Angie celebrated her birthday at Isla Venados. Mike surprised her with a Pinguino birthday cake!
Mazatlan is split more or less into two parts. The harbor and immediately adjacent Old Town make up the southern part of the city, while the northern section is known as Zona Dorada (the Golden Zone). The highlight of Zona Dorada is its many miles of beautiful golden sand beaches, but those beaches are backed by a nearly unbroken string of high-rise hotels with the associated chain restaurants catering to cruise ship passengers and resort guests.
We had Hobie cats, banana boat rides and jet flyboards zooming around us for the afternoon- it was quite entertaining
Our style is a bit different from most visitors, so we avoided Zona Dorada itself. But just a mile offshore are three small unpopulated islands that have been protected as parks. We anchored in the protection of the largest island, Isla Venados (Deer Island).
From the top of Isla Vanados we could see Madrone at anchor with Zona Dorada in the background
During the day, the island is a hubbub of activity – doubledecker tour boats ferry passengers over from the harbor, large motoryachts come out from the nearby marinas for the day, and a stream of Hobie catamaran rentals sail back and forth. The hardy visit by sea kayak, and we even saw one brave soul swim across from the mainland. Jetskis zip amongst the anchored boats, and a cacophony of music echoes across the anchorage.
Taking in the view
As the sun sets, though, everyone departs leaving Madrone alone to admire the lights of Mazatlan, the calm waters, and the cool sea breeze.
