# To Mazatlán or not to Mazatlán



## parker1ray (Nov 24, 2020)

The wife and I will hopefully be moving to somewhere in Mexico in around two years. She will be at retirement age then and we are both from South Texas and now live in Florida. We love the Spanish culture, food and easier way of life. We live by the ocean and would like to stay by the ocean. My question is for people who have experienced living in Mazatlán full time and living in Cabo, what do you find most appealing about your city? We are planning on visiting both cities before moving, but I would like to find out what people who actually live and work there find most appealing in their cities. Weather, food, rent, activities. We had looked at Chapala, but after asking expats who lived there, what they thought received over 100 posts on another forum of people insulting each other and using the post as a vehicle to do so. It was unbelievable. I drew the opinion that most of these people were bored to death with nothing to do but rag on each other.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

I been to Mazatlan a few times for a few days each. I have been to Cabo San Lucas twice for a half day each. You are looking for people with more experience in both cases, so I can't really help. But I will say that I prefer Mazatlan based on my limited experience. Cabo seems like a typical Mexican city once you are a few blocks away from the beach. But the beacon in Cabo is dominated by all the hotels that line it. The beach in Mazatlan is longer and more varied with the Zona Dorado at the north end, the old town at the south end and a long stretch in between with less development near the beach. It has been a few years since I have been to either, so things may have changed.


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

I've been to both, but not spent much time in either. They are both tourist destination towns, but the feeling I got is that Cabo is more of a let's get drunk and party town and Mazatlan has more the feel of a Mexican town, even thought it is touristy. Baja is also more expensive in general.
In Baja, La Paz is also a nice city. My daughter lives in Todos Santos, about a hour north of Cabo, which is a charming little town with old brick buildings. While it's on the ocean, it doesn't really have any swimming beaches, though- the water is quite rough. So the beach there is enjoyed by the residents, but you won't find tourists spread out across it in loungers or beachside restaurants.


----------

