Is Included?
In doing research for this article I realized that every resort in Mazatlan has a different Day Pass program. They all vary in prices, hours, availability and even with what’s included.
Literally no two are the same.
Most of the Day Passes range between 300-600 pesos per person, which works out to be around $16 to $32 USD.
Here is the most current list of all the hotels in Mazatlan that offer Day Passes, their prices, and what’s included:
Day Passes in Mazatlan
Costa De Oro Day Pass
9:00am to 6:00pm
350 pesos
$19 USD
Fully redeemable towards food and drinks.
The Costa De Oro is a hotel that has been around since the 70’s, built during the boom of the Golden Zone. Since it’s an older property, it has a fantastic location on the beach, plus mature trees and landscaping, which gives it a nice atmosphere. (IMO, nothing is worse than a stark, cold, empty property!)
They have a big and beautiful heated pool that almost stretches out to the sea. Around the main pool area, there are lots of sun-beds, staggered umbrellas, and even cabanas that look out onto the beach.
Tucked away to the side of the main pool area, they also have a jacuzzi that is always a few degrees warmer than the pool.
On most days you will find either music playing at the pool, or an actual band playing live music. There is also Happy Hour for cheap fruity drinks in the afternoons. The dining palapa and bar are right beside the main pool.
Luna Palace Day Pass
9:00am to 5:00pm
350 pesos
$19 USD
Fully redeemable towards food and drinks.
Strange Rule: Day pass guests must bring their own towels.
Luna Palace is a nice quiet resort just south of the marina at the tip of the Golden Zone. Next door there is an upscale property that is one of the most expensive in town, but you can relax on the same strip of beach for a fraction of that at Luna Palace.
The hotel has lots of gorgeous mature palm trees around the pool and beside the ocean, giving it a cool atmosphere. The pool is heated, has a swim-up bar, plus it has 2 small waterslides in the middle. I really like the set-up of the property and how they have maintained the landscaping.
This hotel also has the option of sitting in one of their private palapas directly on the beach. Some other properties don’t have this option because the tides come up to the retaining walls.
Oceano Palace / Star Palace
9:00am to 5:00pm
350 pesos
$19 USD
Fully redeemable towards food and drinks.
Strange Rule: Day pass guests must bring their own towels.
Oceano Palace and Star Palace are just a few meters south of the quieter Luna Palace property. Think of them as the teenagers and of Luna as the mother. These 2 properties are younger, louder and a little more crowded.
Both Oceano Palace and Star Palace attract more of a younger and party crowd, but also families. Activities, music, and events run at the main pool all day long. They are side by side, but Oceano Palace has more going on and has a bigger pool.
Oceano Pool
Star Palace Pool
At Oceano, you’ll find lots of places to eat, including a swim-up bar that ALSO serves food, like pizza, fries, and burgers.
If you are a couple traveling, use your day pass at the Luna property. If you are a young family, or like a lot of action, choose the Oceano/Star Palace properties.
Hotel Playa Mazatlan Day Pass
9:00am to 5:00pm
300 pesos
$16 USD
Fully redeemable towards food and drinks. (Kids are only 150 pesos)
590 pesos
$32 USD
All-Inclusive pass that comes with unlimited food and drink for an 8 hour period. (Kids are 390 pesos)
The family-owned and operated Hotel Playa Mazatlan has an IMPRESSIVE deal with their All-Inclusive day pass. For $32 USD you can stay for 8 hours of all you eat, drink, and swim.
We recently stayed at the Hotel Playa Mazatlan for 3 nights and we got to try out everything on the property! We swam in almost all of the NINE pools on-site, relaxed on the beach, and toured the grounds. (which is great for unique photo ops!)
The entire property is gorgeous and impressively vast considering it’s right in the heart of the Golden Zone. The grounds have such a cool and familiar vibe, making it very comfy to stay the entire day.
The Pools:
There are 9 pools in total! They have heated pools, non-heated pools, adults-only jacuzzis, and kids pools with slides. The options are never-ending. If you like all the action, the main pool has lots of music and activities, but if you want to relax there are hidden grottos and secret pools nearby.
The Food:
During our stay, we got to find out first hand how awesome their food is. Not only that, but they 4x filter their water, so YES the ice is totally safe, plus they wash and disinfect every fruit/veggie so your tummy will be happy here.
They have great seafood options like ceviche or shrimp tacos, healthy lunchtime salads, or even burgers and chicken nuggets served pool-side. Literally endless options for food and drink, but I know from experience it’s all yummy!
The Beach:
The Hotel Playa Mazatlan is the OG of beach resorts in Mazatlan. They were the FIRST one, built way back in the 50’s. Because of that, they have the largest beach-front in all of the city. The amount of beach area is impressive and you will always find a spot to relax in the sand.
The Grounds:
A secret that most visitors don’t know about! Behind the huge pool with the swim-up bar is a winding boardwalk over a pond…take that path. It leads to you a series of gardens, caves, waterfalls, lookout points, a hidden Mayan temple, and even a cenote! There are dozens of super unique photo opportunities here that you wouldn’t get anywhere else!
If you want to know more about the amazing Hotel Playa Mazatlan, we did a full review of our stay. You can read it HERE.
Holiday Inn
9:00am to 5:00pm
250 pesos
$14 USD
Fully redeemable towards food and drinks.
The Holiday Inn offers the cheapest day pass we’ve seen so far in Mazatlan. However, that does come with its own pros and cons.
Pros:
The hotel is one of the newest in town and located perfectly in the center of the Golden Zone. The beach has lots going on and is great for people watching.
The pool is also large and new and very clean. The benefit of being a newly built property. They keep the temperature around 29 to 30 °C, which is a major plus in the cooler winter season.
The rooftop bar called ‘Bar 15′ that is said to have the BEST view of the sunset in town!
Cons:
There really isn’t a lot of chairs directly around the pool. Because of the way the property is built, most of the chairs are to the side, making you feel like you are simply tanning on a concrete pad.
Also, because the hotel is new, there are not any palm trees around, giving it a bit of a stark feel.
The dining might have good food, but the chairs and atmosphere is also very basic, bland and stark. It’s the ‘new trend’ in decor these days but it’s a bit lack-luster and cold.
The Palms Day Pass
10:00am to 10:00pm
350 pesos
$19 USD
*Only 200 pesos of the 350 is redeemable towards food and drink
The Palms has one of the most unique day passes in town, because it runs a full 12 hours from 10 am to 10 pm. This makes it one of the only day passes where you can stay and watch the sunset, or enjoy a swim after dark.
They have a lovely infinity pool looking out onto the ocean with lots of green space behind it. When the tide is all the way in, the ocean is basically right next to the pool.
I believe the pool is NOT heated, but it does have a swim-up bar. It’s also connected to another pool via a small lazy river.
The very front section of the beach can be small depending on what the tide is like, but they’ve carved out a special section to the side with straw palapas to relax in.
The restaurant has a great view of both the pool and the ocean, but visitors have said the menus could use with some more options.
El Cid Day Pass
El Moro, Castilla Beach & Granada Hotel
9:00am to 6:00pm
800 pesos
$43 USD
All-Inclusive Plan. (Kids are only 600 pesos.)
Yes, El Moro, Castilla Beach, and Granada are ALL part of El Cid. The hotel chain actually has 4 properties in Mazatlan, but these 3 El Cid hotels are all under the same day pass program. In fact, if you get a day pass to one of these hotels, it gives you access to the other 2 during the same day.
The El Cid Moro property is the biggest and best of the three, with the most impressive pool and vibe. If you like to be in the middle of the action, El Moro is the place to be. The pool is so big and with so much going on all the time, it’s never a dull moment.
Families especially like the waterfalls and waterslides at the main pool.
Being on the all-inclusive day pass plan, you’ll want to take advantage of the included food and drinks during your stay. Between all three resorts, I’m sure you’ll find lots to eat and drink all day long.
El Cid Castilla Pool
El Cid Granada Pool
The Castilla property is a bit smaller than El Moro, but still pretty lively, while the Granada property is very intimate and chill. You can easily walk between all 3 properties, as they are all located in the same area.
El Cid Marina
9:00 am for a full 24 hours
1500 pesos
$80 USD
All-Inclusive Plan. (Kids are 750 pesos.)
This El Cid property is located 2km up from the other three and comes with it’s own special day pass program. It’s double the price of the others, but gives you access for 24 hours. Not entirely sure how one could make use of all 24 hours without a room there, but I’ll take it.
The property itself really is lovely, and since it’s tucked into the marina, it gives you a different view and vibe than the other hotels in town.
There are two pools you can enjoy here, one heated and one that is not. Both have plenty of space and lots going on around them.
Since the hotel is located in the marina, there is NO direct beach access. Instead, a water taxi takes you on a short ride across the marina’s channel, onto the beach. While it’s not a private beach, El Cid’s section sure feels that way because it backs onto the marina.
There are 3 on-site restaurants that All-Inclusive day-pass guests can eat at. Also, if you get the day pass to the Marina hotel, you can also go to any of El Cid’s other properties in town with no additional charge.
Emporio
9:00am to 9:00pm
400 pesos
$22 USD
Fully redeemable towards food and drinks.
Strange Rule: Only Monday’s and Tuesday’s
The Emporio hotel offers quite a long day pass time frame, letting guests enjoy the property from 9 am to 9 pm. However, they only offer it on Monday’s and Tuesday’s, making the window of opportunity quite small.
Since it’s located at the start of the Golden Zone, it’s a great jumping-off place to either walk through the GZ, or walk down the Malecon.
The main pool is heated, large, and has a nice ‘palm springs’ vibe to it. There are plenty of chairs both in the sun and under shade to please sun-worshippers and sun-hiders alike. They usually have music playing a good vibe going.
Kids like their dedicated pool with water slides and play structures.
A few years ago the beach did suffer from some erosion, but they have built up some sandy areas with chairs to work around that.
RIU Emerald Bay Day Pass
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
750 pesos
$40 USD
All-Inclusive Day Pass. Food and drink are included. (Teens are 550 and kids 300)
Restrictions: They prefer day passes to be sold to people visiting friends and family already staying at the Riu. I asked about residents and cruise visitors and they said they approve them on a case-by-case basis, based on occupancy.
The Riu is a giant! This 700+ room hotel is located at the northern tip of the city, but in all honesty, it’s pretty far from everything.
That comes with pros and cons.
The Pros are: The beach is enormous and pristine, the pools are big, and there are lots of places to eat on site.
The Cons are: It can be a hectic place, its not walkable to anything, and it can take almost an hour to get there from the cruise port.
A rep from the hotel told me that guests staying there can request day passes for their friends at the front desk. Otherwise, the hotel must be emailed ahead of time to verify is a day pass is available to cruise visitors and/or residents.
Royal Villas
Price Unknown
“Minimum food and beverage requirements must be met. Amount based on the season.”
Royal Villas told me they do not offer a day pass per se, but instead, they ask that the visitor meet a minimum food/beverage spend. When I asked how much each guest needed to spend, they only told me “It depends on the season”.
Located near all the other popular hotels in the Golden Zone, they do have a nice large pool, along with a comfy dining area near the beach.
The food gets a pretty good rating here, especially pool-side pizzas you can share with friends.
If you want to inquire about a day pass at the Royal Villas, I suggest calling them before you go to get a straight answer on the amount. If the minimum spend is over what the other hotels are asking in the area, I would look for other options.
Note:
Most of these properties do not offer day passes during extremely high occupancy dates like Christmas, New Years, Carnival and Semana Santa. It’s always best to call or email ahead of time to ensure you can get a pass!
Hotels in Mazatlan That DON’T Offer Day Passes:
I called a few hotels in town to verify if they offered day passes or not. These following hotels do NOT offer day passes:
- Pueblo Bonito (but you can patron the restaurants)
- Mayan Palace (but you can patron the restaurants)
- The Inn (but you can patron the restaurants)
- Gavianas
No matter where you choose for your hotel day pass in Mazatlan, you’ll have the BEST time!
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