Stone Island on your own

[pppiglet]

Is it still safe to walk out of the terminal in Mazatlan and to the left to walk to the water taxis to go to Stone Island? It's been a few years since we did this and I want to make sure the directions are the same. We loved Molokays' and can't wait to have one of their seafood/shrimp platters again! :D

[btorlv]

Yes still safe only a 2-3 block walk. When you get out of the ship yard turn left and walk to the end of the road where the $2 round trip boat is. Victors and Lettys is also a great place to eat.

[r&rfraz]

yes, safe to walk down to the water taxis to stone island. we just did it a few months back as a group of 14 (ages 6-47). had a great time boogie boarding, horse back riding, relaxing. definately do it on your own and dont pay for an official excursion. very easy to pick and choose what you want to do once you get there. have a great time!:)

[Bluegirl]

Thanks for the info! My family will be in Mazatlan for the first time and Stone Island sounds like the perfect solution for our varying needs, ages 5-45.

[patosea]

When we did a water taxi in Cabo - it was very hard to get back in it for our return trip. The taxi was bobbing in the waves. How are the water taxi's for Stone Island - do they pull up closer to shore, or do you still have to jump out in knee deep water? Would love to go to Stone Island on our own.

[072175]

They pull up to a dock on both sides. We went last year with my 2, 3, and 6 year old son and 2 daughters and my parents that are in their 70s. The trick is to wait for the tractor with the trailer attached, think hay rides, that will take you down the beach when you get off on Stone Island. One thing that I have not also heard people mention is that I felt very safe on teh walk to the water taxi because you are on a busy street but also you are passing new car loading for dealers and the guards at the entrance to the lots on your way to the water taxis are all holdinig machine guns. We will be going again in February.

[silverado44]

When we did a water taxi in Cabo - it was very hard to get back in it for our return trip. The taxi was bobbing in the waves. How are the water taxi's for Stone Island - do they pull up closer to shore, or do you still have to jump out in knee deep water? Would love to go to Stone Island on our own.

 

Dock on both ends

[r&rfraz]

lets clarify some info. regarding stone island:

 

1st thing- yes it is docks on both ends. no wading into the water.

 

2nd thing- i just read the comment regarding waiting for the tractor to give you a ride down to the beach. if you take the right water taxi there is no need for the tractor ride. when you get to the cruise dock in maz. walk through the terminal and the flea market area. you will then exit out the front gate area and walk LEFT down the sidewalk along the wall. DO NOT TURN RIGHT. there is a water taxi dock to the right but it is a much longer walk to get to and it drops you on the wrong side of stone island. thats why you have to catch the tractor ride to get over to the beach.TURN LEFT- walk about 5-7 minutes past the new car unloading area and some big oil tanks. when you come to a cross street look across the street and you will see a sign that says something like "water taxi". there is a small dirt/gravel path that leads you out to the small water taxi ticket booth. you will see all kinds of new cars on your right as you walk down the path. at the booth purchase your round trip ticket to stone island (2 or 3 $$). we were told to hold onto our ticket for the return trip but noone ever asked to see it. but hold onto it just to be safe. it is a very quick 5 minute water taxi to the stone island dock. hop of the boat and walk up a ver small hill and over the other side to the beautiful beach on stone island.

f.y.i- don't be alarmed about the lack of beauty on your walk from the cruise terminal to the water taxi dock. there is nothing special about the walk but is all worth it when you catch your first glimpse of stone island beach!. when you are ready to return to the cruise dock just walk back to the dock where you were dropped off. there may or may not be a water taxi waiting for you. if there is not they will see you from the other dock and will quickly send a taxi over to pick you up.

 

for alot of good info on stone island check the boards here on cruise critic. there are tons of posts with great info. they were a big help to me when planning our cruise.

[hlb76]

I found this tour comapny

http://mazatlan.com.mx/stoneisladtour/homepage.htm#tour

 

and offers drinks, a meal, transportation and 2 activities. I thought it was a good deal. Am I wrong?

What does it cost to rent the things on there own? What is the cost of food? We are traveling a group of 8 ages 3-35 so we do want some ease for the little ones, but Mom and Dad would like to save $$ if possible.

 

What else is there to do on the island? Shopping? We have our own snorkel gear is it worth bringing?

 

Thanks in advance

[Puffinater]

I found this tour comapny

http://mazatlan.com.mx/stoneisladtour/homepage.htm#tour

 

and offers drinks, a meal, transportation and 2 activities. I thought it was a good deal. Am I wrong?

What does it cost to rent the things on there own? What is the cost of food? We are traveling a group of 8 ages 3-35 so we do want some ease for the little ones, but Mom and Dad would like to save $$ if possible.

 

What else is there to do on the island? Shopping? We have our own snorkel gear is it worth bringing?

 

Thanks in advance

 

I would say it is so easy to do that you do it on your own. We have done it with a tour group in the past and realized we could have done it better ourselves. As for cost, I believe it is $2 per person round trip to/from the island. Costs on the island vary but you can bargain especially if you have several people wanting to do the same thing. Food cost is also minimal. There are reports of spending $50 to $75 all day for good size groups to play, eat and drink. There are several threads on here with more detailed onfo on costs that are worth checking out.

 

No shopping per se but there are beach vendors and the snorkling is poor at best.

 

We will be doing this on our own in December.

[r&rfraz]

highly recommend doing it on your own. check out all of the info here on the threads. as for snorkeling it is not known for that. the beach is sand with no real rock areas for snorkeling. i have read a review here on the boards about people snorkeling near benjis pizza place on stone island. it sits out on the point of the beach on its own. i have read good things about it. might want to check it out more as a possibility to spend part of the day here. it is walking distance from the "main" part of the beach.

[manasvi10]

yes, safe to walk down to the water taxis to stone island. we just did it a few months back as a group of 14 (ages 6-47). had a great time boogie boarding, horse back riding, relaxing. definately do it on your own and dont pay for an official excursion. very easy to pick and choose what you want to do once you get there. have a great time!:)

 

 

Do all these vendors accept Us Dollars? and what about food places like Victors and all? Or should I carry Pesos?

[swedish weave]

Do all these vendors accept Us Dollars? and what about food places like Victors and all? Or should I carry Pesos?

 

They will all take dollars. The water taxi is a little cheaper if you use pesos. 20 pesos or 2 dollars US round trip, so if you get pesos in change somewhere, save 20 and use it for the water taxi.

[lax19]

lets clarify some info. regarding stone island:

 

1st thing- yes it is docks on both ends. no wading into the water.

 

2nd thing- i just read the comment regarding waiting for the tractor to give you a ride down to the beach. if you take the right water taxi there is no need for the tractor ride. when you get to the cruise dock in maz. walk through the terminal and the flea market area. you will then exit out the front gate area and walk LEFT down the sidewalk along the wall. DO NOT TURN RIGHT. there is a water taxi dock to the right but it is a much longer walk to get to and it drops you on the wrong side of stone island. thats why you have to catch the tractor ride to get over to the beach.TURN LEFT- walk about 5-7 minutes past the new car unloading area and some big oil tanks. when you come to a cross street look across the street and you will see a sign that says something like "water taxi". there is a small dirt/gravel path that leads you out to the small water taxi ticket booth. you will see all kinds of new cars on your right as you walk down the path. at the booth purchase your round trip ticket to stone island (2 or 3 $$). we were told to hold onto our ticket for the return trip but noone ever asked to see it. but hold onto it just to be safe. it is a very quick 5 minute water taxi to the stone island dock. hop of the boat and walk up a ver small hill and over the other side to the beautiful beach on stone island.

f.y.i- don't be alarmed about the lack of beauty on your walk from the cruise terminal to the water taxi dock. there is nothing special about the walk but is all worth it when you catch your first glimpse of stone island beach!. when you are ready to return to the cruise dock just walk back to the dock where you were dropped off. there may or may not be a water taxi waiting for you. if there is not they will see you from the other dock and will quickly send a taxi over to pick you up.

 

for alot of good info on stone island check the boards here on cruise critic. there are tons of posts with great info. they were a big help to me when planning our cruise.

 

 

Thanks for the detailed instructions. One question . . In looking at google maps, there is a restaurant called La Puntilla near what appears to be a dock for the water taxis. Is this the right place to catch the water taxis?

[lstrong]

Yes, there is a restaurant next to the dock, right on the water - I can't remember the name though.

[titanguru]

We did Stone Island on our own last March and had a blast. We are going again this April on the Star and will be spending the day there. We did it a little different. We took a taxi ($7 +tip) from the port to the water taxi. Got tickets for $2 round trip and got on the boat. Couple of other folks joined us one of them was an old lady with her groceries and she got on no problem. Smooth trip of about five minutes and we were on the dock on Stone Island. There were taxis to take you to the beach (50 Cents in back of truck or trailer) but we decided to walk. What a great decision. The kids still remember every details. It would've taking us about ten minutes to the beach but we spent more than thirty minutes looking at everything. We saw different types of lizards. bought fresh peanuts from couple kids. Stood and watched some men working on red chili and got some samples. Got to the beach about 10 AM an we were pretty much the first ones to arrive. Walked the length of the beach and we found a restaurant that we liked and got a table under an umbrella 40 yards from the water. Kids rented couple of boogie boards and went in the water. the nice part is the water is shallow for a good 50 to 100 yards and we did not have to worry too much as we can watch easily. Ordered tacos, melted cheese, guacamole dip, sodas, bottled water, and one beer (we are not much into drinking). The four of us ate until full and we even left some of the food as we were not able to finish it and the bill was $38. Gave the waiter an $8 tip and next thing I know the kids were taking to the back of the restaurant and given a hose to wash the salt water off their bodies. Took a taxi back to the pier. got on the water taxi, and another $7 taxi and we were by the ship doing a little shopping before we called it a day. Highly recommended. Might try to do the left turn and walk to the water taxi this time but it looks like this one take you directly to the beach and we might want to spend sometime on the island. The kids saw how others lived compared to what we have here and interacted with the locals which was a great experiance.

[CRUZBUDS]

I'm sure it was a very good experience for the kids and that they gained new appreciation for what they have. Stone Island is very rustic which is a nice way of saying, quite poor.