I came to Estrella for a break away from the stress, the cold, the sheer length of the British winter. I found peace, a lovely apartment, fantastic pool with horizon view out to sea, dolphins swimming only a few hundred yards off shore, palm trees to provide shade in the heat of the day, a gorgeous sunset in the early evening and a picturesque golf course for those who are into hitting gutta percha. In addition, an amazing turtle sanctuary which harvests the eggs laid in the sand, nurses the babies and, when they're strong enough, releases them into the sea - magical. All it lacks is a better-equipped on-site shop for the self-catering apartments and a credit card/phonecard phone at the hotel for people whose cells don't work.
It's great for the airport (15 mins from Mazatlan) but a longer drive into the town.

We stayed for a week at the Estrella Del Mar this Christmas in a ground level condo in phase 1 that we rented directly from the owner. This is a fantastic place. The unit was very spacious, clean, and had every possible amenity that we could possibly need. The unit was steps from a super clean pool and nice hot tub. We shopped in Villa Union the first day in a more than adequate supermarket - had everything we could possibly need at super cheap prices.
Each night there was a spectacular sunset from our patio. Additionally, the pristine beach made for really nice walks. About 1 hour down the beach there is the most spectacular river that empties into the ocean where many different species of birds gather - quite amazing, bring your binoculars. We also used the gym at the new hotel, this is a well equipped with a beautiful view of the ocean. Honestly, we went into Mazatlan one day, but it was not the highlight of the trip. This place is perfect for those who appreciate natural beauty, are happy with a quiet atmosphere and want to have a peaceful vacation. That being said, there were other vacationers who went into Mazatlan for the nightlife and took a cab back.
I would also like to mention that we felt very welcome there as many of the condo owners went out of their way to be friendly and welcoming. There was even a stretching class by the pool three times a week. The whole area is very clean, everyone picked up after themselves and you did not see cigarette butts on the beach or empty cups everywhere. This place is truly a hidden gem!

We recently took 80 of our closest famili and friends to Mazatlan for our wedding. We had our wedding at the Estrella del Mar and everything was perfect. Roberto (the one in charge or coordinating weddings) was fabulous to work with. He took care of all the details. The food was amazing and the service staff were great! I cannot say enough great stuff about Estrella del Mar and their staff. I would do it all over again the same exact way! My husband and his family and friends golfed the course a few times and loved it. We were able to corrdinate transportation to and from Estrella with one of the "red truck" drivers. We asked him to pick us up at certain times and he was ALWAYS there. Estrella del Mar is quite a ways from the Golden Zone, but very do-able. I have great pictures and more insight if anyone is interested.

For the 2nd year in a row we spent a week at EDM from March 20-27. This year it was in Phase 2 #2208. Once a gain it was a great time. We preferred the Phase 2 condo was more then the one in Phase 1. The unit was very clean and was kept so with daily housekeeping. Conversely, we liked the pool and beach setting of Phase 1 over Phase 2. Golfing was fantastic. No one pushing or delaying us. Very reasonable rates $52 w/cart after 1:00. We meet some great people (owners/visitors) and it was good to see the staff from last year. The cost incuding the accomodations, golf (7 rounds), meals, groceries, shutlles, tips was around $2,100.00.

We didn't see any whales this year but we did see a few of dolphins. Tried some surf fishing...had a few hook-ups but nothing brought to shore. The waves were much bigger this year which may have lead to the slow fishing but made the bogie boarding awesome.

Found lots of shells and quite a few sand dollars.

We would highly recommend this resort for those that want to get away from it all. We didn't go into to Mazatlan this year and didn't miss it at all. One trip to Google Earth will clearly show it is isolated and a fair distance from Mazatlan. Though only about 15 miles to Mazatlan it does take a while to drive due to the traffic level and numerous lights. I'd leave the driving to the locals because it does get crazy. So take the bad reviews/low rankings of some of these reviews with a few grains of sea salt. Do some research read the reviews and determine what kind of place you're looking for. It's an awesome place. Unfortunately we won't make it back next year but for sure in 2012.