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Leaving Mazatlan

My last morning in Mazatlan couldn’t have gone any better, with a relaxing room service breakfast at El Cid Castillo on the balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  I was a bit concerned that the Midwest storms would upset my travel plans, but Delta assured me that all my flights were running on schedule. Or, so they said.

Maria Elena of the Mazatlan Hotel Association  and Abraham of Pronatours  picked me up at my hotel for my final ride in the van with them.  (I can’t say I will miss climbing in and out of that van!) We were at the airport in 20 minutes and I went to the Aeromexico desk to check into my Mazatlan flight to Mexico City.  The clerk then advised me that the flight was running FIVE hours late and I would miss my connection.  In the next half hour she proceeded to tell me that there wasn’t a way she could get me home in the next two days unless I wanted to fly to Guadalajara and hope I could get on a morning flight! 

I was fortunate to have the travel expertise of Julio, Director of Mazatlan Hotel Association, on my side, and, after a goodbye lunch with Abraham and Maria Elena, I was off on a U.S. Air flight to Phoenix, Arizona.  It actually worked out well because during my night in Phoenix I got to have drinks with an old friend and then make a new one, Maria Rojas-Fox, an International Resorts Representative.  We had a delicious dinner at Caffe Boa in Tempe, that included great pasta, the discovery of a delicious new drink, the Nutcracker (Amaretto, Crème de Cocoa and a Butterfinger Rim), and a wonderful wine, a 2008 Szoke Matyas Irsai Oliver from Matra, Hungary.

I took an early morning flight back to Chicago (thanks for the upgrade, American) and made good use of the long layover for my connecting flight.  It was quite a different scene at home than it was in Mazatlan, with single digit temperatures and piles of snow instead of sand in front of me.  Mazatlan is definitely on my “return to ASAP” list  after a wonderful week of making new friends, eating great food, staying at beautiful hotels and enjoying the beach and culture.

In case you missed any of my adventure, here it is from start to finish…

Welcome to Mazatlan

Exploring the Old and the New in Mazatlan

Checking Out Mazatlan’s Resorts

Mazatlan Fun and Pampering

Excursions, Martinis and Almost Tequila in Mazatlan

Islands of Excitement in Mazatlan