Turquoise Waters In Costa Maya? Beach club with nicest looking beach?

[tm81663]

Hello, Going to Costa Maya May 1.  I know Maya Chan beach club is supposed to be excellent, but I heard their beach is natural and thus not the picture perfect idea you think of when you imagine a Caribbean beach.  (white fine sand, warm shallow turquoise blue water with sandy bottom) .   Does a beach like this exist in Costa Maya or Cozumel?

 

 We will probably go to Costa Maya (i just checked and they have room).  But if I can find a beach that lives up to what i'm imagining, I may have to go.  My wife and I went to Kauai in September and were kind of bummed out by the beaches.  (Not their fault, they had a hurricane in past weeks that shook up the water to not make it as picture perfect as we hoped).  

 

The only place i've seen the water/beach I'm hoping for was in St. Thomas about 12 years ago when we stopped on a cruise.  

 

What are everyone's favorite beaches in Costa Maya and Cozumel when it comes to straight up beauty?

 

Thanks,

 

tom

[vamartha]

Cozumel, yes.  Costa Maya, probably not.

 

We always go to Chakanaab in Cozumel not for the sand and beach but for the snorkeling but I believe that there are several beaches that fit your bill in Cozumel.  Cozumel is West facing and has absolutely beautiful water.  

 

Costa Maya is an East facing beach, subject to whatever the Atlantic Ocean wants to throw at it, mainly seagrass that you can't predict.  Having said that, Maya Chan is worth every single penny! :)

[tm81663]

Just now, vamartha said:

Cozumel, yes.  Costa Maya, probably not.

 

We always go to Chakanaab in Cozumel not for the sand and beach but for the snorkeling but I believe that there are several beaches that fit your bill in Cozumel.  Cozumel is West facing and has absolutely beautiful water.  

 

Costa Maya is an East facing beach, subject to whatever the Atlantic Ocean wants to throw at it, mainly seagrass that you can't predict.  Having said that, Maya Chan is worth every single penny! 🙂

 

Thanks, good advice. I'm not too big on just hanging at the beach normally.  I'm more into doing adventures stuff.  But as my wife will be 22 weeks pregnant, and my 2.5 year old daughter will be joining us, we'll probably maximize beach time on this cruise.  Most likely we'll do beaches both at Costa Maya and at Cozumel. I'll take a look at the Cozumel beaches for the beauty, and Maya Chan for the service.  

 

 

[Tapi]

12 minutes ago, tm81663 said:

 What are everyone's favorite beaches in Costa Maya and Cozumel when it comes to straight up beauty?

 

Thanks,

 

tom

I’ve only been to Mahahual Beach in Costa Maya and it had clear water. However I don’t know if it would meet your vision of straight up beauty since it’s a beach off the town’s Main Street.

 

In Cozumel, we ventured to the rugged, east side of the island at the suggestion of a friend who is from Cozumel. We went to Chen Rio and it was beautiful. Uncroweded, unspoiled, white sand and crystal clear water. But it’s a different kind of beach. Part of the dramatic scenery is due to the rock formations along the coast. Only some parts of the beach are protected enough to allow for swimming. In others, the water is just too rough. But still beautiful.

 

Are you visiting other ports in this itinerary? 

 

[tm81663]

4 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I’ve only been to Mahahual Beach in Costa Maya and it had clear water. However I don’t know if it would meet your vision of straight up beauty since it’s a beach off the town’s Main Street.

 

In Cozumel, we ventured to the rugged, east side of the island at the suggestion of a friend who is from Cozumel. We went to Chen Rio and it was beautiful. Uncroweded, unspoiled, white sand and crystal clear water. But it’s a different kind of beach. Part of the dramatic scenery is due to the rock formations along the coast. Only some parts of the beach are protected enough to allow for swimming. In others, the water is just too rough. But still beautiful.

 

Are you visiting other ports in this itinerary? 

 

 

No, just Costa Maya and Cozumel, back to back days.  I'm liking the idea of going to a different uncrowded area of Cozumel.  My wife is Mexican so getting around shouldn't be a problem.  Does Chen Rio have ANYTHING around it (like simple beach chairs to rent from a local vendor or anything?) . 

[Tapi]

2 minutes ago, tm81663 said:

 

No, just Costa Maya and Cozumel, back to back days.  I'm liking the idea of going to a different uncrowded area of Cozumel.  My wife is Mexican so getting around shouldn't be a problem.  Does Chen Rio have ANYTHING around it (like simple beach chairs to rent from a local vendor or anything?) . 

Chen Rio is geared more towards locals than cruise passengers. We were the only cruise passengers in sight. We stopped at a beachfront restaurant that had covered tables just a few feet from the beach. We ordered some food and drinks and set camp there. The beach closest to this restaurant was protected and shallow, so it was very easy for the kids.

 

The east side of Cozumel is largely deserted which adds to the beauty of that side of the island. We loved getting away from the hordes of cruise passengers that normally stay on the west side of the island. Do keep in mind if you decide to venture east that there’s no electricity, no ATM’s or credit card capability, and little to no celphone signal. So go prepared. Either pre arrange transportation and a pick up time with a taxi driver or have your own transportation. We rented a Jeep for the day which we got from Ernesto’s (a few blocks from the Puerta Maya pier). VERY easy to drive around Cozumel.  

[LBumb]

That’s why the Cozumel bar hop is so popular

[crewsweeper]

13 hours ago, tm81663 said:

 

No, just Costa Maya and Cozumel, back to back days.  I'm liking the idea of going to a different uncrowded area of Cozumel.  My wife is Mexican so getting around shouldn't be a problem.  Does Chen Rio have ANYTHING around it (like simple beach chairs to rent from a local vendor or anything?) . 

For a more "pristine"-ish beach in Costa Maya, Almaplena is further south than Maya Chan, which is just a short ways south of the malecon.  It is an AI with limited number of people per day, and they do keep their beach clean.  Being further south you'll need more time for a taxi ride there.

 

And there are a couple of hotels even further south toward Xalak.  The beaches along the road down there are very nice, just no facilities. The way the current often runs, they can be less prone to sea grass. 

 

In Cozumel, you may wish to consider Playa Palancar.  It is generally less crowded, on the Western side, down toward Punta Sur, but not quite.  Good service, good food.

 

Another option is Rasta's, also called Bob Marley's--can't miss his mural--and in the past has had signage saying Paradise Café (not to be confused with Paradise Beach).  You can't swim there but there are chairs and the food is excellent.

Edited March 5, 2019 by crewsweeper

[tm81663]

14 hours ago, Tapi said:

Chen Rio is geared more towards locals than cruise passengers. We were the only cruise passengers in sight. We stopped at a beachfront restaurant that had covered tables just a few feet from the beach. We ordered some food and drinks and set camp there. The beach closest to this restaurant was protected and shallow, so it was very easy for the kids.

 

The east side of Cozumel is largely deserted which adds to the beauty of that side of the island. We loved getting away from the hordes of cruise passengers that normally stay on the west side of the island. Do keep in mind if you decide to venture east that there’s no electricity, no ATM’s or credit card capability, and little to no celphone signal. So go prepared. Either pre arrange transportation and a pick up time with a taxi driver or have your own transportation. We rented a Jeep for the day which we got from Ernesto’s (a few blocks from the Puerta Maya pier). VERY easy to drive around Cozumel.  

 

This sounds very do-able for me.  I'm comfortable in Mexico as I lived there for several years, and my wife is Mexican so communication will not be an issue.  We may have some pesos left over from our last trip, but if not, we'll be sure to hit up an ATM before we head out to the east side.   Thanks for the help!.  I've already booked Maya Chan (had to, the reviews were just too good to ignore).  And we'll save our pristine water / beach day for Cozumel.

 

[tm81663]

25 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

For a more "pristine"-ish beach in Costa Maya, Almaplena is further south than Maya Chan, which is just a short ways south of the malecon.  It is an AI with limited number of people per day, and they do keep their beach clean.  Being further south you'll need more time for a taxi ride there.

 

And there are a couple of hotels even further south toward Xalak.  The beaches along the road down there are very nice, just no facilities. The way the current often runs, they can be less prone to sea grass. 

 

In Cozumel, you may wish to consider Playa Palancar.  It is generally less crowded, on the Western side, down toward Punta Sur, but not quite.  Good service, good food.

 

Another option is Rasta's, also called Bob Marley's--can't miss his mural--and in the past has had signage saying Paradise Café (not to be confused with Paradise Beach).  You can't swim there but there are chairs and the food is excellent.

 

Thanks for advice!  Yes, i've definitely switched my plan to find a pristine beach to Cozumel.   We may rent a jeep as suggested by someone and hit up a couple of beaches, or we may work to get a taxi to a specific on you mentioned.  

[tm81663]

1 hour ago, LBumb said:

That’s why the Cozumel bar hop is so popular

Normally, I would be ALL about a bar hop.  But as we have a toddler, and pregnant wife, i'll have to save the bar hop for another trip.  We did a pub crawl back in our non-baby days in Playa when we stayed overnight, and it was a blast.

[jean-lynd]

Just looked at the Maya Chan webcam and it looks like the seagrass is gone and the beach toys are out. Wish we could be there now!

[maldenmusic]

Last time in Costa Maya, we had a taxi drop us off at the lighthouse in Mahahual and walked just a little south to a beautiful beach area with almost no people. The water was gorgeous that day with no sea grass. After a few hours we walked on into town (not far) and got a taxi back to the cruise pier.

[tm81663]

1 hour ago, jean-lynd said:

Just looked at the Maya Chan webcam and it looks like the seagrass is gone and the beach toys are out. Wish we could be there now!

Which webecam link do you have?  I'd like to take a look and just dream about our visit in May .

 

Thanks

 

tom

[jean-lynd]

3 hours ago, tm81663 said:

Which webecam link do you have?  I'd like to take a look and just dream about our visit in May .

 

Thanks

 

tom

http://costamayabeachresort.com/costa-maya-beach-webcam/

[Peachy59]

For Cozumel I recommend Nachi Cocum. It is an AI beach day, and they limit the number of guests. They also have a pool.

[LBumb]

Mr sanchos is very nice