El Cid Granada

My wife and I stayed two weeks at the El Cid Granada Hotel in October/November 2024.   The resort was a very pleasant surprise, especially after having read a number of negative reviews before making our reservation. If you are unsure about choosing El Cid Granada, take those negative reviews with a grain of salt. El Cid Granada makes for a relaxing, entertaining, memorable sun vacation. We plan to return next year.  In short: Service: Excellent. Staff: Friendly, welcoming, professional. Front Desk staff, especially, are extremely helpful and friendly.  Special thank you to Daniel. Property: Well maintained, pleasant to walk. Rooms: Spacious, clean, excellent A/C. Restaurant La Pergola in El Cid Castilla was our favorite place to eat. The food is very good: quality, presentation, and variety. Staff are super  friendly and welcoming and the service is attentive. Special thank you to Victor for being so helpful and accomodating with my wife's dietary restrictions.  Nightly entertainment is always fun and it is obvious that a great deal of time and effort goes into planning and delivery. All performers are very, very good. Mariana stands out for her stage presence and poise.  Francesco is an amazingly talented juggler and his quirky dance moves never failed to makes us laugh. One aspect of our vacation was at times frustrating: the beach.  The beach itself is pretty, offers amazing sunsets, and is clean. But, there are not nearly enough beach chairs and palapas for shade. How can 3 hotels only make 17 palapas available?!  The shortage is so obvious that beach vendors have stepped in to fill the glaring gap by charging 200 to 300 pesos per day to rent a couple of (very uncomfortable) plastic chairs and beach umbrella to hotel guests.  The incomprehensible palapa and beach chair shortage is made much worse by entitled (mostly Canadian and American) tourists who think it is just fine to place towels on beach chairs to "reserve" them first thing in the morning. Most of these individuals don't end up using "their" palapas and chairs for several hours.  In the meantime, other guests, including families with babies and elderly guests, roam the beach loking for non-existent chairs and no palapas -  just so someone's towels or sandals can relax on the beach for hours. Others feel entitled to not only "reserve" chairs for themselves but also claim one or two more for their bags, purse, and hats. Yes, I am talking about supposedly mature adults. Mind boggling how - even on vacation - some people can be so selfish and inconsiderate. Unfortunately, the resorts do next to nothing to discourage the behavior, even though at any one time a quarter of palapas and chairs can be seen "reserved" and unused. This was our first time in Mazatlan and we ventured into the centre of town and found it safe, pleasant to walk, rich in history, and full of helpful, friendly people.  We plan to return to El Cid Granada next year.