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Serena Residences – Dream Comes True
Ever since I was a little girl growing up on the Texas Coast near Matagorda, I have dreamed of one day going out to sea and catching a big fish. Well, that dream finally became reality at the ripe old age of sixty!
After seeing the advertisement in our magazine for Serena Residences in Mazatlan, Mexico, I mentioned to my boss (Everett) that I sure would like to catch a blue marlin one day. Well, he and Pam talked it over and, lo and behold, they hooked me up. The first week of October 2010, husband Ron and I went to Mazatlan to visit Serena Residences and what a trip it was.
After arriving on the airplane and going through customs, which can be frustrating and even intimidating for folks who don't make international flights very often, a very friendly face was waiting in the lobby and the man was holding a sign with my name on it. Let me tell you; that made my day right there and made me feel important. He loaded us into his Jeep and away we went to the resort. Arriving at the resort, we were checked into our three bedroom - two bath condo which was immaculate and well-stocked with everything anyone could need. The personnel at the resort had asked us upon arrival if we would like lunch so they could prepare it for us. We opted out, but I wonder what it would have been after eating the fine meals prepared for us in the evenings. We took the liberty of roaming around the facility and checking out the swimming pool and hot tub for the afternoon until we decided to sit on our patio and have a few cervezas left in our room for us (at a nominal fee of course).
We then walked over to the restaurant for dinner. The menu is rather limited but the food at Serena Residences is excellent. The first night, my husband had grilled mahi-mahi with grilled vegetables and a salad and I had a rib eye steak with grilled vegetables and salad also and then came brownies with ice cream on top. While we were waiting on this fine meal, Jonathan Alarcorn the Serena general manager came over to visit with us and fill us in on the next day's fishing activities. He informed us that we should arrive at the restaurant around 6:00 am for breakfast. We questioned him about things to do in Mazatlan and were told that they could arrange any type of activity that we would like to do; going to the beach, old downtown for shopping where the cruise boats come in, along with other attractions. Unfortunately, we did not have much time for these things as our focus was fishing but there are plenty of activities available for the curious and non-fishing members of any group.
The next morning, we went to have our breakfast and there was toast, cereal, muffins, and fresh fruit all laid out for us. Shortly the boat captain came in and retrieved us for the day's fishing. Our boat crew was Captain Luis and Chato and what entertainers they were. You never got bored, even when the fishing was slow. The boat we were assigned was a 26' Glacier Bay and we enjoyed the speed, comfort and stability it provided. We trolled all day and ran into a school of dorado and caught quite a few but my mission was to catch a marlin so we changed up and began exploring. Luis and Chato explained how the marlin often push bait to the surface. We found lots of surface activity, major splashing and small fish leaping in many places, and naturally we'd all be on pins and needles as we cruised closer, but it was only dolphins acres and acres of dolphins. Now we have lots of dolphins in Texas but I have never seen so many in one area in my whole life. We did run into a small school of tuna in the middle of one of these schools of dolphin and were lucky enough to catch one but no luck with the marlin for the first day.
Arriving back at the resort dock, Captain Luis and Chato cleaned our fish and the chef came down to the dock and took some fillets back to the kitchen to prepare for our evening meal. Our meal that evening was also amazing. We were first brought some fresh ceviche that had been prepared from our mahi-mahi and the next course was sashimi prepared from our tuna. This was my first time for sashimi and I must say I was pleasantly surprised, it was very good. Our main course for the evening was garlic grilled mahi-mahi along with and array of grilled veggies and again an excellent dessert of crme brule with bananas and Baileys Irish Cream.
The next morning we went out again and this was the day. By 9:30 I had my first blue marlin and was absolutely thrilled. When this fish hit the line, I was sent to the back of the boat to fight it and only lasted about ten minutes before I was worn out. All these years I thought I was fit and in shape for my age doing lots of yard work and gardening chores but boy did I find out otherwise. Chato took over for about ten minutes while I rested and then it was my turn again. This went on for about an hour with Chato giving me short breaks until we finally landed the fish. I was ecstatic. The dream I had carried all through my years growing up on the coast and fishing so many years had finally come true. Ron and I were all smiles and so proud that I was able to accomplish this even though I had to have some help in getting the fish to the boat.
With our marlin in the boat, we trolled around looking for another school of tuna or maybe more dorado. We never found any but it never dampened our spirits. The thrill and memory of that blue marlin is something I will always cherish.
To sum it up, our trip was a very pleasant experience and I would recommend anyone wanting to go sport fishing in the Mexican Pacific to try Serena Residences at Mazatlan. It is first class all the way and the boat captain is wonderful and speaks our language so there is no barrier in communicating. This resort is very secure and also very accommodating. The staff is very polite and quick to deliver anything you could want or need. The meals were excellent and included in the price of the trip. I know there is currently a lot of concern with security and personal safety in some parts of Mexico but I would never have a problem with recommending Mazatlan and this resort to anyone wanting to vacation in Mexico. The area is just gorgeous!
After seeing the advertisement in our magazine for Serena Residences in Mazatlan, Mexico, I mentioned to my boss (Everett) that I sure would like to catch a blue marlin one day. Well, he and Pam talked it over and, lo and behold, they hooked me up. The first week of October 2010, husband Ron and I went to Mazatlan to visit Serena Residences and what a trip it was.
After arriving on the airplane and going through customs, which can be frustrating and even intimidating for folks who don't make international flights very often, a very friendly face was waiting in the lobby and the man was holding a sign with my name on it. Let me tell you; that made my day right there and made me feel important. He loaded us into his Jeep and away we went to the resort. Arriving at the resort, we were checked into our three bedroom - two bath condo which was immaculate and well-stocked with everything anyone could need. The personnel at the resort had asked us upon arrival if we would like lunch so they could prepare it for us. We opted out, but I wonder what it would have been after eating the fine meals prepared for us in the evenings. We took the liberty of roaming around the facility and checking out the swimming pool and hot tub for the afternoon until we decided to sit on our patio and have a few cervezas left in our room for us (at a nominal fee of course).
We then walked over to the restaurant for dinner. The menu is rather limited but the food at Serena Residences is excellent. The first night, my husband had grilled mahi-mahi with grilled vegetables and a salad and I had a rib eye steak with grilled vegetables and salad also and then came brownies with ice cream on top. While we were waiting on this fine meal, Jonathan Alarcorn the Serena general manager came over to visit with us and fill us in on the next day's fishing activities. He informed us that we should arrive at the restaurant around 6:00 am for breakfast. We questioned him about things to do in Mazatlan and were told that they could arrange any type of activity that we would like to do; going to the beach, old downtown for shopping where the cruise boats come in, along with other attractions. Unfortunately, we did not have much time for these things as our focus was fishing but there are plenty of activities available for the curious and non-fishing members of any group.
The next morning, we went to have our breakfast and there was toast, cereal, muffins, and fresh fruit all laid out for us. Shortly the boat captain came in and retrieved us for the day's fishing. Our boat crew was Captain Luis and Chato and what entertainers they were. You never got bored, even when the fishing was slow. The boat we were assigned was a 26' Glacier Bay and we enjoyed the speed, comfort and stability it provided. We trolled all day and ran into a school of dorado and caught quite a few but my mission was to catch a marlin so we changed up and began exploring. Luis and Chato explained how the marlin often push bait to the surface. We found lots of surface activity, major splashing and small fish leaping in many places, and naturally we'd all be on pins and needles as we cruised closer, but it was only dolphins acres and acres of dolphins. Now we have lots of dolphins in Texas but I have never seen so many in one area in my whole life. We did run into a small school of tuna in the middle of one of these schools of dolphin and were lucky enough to catch one but no luck with the marlin for the first day.
Arriving back at the resort dock, Captain Luis and Chato cleaned our fish and the chef came down to the dock and took some fillets back to the kitchen to prepare for our evening meal. Our meal that evening was also amazing. We were first brought some fresh ceviche that had been prepared from our mahi-mahi and the next course was sashimi prepared from our tuna. This was my first time for sashimi and I must say I was pleasantly surprised, it was very good. Our main course for the evening was garlic grilled mahi-mahi along with and array of grilled veggies and again an excellent dessert of crme brule with bananas and Baileys Irish Cream.
The next morning we went out again and this was the day. By 9:30 I had my first blue marlin and was absolutely thrilled. When this fish hit the line, I was sent to the back of the boat to fight it and only lasted about ten minutes before I was worn out. All these years I thought I was fit and in shape for my age doing lots of yard work and gardening chores but boy did I find out otherwise. Chato took over for about ten minutes while I rested and then it was my turn again. This went on for about an hour with Chato giving me short breaks until we finally landed the fish. I was ecstatic. The dream I had carried all through my years growing up on the coast and fishing so many years had finally come true. Ron and I were all smiles and so proud that I was able to accomplish this even though I had to have some help in getting the fish to the boat.
With our marlin in the boat, we trolled around looking for another school of tuna or maybe more dorado. We never found any but it never dampened our spirits. The thrill and memory of that blue marlin is something I will always cherish.
To sum it up, our trip was a very pleasant experience and I would recommend anyone wanting to go sport fishing in the Mexican Pacific to try Serena Residences at Mazatlan. It is first class all the way and the boat captain is wonderful and speaks our language so there is no barrier in communicating. This resort is very secure and also very accommodating. The staff is very polite and quick to deliver anything you could want or need. The meals were excellent and included in the price of the trip. I know there is currently a lot of concern with security and personal safety in some parts of Mexico but I would never have a problem with recommending Mazatlan and this resort to anyone wanting to vacation in Mexico. The area is just gorgeous!