Costa Maya is a joke

[billyblackfin]

Just got back from the Radiance of the seas and one of the ports was Costa Maya. This place is a Mexican wasteland. It appears to me that the cruise industry built this port and is renting it out to locals to run there shops , Kind of like a big mall. Just comming from cozumel before getting there my wife and I kind of knew the prices on things and where shocked to see people not hesitating to spend six dollars a gram on silver that they could have bought in cozumel at a dollar a gram ( even worse rccl letting there cruisers get gouged like this). Also, We took the Beach break tour from the ship. This is the one with the open bar,paddleboats and kayaks. Well, at the open bar the drinks where so watered down that I think they where even watering down the water. There is ONE paddle boat yes ONE. There is seven kayaks with enough paddles for five ( i Guess you can use your hands). The only food there is for purchase but at fair prices so bring cash and EVERYONE has there hand out for a tip EVERYONE all day long.
I wish RCCL would continue down the extra 20 miles to Belize.

 

[cruiseonly4me]

I have to admit, the area near the dock did not have very good prices, and the vendors were very very pushy. If you dock at Costa Maya before Cozumel....please save your money for Cozumel! You will get better deals there. When we docked there in Jan 2002 on the Celebrity Zenith, we took the tour to the Mayan ruins, and that was very informative. But the drive on the bus from the cruiseship to the ruins took almost an hour each way, and there was absolutely nothing to see along the way, but wasteland and a few huts with very poor people hanging around it. I hope at least that these people will reap some economical reward from the visiting cruiseships.
Helen

 

[nitrogenaddict]

I am a foreigner with one specific business in mind that would not interest 95% of you cruisers. What I would like to do is help you if you are going to visit Costa Maya? There is a lot of hype and misleading information around. What you need to know is that Costa Maya is a new port trying to get on the cruise circuit. They have done their best to make it worthwhile to visit.

There are A LOT OF things to do outside the cruise ship itinerary but if you are a little adventurous you might discover something outside your normal everyday lives.

Mahahual was a forgotten fishing village in Mexico for 100 + years. Then the politicians realised that after Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum we had Costa Maya. Another opportunity to take money from people; “ like every tourist area in the world, “ and I have been in them, Seychelles, Mauritius, Algarve Portugal, Costa Brava Spain, Aspen Colorado, Key Largo Florida, and so on.†Mahahual is very safe at the moment contrary to what they tell you on the ship. Crime is of the opportunist type. If you leave something unattended like anywhere else in the world then that is your problem. Most of the operators are safety conscious and offer lock ups for personal belongings.

Right so WHAT has Mahahual to offer-????
Tranquillity
Nice beaches
SOME souvenir shopping
Good bars
Good food (Not your American or European Standard though some do)
Parasailing
Wave runners
SCUBA Diving
Kayaking
Snorkelling Tours
Horse Riding
Quad Bike rides
Beach hugging
Swimming in the Caribbean

PLACES TO EAT

OXTANKHA. Mix between Mexican food and our food. Their speciality is CEVICHE . So what is ceviche????? Raw conch with prawns and maybe octopus marinated in limejuice, with tomato and onion and cilantro, the served with tostadas chips. The best in the village.

TAPAS BAR

A bar that specialises in seafood and other local delicacies. Run by an Italian and Argentinean -. They have a bar with a beach eating area very nice in the centre of the town.

Captitan Mono
They offer local food but not always the right quantity and quality. (This is from personal experience). Aside from that the food is good.

GOING AWAY FROM THE CENTRE NOW (but I mean you who are always used to driving cars to the corner stop), maybe 200 yards to 500 yards. Are more places to see and those who are prepared to go further?

Genuine Tacos like Mama makes, or quesadillas, empanadas like they should be made: - 150 yards before the small pier is a restaurant called “EL ZENITHâ€Â. They make the best Tacos in the whole of Mahahual, plus the rest of real Mexican food as you read about it.

Past the pier you the start to get the European influence. 400 + yards is the two Italian run restaurants. You want good pizza (but be prepared to wait as they have been in Mexico and they are genuine Italians – time means nothing). It could be 30 minutes to get your pizza but it is worth the wait. They also offer seafood dishes and of course the normal pastas.

Therefore, what is there: -?

TIROVINO On cruise ship days they offer refreshments, beer, alcohol, food of a high standard.

Luna De PLATA Another Italian Restaurant that offers during the day pizza and pasta.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Scuba Diving With Blue Ha Diving or Bucanero del Caribe. Local reef diving and resort courses.

Horse Riding 2 companies offer this. One offers a tour with lunch the other is just rent the horse.

Parasailing. One company offers parasailing at 55 USD for a 15 minute ride. There is only one company at the moment that offers it.

Wave Runners. 45 USD per half hour or 70 USD per hour Each machine can carry 2 persons
3 company’s in the town offer wave runners. They do not have a lot of them so be early to book if you want playing a surf cowboy.

Snorkelling tours: - 20 USD per person
3 companies offer these tours in the center of the town. 2 of these companies have booths at the cruise ship pier. The other company at the moment cannot afford the exorbitant fee to be at the pier. The tours are one & half hours each to a beautiful part of the reef with lifejackets and all of the equipment. One company is hygienically minded and offers a new snorkel to every new guest.

Okay cruisers as and when Costa Maya changes and has more to offer I will be updating as regularly as I can. If you want personal information please email me at bluehadiving@hotmail.com

Pleas do not email 1 day before you leave, as I will not have time to reply to anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Raven]

I will readily agree with Nitrogenaddict - once you get out and beyond the port area itself you will find a very enjoyable area - UNLESS you expect to find a Cozumel or Cancun-like atmosphere. This is NOT those places - this is more like Old Mexico and it's a real pleasant experience if you want to accept it as such.

We were there 2 years ago and rented bikes and rode to Majahaul. Wonderful sleepy town that was just getting sewer and water service installed in town. Restaurants and the food are wonderful. Ask to see the seafood menu and they bring out a platter of what the fishermen just brought in this morning. Volleyball nets tied to the palm trees on the beach. some streetside vendors. The pace is slow there - and nice. I spoke English to one of the locals on the street and he answered in Spanish and we almost even understood each other and both got a laugh...lol

I'm always mystified when I see that people don't like this port. I think it's all about expectations.

 

[belgique]

Thanks for the 2 above posts! Sometimes we get a negative image of a place just because it did not appeal to a few people. One of my pet peeves is that people expect to have things "just like home" - then, why not stay home?

I was once at the San Blas Islands, in April, and it was HOT! I enjoyed the little islands very much and respected the people and their culture. Tendering back to the ship, everyone was complaining about the heat and that continued on the elevator. I was sick of their carping!

When the elevator stopped at my deck, before I got out (and knew I could make a quick getaway before the doors closed), I turned around and said, "Hey guys, it's April, we're near the Equator - it's hot! Maybe you should consider an Alaska cruise!"

Posts like yours tell the real story of these wonderful little places and might encourage some people to open their minds - who knows? they might even enjoy it!

Should I have an opportunity to visit Costa Maya, I will certainly take your advice and explore and enjoy.

Thanks!

 

[belgique]

Hey, where did that little hot guy come from? I didn't put it there - don't know how! It's great! Do some words automatically turn into fun things?

Who's the elf who does that?

 

[bikevegas]

We have stopped at Costa Maya twice in the last year and we enjoyed our stops tremendously. Visited the ruins once and just laid out by the beach the other time . I guess it just depends on what you are looking for!:USA:AL

 

[frito]

Nitorgenaddict, thanks for taking all the time to make your informative post.

I have been to Costa Maya a couple of times and would like to go back. No, it's not another St. Thomas, Cozumel or St. Martin ( thank god ). It offers free folk dances and shows , a free, modern pool right in the shopping area, tours to the countryside to Mayan ruins, etc. There is quite a bit to see and do if one will open their mind and not expect every place they go to to be like the suburbs at home.

 

[jrsygrl]

The absolute BEST bloody mary I have ever had in my entire life was sitting at the bar at the pier in Costa Maya.........I will go back anyday!

 

[belgique]

jrsygrl: You're my kind of woman - the best way to judge a place is by the Bloody Mary's! At the golf club I manage, I make the bar manager try every combination known to man for the best mix around. He dreads it when I come back from a cruise because he knows it's "experiment time".

Sounds like a good reason to go to Costa Maya!

 

[Colo Cruiser]

It is too bad that most people get a very bad impression from being mobbed at the shops that you are funneled through when stepping off the pier. You have to make something positive out of the experience. Hopefully with time things will improve. If they dont the cruise lines will continue to get negative reviews on their comment cards.