My daughter and I stayed at the Motel Marley, which is a 70's vintage motel with outside walks, "California style" right on the beach and the prettiest beach road in Mazatlan's zona dorado. It is not expensive - 72 bucks during Santa Semana, the most expensive week in Mexico, usually 55 bucks or less - and has large rooms - ours had a bedroom, living room with dining table, kitchen, bathroom with shower and a laundry room for washing or hanging wet things. Fresh jugs of water were brought in every day. The place is kept spotless. There is a pool if the surf is too heavy and you can sit in the beach chairs and watch the beach parade go by. This is a quiet section of beach, between the party zone to the south where the good surf is, and the dull strip of gringo hotels to the north, where the spring breakers stay. We got the hotel three days before arriving during the busiest time of year - pre-Easter week. The folks at the desk speak excellent english and got us nights that they originally said they didn't have. But now it is not my secret anymore.