Driving Across Mexico

[Music Lover]

Trailwalker & Music Lover - which neighborhoods would you recommend in Mazatlan for American snowbirds? - won't have a vehicle, so will be traveling by foot and need taxis or Ubers. Relatively close to restaurants, the malecon, other expats, live music? Thanks

We stayed in the Cerritos area, it's further north. There are 3 or 4 restaurants that are walking distance (north to the end of the road) but for bands and other restaurants a bus or cab is required.

Many people stay in the Golden Zone which is where most of the restaurants and live bands are. La Catrina has bands on a regular basis, also then there is a 2 or 3 block area east of Cameron Sabalo off of De Las Garzas that has several bars and restaurants grouped together where expats and tourists hang out...Lucky B's, Friends, Legends, etc.

 

[Trailwalker]

We spent 6 weeks in Mazatlan from the first week in January to the third week in February, never saw any signs of trouble.

We were surprised at how many people in the neighborhood where we rented came down in their vehicles, many of them from Canada where it's a 4000 km or longer drive. We flew and were happy to take a bus or cab when we went out.

We were surprised to see so many Canadians in Mazatlan. Not so many Americans.

I only drove my vehicle once after we parked it in Mazatlan--to drive my daughter to the airport on her return trip. The bus system is wonderful in Mazatlan--13 pesos (less than an American buck) from Playa Sur in the south to Cerritos in the north. We drove for several reasons. First, I prefer driving to flying these days. Second, it's a great way to explore places that you don't see from the air. Three, it's problematic to fly with a bigger dog, and I don't like to go for longer than a couple of weeks without the dog.

We made it across the Texas border today without any issues. A beautiful day of mountain driving. A couple more long days to get home.

 

[SunnyOne]

Some others have mentioned an area of Mazatlan called Sabalo Country? do you have any thoughts on that area?

 

[brett]

We have been going to Mexico for years. Not driving though. Two weeks in PVR last November. Just came back from three weeks just outside Zihautanejo. Planning three weeks in Nov/Dec....possibly Mazatlan because we have never been there other than on a cruise ship stop.

Just prior to covid we spent 5 weeks of independent travel going from Huatulco to PVR. Preceded by two weeks doing the same in Yucatan area. We planned on going on to Mazatlan but covid ended that.

We travelled by bus up the Pacific coast stopping here and there. We booked a night or two in Acapulco but extended that to a week because we enjoyed the area so much. We enjoyed the bus rides. Modern buses with huge, comfortable seats. Much better than flying via Mexico City each time we moved on. We did fly from Zi to PVR at the end because of the distance.

We do not pay much attention to State Dept warnings. They are too broad brush. Some areas in some provinces may not be safe but that does not mean the entire province is unsafe. There are a number of countries that actually spell this out in their travel advisories. The State Dept advisories always seem like CYA to me instead of providing accurate data.

Clearly there are areas that are unsafe. The trick is be aware of that, act accordingly, and not fall victim to those who say all travel, all areas of Mexico are unsafe and not recommended for travel. Most travellers we have met exercise a certain degree of smarts and awareness when it come to independent travel in any country.

We are seniors now. Our experience is straightforward. We stay away from bars, the party areas, etc. We are always aware of our surroundings. We do not wear expensive jewelry, keep much cash in our wallets, or speak loudly so as to bring attention to ourselves. We have been travelling independently internationally for 40 plus years. Touch wood, never a problem so far.

 

[Music Lover]

We are seniors now. Our experience is straightforward. We stay away from bars, the party areas, etc. We are always aware of our surroundings. We do not wear expensive jewelry, keep much cash in our wallets, or speak loudly so as to bring attention to ourselves.

We go to some restaurants and bars but never stay late. In Mazatlan a lot of the bands start at 5:00 or 6:00 PM. We stay for a couple sets, have a drink or two and are usually back at our rental well before 9:00.

Not wearing expensive jewelry, flashing cash, or speaking loudly are good practices anywhere you go. I've seen people pull out a thick wad of cash to pay for a $5 item and think to myself: "you're one of those idiots that we read about in the paper".

 

[brett]

We see this often in our travels. Europe, Africa, SE Asia, Latin America etc.

Tourists who wear new, expensive designer clothing in the hopes that they are looking like a local. And expensive watches, jewelry. Especially necklaces that can be yanked off in 2 seconds. Or travelling with very expensive, high end bags/cases that give the impression that there is something inside worth stealing.

We have been on more than one cruise when we have seen people doing exactly this at various port stops. They are essentially making themselves a target for crime. We shake our heads in disbelief about how naive and vain some can be. We have travel jewelry. My $10 plastic watch is far safer than the expensive watch that I wear at home. Ditto for DW. All cheap costume stuff of no obvious value.

Pulling out purses or wallets and displaying their cash, credit cards, etc. Or withdrawing cash from ATMS in areas that are not busy or late in the day. Not to mention standing in front of the ATM counting out the cash that was dispensed instead of quickly pocketing the cash and walking away. My spouse always has my back when we withdraw. Always from an ATM inside a bank and always in the middle of the day.

Do not know how many times we have seen tourists hang purses or backpacks off the back of a cafe chair, leave then whilst they take a picture, or place expensive items, even their passports, in those backpacks, bags. Or hang them loosely from their shoulders...waiting to be yanked off by a thief.

We shake our heads at some of these cavalier behaviors.

 

[SunnyOne]

I would appreciate knowing which booking service(s) you use to find lodging and/or rentals on the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Much obliged.

 

[brett]

We used booking.com and tripadvisor reviews. We combined this with booking direct.

We also sent emails to top rated small hotels in Puerto Escondido and in Zihautanego. Worked well for both. We only booked for one or two days in each place but extended our stay by a week in each.

Same for Acapulco. We looked on booking.com. Looked at the reviews on tripadviser. Booked the hotel for one or two nights. Liked Acapulco so much we extended it by a week.

We typically start with booking.com and then research. Always prefer to book direct. In PVR we had four nights in Bucerias booked direct. One night in PVR. And we did a late booking for a 5 night stay in a Nuevo Vallarta AI through a UK site.

We are independent and spontaneous travellers. Unless we have been to the area before we only book for a night of so. If we like it we extend. If not we move on. This is what we typically do on two month snowbird trips.

 

[erkevin]

The other rule of driving in Mexico is NEVER drive at night. Reason number 1 is the tendency for livestock to wander into the roadways. Number 2 is construction. In the US, you will typically see signs for road construction a mile or two before, then cones at 1/4 mile or so. In Mexico, it is not unusual to come up on the construction with only 50-100 feet of warning. Even in daylight, it can be unnerving. Of course, avoiding bandidos is a also a reason to avoid night driving.

 

[Trailwalker]

The other rule of driving in Mexico is NEVER drive at night. Reason number 1 is the tendency for livestock to wander into the roadways. Number 2 is construction. In the US, you will typically see signs for road construction a mile or two before, then cones at 1/4 mile or so. In Mexico, it is not unusual to come up on the construction with only 50-100 feet of warning. Even in daylight, it can be unnerving. Of course, avoiding bandidos is a also a reason to avoid night driving.

And number 3 is that it's harder to see topes. In Mexico, topes (tall speed bumps) are placed across the streets to slow down traffic. In the dark, that's even more problematic. Some topes are marked; most are not. Agree with all you said.

 

[Trailwalker]

Some others have mentioned an area of Mazatlan called Sabalo Country? do you have any thoughts on that area?

Sabolo Country is a very nice area and just to the north of the Golden Zone, which has many restaurants and bars catering to Americans and Canadians. Sabolo also has its own pickleball club, which a Facebook page. A bus runs through Sabolo to the north and south. Sabolo is on the main bus line (the green bus) that takes you to all of the tourist areas.

We stayed about two miles south of the Golden Zone and two miles north of the historical Central. We were just a couple of blocks from the beach and the area that has many palapa restaurants/bars. We booked through Airbnb. Our building was mostly Mexican tourists and permanent Mexican residents.

We were usually home by 8 p.m. and always felt safe within six blocks of the ocean. Police presence is conspicuous. There is a special tourist police that drives up and down the Malecon with their lights always on for visibility.