Cruise Critic heads to Costa Maya!

[Cruise Critic Chris]

I'm the (relatively new) Destinations editor for Cruise Critic. I'll be heading down to Costa Maya in mid-September to visit the port and check out the activities and excursions that cruise passengers can find on shore. It's my first time in Mahahual, although I've traveled all over Mexico. Got any specifics that you'd like me to look into? Let me know!

[crewsweeper]

If you have the time, check out the differences between Almapena, Maya Chan and the beach clubs in Mahahual. For the beach clubs do find out the differences between what's available at each one. For example, which ones have water toys/activities besides Tequila Beach and Nohoch Kaye (which is an A.I.). Take a look at the various stand alone (not associated with beach clubs) restaurant offerings (SakHa, Maya Luna, Tapas, the newer BBQ place) and the shopping along the maleconTalk with David and Ivan at Native Choices about their Maya excrusions. There are active changes going on in the area immediately surrounding the cruise port. See you you can determine what's available (outside the Pharmacia and Tequila Musuem) for cruisers. Eat breakfast (and even stay) at El Caballo Blanco, asking Tina if cruisers are welcomed to eat there since ships arrive so early. Check out the snorkeling up at Uvero Beach, and Maya Gardens, if possible. And finally, just have a great time!

[mitsugirly]

I'm trying to understand...are you going there for awhile and staying? Or by cruise ship and just spending a day there? I'm confused.

 

I am interested in finding another place (either AI or al la carte) that you can go to that is a fairly nice (sandy) secluded type beach (not on a strip with other places) and has the crystal blue waters. We have been to Almaplena (which is exactly as I'm describing above) before and LOVED the place. However, we try to find a "new" place to go each time and would love to find another place like this. We have also tried Maya Chan and Nohoch Kay on the Malecon. Both of those do not fit the description that I'm looking for in some shape or form. So if you look up Almaplena (or see my review of it in my signature line), you will see the pictures of Almaplena and have a better understanding of what we are looking for when we are there.

 

Thanks in advance if you are able to find a place like this. :)

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Thanks for your suggestions. I will be going down there independently and staying a few days so I can see as much as possible. I already plan to visit as many of the beach resorts that I can. I will also check out Native Choice tours, go kayaking in Balacar and do an ATV tour. Anything else? Let me know!

 

 

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[Sir_Randy]

Sounds like a dream job!

[crusinpsychRN]

There isn't much to do near port and exursions offered are slim. Maybe you can come up with some new ones!

[Belgian fry]

Went with Native Choice 8 years ago and loved it. I'm glad to hear it's still going...

[crewsweeper]

Hey Chris...If you haven't left yet. Check out the details on this lion cub thing in the two posts below. If these folks are indeed inside the cruise port complex, you might have some swing with Carnival, NCL and other lines stopping here in reporting it.

 

And I second BeccaStorms' comments on Jaime at NoHoch Kay:)

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Thanks for the heads up. I will be meeting the people who run the port, as well as the tourism authorities. I'll try to find out what I can about the cub and its operators.

[ajtraveler66]

I tend to stick with the ship's excursions just because it relieves me of the "fear" of missing the boat.

 

However, these Costa Maya AI beach resorts really sound tempting. In particular Maya Chan, and Almaplena, Tropicante, and Nohoche Kay.

 

Is it easy to do these AI resort offerings provided for the cruisers? How would you rate them (or compare them...as some may be quiet whereas others more festive) How does going off on your own to one of these places compare to what would happen if you chose to go with the cruise excursion (in my case, NCL).

 

Look forward to reading your reports.

[Cruise Critic Chris]

I arrived today in Costa Maya, just as Disney Fantasy was pulling out. It's been storming here for two weeks, and for only the second time in 11 years, almost all of the shore excursions were cancelled! I saw several flooded streets as we came into Mahahual, and the archeological sites had too much water for the tours to run.

 

Still, I saw people racing back to the ship, so families did come off. The pier area did big business, and all the attractions there were in full force (see my comment about the lion situation in the other thread; suffice it to say, that's gone).

 

I don't know how much I'll be able to see if the weather stays like this. I am meeting several of the beach club owners tonight, and I plan to get information on what is available at each one that I can share in a chart on the site. And Carnival hasn't cancelled the Dream for Thursday, so there's still hope.

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

[thescot123]

I arrived today in Costa Maya, just as Disney Fantasy was pulling out. It's been storming here for two weeks, and for only the second time in 11 years, almost all of the shore excursions were cancelled! I saw several flooded streets as we came into Mahahual, and the archeological sites had too much water for the tours to run.

 

Still, I saw people racing back to the ship, so families did come off. The pier area did big business, and all the attractions there were in full force (see my comment about the lion situation in the other thread; suffice it to say, that's gone).

 

I don't know how much I'll be able to see if the weather stays like this. I am meeting several of the beach club owners tonight, and I plan to get information on what is available at each one that I can share in a chart on the site. And Carnival hasn't cancelled the Dream for Thursday, so there's still hope.

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

Sorry to hear that the weather did not co-operate. I will be back in Costa Maya in about 30 days from the NCL Jewel and keeping my fingers crossed for nice weather.

 

Did you get a chance to talk to Steve Uhl who owns the Tropicante in Mahahual? He runs ones of the best establishment in Mahahual and is a place that I always look forward to visiting.

 

Again, thanks for getting the lion cub animal abuse taken care off.

[mccbeh]

If I were you I would stop by Nohoch Kay for the best margaritas and fish tacos:-) The owner is really nice and the beach is beautiful

 

You may want to check this place out...I mean the poster does not stop talking about Island Marketing places (:eek:)...so an independent review would be nice. Do not tell them you are from cruisecritic...otherwise it is all based on a wrong perception.

[crewsweeper]

You may want to check this place out...I mean the poster does not stop talking about Island Marketing places (:eek:)...so an independent review would be nice. Do not tell them you are from cruisecritic...otherwise it is all based on a wrong perception.

 

mccbeh,

 

This is a good idea and I this Chris will look at several of the beach clubs. BTW Island MArketing is just that a marketing company for excursions throughout the Caribbean. They are a means by which owners and guides can book guests without having to market the excursion or field the bookings on their own (which can be time consuming and not as productive). Some IM excursions aren't quite as good as others, but that's the case and up to indiivdual opinion for any excursion. For example, some folks hate ship sponsored excursions because of high prices, but ship excursions do tend to book full (or get cancelled/no longer offered) and often have good reviews.

 

As far as Nohoch Kay goes, DW and I love the place and we've been there before Island Marketing was involved. But then we knew Jaime when he had his restaurant in Playa del Carmen and we knew we'd get good treatment at his club. Since he's been with Island Marketing, we've booked through them so he doesn't violate his contract. As it's an A.I., its may not be for everyone, but that's why there's a lot of choices of other non- A.I. clubs along the malecon.

 

That said, let Chris form her own opinion and provide this board with a an informative review of the area and what it has to offer cruisers.

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Thanks, guys. My plan today is to visit six beach resorts: Nohoch Kay, Maya Chan, Almaplena, Tropicante and Nacional, as well as a new one (Quinto Sole). Possibly Uvero, which is the one the ships use, if it's open (the rains kept people from going there yesterday). Keep in mind that this isn't a port day (and a drizzly one at that), so I'll be gathering facts instead of seeing the whole operation in action. So YMMV.

 

I plan to get info on how big each of them is, what they charge, what the beach chairs look like, what's included in the basic price, what water toys are available and their distance from the pier. They will know that I'm from CC (this is a small town, everyone knows I'm here!) But knowing the facts above for each place should help with making decisions.

[tulch]

My entire family has a Maya Chan addiction -- to the point that we only choose Western Caribbean itineraries that stop at Costa Maya, specifically so we can go to Maya Chan. We have been to other all-inclusives and I'm curious if you find any you like better. (There is a reason why Maya Chan is consistently ranked #1 by Trip Advisor.)

 

I think what makes Maya Chan unique is (a) strict limits on the number of guests it accepts; and (b) consistent quality of its product, from service to food. For example, Maya Chan uses only top-shelf alcohol in its drinks, which means you won't spend the next day in your stateroom with the world's worst hang-over. Other AI's we've tried are a little cheaper but the difference in price is NOT worth feeling like s**t the next day!

 

Anyway, sounds like a fun project -- enjoy!

[Cruise Critic Chris]

You wouldn't think that visiting beach resorts is tiring, but after talking to owners at six of them, I'm beat! :p

 

All of them have pluses and minuses. I still haven't seen Tropicante because the owner wasn't there (no ships are in town today). So I'll try to catch him tomorrow. Once I get back to our lovely Pennington, New Jersey offices, I'll write up my findings in a blog post. I'll post the link here.

 

It's still dicey that Carnival Dream will call tomorrow. The rain has stopped, but the wind has picked up. I'm hoping that I can still go out with Native Choice to Chaccoben tomorrow, even if the ship doesn't stop. If not, the dock master said that he'd spring a guide who usually works with the cruise line tours to take me out there.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Cruise Critic Chris

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Interesting day today, which really shows how dicey it can be to dock ships during hurricane season.

 

The Carnival Dream was scheduled to come in around 4:30 a.m. I set my alarm for 6 a.m., and got up in the dark to see if it had come in (yesterday, things were not looking good). The ship was there, all lit up and approaching the dock.

 

By the time I finished my shower, I went out to the balcony and looked again. The ship had pulled away, and was sitting out there for a while. Finally I saw it move and approach the dock again. As this was going on, I received an email from the port director. This was the third try for the ship, he said, but he wasn't going to call it a success until after the gangways went down.

 

I headed over to Native Choice, where I booked the Mayan Experience ($70). When I got there at 8 a.m., they were still unsure that the captain was going to let the passengers off. So I sat there and waited with staff. As soon as the first people walked in, the guides broke out in smiles. Today would be a port day after all!

 

Because the ship was late getting in, Carnival gave the passengers an extra hour. Five of us piled into a van with Ivan, one of the company's owners. The cruise line had cancelled their excursions to Chacchoben (I later learned that only 3 of Carnival's 11 excursions actually ran, due to the weather), but Ivan said that he had been to the site the day before and it would be fine.

 

Our group was the first to arrive at the ruins, and we had the whole place to ourselves. It turns out that Ivan grew up on land that would eventually become the national park, so I felt confident he knew the area. While the site isn't as sophisticated as Chichen Itza or Tulum, it's still very pretty, in a jungle setting. We saw howler monkeys and saw lots of moths fluttering around (it's their mating season).

 

After walking around for about an hour, we got back in the van and drove to a local town about 30 minutes away. Very small and remote, yet Ivan says that's where he and his partner David live. Three generations of women, wearing their traditional Mayan garb, greeted us. After a short demonstration, we were allowed to make our own tortillas. They tasted fresher than any tortillas I'd had before, including other places in Mexico. Very strong corn taste.

 

Our buffet lunch included chicken pibil, chicken tamales, rice, black beans, cooked vegetables and hibiscus tea (plus as many of those delicious tortillas as we wanted). A coconut pudding/flan and spiced pumpkin was served for dessert.

 

The drive back to the port took about 40 minutes. It started raining fairly hard on the way back, and I could tell that the passengers were getting tense about making the ship. But we arrived with about 40 minutes to spare.

 

I surveyed the others in the group after we got out of the van, and everyone felt that they had gotten their money's worth. What I love about independent excursions is the flexibility: Without a huge bus or crowd, Ivan and David felt confident going to the ruins, even though the ship had cancelled their tour. Plus you can't beat the small size.

 

As people got on the ship, I went out to see Uvero, which is where the port has its Jungle Beach Club and most of its excursions. But I'll save that for another post. :D

 

Let me know if you have any questions about Costa Maya or Mahahual. I head back home tomorrow. I finished my day with an awesome massage on the beach, by a woman named Dulce Maria who works out of Quinto Sol Hotel.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Cruise Critic Chris

[thescot123]

Chris,

 

Did you manage to meet Steve Uhl who owns the Tropicante?

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Chris,

 

Did you manage to meet Steve Uhl who owns the Tropicante?

 

I missed meeting Steve, and I'm bummed. He seems like someone who has a lot of info about the area. I have reached out to him by email, though, to get info on the club for the round-up.

[thescot123]

I missed meeting Steve, and I'm bummed. He seems like someone who has a lot of info about the area. I have reached out to him by email, though, to get info on the club for the round-up.

 

Sorry to hear that you missed Steve. He is a very nice person and really takes care of his customers.

 

Below is a Youtube video that shows Steve explaining some of the local shops/activities in Costa Maya (Mahahual).

 

[Cruise Critic Chris]

My first story on Costa Maya is up on the blog. It's all about the changes that the port is trying to do in the area in the next few years:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2013/09/25/desination-spotlight-whats-coming-to-costa-maya-mexico/

[mitsugirly]

My first story on Costa Maya is up on the blog. It's all about the changes that the port is trying to do in the area in the next few years:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2013/09/25/desination-spotlight-whats-coming-to-costa-maya-mexico/

 

Thanks for the story.

 

I'm glad to see this:

 

*A Mayan-themed water and adventure park, placed within walking distance of the terminal. The project will be similar to Xcaret and Xel-ha, popular attractions farther north on the Riviera Maya, Shamosh said, and include a river for floating, ziplines, a self-propelled roller coaster and more. A fake pyramid with a parachute drop game – which will be built large enough to be visible from the cruise ships – will anchor the attraction, with construction tentatively set to begin January 2014.

 

I would love to do Xcaret, but everyone says it's too far away and not enough time to completely be able to do everything. Hopefully with them building this close to the port, we'll be able to experience something like this. :)

 

Will you have individual posts about each different place with questions to the owners while you were there at Costa Maya?

[Cruise Critic Chris]

 

I would love to do Xcaret, but everyone says it's too far away and not enough time to completely be able to do everything. Hopefully with them building this close to the port, we'll be able to experience something like this. :)

 

Yep, it is too far, especially with some of the early port times. It sounds like a great idea for family cruisers too.

 

Will you have individual posts about each different place with questions to the owners while you were there at Costa Maya?

 

I will be doing the beach clubs as one round-up story, with blurbs on what each of them has to offer. I'm still fact-checking right now, but expect it to come soon!

[mitsugirly]

Yep, it is too far, especially with some of the early port times. It sounds like a great idea for family cruisers too.

 

 

 

I will be doing the beach clubs as one round-up story, with blurbs on what each of them has to offer. I'm still fact-checking right now, but expect it to come soon!

 

Thanks so much for your time and dedication in doing this. We cruisers really appreciate it. (BTW, where can I sign up for your job to be your assistant?) :D