Best Beach in Costa Maya?

[wavechaser]

Fellow Cruisers,

 

We have a stop in Costa Maya on our August cruise. I've been researching "beach clubs", but honestly don't need all of the food and drinks e packages come with. Can anyone recommend a beach that is maybe attached to a hotel that you can pay en entrance fee to use that's nice and un-busy, or another activity that's a memory maker?

 

Thanks!

[crewsweeper]

Just head for Krazy Lobster.  Or Tropicante. No cover. No Charge. Good food and drink at reasonable prices.  Tell the taxi driver that's where you want to go and he'll let you out at the nearest cross street. DO NOT! go to any place along the malecon where someone is trying to entice you to stop at their place. 

[keacat]

Agreed.  Krazy Lobster is great!  I know you aren't looking for a Beach Club, but Maya Chan is great!  Consider it.

[poocher]

We found the malecon to be a hoot.  Yup people trying to sell you stuff but everyone was friendly, only pushy to a point.  We walked the length and back and had a great time interacting with the locals.  Pretty sure we stopped at Krazy Lobster too but there were lots of places with great smelling food!

[crewsweeper]

6 minutes ago, keacat said:

Agreed.  Krazy Lobster is great!  I know you aren't looking for a Beach Club, but Maya Chan is great!  Consider it.

Maya Chan will be closed in August 😦

[c-leg5]

3 hours ago, wavechaser said:

Fellow Cruisers,

 

We have a stop in Costa Maya on our August cruise. I've been researching "beach clubs", but honestly don't need all of the food and drinks e packages come with. Can anyone recommend a beach that is maybe attached to a hotel that you can pay en entrance fee to use that's nice and un-busy, or another activity that's a memory maker?

 

Thanks!

Hotels in Mahahual tend to be small independent locations not large chain-type hotels with facilities. Most hotels and beach clubs are shoulder-to-shoulder along the length of the malecon along the same beach. Also the beach clubs again are not developed clubs like Cozumel but mostly small individual locations with chairs/loungers on one side of the road and bars/kitchens on the other with beach service.

 

Reading the first page of this forum you will see the names of most places people have returned to since cruising resumed. You can check them out in TripAdvisor for photos and further reviews. Many have websites and often offer PAYG or AI.
 

We also prefer PAYG although unfortunately many of the locations in Mahahual have moved towards the model of AI. Sometimes we don’t want to stay at the same location all day and like to “sample” but we always make purchases proportional to the length of time we occupy a lounger/table  and use facilities.

 

No matter which bar you decide to stop at the facilities like snorkeling,diving, bikes fishing, massages will be available from third-party vendors

Edited June 2, 2022 by c-leg5

[woneill63]

We did Krazy Lobster in late February of this year for one afternoon.  The prices were reasonable, and the food was very good.  We were a group of six guys and we all would do it again.

If I am visiting with the wife only, I would pick Maya Chan.  We were charged 55 per person, including transportation to and from the resort, all food, and drinks.  We had our own little private cabana, with a day bed, swinging hammock, a table, and a couple of chairs.  The beach was steps away and the service was top notch.  A server even brought me a beer while I was floating on a raft in the water.  It was spectacular.

 

Cheers.

[c-leg5]

31 minutes ago, woneill63 said:

We did Krazy Lobster in late February of this year for one afternoon.  The prices were reasonable, and the food was very good.  We were a group of six guys and we all would do it again.

If I am visiting with the wife only, I would pick Maya Chan.  We were charged 55 per person, including transportation to and from the resort, all food, and drinks.  We had our own little private cabana, with a day bed, swinging hammock, a table, and a couple of chairs.  The beach was steps away and the service was top notch.  A server even brought me a beer while I was floating on a raft in the water.  It was spectacular.

 

Cheers.

Again, as stated above Maya Chan has chosen to be closed in August and will not be available to OP.

[MississippiMom]

On 6/2/2022 at 11:19 PM, woneill63 said:

If I am visiting with the wife only, I would pick Maya Chan.  We were charged 55 per person, including transportation to and from the resort, all food, and drinks.  We had our own little private cabana, with a day bed, swinging hammock, a table, and a couple of chairs.  The beach was steps away and the service was top notch.  A server even brought me a beer while I was floating on a raft in the water.  It was spectacular.

 

Cheers.

This sounds lovely for me & my husband.  How many people are allowed in one of the private cabanas?  We will be traveling with various family members, and wondering if two more couples might fit in the cabana with us.

[c-leg5]

53 minutes ago, MississippiMom said:

This sounds lovely for me & my husband.  How many people are allowed in one of the private cabanas?  We will be traveling with various family members, and wondering if two more couples might fit in the cabana with us.

They have cabanas of various sizes for different groups.
 

However you need to state when booking how many in your party as you are allocated an area, which is set up for you on arrival. Some are simply two loungers and an umbrella, others have walls and palapa roof. Take a look at Tripadvisor photos to get some idea of configurations.

 

 

[MississippiMom]

On 6/2/2022 at 11:33 AM, wavechaser said:

Fellow Cruisers,

 

We have a stop in Costa Maya on our August cruise. I've been researching "beach clubs", but honestly don't need all of the food and drinks e packages come with. Can anyone recommend a beach that is maybe attached to a hotel that you can pay en entrance fee to use that's nice and un-busy, or another activity that's a memory maker?

 

Thanks!

What did you wind up doing in Costa Maya?

[blueslily]

On 6/3/2022 at 12:19 AM, woneill63 said:

We did Krazy Lobster in late February of this year for one afternoon.  The prices were reasonable, and the food was very good.  We were a group of six guys and we all would do it again.

If I am visiting with the wife only, I would pick Maya Chan.  We were charged 55 per person, including transportation to and from the resort, all food, and drinks.  We had our own little private cabana, with a day bed, swinging hammock, a table, and a couple of chairs.  The beach was steps away and the service was top notch.  A server even brought me a beer while I was floating on a raft in the water.  It was spectacular.

 

Cheers.

 

Hello, I know that your post was months ago, but I hope that you will see this message. You said that you enjoyed crazy lobster, but if it was you and your wife only, you would go to Maya Chan? Please share why? Whats different between the two? Thanks

[woneill63]

Maya Chan was a romantic beach break type excursion, just my wife and I.  We had a nice private area to ourselves, with a hammock, thatched roof canopy, a couple of chairs, and a beach bed.  Fantastic service and great food, we really enjoyed it.

Krazy Lobster was very different.  We had a table 20 feet from the water, just hanging out with my guys, shots of tequila, loud music and carrying on.  The service and food were just as good, just a totally different atmosphere and vibe.  

 

[c-leg5]

On 9/5/2022 at 6:31 PM, blueslily said:

 

Hello, I know that your post was months ago, but I hope that you will see this message. You said that you enjoyed crazy lobster, but if it was you and your wife only, you would go to Maya Chan? Please share why? Whats different between the two? Thanks

The two places are significantly different but good in their own way.

 

Krazy Lobster is one if many bars along a shared beach along the malecon. It is a large popular beach club, PAYG, with reasonable food and drinks at good honest prices. It is 5-10 minutes from the port. It is OK for a short stop but not somewhere I like to relax for the day. There are other quieter  locations along the malecon. 

 

You can walk the length of the malecon and sample many different locations while you are there.

 

Maya Chan is an AI, isolated beach club 20-30 minutes from the port, depending on the state of the bumpy road. You pay an AI price for food, drinks and transport. It is a much quieter location, with no vendors and good service. It is popular with cruisers wanting a more relaxed day, protected from the hassle of vendors and the man-made port area.  We like to go for a change once in a while,  but port hours have to justify it.

[MississippiMom]

c-leg5,

What do you know about 40 canones?  That name seems to pop up, too.  I know we will be in Mexico, but I liked the fact that they offer Italian food, too, for those in the family who would like to try something different.

[crewsweeper]

40 Canones is the hotel at Pez Quadro

[c-leg5]

57 minutes ago, MississippiMom said:

c-leg5,

What do you know about 40 canones?  That name seems to pop up, too.  I know we will be in Mexico, but I liked the fact that they offer Italian food, too, for those in the family who would like to try something different.

 

17 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

40 Canones is the hotel at Pez Quadro

Yes Pez Quadro is the beach club.
 

Sorry, we probably haven’t been there in over 10 years and just ate at the hotel, but it always seems very lively and popular with the crew. Not sure it is Italian, but maybe there are several Italian owners along the malecon.

Edited September 7, 2022 by c-leg5