Review of Cabos, Mazatlan and La Paz

[CRUISING71]

We just recently got back from the Spirit (April 4 to April 11), our ports of call were Cabo, Mazatlan and La Paz. This is what we did at each port.

Cabos- We rented a water taxi for $ 10 per person, he took us for a tour around the arch and then drop us off at Lover Beach for 2 hours, came back, pick us up and drop us off at Medano Beach, then pick us up again from Medano Beach back to port. Just tell him what time you like to be pick up. Don’t forget to get the boat name so you remember which boat to get back on again. You can ask for receipt as well, so that way the name of the boat is on the receipt.

We enjoyed Lover Beach, but as precaution, it is not easy getting off and on the water taxi, from Lover Beach due to the wave. It is much easier to get off and on from Medano Beach. We like Lover Beach much better than Medano, because it was less crowded and we enjoyed the beautiful water. You can buy water and beer, but no foods from a few vendors that had their cooler with them. No facility at Lover Beach.

Mazatlan-We took the open taxi from port to El Cid $ 12 one way. As you get the cruise, there are a few El Cid customer service waiting for you. Yes, they do try to sell you their time share, but a no thank you was enough. They were not pushy at all. We end up buying a day pass. $ 35 for adult, $ 23 for kids, you have to deposit $ 5 for adult and $ 3 deposit for the kids at port, then they will give you a day pass. You redeem the day pass and pay the reminding balance at the hotel. Make sure you tell your taxi to drop you off at El Moro El Cid. There were two El Cid, they are next to each other. We didn’t know, we ended up at the other one and have to walk to El Morro. You are welcome to use both facility. With the day pass, you get a towel ( they will keep your ID if you want to use towels) unlimited drinks and unlimited foods. An hour of boogie board to use. Both facility is right on the beach. Customer service was awesome, everyone is very nice and friendly.

We met a family at El Cid, they didn’t buy the day pass, they did the 1 hour time share presentation and they were entitled to the same service plus free taxi to and from the port. The family told us, it was not pushy at all. They went throught the tour, then said no thank you and that was it. We didn’t know, but glad we brought the day pass anyway.

La Paz- This is my favorite port. The friendliest people and they are not familiar with dollars. They quoted everything in pesos. From the port to downtown, it is a 30 minutes bus ride. Bus ride is free and it runs every 30 minutes. These buses only cater to cruiser. There is another bus that takes you to the beach…a good 30 minutes also. We took the bus to downtown, and visit the El Serpentario Reptile Centre and cactus Nursery. The taxi from downtown to the centre is $ 80 pesos. To get into the Centre it is $ 80 peso for adult ($6) and $ 40 ($3) for the kids. I didn't have any pesos, so I just give the lady $ 20. I was worry, because it was in a residential area, and not a lot of taxi nearby, so I asked the taxi driver to wait for us. It took us 20 minutes to see everything. The centre is really small. I don’t know how the cruise ship was charging $ 59.95 USD for adult and $ 54.95 for kids! He took us back to the bus station in downtown, we walked around downtown area and then hopped on the bus back to port. At the port, we hopped on another bus to take us to the beach. That is where we stayed all day long. The beach was beautiful; food was cheap, drink were cheap, lots of activities. 8 beers was $ 20, 3 beefs quesadilla was $ 7 with all the work. Mangoes 2 for $ 5, it was pricey, but worth it. We rented Jet Ski $ 90 for an hour. My son rides the banana boat for $ 4. The water was crystal clear and the sand was beautiful. You could take a taxi from port to beach for $ 3 per person if you don’t want to wait for the bus.