Mazatlan City, Mexico

A Mexican-Style Family Vacation

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If you're looking for the perfect vacation for the whole family, I highly recommend the El Cid Castilla Beach Hotel in Mazatlan, Mexico. We were pampered the moment we arrived when a Pronatours representative met us at the Mazatlan International Airport in , and drove us (in an air-conditioned vehicle) to the hotel. Pronatours is the official tour operator company of El Cid Resorts. They had the whole week mapped out for us with wonderful activities!

After a night exploring the hotel grounds (LOVE their pools!), followed by a sumptuous meal and sweet, sweet sleep, our first official day found us Scuba Diving! My wife and I had to go in shifts, but it didn't matter. While one of us was exploring the depths, the rest were snorkeling just off the coast in , making sand castles, and discovering an amazing new world!

The next day, Pronatours took us into the heart of Mazatlan to historic spots like Machado Square, an extraordinary open market, and my favorite place: the Malecon, Mazatlan's waterfront street. Afterwards, we took a chance and sent the kids for a couple of hours to the hotel's "Cid's Kid Club". Well, from that point on, we were lucky to see them at all. They LOVED it. With a full day (meals included) of games, mini-zoo trips, crafts, sports, sand castle contests and more, you can't beat it, especially when it gave my honey and I a chance to spend some quiet, romantic time alone.

On Wednesday, we fully embraced this new-found treasure, left the kids to their own adventures, and took the Stone Island Tour, where we saw a pirate cave and the world's highest natural lighthouse in . After some horseback riding and a banana boat ride, we took the kids to the bi-weekly Mexican Fiesta, a fantastic dinner show with an incredible buffet and a floorshow featuring folk dancers from all over Mexico.

Thursday took us all to the Turtle Hatchery, an exclusive tour of El Verde Marine Turtle Station, where researchers have been protecting the nesting sea turtles for 23 years. We all loved it. (I know so much about sea turtles now. Bring on Jeopardy!) And, that night, with the little ones safely in the care of a babysitter provided by the hotel, my love and I spent a romantic evening aboard a bay cruise, watching the sunset, reminiscing about how we met, but, mostly, a lot of kissing.

For our final day in Paradise, we took a family vote and decided to check out Deer Island, just a lazy day swimming, snorkeling, and relaxing on the beach with a terrific view of the city and the Pacific Ocean.

It was a tremendous week, and we didn't even get to the golf, tennis, fishing trips, half the available tours, or the hotel's state-of-the-art fitness center. We experienced so many fabulous restaurants with such delicious food; our biggest problem was trying to decide where to eat next. And, as if tying a neat little bow on a beautiful gift, our friend from Pronatours picked us up at the hotel two and a half hours prior to our flight, saving us the wear and tear of "hurrying" and allowing us to continue to bask in our newly-relaxed minds and bodies.

If you'd like more information about the El Cid Castilla Beach Hotel in Mazatlan and or the El Cid Resorts in general, visit their website, www.elcid.com.