Wine and Spirits Travel

I happen to really like Mexican food, but I did enjoy the opportunity to check out the Riu Emerald Bay’s incredible breakfast buffet Saturday, settling on a good old-fashioned American omelet with some banana bread and hash browns.  I was then on my way with Maria Elena of the Mazatlan Hotel Association and Abraham of Pronatours to Huana Coa . Before she was faced with a family emergency, my friend Theresa (aka, The Local Tourist ) was accompanying me on this trip and she had elected to go zip-lining through this Mazatlan excursion.  It was not something I was interested in doing, but we did decide to head over the anyway, hoping to catch somebody in the action.  We were a bit too late, but I did get a chance to speak with a Canadian couple who had a blast gliding through the Blue Agave plants (more on that in a minute) and riding the ATVs back to the starting point. There is a lot more than zip-lining in this area of Mazatlan.  It’s home to Los Osuna , which is “almost” tequi

It was one of those days where I couldn’t possible deny that I have a fun job and Mazatlan is the perfect place to have some fun! We’ve had a bit of fog that comes and goes, blocking the sun a bit, but it’s still in the 70s with absolutely no chance of rain (or snow, like they are having back home), so I am not about to complain about not perfect weather.  My trusted guides Maria Elena of the Mazatlan Hotel Association and Julio of Pronatours took me to the Cenaduria La Regional, where I had an authentic Mexican breakfast of Panqueqes, a rolled pancake with cinnamon and sugar, and Chilaquiles Rojas, fried squares of tortillas in a sauce with salsa and cheese.  It was tasty and definitely filled me up for our trip to the aquarium. The Mazatlan Aquarium is tiny by the U.S. standards, but they are currently under construction in a number of areas, including a large shark exhibit.  We enjoyed the sea lion show and walked around a bit, checking out the turtles, alligators, stingrays,

It was another picture-perfect day in Mazatlan, where it’s hard to imagine the weather isn’t always beautiful.   I picked the perfect time to come – though there are rarely bad times – with temperatures ranging in the high 70s and the sun constantly shining.  There wasn’t any sunbathing for me, as I went touring some of the area’s newest hotels. The day started with breakfast at La Terraza, a cute little restaurant at the Azteca Inn.  I enjoyed the chips, salsa and cheese, before having my first taste of Corn Tamales.  They were delicious (especially with the homemade salsa).  After some coffee to energize, Maria Elena of the Mazatlan Hotel Association led me out to the van where Julio of Pronatours was once again at our service for the day. Our first stop was at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay and it was indeed bonita  (beautiful).  Each suite Jessica took us to  appeared to be nicer than the last and the tropical atmosphere – complete with birds and iguanas – was more Caribbean than

It was a really long day of sightseeing, hotel visits and lots of food, but don’t worry, I didn’t jump off any cliffs! I was picked up first thing in the morning by Maria Elena of Mazatlan Hotel Association and Victor of Prono Tours, who knows everything and anything about Mazatlan.  We drove through the Golden Zone and Ocean Avenue, as I listened to the history of this beautiful city, the statues along the way and the people who live here.  We watched the fisherman, whose main object is shrimp, and saw an overview of the hotels from the original to the new. We also saw the divers who jump off the cliff (it is too dangerous for the inexperienced) as a way of earning their living, and the markets around them. We had one picturesque stop after another and I tried to keep myself from wanting to stay and photograph all day.  We still had many more places to go.  I loved Machado Square in the Historic District and was fascinated with the European influence on the old buildings in cont