What to do in Costa Maya?

We just booked a Western Caribbean cruise for next month. So excited! It stops at Costa Maya (Mahahual). Does anyone know what Mahahual is, in relation to Costa Maya? What is great to do there? Thanks.

Go to the ruins...no need to take a boat over like in Cozumel..

Some ok bars by the beach depending upon what time you are in port

I would go to the Costa Maya thread. There is good information there. We hung out at the Tropicana - a beach bar/food place. Very nice and relaxing.

The Costa Maya forum (or board) is here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=169

Do what interests you! Snorkeling is pretty good there.

We just booked a Western Caribbean cruise for next month. So excited! It stops at Costa Maya (Mahahual). Does anyone know what Mahahual is, in relation to Costa Maya? What is great to do there? Thanks.

Take an excursion to the Mayan ruins.

If you decide to look at private Mayan ruins tours rather than ship tours, try Native Choice. They are very near the port and have excellent tours at reasonable prices.

Thanks all. Clicking on link to Costa Maya section right now!

One piece of advice I have is to skip the ship's resort/beach break. We signed up for it and they had to bring us to an alternate location due to some kind of problem at the original facility. The beach was pretty and the water was warm but the facilities were run down and there was a ton of broken glass. If we go back to Costa Maya we will see the ruins and save the beach day for Princess Cay!

We just booked a Western Caribbean cruise for next month. So excited! It stops at Costa Maya (Mahahual). Does anyone know what Mahahual is, in relation to Costa Maya? What is great to do there? Thanks.

Mahahual is a small town a few miles from the pier. You can take a trip to the ruins. This may take a few hours. If you've not done it, I'd suggest a ship excursion, as getting back to the ship in time is obviously critical. For us we take a short ride to the town. We then go shopping: Lot's of Vanilla/Chocolate etc. can be purchased. Prices are more reasonable in town than at the pier shops(captive audience!)After the shopping we go to the "Krazy Lobster" beach club. You can get a great lunch for a reasonable price. Many other items, besides Lobster!

We've gone a couple of times and thought it was one of the best ports of call in that area. On our first trip there, we took a tour to the ruins at Altunha (sp?) ... absolutely fascinating! This was an organized tour through the ship and worth every penny went spent.

Just recently, we just went on our own to El Tropicante (check them out on FB or Trip Advisor) and spent the day there with a group of friends. We really loved it! The cab was like $2 pp each way ... catch it just outside the gates.

We contact Steve ahead of time to reserve some loungers in the shade. They were all set up for us when we got there. We ordered food (pretty good) and cold beers (excellent) and even arranged to get a massage right there on the boardwalk through this establishment. It was just fantastic and only $30 for an hour. Be prepared to set your modesty aside .. nobody cared anyway. After that, we spent a bit of time in the warm clear ocean waters in front of this place before heading back to the port.

Steve, the owner of the establishment, comes around to visit and makes sure the guests are happy. When it was time to go back, he even hooked us up with a cab, even a bit cheaper getting back to the port. I suppose you could walk it if you were into an hour stroll ... but we felt more comfortable taking a cab not knowing exactly how to get back, plus, we were all relaxed from the massage.

If you just feel like hanging out at the pier, there are a lot of touristy things to do right there. They had nice shops, bars, restaurants, a dolphin show, etc. all set up right by the cruiseship terminal.

If you decide to look at private Mayan ruins tours rather than ship tours, try Native Choice. They are very near the port and have excellent tours at reasonable prices.

We did a mayan tour through them... forgot the name... it was a great experience.

We went to the Maya Chan beach resort and it’s still one of my favorite port days I’ve ever had.

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Is there somewhere to swim close to the dock? I don't need a beach club; just want to get into the water for little while, then go back to the ship.

Thanks.

We booked with Native Choice to see the ruins. They come highly recommended and have very good reviews. We chose the Chaccoben Extreme tour which will include a trip to Bacalar (Seven Color) Lagoon after for lunch, swimming, beach, relaxing, etch. We're pretty excited! We have never been to any ruins so we're looking forward to something different. Will be happy to report back after. Only a week till me sail!!!

We've gone a couple of times and thought it was one of the best ports of call in that area. On our first trip there, we took a tour to the ruins at Altunha (sp?) ... absolutely fascinating! This was an organized tour through the ship and worth every penny went spent.

Just recently, we just went on our own to El Tropicante (check them out on FB or Trip Advisor) and spent the day there with a group of friends. We really loved it! The cab was like $2 pp each way ... catch it just outside the gates.

We contact Steve ahead of time to reserve some loungers in the shade. They were all set up for us when we got there. We ordered food (pretty good) and cold beers (excellent) and even arranged to get a massage right there on the boardwalk through this establishment. It was just fantastic and only $30 for an hour. Be prepared to set your modesty aside .. nobody cared anyway. After that, we spent a bit of time in the warm clear ocean waters in front of this place before heading back to the port.

Steve, the owner of the establishment, comes around to visit and makes sure the guests are happy. When it was time to go back, he even hooked us up with a cab, even a bit cheaper getting back to the port. I suppose you could walk it if you were into an hour stroll ... but we felt more comfortable taking a cab not knowing exactly how to get back, plus, we were all relaxed from the massage.

 

If you just feel like hanging out at the pier, there are a lot of touristy things to do right there. They had nice shops, bars, restaurants, a dolphin show, etc. all set up right by the cruiseship terminal.

What do you mean by : get a massage right there on the boardwalk through this establishment. It was just fantastic and only $30 for an hour. Be prepared to set your modesty aside .. nobody cared anyway.?.

Is it a private full body nude massage by a masseur /masseuse? Or do you mean something else?

We booked with Native Choice to see the ruins. They come highly recommended and have very good reviews. We chose the Chaccoben Extreme tour which will include a trip to Bacalar (Seven Color) Lagoon after for lunch, swimming, beach, relaxing, etch. We're pretty excited! We have never been to any ruins so we're looking forward to something different. Will be happy to report back after. Only a week till me sail!!!

We took this same tour in Dec 2016 and loved it. The ruins were interesting, the lunch and drinks were good and the resort was relaxing.

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What do you mean by : get a massage right there on the boardwalk through this establishment. It was just fantastic and only $30 for an hour. Be prepared to set your modesty aside .. nobody cared anyway.?.

Is it a private full body nude massage by a masseur /masseuse? Or do you mean something else?

They have massage tables set up under the trees right next to the main walkway without any barriers or even curtains...they are just right there in the open and people walk by just a couple of feet away from where you are laying. They cover you with a sheet but pull it back after removing / untying you bathing suit top. How far down they pull it down is up to you. You can leave your bottoms on (or take them off if you are comfortable with that). You'd show about as much as a woman laid on her stomach with her string bikini untied. You may have to be a little careful getting up / turning over. I am sure a few got a peek at a little more than I would usually show on the beach but I didn't really feel like there was anybody really looking ... nobody really seemed to be too interested in sneaking a peek. There are others all up and down the boardwalk getting massages and we just walked by as well without peering. I'm just not used to being exposed is all. If I were used to wearing a string bikini, I wouldn't have given it another thought.

We love going to Tropicante! :hearteyes::hearteyes:

Time before we used Native Choice and went to the Chachoben ruins. Last time, we took a taxi into Mahuahal, went to the lighthouse, saw the big Mahuahal sign right beside it then found a quiet, secluded beach not far from there.

The Costa Maya forum (or board) is here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=169

 

Do what interests you! Snorkeling is pretty good there.

Any particular recommendation for DIY snorkeling?

Time before we used Native Choice and went to the Chachoben ruins. Last time, we took a taxi into Mahuahal, went to the lighthouse, saw the big Mahuahal sign right beside it then found a quiet, secluded beach not far from there.

How did you get back?