Are you looking for pampered all-inclusive tourist traps, or more adventurous and affordable destinations? And I'm assuming you want to stick to the coast, rather than inland?

I can't help you on the all-inclusive places but he Pacific Coast is ripe with other opportunities for the trip of a lifetime. Mazatlan can be great in the off-season, but out of all the larger Pacific cities I would recommend Puerto Vallarta. To get a real feel for the vibrant city be sure to stay in Puerto Viejo, the older centro, and go to the local bars and eat at the taco stands in the street. Just a bit out of town are pristine snorkeling locales and if you're there in the winter you will likely see Humpback whales enjoying the warmer clime. North of the culture center are dozens of large resorts that I have no experience with but may be more to your liking. A worthy daytrip (or weekend) from Vallarta is to head inland to Tequila and then onto Guadalajara. There is almost too much culture in Guadalajara to take in, it's amazing.

Stay away from Acapulco at all costs, it's perhaps the oldest resort town and if you don't like Mazatlan you will hate Acapulco. I also didn't like Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo, but that's mainly because they were overrun with tourists.

There are several smaller towns off the beaten path that I would also recommend. San Blas is about a day south of Mazatlan and is a very quaint and quiet port town. There is an amazing and remote beach about a 15 minute ride from town that you will likely have to yourself. There are several great restaurants serving the best Mexican food you can imagine, and the town centro comes alive on the weekend.

Perhaps my favorite town on the Pacific is Puerto Escondido, a world renowned surfer village. You can stay in downtown Escondido or a mile down the beach where the surfers congregate. That's were all the fun is and the beach is incredible, although the surf is too huge for safe swimming. If you're into boogie boarding or surfing it's perfect. Great restaurants, bars and nightlife along the beach road, too.

From there, a few hours south is Huatulco, an even more remote and wonderful surfer village. This place is the stuff of legends. Stay in a bungalow on the beach for about $10 a day and enjoy the most exquisite seafood you've ever encountered. Nearby, but not as remote is Puerto Angel. I've never stayed there but I've heard nothing but great things. If you make it anywhere on the Oaxacan Coast then you have to make the daytrip (or weekend) up to Cd. Oaxaca. Second in cultural overload only to Guadalajara, the food, museums, shopping and city vibe will overwhelm you.

I doubt I can help you too much with hotels, but keep in mind that wherever you go there will always be several non-chain hotels that offer equal or better amenities than their corporate competition. I've always been able to find nice, clean and safe lodging for about $20/night, and the locals running the places were always overly friendly, knowladgable and helpful.

ted knows what's up and though i didn't read his entire post...he's totally right.

all-inclusive resorts (even though they're cheap) are a total joke as are 'mexican riviera' cruises.

if you are looking for the best food, with a balance of safety and architecture, veracruz on the gulf coast, directly east of puebla is AMAZING.

Moved to Locations, and I'll try to provide some example pics later tonight so you can get a feel for the towns I mentioned.