One of my favorite trips in Mexico was staying at Pueblo Bonito Mazatlán Beach Resort during Dia de los Muertos. Also known as Day of the Dead, the hospitality company’s original resort celebrated the departed in such a festive and joyful way.

From the moment I arrived to the day I flew home, the resort lobby displayed a colorful ofenda decorated with marigolds, candles, food and favorite beverages. Staff members placed photos of their departed relatives, and guests were encouraged to bring a photo of their loved ones too. Since I lost my father earlier in May, I brought a photo of him and placed it with the others in the  lobby to honor his life and spirit.

Throughout my stay there was a welcome theme-cocktail and Mexican buffet, hosted Mexican parties with a piñata for children, and colorful pyrotechnics in the evening.

Pueblo Bonito Mazatlán Resorts

This year Pueblo Bonito Mazatlán Beach Resort will feature a great altar of the dead at Las Palomas restaurant. The event will include a buffet of Mexican snacks, pan de muerto (bread of the dead), and chocolates on November 1 and November 2.

Nearby at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay on 20 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean, La Cordeliere, the resort’s signature restaurant displays a decorated altar of the dead honoring great Mexican personalities. Live music will be provide by a guitarist while guests dine. Emerald Bay’s team will be artfully dressed in catrines and catrinas costumes. Named the “Top Resort in Mazatlán” by Condé Nast Traveler, this magnificent resort features its own private beach, two swimming pools, koi ponds, lush mature gardens, and one of the top spas in Mazatlán.

Pueblo Bonito’s Casa 46  is located in the epicenter of old historic Mazatlán. This gourmet restaurant provides regional fine dining Mexican cuisine. In addition to the traditional menu, diners can experience exceptional dishes from each of the Mexican states where the Day of the Dead is celebrated. Exquisite catrina costumes and a great altar of the dead will also be on view. Guests can reserve a table on the terrace overlooking the festivities below at Plaza Machado.

Be sure to stroll the narrow streets of Old Mazatlán during the day to see the holiday decorations while admiring the historic architecture and charm of this 400-year-old city. Old Mazatlán is the city’s cultural center, and activations are lit up in lights in the evening. Be sure to explore Angela Peralta Theater for an immersive show inside and around the area. Be sure to get a good seat to see Dia del los Muertos parade and firework show along the waterfront Malecón.

Pueblo Bonito Resorts in Los Cabos

Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort is honoring Dia de Los Muertos with special devotions, décor and culinary dishes to honor those departed. This year, Chef Anaisa Guevara, recently named “Best New Chef 2024” by Forbes magazine, will orchestrate a multi-sensory evening at LaFrida Restaurant. Decorations and her menu are enhanced with marigold flowers and sugar skulls. Her Mexican specialities pays tribute to legendary artist Frida Kahlo, the restaurant’s namesake.

Also featured at this resort is a folkloric dance show accompanied by a stunning parade of catrines (well-dressed male characters) and catrinas (a female Day of the Dead character) to the sound of “La Llorona.”  Altars are set overlooking the sea, and live mariachi music and alebrijes (colorful, fantastical Mexican folk-art creatures thought to be spirit guides) will appear to join in the festivities.

Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf & Spa Resort is hosting “Welome to Mictlan,” a festive fusion of pre-Hispanic cultures. This is the third time this celebration will be held at the resort. In addition to a blessing ceremony for the property and guests, local artisans will display their crafts.

The professional team at this resort will install a great altar of the dead as an informative area for guests to learn more about the tradition. Other festivities include a parade of alebrijes, a Mexican buffet on the beach, and live music.

At Pueblo Bonito Montecristo Estates, guests will enjoy a three-course dinner of favorite Mexican dishes utilizing local ingredients, such as amaranth seeds, pumpkin seeds, mashed sweet potato, and a traditional Mexican dessert. Mixologists are making a special Day of the Dead drink based on cempasúchil (marigold) flowers. Live musical accompaniment will be provided by Luna Itzel.

Pueblo Bonito Resort in Cabo San Lucas

Pueblo Bonito Rose fronting the picturesque Medano Beach in Cabo San Lucas, has a pair of events planned to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. Guests will be serenaded by lively and romantic Mexican music at Sunsets & Sushi Bar, while overlooking the bay and iconic arch.

In Rose’s Mare Nostrum Restaurant there will be a several decorated altars, and a traditional Mexican buffet available to guests.                                                                                        

During the first week of November on Medano Beach, a tasting of pan de muerto from neighboring beachfront hotels will be offered along with traditional staples such as tepache, a fermented beverage made from the peel and rind of pineapples. Sample the Mexican dish called atole, a thin warm porridge made from corn flour sweetened with cane sugar and flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. Decorated altars will also be built along the beach.

Visit Pueblo Bonito to make a reservations at one or more of their eight of their award-winning resorts for romantic and family getaways.