Safety in Costa Maya

Traveling here in October. The rest of our family is doing the Dolphin Encounter and Uvero Beach. I will be staying behind with our 3 year old for the day. Any ideas of what to do??? Is this a safe area for the two of us to walk around, take a taxi alone, etc I am a little nervous. Any suggestions are appreciated.

sbpat:

We were in Costa Maya this week on the Grandeur of the Seas. This was our first time there. We absolutely loved it. It has become our favorite port of call and it was hard to get hubby to leave it. We went to the town of Mahahaul and to Pez Quadro which was an all day Beach Party that I booked on line before we left. It consisted of swimming at Uvero Beach that was absolutely beautfiul water. And it also included all our drinks for the entire day, no matter what we wanted. For extra money we had a lobster lunch that was delicious. The people that worked there treated us like Royalty. They set our lounge chairs where ever we wanted them. They carried tables to our area between the lounge chairs for our drinks.They met us each time as we got out of the water to see what drinks they could bring to us. They had a cute bar that had swings rather then regular seats. When it was time to go, the one guy even wiped my husbands feet off from the sand and put his shoes and socks on.

Costa Maya is a very new and upcoming area. It is truly a diamond in the rough. Someday I am sure it will be one of the hottest areas for tourism. They say it is the next "Cancun", But for right now at this time, to go off the beaten path with just you and your 3 year old daughter, I dont think that would be wise. What made Costa Maya our favorite port is the fact that it is real and it touched our hearts like no other place has. We found it hard to beleive, in todays world, that outside the port made by the cruise lines, the area is still very undeveloped and the Mayans still live in some pretty "hard times".

My suggestion for you and your daughter would be to stay in the port that the cruise line has established. There is a great pool area, it is beautiful and the shopping is fantastic. The artistic talents that are displayed there are wonderful.

We were also just in Costa maya, the kids went to the beach and i took a taxi to Mahahaul, where they met me later on in the day, i walked around the tiny town and then found a spot at a beach table, everyone was very friendly.

Someone on here are some pictures of the Costa Maya port. At the end of the pier (no tendering...yea!!) there is a pool, a bar, several shops and a small beach area. That would be safe, fun and still close to the ship. In fact, you may want to get really brave and leave the little one at Camp Carnival for an hour, while you have some shopping time for yourself since there are no taxis involved...you are literally right there at the ship.

sbpat: What company did you use? Do you have a website link for them? We will be there next week on the Miracle.

I felt very comfortable in Costa Maya! The port area is obviously great and safe, but if you want to see something a little more rustic, I say take a taxi from the port area to Majahual! the beach area is long, and you can walk up and down the street, or relax on the beach. There are lots of ppl around, including lots of cruisers, so you wont feel like you are lost in some wierd island!

pic. http://www.locogringo.com/maps/tour/P1010118a-t.html

http://www.locogringo.com/maps/tour/P1010118a-t.html

Traveling here in October. The rest of our family is doing the Dolphin Encounter and Uvero Beach. I will be staying behind with our 3 year old for the day. Any ideas of what to do??? Is this a safe area for the two of us to walk around, take a taxi alone, etc I am a little nervous. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I think Costa Maya and Mahahual are safe. There are many people around and the police make their presence known, too, both in Costa Maya and at Mahahual. We were there in August and enjoyed Mahahual very much (though with our teens). It's a short tour bus ride to Mahahual and a taxi back to the pier. If your three year old will not mind the ride there and back, Mahahual is very doable. But, staying at the pier area is fine, too.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I was getting pretty worried about spending the day alone w/ our little one. I greatly appreciate your advice.

there is Crocodile Park right there in the port area...i want to go there-it is at your leisure (no times to be reserved etc) at the cost is $15/adult not sure for the 3yo

Costa Maya/Majahual is very safe. I've been there twice. Once on a cruise and once I drove down from Cancun, about a 4 hour drive. Enjoy this area in its natural state while you can as the development to this area is certain to change the "local/old Mexico" setting it is today. I'd recommend catching a van taxi from the pier into the little town of Majahual. From there you can walk the small town, visit the shops, hang out on the beach, get a massage. Or, do as we did, I wanted to dive so I booked a dive from the Maya Palms Resort where they had a "cruisers" special. This is a gem south of Majahual about 5.5 km, a short taxi ride. They have a great dive shop and when I was there last Feb the equipment was mostly brand new. They have a fresh water pool, food/bar and you basically get your own private beach at their place. All the cruisers stay in town packed on the beach or for a short taxi ride to Maya Palms, you get your own beach. www.mayapalms.com. We loved the area so much we purchased an ocean front lot. Great area - enjoy your time in this small village while it still has the old Mexico/Mayan feel to it. If you go to MayaPalms, say hi to Ron and his staff from their cruise visitors from Fargo. :)