Maya Chan Beach Resort?

[buckeyes #1]

My wife and i are trying to pick a few excursion prior to our New Years cruise aboard the Norwegian Spirit, departing New Orleans 12/27/09.

 

I am trying to decide whether to go to Maya Chan Beach, book with the cruise on their beach getaway excursion, or just wing it and cab it into Majahaul and find a beach club.

 

I've also tried to find more people on roll call so that i can get a better rate by pairing up (whether on it be Maya Chan or another port excursion) ; but haven't been very successful yet.

 

So any experiences / opinions / pros cons that would help my decision would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

[CruisenGoddess]

We recently did a Cruise Critic independent shore excursion with members from our cruise to Maya Chan Beach – all-inclusive. Drinks, food, snorkeling, biking, kayaking and relaxing in a gorgeous tranquil surrounding with round trip transportation. Also if you bring your laptop you can connect to the Internet or they’ll let you use one of theirs.

 

 

The owner is Mark who lives in San Diego and he is an avid cruiser who bought this property two years ago and opened October 2009. His wife did all the landscaping – beautiful and his son Mark lives on the property and bartends. Mark and his wife reside in San Diego, but find they are at Maya Chan three weeks out of the month. Mark’s goal was to have a day resort that cruisers such as himself would want to go and get away from the mass crowds from the cruise lines – well Mark you did great!

Preston picked us up just outside the gate at the port. We had two taxis’s take us to the property, which is on the southern side of Majahual.

 

 

When we arrived they had a sign outside “Welcome Jewel” and Resort Full no walk-ins today”. The entrance was so inviting that you couldn’t wait to step in to see what awaits you behind the fence. As you walk into the property you realize you are in a tropical oasis as your mind starts to commute to you that R E L A X I N G begins a few steps away.

 

We step inside the bar/dining palapa where they had rum punch welcome drinks and then Preston showed us to our group’s palapa. In our palapa they had two extra large comfy loungers with pillows and a hammock and Adirondack type chairs you could see the ship from their beach, but your senses tell you you’re in paradise.

Drinks were plentiful and whatever you wanted they had a very large selection.

Preston took 6 people out at a time on kayaks to the reef where you can snorkel. They had a storm the day before so it wasn’t as clear as it could be.

Food was awesome and they had the most fabulous grilled Sea Bass I’ve ever tasted. I think everyone enjoyed the food immensely.

As the day drew near its end they had two taxis waiting for us to take us back to the port. The taxi was allowed inside the gate so the walk back to the ship wasn’t as long of a walk.

 

 

I told Mark I’d write a ‘good’ review, but I’m not – sorry Mark ;)

Maya Chan is awesome and if you don’t make your reservation early you’re going to miss out on something so special. They only allow 30 people per day; so reserve early and if you get a group together you’ll get a better price.

 

Spending the day at Maya Chan was the highlight of our cruise - we'll definitely be back!

 

Here's some webshots of Maya Chan

http://travel.webshots.com/album/575947454bsfYnq

 

and here's a link to their website

http://www.mayachanbeach.com/

[jtmalt]

Thanks for the detailed review! It's always helpful to see reviews from experienced cruisers and long-time members, especially when looking at fairly new shore excursion opportunity.

[Shep_Proudfoot]

Great to see such a positive review, going there in February and really looking forward to it!!

[Tahlulla-Hula]

Thanks for your review and photos! Iknew we made the right excursion choice and you just confirmed it. I am addicted to their webcam and can't wait to be there in a little less than 3 weeks!!!

[oliver21]

please let me know haw the water is in Maya Chan...I will be booking for January thanks

[PA Cruisers2]

We are looking for something to do in Costa Maya (not a ship excursion) and Maya Chan Beach sounds great. We will have our two grandchildren along who love to swim. Is the sea grass out a little ways from the shore, or will the kids be swimming in it. They are 7 & 8 and are great swimmers, but the grass may freak my granddaughter out. There would be 6 of us, so we could get one of those discounts! :D

 

Thanks for any info.

[razorsedge]

My girlfriend and I went to Maya Chan Dec. 17. We loved it! Right off the bat, they take care of the transportation so you don't get screwed by a sleazy taxi driver. When we got there, we were served fresh fruit and rum punch. The food was delicious authentic Mexican food- incredible steak, sea bass, and chicken tacos. The open bar was great- the margaritas were made with fresh real fruit, and there was every type of liquor you could want (lots of beer too). The kayaking and snorkeling was a lot of fun. The palapas and pergolas were really comfortable/romantic. The staff was really friendly.

 

Next time we're in Costa Maya, we will definitely be going back.

[seastheday]

I echo all the positive sentiments about Maya Chan and will add....

 

WISH I WAS THERE EATING LUNCH RIGHT NOW! :D

 

PS...I would add that yes, there was sea grass in the water when we were there, but the water is very clear and you can see the spots where the sea grass is, and avoid it easily. I've seen worse at the beaches on Florida's gulf coast, depending on what the weather had been, to the point that I get out of the water looking like a sea creature myself! No such problem at Maya Chan.

[Catfishhhh@aol.com]

We are so ready to go. We made reservations for 13, 19-65 yrs old, with Mark and will be there on the Voyager second week of January. Can't wait. Will give you a detailed review when we get back.:eek:

[CruisenGoddess]

I'm so glad you liked the review and pictures - Maya Chan is so nice and in honesty I give it a 10+ and wish I was there now!

 

As for sea grass - Yes we had sea grass up on the beach the day we were there, however they had a storm the night before and that is what caused it. Mark had hired workers clearing it up, but you have to keep in mind that in Mexico they don't rush doing anything - sea grass...heck it's part of nature, something you just have to deal with sometimes it's there other times it's not.

[pullbangdead]

EXCELLENT place. Highly recommended. The open bar and food were great, that sea bass was the best fish I have ever eaten, it just melted in your mouth. And it wasn't some small open bar, they had some top shelf tequilas and plenty of selection, even Johnny Walker and Irish coffee if you're so inclined. I stuck to Corona with lime myself, my wife loved the rum punch, and the caipiroska (the bartender just called it his "vodka special") was very tasty when I tried it.

 

And the free internet on their laptop was very convenient. We uploading a quick photo from our camera, and sent e-postcards to our families while we were there on Christmas Eve. It's a great touch and a great alternative to the expensive internet on the ship if you need to do anything online.

 

The sea grass? Yeah, but it's only the first few feet of the water. Just take a few more steps, and by the time the water is up to your knees, you'll be out of the sea grass and walking on sand again It's literally just the shallowest few feet of water. Just take a floating lounger out there with a frozen margarita or rum punch, and it's awesome.

[Maureen4]

We went to Maya Chan last week and I would have to say it was the best day of our cruise. The staff is fantastic, the drinks were great too. Preston took care of our cruise critic group all day making sure we had everything we wanted. He is a great guy. We went bike riding and kyacking is also available. I hung out in the water most of the day. The beach is fine. There's a man raking the sea grass away all day to keep the beach clean. Crazy. The food was also great and plenty of it. Great fish, beef and chicken tacos with all the fixens. This was all for $45 (we had a group) which included taxis both ways. So relax have a great day and say hi from Maureen for me!

 

Take me back!

[PA Cruisers2]

Thanks everyone for your reviews of Maya Chan. We booked it and were the last ones to get in for 1/28/10 (6 of us). I will tell them that there were rave reviews from all their Cruise Critic Fans. :D

 

Can't wait to order a pina colada and just relax in the tropical breezes. It's been in the teens here in PA at night and snow flurries every day.

 

I looked at their web cam and saw waves braking out aways from the beach. Is that where you would kayak out to snorkle on the reef? I'm so excited. Thanks again everyone for all your help.

[CruisenGoddess]

I looked at their web cam and saw waves braking out aways from the beach. Is that where you would kayak out to snorkle on the reef?

 

Yes

 

Have a great time!

[castle701]

Anyone familiar with their cancellation policy and deposit policy - did not find it on their website.

[olivermax]

Thank you for all the reviews. I am going in February on the Independence and it is my husbands first cruise. I found this resort on-line and now I know I will make reservations. It sounds like a great day.

:D

[castle701]

Any idea how long before they get back to you - I emailed last evening...

[grey's girl]

Anyone familiar with their cancellation policy and deposit policy - did not find it on their website.

 

 

Not sure about cancellation but our deposit was $30 per person via PayPal. We'll pay the balance when we get there.

[castle701]

Not sure about cancellation but our deposit was $30 per person via PayPal. We'll pay the balance when we get there.

 

I am waiting back for response for date we are interested. How long before they got back to you?

[grey's girl]

I am waiting back for response for date we are interested. How long before they got back to you?

 

 

Not long...Mark's pretty fast. If he doesn't e-mail you tonight, chances are he will tomorrow.

[Name Of The Game]

We're thinking about using this resort as well. Most companies post their cancellation policy on the website so something tells me you'll lose if you cancel unless the ship doesn't dock there. I may be wrong....let us know what you find out.

[jtmalt]

We're thinking about using this resort as well. Most companies post their cancellation policy on the website so something tells me you'll lose if you cancel unless the ship doesn't dock there. I may be wrong....let us know what you find out.

 

I had written to Maya Chan in December, inquiring about the cancellation policy. This was Mark's response:

 

"Our cancellation policy is as follows: For any reason the ship doesn't dock, we refund 100%. If you cancel the reservation 30 days in advance, we refund you your deposit minus the paypal fee of 5%."

 

I presume within 30 days, you forfeit the deposit entirely, which seems fair to me.

[chilimixx]

Hi, I wonder if someone tell me how is snorkeling at Maya Chan... It's possible to see nice fishes? I understand that it's possible to snorkel very close to the shore, I'm I right?

 

Thank you in advance.

[lg662]

We are considering going to the Maya Chan Beach resort next month. Has anyone taken kids there? We have a 12 and 5 year old and I'm wondering if there is enough for them to do there. I'm also a bit concerned about the water. I understand there may be a large amount of seagrass in the water. I have also heard the water is not the lovely blue color we are used to in the caribbean. Can anyone comment on either of these two subjects?

 

Thanks!