Just returned from Mazatlan and the Oceano Palace. I had read the reviews about the hotel before booking the trip so I had some hesitant expectations! We arrived on January 6th and were picked up at the airport and transported by bus to the hotel. Check-in was very easy considering there were about 50 people from our flight checking in at the same time. The entertainment crew performed a welcome dance and all new guests were given a drink. The wrist band for all inclusive was put on at check-in. We took the elevator to the 5th (top) floor and entered our ocean view room. It was much as expected with 2 double beds, a tv (no remote and 2 english channels CNN & HBO), bathroom with tub & shower and a terrific view of the ocean and 2 islands out front. Later discussion with other guests led me to believe the ocean view rooms are much quieter with no street noise. Be aware that what is called "mountain view" is actually street view onto the main drag with lots of traffic. We had no problems with the room. Fresh towels every day, clean room, no bugs. Only a strange smell from the drain in the bathroom and a small problem with the in-room safe ($2 usd per day) but it was fixed within an hour of talking to the front desk clerk. The beds are firm but not "rock hard". We also tipped the maid daily which may have avoided some problems experienced by others. The hotel lobby is open from back to front over looking the pool and beach and is where the only bar is located. We grabbed a couple of drinks and headed across the patio to the beach. Our first encounter with the beach vendors was at the bottom of the steps to the beach. Much has been written about the vendors but I found them to be polite and left when told "No thanks". Remember they are only trying to make a living. Take the time to speak with them and learn about them, their city, families etc. They are very friendly and I think welcome the opportunity to talk rather than being given the cold shoulder (or worse). The calls of "really cheap" and "almost free" were quite entertaining. Our first evening buffet was fair. In fact, most people here commented on the food and I will confirm what most said. Breakfast is NOT North American style with bacon & eggs but the omellettes and fruit are pretty good. The menu changed daily but it still tasted much the same. My wife and I were not sick but did feel a little unsettled the first couple of days. Dinner buffet also changed daily but again, flavour and taste was bland. The food was not very hot. Coffee is not Tim Horton's or Starbucks and we looked forward to real coffee on our return to Edmonton. The a la carte Restaurant was better food and excellent service but you can only eat there once / week and reservations are needed. We ate out a couple of times and recommend "The Place" restaurant which is about a block north of the hotel on the same side of the street. Lobster and ribs or Lobster and shrimp with huge all you can drink margaritas for $168 pesos, about $17 usd. The entertainment crew work hard to get people involved in beach volleyball, bingo etc. and put on nightly shows either in the lobby with 45 minutes of karaoke or theatre shows at 8:30 p.m. at the Luna Palace, sister hotel to the Oceano, which were fairly good. Guests of the Oceano can also drink at the Luna Palace which has a nicer pool and swim up bar. Don't drink the tap water as we were told on the bus from the airport that the quality was not good. You can purchase water at the supermarkets (like a Canadian corner store) located around the hotel and throughout Mazatlan. You can also buy liquor and beer in these stores and it is much cheaper than at the duty free at the airport. eg: Kaluha 980ml bottle runs around 110 pesos ($11 usd) but can be bought at Walmart for 93 pesos. We took $US with us but in hind sight should have taken cash from the ATM machines in Mazatlan to get a better exchange rate. Contrary to other reports, exchange rates changed almost daily at the exchange houses located on every block. Negotiate every price for taxi's, beach goods, etc but not at the Mega Mall. Baseball hats can be bought for 40 or 50 pesos, Tshirts for 50 pesos (50/50 polyester cotton), the cheap one-wash 100% cotton Tshirts can be had 5 for 100 pesos. Canadians can also bring Molson's "I am Canadian" hats or Tshirts to trade or give away as they are highly sought out by the local merchants. Overall the hotel met expectations and missed on the food but was fair value for the $$ spent (about $1,000 cdn for flight, hotel and all inclusive). We would return if an alternative destination for a similar budget price was not available but prefer to try somewhere else.