Tropicante

[Rwb11]

We have reservations at Tropicante on December 28th and we are so excited! If you have been recently, will you please share your experience. How long is the taxi ride from the port? Did you have a meal and then hang around on the beach for a while? Do they accept credit cards? If not, do they accept US dollars? When we made the reservation, we were told that we don't need to reserve chairs for lounging on the beach after our meal as they are "included." Is this the case?

[elklemi]

How did you contact them, heard they had closed?.  Please come back and give a report of your experience.  Thanks.

[crewsweeper]

2 minutes ago, elklemi said:

How did you contact them, heard they had closed?.  Please come back and give a report of your experience.  Thanks.

 

They are open.  Carolina is running things now.  I've paid by CC in the past when Steve was there.  But you can ask Carolina before going.   sandalsandskis.com.  Or reach out on FB.

 

But I was in Mahahual at the end of November.  Tropicante's space on the beach appears to be squeezed by El Faro next door.  Also they've erected a portico in front with various souvenirs hanging over it.  Inside was clean but the lack of natural light made it appear dingy,  loungers looked fine.

[elklemi]

Thanks for the update, so they are in same location?

[crewsweeper]

2 hours ago, elklemi said:

Thanks for the update, so they are in same location?

Yes.  Just a bit more difficult to spot.

[Rwb11]

I'm back with an update! We had a WONDERFUL time at Tropicante! We visited Costa Maya on Dec. 28, 2021. We had reservations (made via their FB page) for 1:45pm. We took a taxi from the port for $4 per person (each way). I was with my husband, my mother, and my 11 year old son. The ride took around 5 minutes. When we were dropped off, the taxi driver pointed out where we should walk. Before my husband finished paying him, an older gentleman asked the driver where we were heading and he told them. The gentleman said he was with the restaurant and asked us if we had reservations, and I said I did, and gave him my first name. He told me his name and said they were so happy we chose to visit them. He walked us down to the shoreline to four lounge chairs that were reserved for us. The location was perfect for us as it was mostly shaded by palm trees. He and another gentleman took our drink orders and gave us menus to look over. There was only one small table between two of the chairs when we sat down, but the gentleman instructed the other guy to get tables so that we had a table between all of our chairs.

 

The beach area was full of people and most of the tables and chairs were taken, but the service we received was top notch. It was hard to determine where their area of the beach ended, but they were definitely busy. Our first round of drinks, including a special kid-friendly pina colada for our son, was served within 5 minutes of our arrival. Our food was served within 20 minutes of ordering. We enjoyed to food immensely. The beef quesadillas were filled with steak instead of ground beef, much to my husband's delight. The cheese in the quesadillas was a wonderful gooey kind (not the cheap stringy kind). When my mother asked for a spicy sauce, the older gentleman brought out a sauce he said he created. It was unique and very spicy. We had a couple more rounds of drinks before we left a little over 2 hours later. We never waited more than 10-15 minutes for them.

 

When we were not eating, we were enjoying the beautiful water. It was clear and shallow for a good distance from the shore. Their beach area was busy, but there was plenty of room in the water for snorkeling, wading, or swimming. Thanks to the breakers, the water is super calm with only tiny waves.

 

When it was time to leave, my husband went inside and paid cash for our bill. We are not sure if they take credit cards or not. As soon as the kind old gentleman learned that we were leaving, he came out and walked us back around to the street and told a taxi driver where we were going.

We cannot wait to visit Costa Maya and Tropicante again!

Edited January 5, 2022 by Rwb11

[elklemi]

Thank you so much for the update, have been watching for update since Steve retired and plan now on being there in March on Carnival Pride.

[c-leg5]

14 hours ago, Rwb11 said:

I'm back with an update! We had a WONDERFUL time at Tropicante! We visited Costa Maya on Dec. 28, 2021. We had reservations (made via their FB page) for 1:45pm. We took a taxi from the port for $4 per person (each way).

Glad you enjoyed your visit!

 

Are you saying they charged a total of $16 each way for taxi?

 

Looks like there is still some sargassum present?

Edited January 5, 2022 by c-leg5

[Rwb11]

3 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Glad you enjoyed your visit!

 

Are you saying they charged a total of $16 each way for taxi?

 

Looks like there is still some sargassum present?

Yes, it was $16 each way for the 4 of us. There was a line of sargassum along the shore, but we didn't notice any of it in the water at the time we were there.

[c-leg5]

2 hours ago, Rwb11 said:

Yes, it was $16 each way for the 4 of us. There was a line of sargassum along the shore, but we didn't notice any of it in the water at the time we were there.

Wow, the taxi rate is supposed to be $8 per taxi.  Was there a dispatcher organizing the taxis? Funny you were charged the same rate both ways unless they have really doubled since last year?

 

We will be there next month - it was already expensive at $8.

[Rwb11]

3 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Wow, the taxi rate is supposed to be $8 per taxi.  Was there a dispatcher organizing the taxis? Funny you were charged the same rate both ways unless they have really doubled since last year?

 

We will be there next month - it was already expensive at $8.

There was a person seemingly in charge at the taxi area in both places, but I'm not sure about dispatch. They tried to talk us into renting a golf cart for $10 per person when we first approached. Considering we had no idea how to get where we were going and had no desire to drive ourselves anywhere, that was a hard 'no.' It might be worth trying to arrange transportation in advance to see if you get a more reasonable deal.

[Moon Orchid]

On 1/4/2022 at 8:34 PM, Rwb11 said:

I'm back with an update! We had a WONDERFUL time at Tropicante! We visited Costa Maya on Dec. 28, 2021. We had reservations (made via their FB page) for 1:45pm. We took a taxi from the port for $4 per person (each way). I was with my husband, my mother, and my 11 year old son. The ride took around 5 minutes. When we were dropped off, the taxi driver pointed out where we should walk. Before my husband finished paying him, an older gentleman asked the driver where we were heading and he told them. The gentleman said he was with the restaurant and asked us if we had reservations, and I said I did, and gave him my first name. He told me his name and said they were so happy we chose to visit them. He walked us down to the shoreline to four lounge chairs that were reserved for us. The location was perfect for us as it was mostly shaded by palm trees. He and another gentleman took our drink orders and gave us menus to look over. There was only one small table between two of the chairs when we sat down, but the gentleman instructed the other guy to get tables so that we had a table between all of our chairs.

 

The beach area was full of people and most of the tables and chairs were taken, but the service we received was top notch. It was hard to determine where their area of the beach ended, but they were definitely busy. Our first round of drinks, including a special kid-friendly pina colada for our son, was served within 5 minutes of our arrival. Our food was served within 20 minutes of ordering. We enjoyed to food immensely. The beef quesadillas were filled with steak instead of ground beef, much to my husband's delight. The cheese in the quesadillas was a wonderful gooey kind (not the cheap stringy kind). When my mother asked for a spicy sauce, the older gentleman brought out a sauce he said he created. It was unique and very spicy. We had a couple more rounds of drinks before we left a little over 2 hours later. We never waited more than 10-15 minutes for them.

 

When we were not eating, we were enjoying the beautiful water. It was clear and shallow for a good distance from the shore. Their beach area was busy, but there was plenty of room in the water for snorkeling, wading, or swimming. Thanks to the breakers, the water is super calm with only tiny waves.

 

When it was time to leave, my husband went inside and paid cash for our bill. We are not sure if they take credit cards or not. As soon as the kind old gentleman learned that we were leaving, he came out and walked us back around to the street and told a taxi driver where we were going.

We cannot wait to visit Costa Maya and Tropicante again!

We were there couple times before Covid. So happy to hear that they opened again.What FB address did you contact them? Thank you 😊 

Edited January 15, 2022 by Moon Orchid

[Rwb11]

@Moon Orchid The email address on FB is cabago21@gmail.com . You can message them as well.  Search for 'Tropicante Beach Break' on Facebook.

[Moon Orchid]

Thank you very much.