This is the 3rd time I have travelled to the same resort and stayed at this hotel. I travelled this time with my father who has never been to Mexico.....and never experienced an All Inclusive vacation. I was pleased to see that most of the staff are still the same. The service was excellent and food ok. It was nice that there is night life closer to the hotel than the last time I was there. We really enjoyed Heathers Place and The Purple Onion. The hospitality of the staff always exceeds my expectations. If I had to find one fault I would have to say that the front desk staff was not very helpful....but then again they appeared not to speak any English. But I guess when you travel to another country it probably would be good to learn some of their language and not to expect them to learn ours. The hotel travel agent was amazing....I took my father on a Marlin Fishing Tour which was the first for me....it was awsome...except for the 2nd and 3rd degree burns I received as a sovenier ( typical Canuck )...and speaking of Canucks we went there for supper on our last night.....I believe I was the youngest one there!!! LOL. It was very nice there too. We met some awsome couples from Red Deer and Sask. My father really enjoyed himself and would come back. The bottom line is you get what you pay for......I will be back there before years end and will stay at the same hotel.

After booking the trip, we decided to come on here and read the reviews by others. Of course, there was a mixed bag, so we got on the plane fearing the worst, but hoping for the best... We arrived at the Oceano Palace during the friday of Bike Week. There were a lot of bikes in Mazatlan, and our hotel was no exception. Of course this was no fault of the hotel. A few of the points I would like to touch on are the rooms, the bar, the restaraunt, the pool, and the beach. The rooms were easily adequate. Certainly not a 5 star by any stretch, but we were there for the beach, and to see Mazatlan. This suited our purpose perfectly. The beds were not as hard as previous reviews led to believe, the shower was smallish, but on the whole, all of the basic ammenities were available. Next is the bar... it was usually open by 10:15 at the latest, and usually closed by 10:15 in the evening. The drinks were great! There was a moderate amount of consistency in the alcohol that was going into them, but... there was definately alchohol in all of them. The service by Humberto was good at times, and others, well... the odd time we had to walk to 20 steps to the bar, and get our own drinks, but this usually coincided with a restroom break anyhow. (I suspect that each employee of the hotel has about 3 jobs at the same time). On to the restaraunt. As previously stated, the breakfasts were great, and after the weekend, they went to an a-la-cart style menu rather than buffet. Lunches were fine, including a pretty good clubhouse sandwich. Dinner was good the one night we ate there. There is a lot of night-life in Mazatlan, and we decided we weren't going to spend morning, noon, and night at the hotel. Within a few minutes walk of the hotel, there are several absolutely fantastic restaraunts. The only downside to the restaraunt, and I'm not sure how many people this will pertain to, is the we were usually downstairs by 6:00 am, and it took quite a while to get coffee. There is however a OXXO (7-11) across the street that was open, with coffee. Next is the pool. It was fine, but usually domineered by children. I read in some of the earlier reviews that people were disapointed by the amount of local families staying at the hotel. I'm Canadian, and can you imagine the disapointment of the Japenese, when they arrive in Banff, or Jasper, and see all of the Canadian families there? - point made. Lastly was the beach. It was very nice, and clean. The vendors were not too pushy, but at the same time they have a job to do. Other than that, the most major complaint that I could come up with is that when they make to Pina Colada's, the odd time the ice wouldn't be ground fine enough, and would plug up my straw. If you want a place to sleep, and relax while exploring Mazatlan, or getting some sun, this is your place. If you are looking for a spa treatment, look elsewhere.

My husband and I finally got to go on our honeymoon. Two kids and 10 years later. This however was not the place to go. We were looking for a relaxing place to rest our head in-between tours. What we got ... Student Central. Not only were we not warned, but our travel agent didnt' realize this either. When we arrived at the hotel obviously we were tired and excited The next day we exited the Hotel on our way to our first tour. When we arrived back at the hotel there was the banner above the lobby. "Student Central" . Great! We had little to no sleep the next three nights before finally fighting with other couples to transfer to their sister hotel Luna Palace. Thank God we finally got some sleep. If you are planning a trip to Mexico, warning, go for a higher starred hotel. The beds were rock hard. The food was disgusting ... they put everything in a sauce. The staff were ok, but were rocked off their feet by all the students. All in all. Will never return.