Top 3 Reasons Why Mazatlan is Perfect for the Indie Traveler

There are, to most people, two kinds of Mexico. There's all-inclusive resort Mexico, and there's "authentic" Mexico, and never the twain shall meet. Setting aside for a moment the complicated argument over what exactly constitutes "authentic," independent travelers in Mexico often feel like they've got to get so far off the beaten path in order to hang with the locals that a simple, relaxing trip to Mexico is anything but.

The good news is that there are places that welcome visitors with a sturdy tourist infrastructure but don't require travelers to stay in big, walled-off resorts. I was recently pleasantly surprised by Mazatlan, a city of 500,000 on the Western coast of the country that has made efforts in the last decade to reach out to more than one kind of traveler - including the ones who prefer indie travel.

Here are three reasons why independent travelers should check out Mazatlan.

1. It's cheaper than you'd expect.
Since Mazatlan isn't an entirely fabricated tourist city, it has both the all-inclusive resorts and Senor Frog's as well as small budget-friendly hotels and no-frills restaurants catering to locals. An independent traveler can easily choose the latter over the former and, depending on where else they go, not see much of the resort crowd at all. There's a small international airport in Mazatlan, and although it's sometimes easier to find cheap international airfare to the other (more popular) tourist cities in Mexico, you'll spend less once you get to Mazatlan.

2. There's an historic city right on the beach.
As mentioned above, Mazatlan isn't a city built strictly for tourists - there's an historic city right on the beach a full 30-minute drive from where the big all-inclusives are. In other popular tourist resorts you're stuck signing up for a tour or renting a car yourself if you want to check out a Mexican colonial town. In the last ten years, Mazatlan's post-colonial historic center has been undergoing a slow and steady revival, with renovated plazas and buildings and an influx of shops and local restaurants. Indie travelers who appreciate historic atmosphere can stay in one of the old town's small, family-run (and inexpensive) hotels and have all the perks of that old city - plus long stretches of sandy beaches - within a short walk of their front door. Also worth noting? Mazatlan's beaches are public and free.

3. You can drink the water.
Okay, I know that the popular tourist resorts in Mexico make it easy on the rest of us by purifying the water in the resorts and on-site restaurants so that we can enjoy Mexican sun and sand without feeling like we've left the creature comforts of home. Indie travelers, however, are more apt to seek out places where you really can't drink the water in order to get away from the resort crowds. The good news in Mazatlan is that it's not just the big all-inclusives that purify the water - even in restaurants that are mainly for locals you don't have to be paranoid about ice cubes in your Coke or pushing aside the fresh tomato. Not every place will have purified water, so if you're worried you can certainly ask, but it's nice to not have to think about it - or to feel forced into a kind of holiday you don't want to take just because you want to drink the water.

Vacationing in Mexico doesn't have to mean a choice between an all-inclusive or a "you can't drink the water" experience. Mazatlan offers the benefits of a resort city without the restrictions of one.

Full disclosure: I was invited to Mazatlan on a press trip sponsored by the Mazatlan Hotel Association, but my opinions are entirely my own.

About the Author: Portland-based travel writer Jessica Spiegel may be primarily focused on Italy most of the time, but she's always eager to test new-to-her destinations for their potential "indie travel" qualities. She was happy to find that Mazatlan had more going for it than she originally thought. You'll find Jessica's writing on many of the sites in the BootsnAll family, including WhyGo Italy.