Mazatlán’s El Cid Marina has a lot to offer a guest who loves swimming, working out, animals and a beautiful place to stay. Someone like me, in fact! Here are five things I liked about staying at this Mazatlán resort.

My spacious white-tiled room

My room was enormous, with plenty of space for morning yoga or an afternoon workout. Plus I had a darling balcony with a view of the pool and marina.

My room at El Cid Marina

My balcony

A pool with a swim-through cave

I loved that two pools were connected by a cave. You go from the nine-foot deep pool into the shallow, shady cave, then out the other side, through a waterfall and into a whole different pool. Magical.

Vegan food

Mazatlán is not the easiest destination for a vegan. I had to special order most of my meals in town, since vegan menu options were few and far between. But at El Cid, I had simply to ask and was easily accommodated.

A vegan breakfast at El Cid Marina

World’s most beautiful table setting

I was especially impressed by one breakfast I ate with a group. My portion was veganized, but at first glance it looked just like everybody else’s. El Cid also served excellent fruit.

Oatmeal and fruit at El Cid Marina

Well-equipped gym

The gym has plenty of cardio machines, fairly well-stocked free weights, weight machines and some small equipment. While working out I had the fun experience of watching Spanish-language music videos. You can also take a shuttle to one of the other nearby El Cid resorts for cardio, Zumba and yoga classes.

No waiting for the cardio machines.

Iguanas and Cats of El Cid Marina

Once I attended a friend’s wedding in the Virgin Islands. I came home with about five photos of the ceremony and 400 pictures of iguanas. So I was mighty excited when I learned about the resident iguanas of El Cid Marina. They hang out on the rocks by the beach in the morning. But once guests start ordering poolside lunches, these iguanas are on the scene, angling for lettuce and French fries.

The family of cats that live in the bushes are guest favorites. It seemed like half the guests brought them food scraps, and I’m sure some of the staff do, too. The mama cat was quite affectionate. I visited the cat family daily.

Gato!