Update on Krazy Lobster at Costa Maya

[Moondoggy51]

I wanted to post an update regarding Krazy Lobster at Costa Maya.  We went there as no ship excursion sounded interesting and I received numerous recommendations to go there here on Cruise Critic.  Based on what I read here and on the internet I expected the area to have lounge chairs adjacent to the beach itself but was disappointed.  When we arrived on March 4, 2024 we found the beach to be heavily eroded and the beach was lined with large rocks and sandbags.  To get to the water you had to go 60 yards or more to gain access.  When we arrived the servers were more than happy to take our drink and food orders and I hoped that they would be very attentive but that wasn't the case as many times we had to get their attention to get drink refills.  Although the food was very tasty, I would say that the place was overrated and that a better time could have been had at the beach next to the port. 

[cacruisin]

Thank you for this information, this is our plan too for Costa Maya in a few weeks so appreciate the review.

 

PS...this post will likely get moved over to the Costa Maya board.

Edited March 12 by cacruisin

[ninjacat123]

49 minutes ago, Moondoggy51 said:

I wanted to post an update regarding Krazy Lobster at Costa Maya.  We went there as no ship excursion sounded interesting and I received numerous recommendations to go there here on Cruise Critic.  Based on what I read here and on the internet I expected the area to have lounge chairs adjacent to the beach itself but was disappointed.  When we arrived on March 4, 2024 we found the beach to be heavily eroded and the beach was lined with large rocks and sandbags.  To get to the water you had to go 60 yards or more to gain access.  When we arrived the servers were more than happy to take our drink and food orders and I hoped that they would be very attentive but that wasn't the case as many times we had to get their attention to get drink refills.  Although the food was very tasty, I would say that the place was overrated and that a better time could have been had at the beach next to the port. 

That's too bad about the beach.  Both times I have been there, the beach was sandy and accessible. I hope The Krazy Lobster can repair their beach soon.

[TravelBluebird]

Thank you for this information on Krazy Lobster! Sad to hear that the beach has eroded  that much and that the service was not stellar.  Hope the beach can be fixed!

[Moondoggy51]

15 minutes ago, cacruisin said:

Thank you for this information, this is our plan too for Costa Maya in a few weeks so appreciate the review.

 

PS...this post will likely get moved over to the Costa Maya board.

Glad to help.  I also received several recommendations for Maya Chans but they charge $79.00 per person in advance for free food and drink but they're 30 minutes from the terminal and I was afraid that if the weather was bad we wouldn't be able to cancel and get a refund.  Note that had it not been for the erosion issue that blocked access to the gulf I think it might have been an good time but it certainly didn't meet my expectations.

 

[jimbo5544]

We were there last November.  I was a little under the weather and stayed under the thatched roofs.  Some in our party did swim, but I do not remember anything positive or negative.  I have never been super impressed with the beaches in that area anyway.

[ninjacat123]

I contacted the owner/manager today. Are these the sandbags you referenced?

[2021BoatCruiser]

We have done the excursions at Costa Maya but always go to Krazy Lobster. We are very good friends with the owner Maruizo

His employees are always close by and they are always dealing with the seaweed that washes ashore at their beach. Our main complaint with this area is the constant barrage of merchants selling cigars and trinkets coming through. There is an opening to access their beach. If you expect lounge chairs expect to pay extra.

[Moondoggy51]

Here's the problem from my perspective.  After getting a number of recommendations from folks here on Cruise Critic, I went out to Trip Advisor and viewed some of the 768 photos of Krazy Lobster and the attached is a representative photo of the area that I assumed we would find.  As you can see the water was crystal clear, plenty of beach area and lounge chairs with the dining tables in the background.  What we found was a beach in the second photo with no sandy beach or lounge chairs and rickety set of stairs as your access to the water.  The second picture was listed previously in this thread by 2021BoatCruiser (thank you) and we were seated even further away from the steps than what's pictured.  If you look at the pictures on Trip Advisor I don't recall seeing any picture that 2021BoatCruiser provided so people trying to make decisions can get a false impression of reality and had I seen a picture of a rocky shoreline with sandbags I may have made a different decision to go there.  Don't get me wrong, the food was very tasty and affordable and had the beach been as projected in the first photo I would have been very pleased.

[DesertSons]

We were just in Costa Maya last week, March 15th.  My son and I decided to wing it at the beaches close to the port.  Our taxi dropped us at the North end of the Malecon and attempted to get us to purchase a beach pass to the Krazy Lobster or the place next to it (can't remember the name).  I had seen many mixed reviews about the different beach clubs so I wasn't sure where we would end up so we just said we wanted to walk the Malecon. I'm so glad we did that because everything on the north end was crowded and the beach/beach access wasn't great!  

 

We walked down the Malecon and found Pez Quadro Beach Club - which was lovely.  I would highly recommend checking it out if you are looking for a decent beach with less noise and people traffic.  The day pass is $20 per person but we negotiated $15 pp since we were only going to be there for 3 hours.  They offered us a food and beverage menu but did not pressure us to order anything.  After swimming for a while, we ordered lunch which they delivered to our beach lounger - YAY!  The cost was around $22 US for 2 quesadillas con pollo, fresh guac and chips, and 2 sodas.  Best deal we had all week and it was delicious!  

 

I've attached a "REAL" photo from our visit so you can see what the beach & access looks like at Pez Quadro.  Hope this helps! 

[c-leg5]

Glad you enjoyed your day.

 

I am a little confused- I have never heard of Krazy Lobster charging for a day pass it has always been PAYG and it is a long way from the north end. Sounds like the taxi was trying to get you to go somewhere else? Although I am not aware of the north end being busy either (by the lighthouse?) - are you sure you weren’t dropped in the middle?

 

I have never seen Pez Quardro that quiet! You were lucky!  It isn’t somewhere I would generally consider quiet with less noise and traffic unless things have changed considerably since Covid. Are you saying $20pp was just for access  and loungers with no food and drink credit? It has always been a more expensive location for cruisers. It offers incentives to the cruise staff so is usually lively.
 

Food and drink have been good but we have only used the restaurant as it is generally too loud and busy on the beach and I thought they only sold packages. Good to know you can buy food and drink separately there too. They appear to have new lounge beds from the usual photos.

 

Since this is fundamentally a Krazy Lobster thread you probably should have started a new thread or found an appropriate Pez Quadro thread to update.

 

 

[ninjacat123]

The owner/manager of The Krazy Lobster messaged me saying there is no day pass charge. He posted this flyer.

[c-leg5]

4 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

The owner/manager of The Krazy Lobster messaged me saying there is no day pass charge. He posted this flyer.

Exactly I am sure the taxi was trying to get a kick back. @DesertSons was unclear about the location which makes it misleading to post on this thread.

[DesertSons]

I was honestly not trying to be misleading with my post and I'm truly sorry if it felt that way.  I was just sharing what we experienced and what we were told when visiting last week (Mar 15, 2024). The taxi driver handed us off to a gentleman who said he was taking us to the Krazy Lobster where we could have lunch and spend the day at the beach.  He sat us at a table on the beach directly in front of the Krazy Lobster and told us it was $15 pp for a day pass to use the loungers/wifi/showers at the beach OR complimentary if we ate at the restaurant.  He then called the waiter over to us who gave us menus.  After assessing the amenities and large crowds, we decided to try to find someplace with a nicer beachfront. 

 

After reading your replies @c-leg5 and @injacat123, 

1.I looked at the place marker I added to my map at dropoff and it looks like we were a little closer to the middle when considering the full beach to the lighthouse.  Sorry about that.

 

2. It's entirely possible we were misled by the person who took us to the table as we didn't verify any of this with the waiter as we decided to leave before he came back to take our order.  Perhaps you could alert the Krazy Lobster to look into this as the person who sat us definitely made it sound like he was representing the restaurant!!

 

3. To answer your questions about Pez Quadro - they were "asking" $20 pp for the day which included the use of their loungers, WiFi, paddleboards/kayaks (they had 2 of each), bathrooms, and showers. (We asked if they would take $15 pp and they said yes.)  Food & bev was optional but was significantly discounted for beach pass users. Quesadilla con Pollo: Restaruant = $12 US.  On the Beach = $6.50 US.

 

I can verify the crowds were significantly less the further we walked down the Malecon.  The same goes for the # and aggressiveness of the vendors who approached us on the beach.  

 

We were only there for one day so it's entirely possible we "got lucky" at Pez Quadro, but for us, it was completely worth $15/$20 pp to get away from the bigger crowds and be only 10 min from the cruise port. Costa Maya was my favorite port and I'm hoping to go back and spend some real time in this area.

[ninjacat123]

Very interesting!  Thanks for the details.👍

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, DesertSons said:

I was honestly not trying to be misleading with my post and I'm truly sorry if it felt that way.  I was just sharing what we experienced and what we were told when visiting last week (Mar 15, 2024). The taxi driver handed us off to a gentleman who said he was taking us to the Krazy Lobster where we could have lunch and spend the day at the beach.  He sat us at a table on the beach directly in front of the Krazy Lobster and told us it was $15 pp for a day pass to use the loungers/wifi/showers at the beach OR complimentary if we ate at the restaurant.  He then called the waiter over to us who gave us menus.  After assessing the amenities and large crowds, we decided to try to find someplace with a nicer beachfront. 

 

After reading your replies @c-leg5 and @injacat123, 

1.I looked at the place marker I added to my map at dropoff and it looks like we were a little closer to the middle when considering the full beach to the lighthouse.  Sorry about that.

 

2. It's entirely possible we were misled by the person who took us to the table as we didn't verify any of this with the waiter as we decided to leave before he came back to take our order.  Perhaps you could alert the Krazy Lobster to look into this as the person who sat us definitely made it sound like he was representing the restaurant!!

 

3. To answer your questions about Pez Quadro - they were "asking" $20 pp for the day which included the use of their loungers, WiFi, paddleboards/kayaks (they had 2 of each), bathrooms, and showers. (We asked if they would take $15 pp and they said yes.)  Food & bev was optional but was significantly discounted for beach pass users. Quesadilla con Pollo: Restaruant = $12 US.  On the Beach = $6.50 US.

 

I can verify the crowds were significantly less the further we walked down the Malecon.  The same goes for the # and aggressiveness of the vendors who approached us on the beach.  

 

We were only there for one day so it's entirely possible we "got lucky" at Pez Quadro, but for us, it was completely worth $15/$20 pp to get away from the bigger crowds and be only 10 min from the cruise port. Costa Maya was my favorite port and I'm hoping to go back and spend some real time in this area.

I guess some of the confusion was caused by you saying you were taken to Krazy Lobster or the bar next to it that you cannot remember the name. Bars build their reputation on word of mouth. Krazy Lobster has taken over a vast frontage in Mahahual since cruising resumed perhaps you thought it was another bar (from old signs) when they had actually taken it over?
 

However there are also bars along the malecon that are renowned to be shady, running scams and overcharging so it is courteous to be accurate and not cast vague accusations or misinformation, intentional or not. Also you are now saying there was actually a “$15 charge, or complimentary access with purchase of food or drink”. This is  completely understandable and acceptable but different from implying Krazy Lobster charges a fee to use their facilities which in essence is what Pez Quadro was doing. I can well imagine Krazy Lobster may have this policy to prevent people using their tables, chairs,  loungers, WiFi and restrooms for free but it is different to charging a “day pass fee” or even an “additional facility fee”  for loungers.
 

It is good to know there is a PAYG option at Pez Quadro, even if you did have to pay a siginificant amount for loungers in addition. Here is a link to their website and what they claim to be their beach packages which are expensive even by Mahahual standards.

https://www.pezquadrocostamaya.com

 

Cruisers will be pleased to know there may be a PAYG option.

 

 

 

[Cuckoo7]

On 3/13/2024 at 10:07 AM, Moondoggy51 said:

Here's the problem from my perspective.  After getting a number of recommendations from folks here on Cruise Critic, I went out to Trip Advisor and viewed some of the 768 photos of Krazy Lobster and the attached is a representative photo of the area that I assumed we would find.  As you can see the water was crystal clear, plenty of beach area and lounge chairs with the dining tables in the background.  What we found was a beach in the second photo with no sandy beach or lounge chairs and rickety set of stairs as your access to the water.  The second picture was listed previously in this thread by 2021BoatCruiser (thank you) and we were seated even further away from the steps than what's pictured.  If you look at the pictures on Trip Advisor I don't recall seeing any picture that 2021BoatCruiser provided so people trying to make decisions can get a false impression of reality and had I seen a picture of a rocky shoreline with sandbags I may have made a different decision to go there.  Don't get me wrong, the food was very tasty and affordable and had the beach been as projected in the first photo I would have been very pleased.

 

 

We almost didn't go to Krazy Lobster after I saw this but decided to do so anyway because the port area was so crowded.

 

The beach area definitely looks like the second picture, but we were seated in an area with both a table/palapa and loungers right in front. I think it was kind of where the boats are above.  Drinks were a bit weak (as they usually are at these kinds of places), but we had a blast.  Lobster nachos were tasty, and the shade was perfect.

 

We had only two complaints.  First, lobster nachos are actually not on the menu, so we asked how much they'd be.  We were told 25, but we were charged 30.  The server was apologetic but said his boss wouldn't fix it.

 

Also, the bathrooms are downright disgusting.  As Ace Ventura would say, "Do NOT go in there."

[c-leg5]

37 minutes ago, Cuckoo7 said:

We had only two complaints.  First, lobster nachos are actually not on the menu, so we asked how much they'd be.  We were told 25, but we were charged 30.  The server was apologetic but said his boss wouldn't fix it.

 

Also, the bathrooms are downright disgusting.  As Ace Ventura would say, "Do NOT go in there

$5 seems excessive but we have had $2 added to our check and was told it was a “kitchen” tip ( like Royal Caribbean’s “behind the scenes gratuity”). No big deal we just adjust the top accordingly. 
 

I agree about the bathrooms and have just had a discussion about this on another thread! However it has to be noted that since Krazy Lobster has taken over several lots there are several restroom locations belonging to them. Similarly there are different areas of the beach to sit some more accessible than others. It spans a wide frontage now. Most restrooms on the malecon leave a lot to be desired. Malecon21 has been one of the better ones.

[c-leg5]

On 3/12/2024 at 3:15 PM, Moondoggy51 said:

  Although the food was very tasty, I would say that the place was overrated and that a better time could have been had at the beach next to the port. 

where exactly is the beach next to the port? 
 

Has someone re-opened the “hole-in-the -wall”? I am surprised @crewsweeper hasn’t notified us of this if it is true! 

[crewsweeper]

17 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

where exactly is the beach next to the port? 
 

Has someone re-opened the “hole-in-the -wall”? I am surprised @crewsweeper hasn’t notified us of this if it is true! 

@Moondoggy51 might be referring to the small beach at the port. I know that there was nothing happening to the old beach at Cha Chi back in January. The guy with the lease/ownership refuses to sell.

[Dan G]

just came home last week and went to the beach club next to Crazy lobster.  I have to tell you that food and drink was very reasonable but the server did try to rip me off by adding tax and a service charge to my $24 bill.  I just told her that in MX all taxes have to be included and I would tip myself.  No problem, she reduced the $40 bill back to $24, but you need to know the rules.  I also found a beach massage for $20 for 60 minutes which was way better than what the ship charged.

[c-leg5]

10 hours ago, Dan G said:

just came home last week and went to the beach club next to Crazy lobster.  I have to tell you that food and drink was very reasonable but the server did try to rip me off by adding tax and a service charge to my $24 bill.  I just told her that in MX all taxes have to be included and I would tip myself.  No problem, she reduced the $40 bill back to $24, but you need to know the rules.  I also found a beach massage for $20 for 60 minutes which was way better than what the ship charged.

Which beach club did you go to?

[ninjacat123]

2 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Which beach club did you go to?

That’s what I paid for a 60 minute massage at Krazy Lobster😀

[Dan G]

I really don't know but there are many and most wanted $15 for a chair but it wasn't busy.  I just ate and enjoyed the sunshine.  I was near the boats for the dive shop.