Maya Chan Beach Resort?

[castle701]

We were there the beginning of the month - You just grab a lifevest and leave right from the waters edge - there is no pier.

 

PS - YOU WILL LOVE IT THERE!:)

[CruisenGoddess]

Yes, you kayak directly from the beach.

[mainelycarib]

We just returned from Maya Chan, and can say it will always rank as one of our top excursions ever! Zach and David were our hosts for the day. Service, food, atmosphere, beauty, bike tour, drinks served in the ocean, diving, and the company were just fabulous. Over the top. What a way to enjoy Costa Maya!

[rpm]

As all the posts suggest, Maya Chan is an outstanding place to spend the day. Lots of photos spread through the various threads, but I thought it might be useful to have a central place for others to post photo gallery links and gets a quick hit via the Search button.

 

Here are my two pixels to get it started:

 

http://www.ralphmawyerphotography.com/Travel/Caribbean/Maya-Chan-Beach-Costa-Maya/11873040_yfvGT#850314795_5FXY2

[Perfect Stranger]

It looks wonderful!

[bajathree]

We visited Maya Chan on 4/6/10 during our port stop on Liberty Of The Sea:

Maya Chan is the hidden gem of Costa Maya. Back in Dec when I was researching what to do in Costa Maya I started to read reviews of this new beach resort...the pix looked wonderful and the few reviews I could find were positive. I found their web-site and sent a e-mail out which was quickly responded to by Mark, the owner. We chatted back and forth a few times and I got a real good feel from him....so I booked my family. Being very active on Cruise Critic I immediately placed a post on my roll call about this place.....well it wasn't long before our entire roll call had Maya Chan booked out. WOW....what a find.... EVERYONE from our roll call absolutely LOVED this place. It is exactly how it looks on the web-site... WONDERFUL....drinks flow non-stop....food is excellent....activities included....BUT BEST OF ALL....THE STAFF!!!!!!! These guys are just incredible...there #1 concern is you....the guest. I can't talk highly enough about them. I have already booked Maya Chan for my upcoming port stop to Costa Maya via Allure Of The Seas.

Make sure to stuff the "Love Box" on the way out.....these guys absolutely deserve it and THANKS again for making our day spent with you guys the best day of our vacation.

[realmccoy]

Loved it, Loved it, Loved it! We didn't want to leave. This was by far our best excursion on our 2-week B2B! Our time was limited (only had 4 hours) but it was still well worth it. While snorkeling we saw starfish bigger than my hand, sea urchins, sting rays, lobster and fish of all colors. Had a great time ;)

[maja]

I know there are loads of threads on Maya Chan & it's been great reading!

 

Can someone please tell me if they only serve tacos? Any other choice?

 

Also, some in my group have difficulty walking in sand. How user friendly are the grounds? I know this is a silly question if visiting a beach but I'm sure they want to come as long as they can find a nice spot with not too much walking to relax for the day.

[Perfect Stranger]

They certainly serve more than tacos.

[maja]

They certainly serve more than tacos.

 

can you tell me what's offered? thanks

[Perfect Stranger]

Lots of good info on their website.

 

http://www.costamayabeachresort.com/costa-maya-resort-information/costa-maya-restaurant.html

[LaurieCM]

They grill fish, chicken, and steak. You can eat it sliced as a frajito- soft taco wraps or use a knife and fork. There are some side dishes. When you arrive you get a very fresh fruit cup and then later guaqamole and chips. You will love this place- peaceful. People make whatever kind of day they want of it- sunning and sports; fun and friendly; relaxing with massages; or hitting the bar; and sometimes, all of the above!;)

[maja]

They grill fish, chicken, and steak. You can eat it sliced as a frajito- soft taco wraps or use a knife and fork. There are some side dishes. When you arrive you get a very fresh fruit cup and then later guaqamole and chips. You will love this place- peaceful. People make whatever kind of day they want of it- sunning and sports; fun and friendly; relaxing with massages; or hitting the bar; and sometimes, all of the above!;)

 

thank you!

the reason I need details is that I'm putting together a group & I know they will ask questions...........especially about the food.

[muffyn]

I have read other posts on this & seen pictures where there was tons of seaweed al lover the beach.. comments? is this often

??

[CruisenGoddess]

Muffyn: Seaweed happens, but when Maya Chan has it, they hire locals to remove it.

[LaurieCM]

There is a nice old man who rakes the beach. There are clumps of seagrass in the water, they say the seagrass became more prevalent after the last hurricane. It is easy to swim around and avoid, although as a beginner kayaker, I rowed right into a bed and Mark had to wade out and pull me loose. It sounds kind of icky, but it is natural and not a big problem. While in the water, it doesn't concern you, unless you are like me and detour right into a bed of seagrass. ;)

[patseacruiser]

How did you snorkel here? Did you have to kayak out in order to do it? Unless you kayak out there I can't imagine swimming or snorkeling because it's about 2 feet deep as far as I could walk.

[LaurieCM]

You kayak out to the reef and hop out of your kayak- Preston teaches you how to get off and back on and if you have trouble getting back on, he helps you. One young lady in our group had some trouble and I yelled "Preston! Help!" Well, he was with the snorklers- his head came up, looked at me, I pointed, and he swam sooooo fast to the young lady and Boom! had her safely in her kayak! He was a hero to that girl and to me. She had gotten a little scared, although it wouldn't be a hard swim to get back to land.

[emilymad]

How do you get to Maya Chan? We are signed up for upcoming cruise but I seemed to have missed where you go to get transportation. I am assuming out of the pier area but then where?

[LaurieCM]

They will give you directions, but basically you walk through the dock area, through the parking lot, to the gate, walk down the block, and a person from Maya Chan will be there with a clipboard- you give your name and she puts you in a cab- it takes about 20-30 minutes to get there- interesting drive- lots of bumps- our cabs drove on the wrong side a lot to miss the potholes- and then you arrive and are in heaven. They will e-mail with directions shortly before you leave- we missed ours because our vacation started a week before the cruise. You can also ask them to send info early- we never thought of it. We loved it so much we went 2 weeks in a row.;)

[mafig]

How do you pay for this?

 

Deposit?

 

In full?

 

When you get there?

 

 

What about refunds if the ship misses the port?

 

What about any refund if the weather is bad?

 

 

:)

[LaurieCM]

You pay through Paypal at there website- you can contact Mark and Jane at costamayabeachresort.com and they will answer all your specific questions- they have had this day resort for quite a while and have gotten great marks for service- I'm sure all kinds of things have happened with weather and late ships, so just ask them. These are nice people.;)

[Jewelfine]

If your ship misses the port then they will refund your money. It was one of the best days we had on our cruise in March. In my mind it was worth the money!.

 

this was our experience

http://www.excellent-vacation-ideas.com/costa-maya-mexico.html

I hope it helps you choose. I would book early though as this hidden gem is quickly becoming popular!

[nhpilgrim]

Your reviews on Maya Chan convinced me to do some research on their website and it looks perfect! We've stayed on the Mayan Riviera several times so we are familiar with the seagrass...no big deal for us!

 

I just booked it with Mark who promptly and graciously answered my questions and couldn't have been more friendly or helpful.

 

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and we look forward to our day at Maya Chan in August. We'll be there August 12th. on the Carnival Dream. Cruise Critic ROCKS!!

[tray]

Does anyone know what time Maya Chan closes? We are in port from 12-7.....so we'd like to stay until 5 or so!! If our itinerary says 12-7 does that really mean 11-6??? I get so confused by this stuff!!