The infinity pool at sunset
One of my favorite locations in the world is Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay. This resort, north of Mazatlan, Mexico, is the very picture of serenity and tranquility. It’s set on a 20 acre area, on a nearly private horseshoe-shaped beach. While the Golden Zone of Mazatlan has hundreds of restaurants, hotels, bars and shops, this area is quiet and secluded, perfect for a romantic beach getaway. There are no beach vendors hawking their wares. My husband and I LOVE this feature.
When you go up the driveway, you’ll pass through a guard gate. I like this security. You’ll also see aviaries, with bright, colorful birds. Finally, you’ll pull up to the circular drive. It has a beautiful fountain in the center and it’s surrounded by what looks like a crumbling colonnade.
As you step into the lobby, you’ll notice another beautiful fountain, which helps keep the temperature a little cooler. There is also a huge saltwater aquarium behind the check in desk. The employees who interact with guests have excellent English. Many have degrees in hospitality.
Pueblo Bonito Gardens
Once you are checked in, you’ll be taken to your room via a golf cart. The resort is enormous! The gardens are amazing, with flamingos and swans roaming around.
There are two types of rooms at the Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay, the Junior Suite and the Master Suite. They offer other suites, such as the Presidential Suite, but it’s just a matter of combining suite types.
Junior Suite at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay
We’ve stayed in the Junior Suite for each of our stays. Our favorite feature of this room type is the large, private balcony with two luxurious lounge chairs. These rooms offer two queens or one king size bed. Each one also has a small kitchen which includes a refrigerator that’s just shy of full size, a cook top with two burners, a coffee maker, blender and all the dishes, silverware, cups and glasses you could ever want. There is a dining table for 4 in each suite. The bathrooms are beautiful, with a deep tub, shower, and wonderful shampoo and conditioner. The rooms look exactly like the website displays, with the pale blue walls and bright bedding.
The Master Suites have a separate bedroom plus, in place of the balcony, they have a larger dining area that pushes out of the room, similar to a bay window.
Every room has an ocean front view (I believe). We’ve seen a few where the balcony is actually a patio with a small grassy area. If you like the sound of waves crashing at night, request a room closer to the beach. The drawback of that is you’ll be forever climbing stairs to get to most restaurants, the deli, the front desk, etc. We’ve never had a room we didn’t like.
I suppose technically the resort is handicapped accessible but the ramps are very steep. I don’t think it would qualify in the US.
Pueblo Bonito Pool
There are now 4 pools at this resort! One is a quiet pool with a swim-up bar. Another is HUGE with an infinity edge and two levels. This one also has a walk in area with a very graduated area, much like a beach. There are water aerobics classes and other activities throughout the day. There are also hot tubs around, one of which you need to wade into the pool to get to! We’ve never had trouble finding lounge chairs and there are always plenty of fresh towels. The poolside service is top-notch with a daily Happy Hour. The food prices are moderate, not too expensive.
One concern many travelers have about this resort is its isolation, especially in terms of dining. The resort offers many dining options:
- La Cordeliere-This huge restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have an amazing breakfast buffet, with fresh fruit juice, an omelet station and even made-to-order smoothies! For dinner, they have a different theme each night (Seafood, Italian, Mexican, Steak & Lobster). This is probably the priciest option at the resort, but it’s definitely worth it!
- The Bistro-The Bistro is a smaller restaurant with a quiet atmosphere. When we visited, they were preparing for their grand opening the following week. Lovely food with lots of choices, from pizza to sushi. Yes, I’m serious.
- Poolside/Pool area dining-There are several small “grills” near the pools, including the Emerald Grill and the Sunset Grill. These are your best options for snacking by the pool. The chips and guacamole can’t be beat! There are also swim-up bars in the pools. I love this! On the plus side, if you fall off your bar stool, the landing is much softer. However, you might drown. Watch for Happy Hour when you get two drinks for the price of one (NOTE-it really is two drinks, not ½ price drinks. That was a surprise for me!)
- The Delis-The Delis (there are two) are actually small convenience stores, offering cereal, coffee, fresh fruits and vegetables…basically anything you’d need to eat in your room. The prices are a bit higher than going into Walmart (which we did once) but the price difference is not worth taking a day out of your vacation, taking the bus or taxi way across town, buying your groceries, then coming back. As for meals, the Deli had a daily special that typically included a sandwich, a soda and dessert for around $5. The desserts are amazing!
- Room service-Room service is available 24 hours a day. There is a slight charge, but it’s a wonderful way to have a private meal with amazing ocean views. They include everything you could want, day or night.
- Kelly’s Bar-We like Kelly’s Bar so much we decorated our room in a similar theme. It has an African safari lodge feeling, with dark woods, and rich colors. They used to have inexpensive food, but the prices have gone up. It’s still a lovely place for a before/after dinner drink. We even watch the Super Bowl there! PS-They offer babysitting and I think they’ve implemented a kids program since we were last there.
- Beach Bar-Eat and drink on the beach! Simple.
Pueblo Bonito Beach
The only major drawback of the Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay is the swim-ability of the beach. Don’t get me wrong…the beach is very private, you can walk for miles without seeing another person, it’s raked every night, but it’s rocky with a wicked undertow. The first time my husband and I stayed there, we threw our things in our room and ran down to the beach. In a moment of passion, he swept me up and ran into the surf. Suddenly, he was tripping and dropping me, saying, “Oooch, ouch!” We weren’t aware of the rocks.
At times, there is a “water activity” person. We rented kayaks for a guided trip to the point, Playa Bruha, I think. It was great fun and our guide showed us a neat restaurant we wouldn’t have found on our own.
If you love bobbing in the sea and boogie boarding, take the free shuttle bus over to Pueblo Bonito Mazatlan. You have full privileges there, you can get towels, charge food to your room, etc. The beach at this resort is great for swimming….but it has beach vendors, it’s lively (read: noisy) and it can be crowded.
If you are looking for more activity, different restaurants, shops, and nightlife, the shuttle goes into the Golden Zone, runs every 30 minutes. This drops you off at the Pueblo Bonito Mazatlan. If the times of the shuttle bus don’t work out, a taxi is about $10 and a pulmania is about $15. Not too bad.
You will not regret a romantic beach getaway at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay!
**Disclaimer**My husband and I own a floating week timeshare at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay. We are not selling it and I don’t get any kickbacks if you go to this resort. However, feel free to tell them you heard about it on CoupleGetaways.org**
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