Where is Costa Maya?

[jnnifer01]

Where is Costa Maya in relation to Playa del Carmen? I tried locating it on a map, but couldn't find it.

[jnnifer01]

And how close is it to the ruins?
Thanks!

[nitrogenaddict]

4 years ago I did not even know this quiet village existed. It is next to the new cruise ship port called COSTA MAYA. If you travel by land it is 270 kms south of Playa Del carmen, 390 km south of CANCUN. This is the new paradise discovered by a few to let you cruisers a one day insight into paradise. Come and enjoy nature as it used to be, unspoilt by thousands of tourists wishing to have a disneland atmosphere. This is the REAL thing. Local fishermen with their boats running around in their bathing suits, people trying to make a living by selling fruit juices and local produce from pedal cycles. You also have the people trying to turn this into a major tourist attraction with SOME of the sports you expect in very developed places. There is Jetskis(Waverunners) snorkelling from small boats, local dive operations trying to establish themselves, hairbraiding, bars restaurants, quiet beaches, intoxicted tourists on other beaches, IT is all open for you.

[jnnifer01]

Thanks for your helpful info :)
We're looking at maybe booking the Splendour next year and she visits Costa Maya, so I thought I'd do a little research. Thanks!

[bruce-r]

[URL=http://www.puertocostamaya.com/eng/locationmap.cfm?mapid=2]Here[/URL] is a link to a map.

[IMG]http://www.puertocostamaya.com/eng/images/img_1_index.gif[/IMG]
This image is from the Official Puerto Costa Maya web page. Please note, the length of the walkway to the end of the dock has been shortened in this image to fit the page.

As stated above, Costa Maya is the cruise line built port and it's associated facilities. It isn't a town or village, but more of a disney-like strip mall with a mexican/mayan theme. There is a saltwater pool, a couple of bars (one is a swim up), a restaurant, and a stage where dancers put on a show. The shoreline is not sandy, it is all rock, but then the snorkeling should be decent if you have water booties. The "shopping" there is a mixture of locals selling trinkets, t-shirt shops, and "duty free" stores.

We didn't spend any longer there than it took to find the exit out the back to the taxi stand. We spent our day on a pleasant, clean, sandy beach in Mahahual. See my Costa Maya/Mahahual [URL=http://brobertson.org/costamayagallery/]photo gallery[/URL] if you are interested. The day on the beach at Mahahual was probably my family's favorite stop.