We exchanged our two-bedroom timeshare for this one. As with many vacations to an unfamiliar place, there were good points, and not so good points.
On the plus side, the location is lovely, right on the beach. The suite with master bedroom and another adjoining room were large enough, and there was a Murphy bed in the living area. The staff was competant and spoke English if needed.
The restaurant was good, with a happy "hour" from 12-6 PM.
On the minus side - this place is OLD. Many things were not up to U.S. standards, such as the furniture. The beds are rock-hard, since there is just a mattress on top of a concrete foundation. The dishwasher did not work, and there was not a single light that you could read by at night. We were glad that the A/C worked well.
About the area in general - there are no supermarkets within walking distance, just convenience stores, and nowhere to pick up prepared food to eat in. We ate out every meal, and the restaurants were reasonably priced. It was low season, and some shops were closed. We were the only Americans in the hotel, everyone else being nationals. We felt especially conspicuous every time we walked down the street, as we were pursued by aggressive timeshare sellers.

If you are looking for a HotSpot, this is NOT the place to be! Small hotel on a safe stretch of beach. It's old and it is Mexico, so don't be expecting the Ritz at these prices, but. . . If you are looking for a welcoming, caring staff, clean rooms, beautiful views and a great location for walking the beach or the sidewalks, this is it.

The restaurant food is bland, but a few minutes walk in either direction brings you to many fun choices. Security is very good and the waitstaff is great! If you have questions, the front desk people are wonderful - and all speak English well.

Rates are low for the value - if you keep in mind this isn't Florida. Well worth the horrendous flights from the Northeast.

Traveled to this hotel late January/early February '06 for quick 1 week vacation. I have been to Mayan Coast (caribbean), Acapulco, Puerto Viarta, and this Hotel/area is nothing exceptional. We did not have a suite, room only. Room is old, light switches falling off, no purified water, ceiling fan not working, clogged drains, hard beds (as most Mexican hotels), pool not heated (worthless, freezing cold). Maid missed us for cleaning x1 day, found roach on floor one day (I left it on night stand for the maid) and had note about fumigation the next day. Many older US and Canadians have 1-2 week timeshares at this hotel(cheap?). Although it was very inexpensive vacation, (total for two people $900.00usd for air and hotel from Minneapolis [I booked the air thru Trans-Global for $99.00/person and the hotel thru expedia])I should have paid a couple hundred more for hotel that more closly met American standards (check out Casa del Oro). Mazatlan in general is an old town, with many retired/snowbirds from US/Canada. Ocean was cold, many beggers in town, rip off return cab ride from hotel to airport, kind of depressing all and all. I won't be going back.

We just came back from Mazatlan, and we stayed at the "Quijote Inn" for 3 nights. Well after reading the reviews here we expected nice things. But well, now we are more wise...

In the hotel guide of our travel agency this hotel was rated with 5*... Well we would give it 3*....

Even in the description of the hotel it sais, that all rooms are equiped with a kitchenette. Well, all we got was a lousy fridge, that was not even working right!

Next, the A/C was so loud and noisy that we had to turn it of in the night - in order to get some sleep! But even with ours turned off, you were perfectly able to hear the neighbours loud and clear.

At the pool there was not enough beds, and there was no space to stay in the shade! The jacuzzi was so hot, that you couldn´t go in there...

A big + goes to the cleaning staff. Our maid was really nice and friendly. The room was very clean and any special request, such as extra pillows, she brought within 5 Minutes...

Well all together: We just stayed in the Hotel to sleep and spend the days with friends who stayed in the "Pueblo bonito - Emerald Bay" that was a great hotel, great rooms, great staff and every cent worth it.