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Tropicante...Do I need an advance reservation?

tocruzagain

By tocruzagain,
in Costa Maya

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tocruzagain

tocruzagain

Posted
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We will be in Costa Maya next month via the Dream and am wondering if we need any type of "reservation" to hang out at Tropicante for a few hours? There will be 6 of us in our group, but we will probably only need two or three chairs because we'll be in and out of the water swimming with the kids. Since this will be our last stop and short day I figured this sounded like a good mix of clear pretty water time, local food, drinks and a little local shopping.

 

Thanks for any info you can provide with this.

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#1TravelMom

#1TravelMom

Posted
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I'd definitely make a reservation. We were just there a few days ago and he was booked full. Steve is a great guy. Please know that he and his staff rely on your food and drink orders. He's glad to provide nice loungers, tables, and chairs, but I know they appreciate your patronage. We skipped breakfast and had and early lunch - YUMMY! I highly recommend the burritos, nachos, and quesadillas! Great way to experience local Mexican food.

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  • 1 month later...
thescot123

thescot123

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You can't go wrong by going to the Tropicante.

 

Just email Steve Uhl at steveuhl@sandalsandskis.com and tell him how many loungers to reserve. He operates an excellent place and can arrange all types of things from snorkel boats, diving etc.

 

I sent him an email yesterday to reserve for my Oct cruise and he sent an email back within 3 hours.

 

The taxis are just outside the gates of the cruise terminal near the Tequila factory. It should cost about $3 to get to Mahahual.

 

Enjoy as it is paradise and one of my most favorite stops.

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thescot123

thescot123

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Is there decent shore entry snorkeling at tropicante??

 

I have never seen anyone snorkel in front of the Tropicante . There is a reef nearby but only accessible by boat. Steve can arrange a snorkeling boat for about $25 for 1 hour . It leaves right next door .

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

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topspot

topspot

Posted
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I have never seen anyone snorkel in front of the Tropicante . There is a reef nearby but only accessible by boat. Steve can arrange a snorkeling boat for about $25 for 1 hour . It leaves right next door .

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Thanks for the info!!

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  • 2 weeks later...
chi_scotty

chi_scotty

Posted
Posted
We will be in Costa Maya next month via the Dream and am wondering if we need any type of "reservation" to hang out at Tropicante for a few hours? There will be 6 of us in our group, but we will probably only need two or three chairs because we'll be in and out of the water swimming with the kids. Since this will be our last stop and short day I figured this sounded like a good mix of clear pretty water time, local food, drinks and a little local shopping.

 

Thanks for any info you can provide with this.

 

We are going next Feb. on the NCL Epic - only her second stop there ever...

 

Everyone highly recommends going to the beach "boardwalk", even if the vendors do "hound" you a bit. Found this video on YouTube that the guy (Steve) that owns the Tropicante (also highly recommended) made - nice walk along the beach and introduces you to some of the nicer places to eat, drink, get a massage and souvenier!

 

 

Enjoy!!

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bamboo29

bamboo29

Posted
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We had a blast a Tropicante during our recent Dream cruise! I had contacted Steve Uhl, owner, a couple of months ago about reserving us 7 loungers. He sent me a detailed email with instructions for the best taxi service, etc. When we arrived at the port, we followed his instructions and were in a taxi within minutes. Five minutes later, we arrived at the taxi stand and one of Steve's employees was there waiting on us and walked us to the Tropicante. Steve immediately introduced himself and his staff and they absolutely were wonderful. Anything we wanted, they took care of us. One of my kids mentioned a kayak, and 10 minutes later, Chue brought him one. The only negative of the day was the short time in port, but that is Carnival's fault. We had 7 beach-side loungers, ice cold beer and some of the best Mexican food I've had in a very long time. Steve also has his own private label tequila and it is very smooth! The next time we go to Costa Maya, you better believe we'll be at the Tropicante!

How much was the use of kayak?

Edited by bamboo29
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trmom2

trmom2

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We were in Costa Maya on October 1 last week and had a great time. We emailed Steve the first week in August to reserve 2 lounge chairs for our 25th anniversary. He sent an email with detailed instructions on how to get out of the port area bypassing the vendors to get a taxi if you wanted. Warning: it is a long walk to do it this way. You can also catch a cab closer to the port for a few dollars more. After a short ride into town we stopped and it wasn't much to look at from the street side but a great guy was waiting for us with a blackboard labeled "Tropicante VIP's" with the names of those with reservations. (Sorry I can't remember their names) He took us to the beach side and we were very pleased. It was a beautiful beach and the chairs were very comfortable. Steve, the owner, came right over and explained how everything worked even what to do with the many vendors that go up and down the beach...just say No Gracias and they would walk away. The waitors wore Tropicante t-shirts so you could pick them out. The waitors were great, calling us by our first names and catering to us all day. We had many margaritas and beers along with quesadillas (which were the best), chips & salsa, and nachos. The bill at the end of the day was only $57 US dollars. They even came out with the bottle of agave liquor (their tequila) and we did a shot for our anniversary. They offerred a massage for $20 but we were happy to just relax. The water was a little dirty but they had a bad storm the week before which could be the reason...still cleaner than the northeast!

I highly recommend this place if you are looking for a great beach day and want to try local food and drinks.

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trmom2

trmom2

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There were a few families there and they seemed to have a good time. It was great that you could have chairs with umbrellas. You could order sodas and bottled water as well as alcoholic drinks.

I think any age group would be a good fit as you could reserve a table and chairs instead of loungers as well. Everyone was very friendly and wanted all to have a good time. Not rowdy at all when we went there but that I think that would depend on the ships in port. We were on a Disney ship and it was the only one in port.

Our kids are older but I would have definitely gone here when they were younger because the beach was so level and the water shallow.

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