The Zona Dorada — the Golden Zone — is the beach hotel strip that runs along Avenida Camarón Sábalo about ten kilometres north of the old town. It started in the 1960s when the first big resorts went up around Playa Gaviotas, and over the next two decades it became the centre of mass tourism in Mazatlan. The architecture is forgettable: mid-rise hotels, mini-malls, time-share towers.
What the Zona Dorada has going for it is the beach — wide, sandy, swimmable — and the sport-fishing marina. If you are here to laze on the sand with a margarita and walk back to your room, this is the place. If you are here for the city, stay in the Centro and visit the Zona Dorada only for a specific reason.