We had a good time this week in Mazatlan. The hotel picked us up from the airport, which was great. The check-in process took over an hour, however. This is the risk you run when staying at a hotel which services multiple timeshares, inclusive deals, etc. The checkin process is frustrating, so be prepared. The food is what you'd expect from a resort offering inclusive packages, so try to eat in town when you can. The service is fantastic overall. Our bellman, Ramon remembered us and offered additional help to secure a van back to the airport after the front desk told us they only assist with vans (there were 6 of us) TO the hotel. Ramon rocks. The poolside waiters are fantastic--especially Francisco, who went out of his way to accommodate us, providing us with anything we wanted. Multiple pools, a great beach area, and rooms which, while dated, are always clean.

The worst part of the experience was the timeshare up sell. Be warned that if you go to a presentation, which is presented as part of the deal when you stay here as part of an existing timeshare visit, there are multiple confusing layers, interviews and incentives. We joked that it was Like Hotel California, and feels like you can check in but you can never leave. This aside, the hotel staff is great overall and we enjoyed our week here.

Family of 4 first time to Mexico. We went 12/20-12/26. Mazatlan was amazing. The staff at the El Cid resorts treated us like gold. The food was amazing. We had Elite All Inclusive and it is true, everything is included. Even what wasn't on the menu.
Ramon was a favorite waiter at the pool and he was great. All the waiters and hotel staff was amazing.
Yes, the pool is heated and it was like bathwater. Our two girls (7 and 10 years old) loved the pool and the resort. And the pulminias.
We went everywhere in Mazatlan and never felt unsafe. The locals were friendly, helpful and wanted us there. It was great.
El Cid was better than we expected and we loved it. It is great for families. We travel a lot to resorts in Southern California, Vegas, and Hawaii. El Cid was right up there with those resorts as far as service and food. The staff was the best we have ever dealt with. They were so great and helpful.

I have noticed many people on Trip Advisor leave negative reviews about Mexico. Yes, there are something challenging or different. But isn't that why we go to another country, because things are different? Mazatlan and Mexico was amazing and we will go back for Thanksgiving 201

Bad service i was shouted by one employee speaking to me out loud (her name was Carmen) once i went to the hotel program. The rooms are old, the service is poor. Dont spend your money in this hotel while you can have an excellent service somewhere else

We arrived dec 21 and checked in fairly quickly. We booked our rooms through club Wyndham and were expecting a renovated rooms based on the description we were given and pictures we saw. Unfortunately our rooms 1-1 bedroom and 1 regular room were very dated and the beds were one step up from plywood. We are not picky and have slept on hard beds in the past but nothing like these. The showers in each bathroom did not drain and there was a tub full of water by the end of the shower.
We were greeted by the time share company at the airport and agreed to attend the breakfast the next morning with the promise of half price all inclusive wristbands. The breakfast and presentation took over 2 hours. I said I would not ever consider purchasing after receiving the quality of rooms we got using our own timeshare. He said he would check about getting us a better room. We waited over half an hour more and he came back to say we had to put 20% down in order to get a better room. What a scam. We left to talk to the front desk about the rooms. They showed us 2 rooms, one of which was an improvement and the beds are excellent but the other room is no different. We changed our room but instead of hearing the ocean, we were kept awake much of the night by the noises from the street. We could also hear showers from nearby rooms very loud very early in the morning. In my sisters room, their phone didn't work and neither did their tv. It took a long time before anything was done about it. The food so far (we have been here 1 and a half days so far) has been ok but not amazing. We got our wristbands but only to find out they are not actually all inclusive. There a 3 restaurants we cannot use them for supper or for the Christmas supper. Very disappointing. The peddlers on the beach do not respect the rope boundaries at this hotel like they do at other hotels down the beach. We were eating supper near the beach and one guy was actually throwing jewellry up to our table while we were eating! There were security close by but they couldn't be bothered. In summary, we are here for 6 more days and unless something happens for the good, we will not be staying here ever again. I will add more when our stay is complete.