blue water dude

This has a map that shows the latest water park plans. Gives a short summary too.

http://ahhhmahahual.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/update-on-the-costa-maya-water-park/

From the lighthouse, which is one end of the malecon closest to the port, to the other end of the malecon, there are probably 30 to 35 beach bars, or restaurants and hotels with beach bar service. To walk that strip might take 15 minutes max. To bar crawl it and hit them all, might take more than an afternoon for most drinkers. Most are okay for a drink, a few are not, so just pay attention.The bad ones are usually easy to spot. Good luck!

You have it exactly correct. I'll add that the ports shuttles are $3 per person and taxis outside the port are $2. Be aware, the shuttles are owned by the port so drivers drop people at places affiliated with the port, like Senior Frogs, and told things like this is the only beach and even that it is the only stop. Drivers also cut their own deals and stop not at regular stops but at places that pay them. You'll be told there are 5 stops but there are really only as many as the driver wants from what I can tell. They also allow staff from the local business that pay them to come on the bus and tell all it is the last stop! Just tricky stuff but they try to keep you from strolling and deciding for yourself, so be ready. There is an old soccer field, just look for the goals, along the route, and that is the actual center of town. If you get out there, you can go either way about 4-5 blocks and take your pick. If you want to take a taxi, you need to go outside the chain link gate and walk 100 yards to the taxi stand. The port personnel send you to shuttles if you ask for a "taxi", so just ask for the exit, or you'll be directed to their shuttles. The malecon is great. Best beach in the Western Caribbean! Go, and enjoy!!

That is now Blue Kay and is located next door to Senior Frogs. It is the place directly next door toward the lighthouse. Beautiful beaches there. The rocky portion downtown turns back to sand just before Frogs and stays that way until just before the lighthouse. Blue Bay was shut down a few months ago?? But opened again as Blue Kay, just painting the B to look like a K on all the signs, and opened back up after a few weeks. Any Blue Kay reviews would be recent. FYI on the Hole In The Wall Thing. There is a new water park going in next to the port and construction is starting this summer. The spot where the hole is will be right at the entrance of that park. The beach there will not be part of the water park, so you never know, that area might be able to come to life again. The property's only legal egress is a long hour jungle drive but perhaps the park will change that.

Check the ATV tour. They were going to Hotel castillo last year. Not sure if they still do. That might be done through the cruise line now there??

Hotel Castillo is owned by an older couple, very nice people, and not sure they do much internet. You can walk up no problem. The beach is one of the best. The downside is that you never know what the restaurant is serving that day. Low volume places like that inventory small so you choices might be limited. If you like seafood, you'll be fine. The other problem is transport. Getting a taxi from the port is easy, but getting a return is not. They are about a $25 taxi each way but not sure you want to trust a driver to return. They are far enough out that few taxis would just happen by so you need to get a round trip??? the area you noted with the arrows is the area next to the soccer field. Tell a taxi to drop you at the football field. Those places are Tapas, Faro, Big Mama's, Green Iguana and the Delphin. not sure you can contact these guys either, but all do walk up and you can find plenty about them on CC boards. The beach photo you posted is actually taken from the Tropicante's balcony. I've been on that one, as well as the one next door at Faro. The sign in the lower corner was there several years ago, about 4 I think?? and was in front of El Faro next door. I know Steve and Luis both and they both live above their places. That stretch from a half block north of your Tropicante arrow, to about your south arrow, is the best downtown beach area. No rocks or sea grass and the water gets gradually to about 6' deep about halfway to the reef. Not much coral but great water and sand. I don't recall other names of the places north of the Tropicante, but there are a few and their beaches are good and like your photo for the entire next block. Gets rocky north of that. Very shallow after your south arrow.

The places you have been too, Almaplena and Maya Chan are both set up to do higher volume restaurant business. These other places, except for Luna de Plata, are smaller restaurant operations that are more for very slow volume hotel guests who are in no hurry, so be aware of that. You have seen two of the better service places in the area and not all are as fast or professional even. But that does not make them bad and most I have been to are pretty good. If you are wanting a beach, drinks and light snackes, all are pretty good. If you want to eat full meals, in that area south of town, Luna de Plata is the one. Italian owned and that is the food they serve. Caribo-Italian! They are not right outside the port but about 3-400 yards south of No Hoch Kay. Here is a blog with links to 3 of the hotels including Luna de Plata.

http://ahhhmahahual.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/195/

As for the snorkeling, about 50 yards past No Hoch Kay, there is a deep water inlet and to the south of that inlet, everything changes. Past the pier I assume you saw when there. The reef is a bit further out and the water about 50 yards off shore is a few feet deeper but not much. It is the first 50 yards or so in that area that has the sea grass but unless the tide is very low, you can scoot over it easily and the snorkeling there is really good. There is a very detailed posting on that same blog about snorkeling the area. Beaches are sandy and the hotels have nice enough beach furniture.

Your remote options are limited because there are not many and the transportation back into town, not out, is never comfortable enough for most. Places like Maya Chan and Almaplena have that worked out but most of the others do not and you are on your own. Hotel Castillo is a mile or so past Maya Chan and they have a beautiful beach and restaurant bar. They probably have a way to get taxis and you can check with them. Kabana is a cabana hotel with small restaurant and bar but again, not sure how you get a guaranteed return cab. Mayan Beach Garden, about a half hour north in Placer is also a nice place with a restaurant and also beautiful beaches. Nothing else out that way except all the larger foreign owned homes. Nice area. Just get a taxi and keep him for the day is the best. Here is a blog with all the taxi rates to the different areas and hourly rates to just rent a driver. A small 4 person sedan is $300 pesos about $25 an hour but you can probably get an all day rate even better. http://ahhhmahahual.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/how-to-use-the-taxis-in-mahahual-mexico/

Otherwise, you might look at some of the hotels on the south side of downtown, past the end of the malecon on the sand beach road. There is about 90% less traffic from the ships and the hotels are very small so their beaches are never crowded. You are in town but you feel almost remote. Hotel Luna de Plata has a very good restaurant/bar if you want to eat full meals and I think Arenas and Canas del Doctor also have smaller restaurants. All have web sites and use email so send them a note. More sea grass but great beaches and much better snorkeling than along the malecon. Good luck!

The part of town where the port is located has very limited internet and few businesses can even get it inside the port. All want it but the phone company can't provide it. It is an issue with the size of the line coming into the remote area of Costa Maya. The downtown beach area, where the original telephone infrastructure was located, has much more service and about half the businesses there offer free wifi, as long as you buy some food or drinks from them. There is one internet cafe in town, located in the residential area, about a 10 minute walk from the port.

There is awesome snorkeling in CM. There are areas with sea grass but any snorkel boat would not put you on that. Lots of reefs. Snorkel boats in town are about $25 a person and inside the port about double that. Check this blog for a better description of how to snorkel the area. http://ahhhmahahual.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/how-to-snorkel-costa-mayamahahual/

$3 bucks per person into town on the port's shuttle buses. Really small kids ride free but not sure the age on that. Stops 2-4 are in the center of the downtown beach. Nice big buses, so they are good for large groups, you have to wait until they fill and they make several stops so they can take up more of your day. No taxis inside the port and if you ask, you will be directed to the buses. Just ask for the exit. An official taxi stand is located about 100 yards from the only port exit. You can see the stand from the exit and it is along a nice, clean commercial area. Taxis are $2 per person and will drop you at any specific location. Port shuttles are easy but slow, taxis are fast but located outside the port. Taxis are the only return transportation and they charge $2 per person on the return as well. They are located all over the downtown so you have no trouble or wait when you are ready to leave. Have correct change if you take the taxis. They never seem to have it???

The above Steve is not the Steve from the Tropicante. He is not married and therefore does not have a wife named Donna? LOL! I know him and he would be mad if anyone thought he was married!

I'm a cruiser who liked Costa Maya so much, I live there part time! Great place and you should go into the town and enjoy the best swimming beach in the Western Caribbean. Perfect sandy beaches and clear shallow reef protected waters. There are shuttles into town from the port commercial area that charge $3 per person. Get out in the middle of town and stroll the malecon, the town's oceanfront boardwalk. Great shopping, restaurants and all the beach stuff you want. Snorkel and fishing boats, beach massage, paddle boards, all the fun stuff and it is half the price. Snorkel boats are $20-$30 US for example. All the restaurants and bars along the malecon work with all the local walk up tour companies, so find a place you like, pull up a lounger and enjoy. Safe and friendly little town. If you stay on the ship, at least walk into the port area at the end of the pier. Very nice place but the downtown is the place to go.

It is an interesting walk if you choose to do it and know how. The first 15 minutes after you leave the port is best done from the walking trail that goes down the center of that main street Crewsweeper was describing. Check this blog for photos and more detail. http://ahhhmahahual.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/great-use-of-median-strips-in-mahahual/ Most do not even know that trail exists but it is a gravel trail with lots of foliage, birds, butterfly's and so forth. Don't try a stroller on the trail though. It is heavily wooded so plenty of shade and log benches to sit an rest. Right before the highway portion of the walk, about 15 minutes into the walk, there are a couple small stores to get water if you need it right before the highway. There is no Pemex, it is 2 miles the opposite direction as you are leaving the town, but the trail ends at the highway. The walk along the shoulder is as described above, wetland mangrove trying to recover from major hurricane damage 6 years ago. That walk is not unsafe, the shoulder is wide, but it is in the sun and not much to see unless you like wetlands. It takes 5 minutes. The last part of the walk is along the ocean. You'll see the lighthouse as you start down the highway. Walk towards it. The malecon starts there and there is a small navy base there. You can see the entire downtown oceanfront from that location. Also good snorkeling in that same area before you go into town!

Wheelchair access in Costa Maya depends on the ability of the person in the chair. If that person can't stand up and step into and out of a van or taxi, there is no access. There are no ramps or vehicles able to ramp a person both on and off. The return trip from town back to the port is done only by taxis and it is the same for them. If the person can stand and take steps into a taxi or step up a short step into the mini-buses that transport into town, it then depends on the type of chair. The type that fold up are easy and can be transported by taxi or shuttle easy enough. Non-fold-able chairs though are a bit more difficult and although I have seen it done, stuffing an expensive chair into the trunk of a taxi might not be what most want to do. My suggestion would be if you can take a few steps and have a fold-able chair, yes, go into town with either a taxi or shuttle bus. If not, stay inside the port area which is, for the most part, wheelchair friendly.

Both are nice and well run operations and very similar in all the areas you mention. Their beaches, equipment and food are all very good and most would enjoy either. They are located about 100 meters from one another so they are very close. They are very different though in some other ways. Pex Quadro is a much larger operation and set up to operate as such and have been a local favorite for many years. They have a large staff and can provide high volume but also quality service in a festive and nice ambiance. National Beach Club would better be described as boutique service. The owners are very hands on with a unique style that include interesting off the menu regional food specials and presentations from their on-site natural gardens. Not nearly as many people as Pez Quadro and staffed much smaller as well so service can be slower if they are full. Both places have web sites with photos but the only big difference is the ambiance. Pez Quadro if you want more festive, and NBC if you want boutique and more laid back.

You can get into town where all the great beach is by taking taxis from outside the port or shuttle buses from inside. A new company began transport this summer from inside the port and they have very nice smaller buses that take tourist into the town. They have 6 regular stops in town and you can choose which when they stop if you like. They charge $3 US per person but the kids that small ride free. The taxis you must get from an official taxi stand outside the port about 100 yards from the port's only exit. Don't ask anyone inside the port for directions to a taxi because they will not tell you and will insist on sending yoo to their shuttles. Just keep walking away from the ocean and you will eventually find the only exit. The outside taxis charge $2 per person and will drop you any specific spot you ask. They are also faster since they do not make stops like the shuttles. Taxis are run by a local union and do a very good job as well. Either way you go into town is safe, clean and easy. When you return, you must take a taxi as the shuttles can't pick up outside the port. Local taxis are very easy to find to get back to the port.

Regarding the water color at Maya Chan, there is a “river” that flows from the mangrove just south of the resort that occasionally discharges a red nutrient from the plants, called “Bermejo” locally, making the water red. It is rare but does happen a few times a year and can last for several days. Occasionally it will cause discoloration of the water even as far away as Mayan Chan, making the water green. The chances of that happening while you are there are actually very low. Most days the water is typical Caribbean blue. Probably a much better chance of rain than discolored water. Discussions like these tend to bring out those who were there on such a day but the many, many more who enjoyed the typical blue water days do not write of course. For those interested in this, check this article on Costa Maya and how it is regulated as a low environmental impact area.

https://ahhhmahahual.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/costa-mayamahahual-a-low-environmental-impact-development-area/

They use a snorkel boat company that is located right in front of their place. Might check with Steve, his email is all over the boards, but I think the entire trip takes about an hour and a half. An hour in the water and a half hour for going to and from the reef they take you to. I think they charge $20 per person for restaurant guests but again, check with Steve. From the port to downtown just takes a few minutes each way and taxis are $2 a person each way.

That place has an access problem and has for many years. The port owner has a fence on the property line, making access from that area impossible. Read into that what you will. Not sure if it is still there but there used to be a hole in the fence people would sneak through to enjoy the primative beach. Turn right on the first street after you leave the port and you dead end into that fence. The legal entry for that property and it's beautiful beaches now are from a road that you must access a couple miles outside of town. The road back to the beach from there is through very thick jungle and takes longer to drive than to walk. Locals believe that one day it will accomodate another port but who knows. Beautiful beaches though.

Here is the FIRST paragraph of the US State Depts travel warning regarding Mexico:

"Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000 who cross the border every day. The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors to major tourist destinations, and there is no evidence that Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) have targeted U.S. visitors and residents based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and in areas along major trafficking routes."

Media leaves that part out but it is the first paragraph!

As a cruiser who retired to Costa Maya, I can tell you it is safe and friendly. Here is really the best explanation regarding safety in the area I have seen. http://www.sandalsandskis.com/Safety.html I think it sums it up pretty good.

Barbara and Brian are fine and doing well in BC Canada. They did not return after Dean because they did not own the building and the owner was not able to rebuild. They are considering a possible move to Panama, I think it is getting too cold for them again, so you never know. We might have the Cat's Meow Two! The new Mahahual is very nice and yes, most are very friendly. Many new places and most think your choices are better today than ever. Go into town and enjoy!