Best beach?

[crewsweeper]

Go to Tropicante. 

www.sandalsandskis.com

 

Anywhere along the malecon you are going to be requested to buy something to drink or food to eat in order to use a lounger at that facility. 

The folks at Tropicante do not stand along the malecon and attempt to lure you into their beach area.  The food and drink are very reasonably priced. service is very good. 

 

Or hang out at the port's small "beach" and be forced to pay double for anything.

[karena1]

On 12/5/2018 at 10:48 PM, c-leg5 said:

 

Please report back - not many reviews for there.

Barefoot Beach Costa Maya - we really liked it!  8 minute cab ride and for 2-4 people it was $8 each way. We booked the beachclub through ShoreExcursioner dot com. They have different options but we did the All Inclusive for $78 total for the both of us.  When the cab dropped us off we were met by the Tipsy Turtle staff member and he walked us over to the hotel to pay the balance of our excursion.  We met our waitress for the day and she walked us down to the beach to get our loungers.  

 

Beach was very clean and lots of loungers to choose from. We chose loungers beach front. Beach front is not very wide, but I could easily take walks.  Water was crystal clear and not rough as they have floating booms  to keep the seaweed and rough water away.  

 

There are vendors, but that is just part of Mexico, you just say "No Thanks" and they leave.  We did not let the vendors deter from a great day.

 

Service was fantastic, waitress was there just enough.  I asked her to bring me some beers in a bucket and she did.  I had to ask for more ice, but that was it until I wanted more beer.  There were plenty of options for food included with the AI option.  I had the nachos and it was huge!  Very tasty, but I could not begin to eat it all.  Husband had a chicken burrito and the lady next to us had the shrimp one and another one had the burger.  All were good size portions.  So for the money we thought we totally got our money's worth for the day

 

When we were ready to leave, our waitress walked us out.  We tipped her a nice tip as she really took great care of us.  After we tipped her (she did not say anything about it before), she told us the beach staff do not get paid, they work strictly for tips, so we were glad we were generous.  

 

Once off the beach, the taxi drivers were plentiful and one asked us if we were ready and away we went.

 

I would totally recommend this for a beach day if you want a reasonable place close to the port that has nice water, good loungers and plenty of available choices for food/drink.

 

 

[BNBR]

For the price, I couldn't imagine trying to justify Barefoot Beach over Maya Chan. The poor trip advisor reviews seem to back that up, too.

 

I'm sure it was fine, but checking it out, its not even close to what you can get for a similar price. 

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, karena1 said:

Barefoot Beach Costa Maya - we really liked it!  8 minute cab ride and for 2-4 people it was $8 each way. We booked the beachclub through ShoreExcursioner dot com. They have different options but we did the All Inclusive for $78 total for the both of us.  When the cab dropped us off we were met by the Tipsy Turtle staff member and he walked us over to the hotel to pay the balance of our excursion.  We met our waitress for the day and she walked us down to the beach to get our loungers.  

 

Beach was very clean and lots of loungers to choose from. We chose loungers beach front. Beach front is not very wide, but I could easily take walks.  Water was crystal clear and not rough as they have floating booms  to keep the seaweed and rough water away.  

 

There are vendors, but that is just part of Mexico, you just say "No Thanks" and they leave.  We did not let the vendors deter from a great day.

 

Service was fantastic, waitress was there just enough.  I asked her to bring me some beers in a bucket and she did.  I had to ask for more ice, but that was it until I wanted more beer.  There were plenty of options for food included with the AI option.  I had the nachos and it was huge!  Very tasty, but I could not begin to eat it all.  Husband had a chicken burrito and the lady next to us had the shrimp one and another one had the burger.  All were good size portions.  So for the money we thought we totally got our money's worth for the day

 

When we were ready to leave, our waitress walked us out.  We tipped her a nice tip as she really took great care of us.  After we tipped her (she did not say anything about it before), she told us the beach staff do not get paid, they work strictly for tips, so we were glad we were generous.  

 

Once off the beach, the taxi drivers were plentiful and one asked us if we were ready and away we went.

 

I would totally recommend this for a beach day if you want a reasonable place close to the port that has nice water, good loungers and plenty of available choices for food/drink.

 

 

 

Thanks for the review, appreciate the feedback. 

 

$78, not including transport,  would be too much for us for a cruise ship day without a pool but we may look into a lesser option some time.

[karena1]

11 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

 

Thanks for the review, appreciate the feedback. 

 

$78, not including transport,  would be too much for us for a cruise ship day without a pool but we may look into a lesser option some time.

We thought for an all inclusive for both of us for $78 total not per person,  plus $16 total for a cab was a great deal, but we are beach people and don't care that it doesn't have a pool.  But I am sure there are some options with pools if that is what you are looking for.

[c-leg5]

16 minutes ago, karena1 said:

We thought for an all inclusive for both of us for $78 total not per person,  plus $16 total for a cab was a great deal, but we are beach people and don't care that it doesn't have a pool.  But I am sure there are some options with pools if that is what you are looking for.

 

Apologies, I missed that was price for two! Yes that price was reasonable. I prefer a pool option but it isn't really available in Costa Maya.

[BNBR]

Maya Chan is $120 for 2 for first visit  $100 for second visit and includes transportation.  It's way more private, no vendors, more personable, incredible local Mexican food, free wifi, etc.  Fully all inclusive and includes more than a couple of beach loungers. You get an entire palapa with hammock, day bed, etc.  The servers will Wade out in full unfirom just to offer you drinks in the water.  It's incredible. I see no reason to spend similar to go barefoot. 

[c-leg5]

17 hours ago, BNBR said:

Maya Chan is $120 for 2 for first visit  $100 for second visit and includes transportation.  It's way more private, no vendors, more personable, incredible local Mexican food, free wifi, etc.  Fully all inclusive and includes more than a couple of beach loungers. You get an entire palapa with hammock, day bed, etc.  The servers will Wade out in full unfirom just to offer you drinks in the water.  It's incredible. I see no reason to spend similar to go barefoot. 

 

I have been to Maya Chan more than once. Change is good. Its nice to have options. 

 

Its good that you enjoy it but it is not a good match for everyone on all occasions.

 

 

[karena1]

21 hours ago, BNBR said:

Maya Chan is $120 for 2 for first visit  $100 for second visit and includes transportation.  It's way more private, no vendors, more personable, incredible local Mexican food, free wifi, etc.  Fully all inclusive and includes more than a couple of beach loungers. You get an entire palapa with hammock, day bed, etc.  The servers will Wade out in full unfirom just to offer you drinks in the water.  It's incredible. I see no reason to spend similar to go barefoot. 

How far from the port is the drive?  And fully AI which means all liquor of any kind plus food?  I may go look at their website and check it out.  I looked at the website and it looks like other than the beds (which I don't like) all they have are wooden lounge chairs???

 

But we really enjoyed the local atmosphere of Barefoot - like a little Mexican Village.  Also loved that it was so close to the port

Edited December 17, 2018 by karena1

[BNBR]

It's much further from the port. But still only 25 minutes or so and transportation is included.  Being further has its advantages.  It's secluded. Totally private. And yes, full AI. They will make you anything you want.  The food is as local and authentic as it gets, too.  It's stellar and beyond anything I've ever seen for sure. Note it was founded by cruisers (they wrote a book about it, too).  So they truly understand what cruisers want. 

 

I would also point out that Barefoot has a fairly low 3.5 on TripAdvisor and Maya Chan has a perfect 5.0 with over 1,500 reviews. So this isn't just my personal opinion that Maya Chan is a much better experience.  It's widely reported and a perfect 5.0 is almost unheard of.

 

That said, I think one thing cool about Costa Maya is that all the clubs are pretty stellar. It's definitely a strong point for this port. 

[karena1]

17 hours ago, BNBR said:

It's much further from the port. But still only 25 minutes or so and transportation is included.  Being further has its advantages.  It's secluded. Totally private. And yes, full AI. They will make you anything you want.  The food is as local and authentic as it gets, too.  It's stellar and beyond anything I've ever seen for sure. Note it was founded by cruisers (they wrote a book about it, too).  So they truly understand what cruisers want. 

 

I would also point out that Barefoot has a fairly low 3.5 on TripAdvisor and Maya Chan has a perfect 5.0 with over 1,500 reviews. So this isn't just my personal opinion that Maya Chan is a much better experience.  It's widely reported and a perfect 5.0 is almost unheard of.

 

That said, I think one thing cool about Costa Maya is that all the clubs are pretty stellar. It's definitely a strong point for this port. 

My question though - are all the loungers (other than the white beds) those hard wooden loungers?  Did not look like from the pictures that they had any regular loungers, just hard wooden ones?  Can you confirm?

[JuliaMS]

Which beaches have nice water. We like to just hang out in the water with a drink and float around a little. I,be read a lot of the beaches have a lot of sea grass or sea weed and that would be a major negative for us. 

[BNBR]

On 12/18/2018 at 1:11 PM, karena1 said:

My question though - are all the loungers (other than the white beds) those hard wooden loungers?  Did not look like from the pictures that they had any regular loungers, just hard wooden ones?  Can you confirm?

 

Yes, all the loungers are the hard wooden loungers. They have a padding on them and some have a full foot stool option. It's really quite comfortable. If you want the loungers with the full foot section, just notify them ahead of time and I'm certain they would provide that for you.  But correct that they are not the traditional loungers. I do like these better, personally. You also get a hammock and a comfortable and clean day bed. 

[AmandaKaye79]

How is the seaweed issue going there? We were considering Maya Chan or Almaplena for our upcoming June cruise. I read several negative tripadvisor reviews about the abundance of seaweed at Almaplena. I have been there twice and never had the problem, but the reviews have me a little concerned.

[c-leg5]

44 minutes ago, AmandaKaye79 said:

How is the seaweed issue going there? We were considering Maya Chan or Almaplena for our upcoming June cruise. I read several negative tripadvisor reviews about the abundance of seaweed at Almaplena. I have been there twice and never had the problem, but the reviews have me a little concerned.

 

No way to say what the seaweed will be like by the middle of next year.

 

it has been a particularly bad year all round, especially for east coast locations, but we were on a cruise a couple of weeks ago and it was fine at Costa Maya and Roatan and bad at Nachi (which is on the west coast of Cozumel).

 

On the whole it is supposed to have subsided considerably in the last month or two but no saying what it will be like next year. 

[BNBR]

Seaweed at Maya Chan this week was really bad. I walked over it and went in the water. 4 feet out in the water and no seaweed at all. But I was the only one going in the water. People are weird like that. Lol.

 

Costa Maya, in general, does not have outstanding beaches.  If nice water, no seaweed, etc is really important to you, then temper expectations with Costa Maya.  It's hit or miss. 

 

I like to say that people who cancel Maya Chan because of seaweed are totally missing the point.  It's not really about that. It's not a turquoise water type spot.  It's a beach hangout. It's about relaxing on the beach with a drink, hanging at the bar and chatting, eating some tacos, etc. The water isnt the point. If you are looking, specifically, for a spot for outstanding water, then don't book Maya Chan or really consider a different port. 

 

But they will show you pictures before they drive you out and offer you a full refund on the spot if you think it's not for you. They'll even give you a refund and drive you back to the port if you get to Maya Chan and decide right away it's not for you. Which is why anyone giving them a bad review for seaweed should be smacked silly. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

soooo, reporting back on Blue Kay in Costa Maya Dec 16-23: we really liked it. :)

Yes, it's rustic and basic, but we paid $8 for the taxi for the 4 of us, and $10 per adult, which included a chaise and any 2(!) drinks (got a wristband). Some people didn't pay anything at all, they quietly snuck in and got themselves a lounger each, but they didn't need anything else.

 

We arrived after 9 and got a place in the shade. Loungers had a soft mattress on them. Not broken up or awful looking, so that's a plus. Juan took care of us, but we are not high maintenance.

DS enjoyed a Coke and a Fanta, mom didn't want anything, and DH and I enjoyed a couple of mojitos. The first mojito gave me a tiny buzz and it was delicious. A couple of hours later, at the end of our beach break, my DH and I went to the bar to get a mojito for both of us, and I think they accidentally put all of the alcohol in mine, because hubby didn't taste or feel it, but I became literally (not figuratively) incapacitated in about 5 minutes. LOL. It was pretty bad.

Free Wifi at the Blue Kay bar was very good and strong. Ask your attendant for the passcode.

There were a couple of homeless dogs, which we delighted in meeting.

Some vendors, but not too annoying.

It was very windy, but warm, and the water was nice and clear. I wore water shoes in the water, which was a great idea. Didn't need them on the beach itself, but in the water the rocks were very sharp. We did a bit of snorkeling, but there was nothing by the rocky reef - so don't go there. You'll get hurt. There were a couple of old tires under the water, and they had a lot of fish swimming around them.

I am grateful for the water shoes, but nobody else in my family wore them, so everybody was getting a little hurt by the rocks. I put my kiddo on top of an inflatable donut and pulled him around with his snorkeling mask on. :) He loved it - he didn't need to worry about staying afloat or wearing a cumbersome inflatable vest. 

Forgot to say: there was no FREE wifi worth of anything at the port, but a coffee house at the port was booming with business - free wifi with any purchase. Apparently, the connection was very strong, there was a ton of people enjoying it.

The boys wanted to go on the ship, but mom and I stayed looking for the wifi connection, so we actually got to see the dolphin show for free - at the port.

Edited January 3, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[JohninDC]

Thanks for the detailed feedback!