Costa Maya and Mahahual Picture 11/10/08

[Ms Belvedere]

A couple of Mexican Military watching over us:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ms Belvedere]

 

 

 

 

[Ms Belvedere]

Some views from above:

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a place for the toddlers to get their feet wet!

[Ms Belvedere]

I don't think it's possible to take a bad picture at this port!

 

 

 

[wentworth]

Wow, that concrete walkway in town is great. I remember riding down

that road in a a golf cart about 3 years ago before the hurricane. Bump

bump, bump.......but what fun.:)

[orangeglitter]

So help me out. Is there a fee to use the pool or beach at the port? How much were the drinks?

[Ms Belvedere]

Let's look at some more of Mahahual. Here's the van that took us downtown for 4.00 pp:

 

 

A view of the "street", there is no motorized traffic here, only bikes, pedestrians.

 

 

A gentleman selling conch shells:

 

 

 

Some work is still going on:

 

 

 

[The Chandlers]

Wow - I am really surprised at the number of people who love this port. I must say that I was very disappointed with it. Yes, the pics are gorgeous but they are only of the manufactured port area. If you venture away from that area, you can see the devestation and destruction. I'm not sure why anyone would want to go there - the port area has a good pool but you can not go into the ocean at all as there is nothing but rocks. Who wants to lay in the middle of a shopping mall? I just don't get it. The town of Majahaul was ok - they have built some things to attract tourists but let's face it - it's right in the middle of an extremely poor area. The water looked gorgeous and inviting but smelt awful. Not sure what the deal was with that but the smell of sulfur was so strong I could not stay in. I'm sure that in 5-10 years it will be an awesome place to visit but right now it needs some major work.

[Ms Belvedere]

So help me out. Is there a fee to use the pool or beach at the port? How much were the drinks?

 

It's absolutely free to use the pools, beach, anything you see in the pics. The drink prices are right there with Cozumel. I ordered a delish mango treat of some kind, the medium was 7.95. DH bought a 40 oz Sol beer for 10.00. You'll see that picture later. :D We also brought some water from off the ship that we bought in Florida before sailing.

[Pistol Packin Mama]

We are going to this port in February. Is there a cost to using the port facilities? Thanks

[Ms Belvedere]

Some more pictures of Mahahual:

 

Those who have been to CM before may remember El Faro bar and restaurant, it's back and the service and food were excellent. We were served by Juan who told us the Cat's Meow is under new ownership but El Faro is still owned by the same person as before. Wish we had taken pics of the food! I had grilled garlic shrimp over rice, DH had the shrimp tacos. Along with 6 or 7 Sols, the bill was $38.00.

 

 

Juan, our excellent server!

 

 

Massages are given on the second floor. Sorry to make you turn your head sideways, I'm posting quickly and missed rotating this pic in Photobucket:

 

 

 

[Ms Belvedere]

 

 

We were IN the water and had a wonderful time, NO Sulfur Smell.

 

 

But there is still work to be done:

[Ms Belvedere]

Just a few more:

 

 

 

 

I love this picture, it's so typical in Mexico:

 

 

One happy cruiser, DH and I would go back to Costa Maya tomorrow if we could!

 

[The Chandlers]

I'm not sure how you could not smell it. We were down by the jet skis and everyone was commenting on how bad the water smelled. It was a gorgeous blue but it did stink!

[KAWS]

Costa Maya was and still remains our favourite port of all time. There was just something fabulous about out day at the beach, good drinks, good food, massages to die for - all round relaxing day. I'd love to go back there. These pictures all bring it back. Renews my interest to get back to the western caribbean so we can go there again!

 

Thanks for the memories.

[Ms Belvedere]

I'm not sure how you could not smell it. We were down by the jet skis and everyone was commenting on how bad the water smelled. It was a gorgeous blue but it did stink!

 

I'm sorry you noticed an odor, could it have been from the jet skis? We weren't in the water anywhere close to them and didn't have any odors.

 

To those who asked about the cost of the pools/chairs, there is none! This could very easily be one of the least expensive ports you visit on a cruise and you can come back with pictures like these to show your friends and family!

[Snoozeman]

Thank you for the wonderful photos, Ms. B. especially of El Faro. Good to see they are up and running again. Looks like they are located across the street from their former location. What were they charging for a massage?

 

Thanks again.:)

[Snoozeman]

I'm not sure how you could not smell it. We were down by the jet skis and everyone was commenting on how bad the water smelled. It was a gorgeous blue but it did stink!

 

I've never noticed a smell anywhere along the beach.

[Ms Belvedere]

Thank you for the wonderful photos, Ms. B. especially of El Faro. Good to see they are up and running again. Looks like they are located across the street from their former location. What were they charging for a massage?

Thanks again.:)

 

We heard many different prices, of course if you walk away the price drops. ;)

 

I didn't negotiate but was offered $25 for 30 mins, then it dropped to $20 for 30 mins, or $10 for 20 mins. We had suntan lotion all over us and had been pretty active earlier, I didn't feel clean enough to have anyone give me a massage and politely said no thank you. :) There are places up and down the beach offering massages, Juan's wife at Mahahual was one of the masseuses (sp?) above El Faro. I bet that view would have been beautiful.

 

Thanks for looking at my pics.

[GoinCruisin]

Wow - I am really surprised at the number of people who love this port. I must say that I was very disappointed with it. Yes, the pics are gorgeous but they are only of the manufactured port area. If you venture away from that area, you can see the devestation and destruction. I'm not sure why anyone would want to go there - the port area has a good pool but you can not go into the ocean at all as there is nothing but rocks. Who wants to lay in the middle of a shopping mall? I just don't get it. The town of Majahaul was ok - they have built some things to attract tourists but let's face it - it's right in the middle of an extremely poor area. The water looked gorgeous and inviting but smelt awful. Not sure what the deal was with that but the smell of sulfur was so strong I could not stay in. I'm sure that in 5-10 years it will be an awesome place to visit but right now it needs some major work.

 

Majahual has always been one of the most charming places to me... the people are wonderful and accomodating. Most ports we visit are very poor... It's not for you, but this port has a huge fan base... unlike the other largely commercialized ports that have lost all of their charm, this tiny village has a ton of charm and I hope they continue to recover from being wiped off the planet... looks like they have come a long way.

[LRene]

Thanks Mrs. Belvedere for posting all of the pics of our favorite port of all time. Costa Maya looks great in your photos - much better than I anticipated it would.

 

Those people are only one year from their hurricane devastation and they've done a great job getting it back up and running. Anyone who lives here or by the MS gulf coast can tell you that 3 years after Katrina, you can still see evidence of the storm everywhere you look.

 

The malecon (sp?) is an interesting addition. I wasn't sure how I would feel about that and wondered if it would take away from the charm of Majahual. Don't think it did at all from what I can tell in your photos! The beach actually looks wider now. Did you happen to notice whether or not Oxtahkah was still in business?

 

And to the person that said it's right in the middle of a really poor area - Yeah, it sure is and always has been. The people all over the Riviera Maya aren't rich nor are they in Jamaica, Belize, Roatan or Antigua, or a lot of other port areas in the Caribbean. Tourism is their #1 (and sometimes only) industry.

[Wennfred]

Let's look at some more of Mahahual. Here's the van that took us downtown for 4.00 pp:

 

 

A view of the "street", there is no motorized traffic here, only bikes, pedestrians.

 

 

A gentleman selling conch shells:

 

 

 

Some work is still going on:

 

 

 

 

 

This must be what used to be called Fishersman Village, before the storm there was no concrete walkway it was just sand with bar and grills on each side of the sandy walkway.

 

 

Fred

[murphy4]

thank you Ms Belvedere for the wonderful review and pictures of CM. We are going in April and I keep reading how horrible it is there. From reading your thread I get the impression that CM is a great pool/beach day? do you just get a taxi and tell them to take you to a swimming beach? Are you able to get back on to the ship for lunch if you just stay at the pool area? we are traveling with DD's, do you think staying at the pool for the day is sufficient? there is no swimming beach at the port correct?

 

sorry for all the questions :D

[Wennfred]

This place was very nice before, looks even better.... did you see any beach massage shops?

 

 

 

Fred

[Ms Belvedere]

thank you Ms Belvedere for the wonderful review and pictures of CM. We are going in April and I keep reading how horrible it is there. From reading your thread I get the impression that CM is a great pool/beach day? do you just get a taxi and tell them to take you to a swimming beach? Are you able to get back on to the ship for lunch if you just stay at the pool area? we are traveling with DD's, do you think staying at the pool for the day is sufficient? there is no swimming beach at the port correct? sorry for all the questions :D

 

No need to apologize and someone may have answered this already. I'm so busy between getting ready for work tomorrow and cleaning up around the house that I haven't had time to read everything.

 

You get off the ship at the port and walk along the pier for a little distance to the tram/trolley car shown in the picture. It will take you the rest of the distance of the pier to the place where the pool and restaurants are located. Most people stay right there as it has everything you could want. If you'd like to go back to the ship to eat or rest, it's right there. Not hard to get back and forth at all. If you want to go to a swimming beach, just ask where the walkway is to the taxis. It's right there around the pool area. The taxis will take you into the downtown shown in my pics, the town is called Mahahual, or Majahual.

 

You should not miss this port and should form your own opinions about it. We loved it from the first time there and went back as frequently as possible.

Hope this helps!