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Hotel Riu Emerald Bay

Mazatlan, Mexico

4.4(19,486 reviews)

FamilyRiu

Riu Emerald Bay is the resort travelers book as the cheap Mexico option and then come back to. Mazatlan does a lot of that work: the Pacific has no sargassum, Playa Las Brujas runs for kilometres, and the city behind the hotel zone is a working Mexican port with a colonial centro rather than a purpose-built tourist strip. The resort itself is straightforward Riu at the core tier, 1,028 rooms with 24-hour all-inclusive, six pools, seven bars, a Renova Spa, a free-access gym, RIU Land for kids and an on-site nightclub.

Traveler Insights

Pros

+Pacific coast setting on Playa Las Brujas, so none of the sargassum seaweed that hits the Caribbean and Gulf resorts every summer
+Splash Water World is included in the all-inclusive rate, alongside a separate pool built with children's water slides
+Six pools in total, one of them heated through the winter months, which matters in Mazatlan from December to February
+The 312-room building Riu attached to the original 716 rooms in September 2019 is the newer stock, and asking for it is the single most useful booking move here
+Two full buffets rather than one, Las Tres Islas and El Malecon, each with live cooking stations and three themed evenings a week
+Swim-up bars that Riu designates for adults, plus an on-site nightclub, give grown-ups somewhere to go in a resort built around families
+Affordable direct flights to Mazatlan from western Canadian and US Pacific Northwest cities keep the whole trip cost down
+Mazatlan rewards leaving the resort: the historic centro and its malecon are among the most walkable old quarters in Mexico, about 15 minutes by car

Cons

−Tower rooms depend on elevators that guests were still calling too few and too slow in reviews through August 2026, with lifts arriving full at peak times
−Hard beds and worn mattresses come up again and again in dated 2026 reviews, and it is the most consistent complaint about the rooms
−A beach band unaffiliated with the resort plays loudly through the day, which some guests enjoy and others find relentless
−Only one true a la carte restaurant, the Mexican Tabasco; Bamboo's Asian menu and both mains are buffet service, and Las Gaviotas serves Italian at dinner off a mixed menu
−Food variety starts to feel thin around day four or five of a week-long stay once the buffet rotation repeats
−This is a core Riu rather than a Riu Palace, which shows in standard domestic liquor brands and in finishes that are functional rather than plush
−Pacific storm season is real: Hurricane Polo closed Mazatlan's beaches to swimmers in late September 2026, and the Cerritos stretch where this hotel sits was still red-flagged when Zona Dorada, Pinitos and Isla de la Piedra reopened on September 30
−Mazatlan has fewer flight options and less tourist infrastructure than Cancun, so it takes more planning if you are not flying from the west

The layout is the thing to understand before booking. In September 2019 Riu attached a 312-room building to the 716-room original, and that expansion also brought the pool with children's water slides, the indoor RiuLand club, a lounge bar with a stage for evening shows and the El Malecon buffet. That is why experienced guests tell you to ask for the newer building on a low floor: the tower's elevators were still drawing complaints in August 2026 reviews for arriving full at morning and evening peaks. Beds are the other recurring gripe, described as very hard. Dining is buffet-led, with Las Tres Islas and El Malecon both running live cooking and three themed nights a week, Bamboo doing an Asian buffet and Tabasco the only proper a la carte, so variety tends to feel narrow by the back half of a week. Staff service, by contrast, draws consistent praise even in reviews that complain about everything else.

It fits budget-conscious families and first-time all-inclusive travelers flying from Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle or Phoenix, where the flight math alone can decide it. Solo travelers report being comfortable here too. Against a Cancun or Riviera Maya resort at the same nightly rate you give up restaurant choice, cenotes and ruins, and the deeper hotel-zone infrastructure. What you get back is a cleaner beach, far smaller crowds, Pacific seafood and a city worth a day of your week. Worth knowing that Mazatlan sits in the eastern Pacific hurricane track: Hurricane Polo passed as a category two in late September 2026, tore palapas off the malecon and closed the beaches to swimmers for several days, with partial reopening from September 30, 2026.

Common Questions

Does the tower building versus the newer building really matter?

It is the most repeated piece of guest advice about this resort. The tower is the original structure and every trip to the pool or beach means an elevator, and guests were still reporting in August 2026 that the lifts arrive full at morning and evening peaks. The 312-room building Riu added in September 2019 is newer stock with easier ground-level access. Request the new building on a low floor when you book, and say so again at check-in.

Is the water park included, and is it any good for a range of ages?

Splash Water World is included in the all-inclusive rate, and it is a real amenity rather than a token splash pad. Riu also built a separate pool with children's water slides during the 2019 expansion, and RIU Land is an indoor kids club with slides, a maze and a ball pool. Kids roughly 6 to 16 get the most out of it; toddlers will be limited by slide height rules and are better served by the kids pool.

What is the dining lineup actually like?

It leans buffet. Las Tres Islas and El Malecon are both main buffets with live cooking stations and three themed evenings a week each, Bamboo runs an Asian buffet at dinner, Las Gaviotas covers lunch and snacks and shifts to Italian specialities at dinner, and Tabasco is the one a la carte, serving Mexican. There are seven bars and the all-inclusive runs 24 hours. Guests on week-long stays commonly say the rotation starts repeating by day four or five.

How is the beach, and did the September 2026 hurricane damage it?

Playa Las Brujas is wide Pacific sand with no sargassum, which is the structural advantage over Mexico's Caribbean coast, though the surf runs rougher. Hurricane Polo passed as a category two in late September 2026 and the swell closed Mazatlan's beaches to swimmers, with red flags still posted in Cerritos, where this hotel sits, when Zona Dorada, Pinitos and Isla de la Piedra reopened on September 30, 2026. Riu posted no closure or damage notice for the hotel itself and was taking normal bookings. Check the local lifeguard flags in September and October.

Is Mazatlan worth leaving the resort for?

Yes, and more than most all-inclusive destinations. The historic centro has a restored 19th-century theatre, a plaza, serious seafood restaurants and an art scene, and the malecon boardwalk runs for miles along the water. It is a real city rather than a tourist zone, which is the appeal. Reckon on roughly 15 minutes and a few dollars each way by ride-hail from the Cerritos end of the hotel zone.

Should I pick this over a Cancun resort at the same price?

Depends what you are optimizing for. Cancun gives you more resorts to choose from, better flight access from the US east coast, and the Riviera Maya's cenotes and Mayan sites. Mazatlan gives you a seaweed-free beach, much thinner crowds, Pacific seafood and often a cheaper flight if you are leaving from western Canada or the Pacific Northwest. If you live in Calgary, Vancouver or Seattle, the flight economics usually settle it.

Restaurants (6)

Type	Restaurants
Buffet	Las Tres Islas, El Malecón
Mexican	Tabasco
Italian	Las Gaviotas
Asian	Bamboo
American & grill	Pepe’s Food

From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.

What's nearby

Playa Norte
20 min drive · 8.3 mi
Cliff Divers (El Clavadista)
25 min drive · 11 mi
Playa Cerritos
5 min drive · 0.9 mi
Gran Acuario Mazatlán
20 min drive · 8.5 mi
Mazatlán Malecón
25 min drive · 9.3 mi
Mazatlán Cathedral
25 min drive · 10 mi

More things to do (24)

Whale watching cruise (December to March) · excursion11 min drive · 4.5 mi
El Cid Marina · marina11 min drive · 4.5 mi
Playa Brujas · beach4 min drive · 0.8 mi
Sunset cruise · excursion11 min drive · 4.5 mi
Mazagua Water Park · water park5 min drive · 1.5 mi
Marina Mazatlán · marina9 min drive · 3.6 mi
Deer Island (Isla de Venados) boat and snorkel trip · excursion11 min drive · 4.5 mi
Bird-watching boat tour of the marina · excursion11 min drive · 4.5 mi
Playa Sábalo · beach13 min drive · 5.8 mi
El Cid Golf & Country Club · golf14 min drive · 5.1 mi
Sea Shell City · museum15 min drive · 6.6 mi
Playa Gaviotas · beach20 min drive · 6.8 mi
Fuerte 31 de Marzo · historic site25 min drive · 10 mi
Olas Altas Beach · beach30 min drive · 11 mi
Old Mazatlán (Plazuela Machado) · town30 min drive · 11 mi
Museo de Arte de Mazatlán · museum30 min drive · 11 mi
Museo Arqueológico de Mazatlán · museum30 min drive · 11 mi
Teatro Ángela Peralta · historic site30 min drive · 11 mi
Observatorio 1873 · museum30 min drive · 12 mi
Museo Nacional de la Ballena (MUNBA) · museum30 min drive · 12 mi
El Faro Lighthouse · viewpoint35 min drive · 13 mi
Mirador Puente de Cristal · viewpoint35 min drive · 13 mi
El Verde Camacho Turtle Sanctuary · wildlife35 min drive · 18 mi
Estrella del Mar Golf Course · golf55 min drive · 29 mi

Amenities

Walk-In Dining Available

Water Slides

Heated Swimming Pool

Waterpark

Adults-Only Pool

Nightclub

Kids Club

Swim-Up Bar

Show 6 more amenities

Free Wi-Fi

Nightly Entertainment

Buffet Dining

Spa

Gym

Beach

Seaweed & sargassum

Mazatlán is not a sargassum destination.See the month-by-month guide →

Every all-inclusive in Mazatlán →

Google Reviews★ 4.4 · 19,486 reviews

Ken D.

a month ago

“This was a family Christmas Vacation. Going, our goal was relaxing, enjoying our time as a family, getting some warm weather in December, and enjoying the food. The food was excellent. The buffets were fresh and tasty and had a good deal of variety....”

Ji K.

a month ago

“We stayed at Riu Emerald Bay for 5 nights starting December 10, 2025, and had a wonderful experience. This was our second visit, and it was even better than the first. The staff are the highlight of this resort—everyone was incredibly friendly and h...”