The Informed Traveler
The Informed Traveler
Fake Travel Websites & What's New in Mazatlán, MX
There's some increasing concern about fake booking sites in the travel industry which can be added to the growing list of travel scams so on this week's show travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss some of those fake booking sites and other things you should be aware of. Then the rest of the show is all about Mazatlán Mexico. The folks from Mazatlán tourism were in town a few weeks ago to showcase all the new attractions and activities Mazatlán has to offer. So I had the chance to chat with Alfredo Zenteno, Commercial Director with the Hotel Playa Mazatlán to learn more about the Hotel Playa Mazatlán. We'll also play a conversation we had with Mireya Sosa Osuna, Secretary of Tourism of the State of Sinaloa to find out what's new to see and do in Mazatlán.
Well, hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler Podcast, a weekly travel podcast where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveler. I'm your host, Randy Sharman. There's some increasing concern about fake booking sites in the travel industry, which can be added to the growing list of travel scams. So in a few seconds, travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss some of those fake booking sites and other things you should be aware of. And then the rest of the show is all about Mazatlan, Mexico. The folks from Mazatlan, Mazatlan Tourism were in town a few weeks ago to showcase all the new attractions and activities Mazatlan has to offer. So I had the chance to chat with Alfredo Zentino. commercial director with the Hotel Playa Mazatlan. To learn more about the Hotel Playa Mazatlan, we'll also play a conversation we had with Maria Sosa Asuna, Secretary of Tourism for the State of Sinaloa, to find out what's new to see and do in Mazatlan. But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onanta Forbes, who joins us each week to discuss some of the travel news and travel trends. You can follow her adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and X at Onanta Forbes. Onantaforbes.com is her website. Hi, Onanta.
SPEAKER_01:Hi, Randy. How are you? I'm
SPEAKER_02:well, thank you. We're going to talk about fake booking sites and other sorts of travel scams. It seems to be a growing, growing list. But what are we talking about when we're talking about these fake booking sites?
SPEAKER_01:So, basically, it's cyber criminals that are capitalizing on vacation demands, like summer travel surges and people get more interested in, you know, travel there's these dark web travel agencies and they post ads on open web and nice looking fake booking sites. And so when a traveler books on them, scammers charge them, you know, the fee or the price of the package. But at the same time, they are, it's not real. Like you're not getting a vacation, you're compromised with your type of form of payment that you use. So it's quite prevalent in this today's world. And in fact, Flight Center, they commissioned a survey that revealed that 32% of Canadians have fallen victim to travel scams. and half of those involving Gen X travelers, reports by CP24. I'm sure everybody gets various emails from different companies saying, for example, what we were chatting about, you haven't paid something. Or they've gone ahead and they've charged for a subscription and such. So you do have to be wary. AI gets involved. They have AI-generated fake booking sites. And AI is now being used to create... realistic counterfeit websites for hotels, flights, tour packages. And these fraudulent sites offer mirror-trusted platforms, luring users with quote-unquote unbeatable deals. So... You need to be aware. Don't click on links. Look at how to stay safe. They say double-check the URLs to see if they have that HTTPS encryption. Book directly with well-known travel agents, airlines, hotels. Be wary of random offers via email or social media. So it's... You really do have to be, like, use that term buyer beware, right?
SPEAKER_02:Mm-hmm. Got to have your guard up.
SPEAKER_01:It's interesting because it's not just booking sites, right? The Better Business Bureau warns that consumers unaware... of the passport renewal process can also fall victim to scammers as well. What happens is that websites impersonating, for example, in the States, the U.S. Department of State offer help with international travel visas and passports, but then they charge a high fee and then try to get you to enter your personal information. And the website may be even listed as sponsored according to the BBB. It might say you need to fill out certain forms and so like a processing machine. payment, but you should not have to pay a fee when you are filling out required forms for a passport renewal. You only need to pay for the renewal itself, and it's usually at the passport office.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I was going to say, getting back to the fake booking sites, if the deal sounds too good to be true, it usually is. And even now, we always talk about using a trusted travel advisor. This would be one way to avoid all of that, right?
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely, because we recognize with our suppliers, our tour operators, what are scams. We are trained in it. They tell us what to do and what to look for. And we use authenticated sites when we're doing research and bookings. And we have the opportunity to talk to a live person to make sure that everything is in place. And I think when you're on the web, you don't always have that opportunity of chatting with somebody.
SPEAKER_02:Well, nowadays with AI, as you're mentioning, it's really easy to make a fake website. Like, I don't know very much about AI, but I'm pretty sure I can go on ChatGTP right now and say, create a travel website, blah, blah, blah, give all the particulars that I want, and it's done in seconds.
SPEAKER_01:And it's not just a consumer that gets affected. Recently, WestJet was affected by a cyber attack, as well as Qantas. They will send out notes to, or emails, to their guests and say, this has happened. We're watching as far as, you know, what data was compromised. And they try and tell you as well. And then they give you hints as how to be on your guard or be aware. Yeah,
SPEAKER_02:there's lots to be wary of. And you really do have to have your guard up. Going back to that flight center survey, 32% of Canadians fallen victim. Those are the ones that admit it. I'm sure that number is probably a lot. lot higher because a lot of people are embarrassed to admit that they've fallen victim to not just a travel scam but any kind of scam right
SPEAKER_01:yes yeah yeah and you know it could it could be as simple as somebody setting up a GoFundMe to help somebody but really are using those that those funds for the purpose that are stated I
SPEAKER_02:know right the scammers are good
SPEAKER_01:yeah I'd say your best defense is a trusted travel advisor and a healthy dose of street smarts.
SPEAKER_02:And we'll use all the cliches, buyer beware. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. And always have your guard up. So good advice, good tips. Sonanta Forbes is a travel expert. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and X at Sonanta Forbes. Her website is sonantaforbes.com. Always great to chat, Sonanta. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01:You take care. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02:Well, the folks from Mazatlan Tourism were in town a few weeks ago to showcase all the new attractions and activities Mazatlan has to offer. So while I was there, I had the chance to chat with Alfredo Zentino. He is the commercial director with the Hotel Playa Mazatlan. To learn more about what the hotel has to offer, hotelplayamazatlan.com is the website. And here is that conversation for you now. Tell me about Playa Mazatlan. I've been to Mazatlan a few times. I've never had the pleasure of staying at the Playa Mazatlan. so I feel like I'm missing out.
SPEAKER_04:Okay, Hotel Playa Mazatlan is one of the most beautiful Mexican resorts in town, Mazatlan. We have 400 rooms in that property. We have the two plans, they're all inclusive, 24 hours, and the European plan, and this is a nice hotel because something very important, this property is our location.
SPEAKER_02:So, where are you located?
SPEAKER_04:Okay, we are located in the heart, the Golden Sun. It's very close to the boardwalk, five minute walk into the to the boardwalk is 10 minutes to the new Aquarium Mazatlan and 15 minutes to the Old Town. 25 minutes to the international Mazatlan airport, and this is really a nice and beautiful located property.
SPEAKER_02:Easy access, and I'm going to assume that you're on a beach. Yeah,
SPEAKER_04:we are on the beach. This is a beautiful beach in Mazatlan. We are in front of the tree island. This is a really quiet beach in there. We have 55 palapas on the beach, and we have a lot of many swimming pools. We have a cenote. have an adult area, a kid's area. And this is a big property.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. Well, 400 rooms, it's big enough, but it's not overly big. You know what I mean? Like some resorts, you look at 1,500 rooms, but it's not like that.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, this is not exactly with 1,000 rooms in there. This is a hotel. We have 400 rooms with different categories in the property. We only have four floors in that hotel. And everything is closed. All public areas It's very close to the beach, to the swimming pool, to the restaurants and bar, and more close to the city in Mazatlan.
SPEAKER_02:So how long has it been a part of Mazatlan? How long has it been open?
SPEAKER_04:How long, the property in Mazatlan, 70 years. Oh, wow. We are celebrating right now 70 years of Mazatlan. We opened our doors in 1955. Oh, my gosh. And we're celebrating in this year, exactly in February 14, we celebrate 70 years of the city. Wow. And this hotel was the first hotel in the north of the city and the first hotel that was restored in the north of Mexico, too.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, that's amazing. I didn't even realize that. So do you still have... like parts of the hotel that are the original hotel that you've maintained?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, we have the original, right now, the original areas in the hotel. The owner, this is the third generation in there. He's working with that. And this hotel has a lot of history in Muscle.
SPEAKER_02:So tell me about the amenities now. Obviously, there's a pool and those types of things, but what do you offer your guests?
SPEAKER_04:Okay, something very important in this hotel is we have 20 restaurants some bar the people they can enjoy it with a different cuisine in in the in the hotel we have a regional cuisine the brazilian cuisine we have a italy italian cuisine we have a new restaurant that's a burger restaurant with a with a with the many uh you can drink a cerveza pacifico in all restaurant a la carte we are continuing with our mexican fiesta this is very popular in mazatlan the mexican fiesta in hotel play and mazatlan
SPEAKER_03:And
SPEAKER_04:the people, they can enjoy the 24 hours. You have the sport bar. The people, they like to see some sport, especially sport more. They cannot sport the hockey. You can see that sport in the sport bar.
SPEAKER_02:Did you say 20 restaurants?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, we have 20 restaurants and bars with the difference. We open that one at different times. In the morning, we have the buffet. We have different snacks. We have restaurants a la carte, the dinner show. that like music daily in the property. This is a very popular hotel and Mexican authentic resort in
SPEAKER_02:Mazatlan. Yeah. That's still amazing. It's been for 70 years.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, it's amazing because the people, they like to enjoy the beach. They like to enjoy the cenote. They like the swimming pool. We have more five swimming pool. We have a swing at bar. They have the hotel have many amenities in the hotel, in the property.
SPEAKER_02:So tell me about some of the activities that people like to do. You mentioned the three islands across the beach from you, so there's tours out to that way. Your hotel offers that?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, we have one special travel agency inside of the hotel. The people, they can enjoy the kayak tour, the city tour. They can go to the... El Kelite is one of the small... towns close to Mazatlan. And the most important is the seafood, the people they like to enjoy, to eat. the local cuisine in Mazatlan, the shrimp, and all the seafood is really good in
SPEAKER_02:Mazatlan. No shortage of that. And the other thing I like about Mazatlan is that it has other industries other than tourism. Do you know what I mean? Like there's other things going on, so that's why you have the seafood and the fresh vegetables, and there's other industries going on, so it's not just totally focused on tourism.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, that's true because there are many other activities in Mazatlan Mazatlan is the commercial things in there. We have one of the most important tuna fleet in all Mexico, too. And the people, they came to do everything in the old town. The old town is renovated. Our boardwalk, the old touristic area is renovated, too. And the people, I invite to all people, your followers, invite you to visit Mazatlan.
SPEAKER_02:Alfredo Zenteno is the commercial Director with Playa Mazatlan Hotel. PlayaMazatlan.com is the website. Thanks so much for doing this.
SPEAKER_04:Thank you very much and see you soon in Mazatlan.
SPEAKER_02:This is the informed traveler podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, the informed traveler.org. That's where you can find our contact page. If you have any questions or comments about the podcast, you can also email me too, with any questions you might have. My email address is Randy at the informed traveler.org. And if you want to get up to date travel info through the week, or just see a few amusing travel stories and links, you can like us on Facebook at facebook.com slash informed traveler on Instagram. at informedtraveller or on X at informedtraveller. Plus, you can now sign up for our monthly newsletter. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our July issue is available. Soon, our August issue will be out. Just go to our website, theinformedtraveller.org, click on the newsletter button, and it'll take you right there. Or better yet, just subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. So we continue now with our Mazatlan theme. We're going to play a a conversation we had when Mazatlan Tourism was in town a few weeks ago with Maria Sosa Asuna. She's the Secretary of Tourism for the state of Sinaloa to find out what's new to see and do in Mazatlan. Their new website is visitmazatlan.travel and here's that conversation now. Very excited to get an update on Mazatlan. It's been about five years since I've been there so I'm sure there's lots of new things happening. It's a very popular destination. Have you seen visitation numbers grow in the past? few years.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, it has grown. And I can't believe, Randy, you haven't been there in Mazatlan since five years ago. That's a lot. You have missed a lot. So you have to come back very
SPEAKER_02:soon. You're right. Well, there was that pandemic thing that kind of happened in between. Yes.
SPEAKER_00:Now everything is perfect. So we'll be waiting for you.
SPEAKER_02:Let's talk about some of the new attractions. So some of the things that stood out for me that I would love to see, because it wasn't there when I was there last time, was the aquarium. the observatorio the pirate mansion there's that big zip line lots of things to talk about where would you like to start?
SPEAKER_00:I don't know I love them all so if you want we can start with the observatorium and the zip line which is the tallest zip line over the ocean that we have in Mazatlan right now it was recently opened in December so it's very exciting because what you have to do to get to that zip line is to hike the tallest natural lighthouse in the world. And then once you are up there, you actually can also walk through a crystal bridge. And then also, well, if you like adrenaline and adventure, this is amazing for everyone because you can then, you know, jump in the zip line, cross over to the observatorio, which has an incredible view. So I think it's a very good attraction. As I said, it's brand new. We inaugurated it back in December 2024. So it is almost like six, seven months ago. And it's amazing. Everyone loves it so much.
SPEAKER_02:I have to ask you this. Have you tried it?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, I have, of course. I was actually one of the first ones. I like adventure. But let me tell you, when you are there, like right about to jump over the ocean, you feel like this excitement is really exciting. And then you scream and it's like kind of
SPEAKER_03:releasing.
SPEAKER_00:So it's incredible. And actually, I thought it was, I'm like, oh, my God, it just went too fast. The view from up there, it's amazing. You see the whole city. You see downtown, the historical center. You see the three islands. You see the Golden Zone. I mean, you can see everything from up there. It's incredible.
SPEAKER_02:Well, it sounds amazing. I have hiked up to the lighthouse, by the way. So if I can do it, anybody can do it. So it's not too strenuous. And you can take your time. You can stop and take breaks and everything. Exactly. The view from there is amazing. And yeah, you have the clear observation deck that you can walk over. But the zip line wasn't there. So that's one on my list I have to try next time.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you have to try it. I'll do it with you.
SPEAKER_02:And then that takes you over to the observatorio. For the people that may not be so adventurous, is there a way to get there as well? without using the zip line?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, actually, there's a funicular that you can use to observe Observatorio. This is a house from the 1800s, which you can actually, it used to be seen, it's called Observatorium because you can look out through the entire city and, you know, to see back in those times the ships that were coming and all of that. And also it has a nice bar, a restaurant. The view is amazing. 365 degrees view, which is amazing. And there's also a place where you can be with birds, all kinds of types of birds. And then actually through there, you can actually get there to the National Guelm Museum. Because I don't know, you may know this, Randy, you are very familiar with Mazatlan. Mazatlan means city of the deer.
SPEAKER_03:Mm hmm.
SPEAKER_00:So now we call it City of the Deer and Sea of Whales. So we have actually the National Museum of Whales in Mazatlan. So you can get through, it's like next to each other, the observatory in this new, very interactive National Museum of Whales, or Whales Museum. So it's really exciting as well for family, for kids, for solos, couples, anyone who would like to learn more about whales. Besides that, it's just really interactive and exciting. So I think that's a new attraction as well that complements the whole experience.
SPEAKER_02:I just wanted to get back to the whale museum. Is that separate from the aquarium, the new aquarium?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it is separate. It's closer to the observatory and kind of the same area of the natural lighthouses. But the aquarium is like closer to the boardwalk, which, you know, is the second largest in Latin America. It's beautiful. There are no better sunsets than the ones you look in Mazatlan. And it's very close from there. It's more– so it's not– it's close. I will say 15 to 15– 10 to 15 minutes away. So tell me about
SPEAKER_02:the aquarium. It seems like it just looks amazing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it is amazing. And I was actually recently– name as one of the best architectural places in the world. Besides the ocean part and everything, of course, the reason why you go to the aquarium to see and to get to know the marine side, the Sea of Cortez that we have, because it's an aquarium by the Sea of Cortez. There are activities with sea lions, penguins, and rays. Something unique about it is that you can actually snorkel or scuba dive in the largest tank with a different kind of fish and sharks and it's really exciting and as i said the building is spectacular the architect's concept was a building emerging from the bottom of the ocean
SPEAKER_02:so let's talk about the pirate mansion now one thing i didn't realize was the uh the influence of piracy and pirates in mazatlan i was thought it was reserved for the caribbean
SPEAKER_00:Yes, there's also the prior mansion. It's in the historical center. It's another attraction. Kids love it. Everyone loves it, but I think it's mainly for families. And it is part of this group that has been investing a lot in Mazatlan of new attractions. So I think that's another one I definitely recommend.
SPEAKER_02:So let's talk about some of the events. I know it's summertime and most people, especially from the northern climates, like to visit Mazatlan in the winter, but there's lots of events that are going on all year long, right?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, we have Carnival, of course, which is also one of the biggest ones in the world. It's February, March, it will depend, you know, but it's normally in February. There are six days of party. Next year, the Queen of Carnival is going to be 125 years. So Mazatlan actually is the third largest Mardi Gras or carnival in the world. And as I said, the dates change every year. But for 2026, we'll go from February 12th to the 17th. And over half a million people gather to party. The city is booked ahead of time. And there are many exciting activities going on. And right now, we have a lot of... Sports, like, you know, tourism, we encourage. So we are going to have, actually, November 9th is the very first time that we're going to have in Mazatlan the La Table by Tour de France. It's going to be in Mazatlan this year on November 9th. The marathon is another big event that takes place normally in December. So we welcome people from all over the world. Recently, we also had the Mexi Love Fest. It takes place normally in May. So yeah, many, many sports and many things going on and activities as well. Concerts and also right now it's like... Very trendy, like more restaurants are opening in the historic district. It's beautiful, you know, charming, narrow street, lovely colors, you know, from the houses, very colonial from the 1800s.
SPEAKER_02:I have to say that is one of my favorite areas of Mazatlan, the historical center, Mercado Square. It's just amazing down there, like the cobblestone streets. It's like going back into time.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. I mean, I love everything about Mazatlan, but that makes two of us, because I also love the historical center. I think it's also one of my favorite parts of Mazatlan. And all the podcasts, yes.
SPEAKER_02:Well, last time I was there, there was a lot of construction going on. So I'm thinking there's probably some new hotels that have opened up, more options for people to choose from, which is good.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, exactly. We have over 14 rooms in the destination, for all kind of budgets, hotels for all kind of budgets, hostels, big hotels, all-inclusive hotels. I actually, last weekend, I was with a dream hotel, which was received for Diamond by AAA, which was very exciting to be there with them and celebrating this. So this is a new hotel, as I said, Dreams by Estrella del Mar, and Rio, Elder Resorts, Marina El Cid, Marriott. We have different, like very Mazatleco, Mazatleco hotels that have been there for years ago, but have been recently renovated. More and more hotels are being built in Mazatlan.
SPEAKER_02:Lots of hotels to choose from, lots of things to do, lots of new things to do in Mazatlan. You can go to the website, visit mazatlan.travel. And Maria Sosa Asuna is the Secretariat of Tourism for the state of Sinaloa. All things Mazatlan. It's a very exciting time.
SPEAKER_00:Very exciting. So we welcome you all. We invite you to come to this beautiful place. Colonial City on the Beat, we love, love to welcome you all.
SPEAKER_02:I know you're very busy, so I really appreciate your time, Maria. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you, Randy. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02:And that is our show for this week. If you have comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a show idea, send that along as well. My email is randy at theinformedtraveller.org. And if you like what you heard, tell a friend. You can check out our website too at theinformedtraveller.org. In the meantime, thanks for listening. Travel safe and be an informed traveller.