Blue Kay

[c-leg5]

We went to Blue Kay last Thursday (April 5th). The taxi ride was $2 per person...and getting to the taxi stand is no joke...Costa Maya port is like a never-ending maze!

Upon arrival we met Ivan, who was setting up and opening for the day. We got off the ship at about 8AM, and was on the beach by 8:30AM. He wanted to charge us $15 per adult (includes 2 drinks) and the kids would be free. I brought up Mitsugirly's Cruise Critic review and conversation with the owner a while back and indicated that I thought it was $7. Ivan had to confer with the owner, and this took about 10-15 minutes before they agreed to the $7 per person cost (with our group, we would have had to pay $30 per family and we ended up paying $21 instead...some are not drinkers). I think they need to be consistent in their pricing. It was unsettling to have to wait and deal with the haggling when we could have been relaxing and enjoying our very short day at pot (we were scheduled back on board at 1:30PM).

The waters were calm and truly lovely. We got beachfront seats with comfy mats. The water was waist-deep out to the breakers. We could see our ship from the beach. Service was great after the initial price haggling. Ivan took care of us all morning...margaritas were good and the shrimp tacos and garlic shrimp were AMAZING! Best tacos we had during our trip. The chicken nachos were just okay.

We also used the massage folks close by at $45 for 60 minutes. They were good, but ask for "mas suerte" (more pressure). The massages get cheaper if you're willing to go further down the Majahual...but we weren't.

It turned out to be a fantastic day.

 

Thanks for your review - glad you enjoyed your day! Whatwas that included in the $7, did it include the mats and a drink?

 

Blue Kay has really been open long enough now under this management to have sorted out their pricing policy. I don’t think the inconsistency does their reputation any good. We went in January for a short time and just did PAYG seems to depend on which server you get.

[attran99]

Thanks for your review - glad you enjoyed your day! Whatwas that included in the $7, did it include the mats and a drink?

 

Blue Kay has really been open long enough now under this management to have sorted out their pricing policy. I don’t think the inconsistency does their reputation any good. We went in January for a short time and just did PAYG seems to depend on which server you get.

 

For the $7 it was just the mat and usage of their facilities. Which worked fine for our crew. After the initial haggling, I didn't want anymore drama.

[beshears]

I agree, Costa Maya port is very chaotic, but I'm glad you were able to enjoy the beach with a discount after asking that day. This will sound strange/funny, but among many pictures I took in that area, I took one of the wash basins outside. I thought they were so unique to use without having to go inside and use the restroom.

[Willman]

Went to Blue Kay off the Celebrity Equinox a few weeks ago. Getting to the taxis was not fun. Hot, crowded and no signs telling you how to get out. I researched ahead of time and still struggled to get escape.

 

Took taxi $2 pp to Blue Kay. Walked to the beach, asked for 2 cushions which were placed on the wooden loungers closest to the water and next to the adjacent beach club. Never was asked for $ and did not offer.

 

Only saw a one waiter in the 4 hours we were there and they never asked if we wanted something.

 

I walked to the closest bar and bought a couple sodas at $3 each. Not sure if this bar was run by Blue Kay or not.

 

Seemed like a nice place and definitely less crowded and more relaxed than the main Malecon beaches.

 

Seems like they are not very profit driven like a place such as Paradise Beach in Cozumel.

 

Questions?

[attran99]

We went to Blue Kay last Thursday (April 5th). The taxi ride was $2 per person...and getting to the taxi stand is no joke...Costa Maya port is like a never-ending maze!

Upon arrival we met Ivan, who was setting up and opening for the day. We got off the ship at about 8AM, and was on the beach by 8:30AM. He wanted to charge us $15 per adult (includes 2 drinks) and the kids would be free. I brought up Mitsugirly's Cruise Critic review and conversation with the owner a while back and indicated that I thought it was $7. Ivan had to confer with the owner, and this took about 10-15 minutes before they agreed to the $7 per person cost (with our group, we would have had to pay $30 per family and we ended up paying $21 instead...some are not drinkers). I think they need to be consistent in their pricing. It was unsettling to have to wait and deal with the haggling when we could have been relaxing and enjoying our very short day at pot (we were scheduled back on board at 1:30PM).

The waters were calm and truly lovely. We got beachfront seats with comfy mats. The water was waist-deep out to the breakers. We could see our ship from the beach. Service was great after the initial price haggling. Ivan took care of us all morning...margaritas were good and the shrimp tacos and garlic shrimp were AMAZING! Best tacos we had during our trip. The chicken nachos were just okay.

We also used the massage folks close by at $45 for 60 minutes. They were good, but ask for "mas suerte" (more pressure). The massages get cheaper if you're willing to go further down the Majahual...but we weren't.

It turned out to be a fantastic day.

 

A more detailed review of our day at Blue Kay...

I would have loved to go to Maya Chan in Costa Maya, but it was a shortened day for us as we had to be back on board by 1:30PM. So I decided Blue Kay was going to be our spot for the day.

We were off the ship at 8AM,and walking through the maze that is Costa Maya port. I felt like that mall was never going to end and we never going to find the taxi stand. You can take the trolleys, but the trolleys don’t stop at Blue Kay directly. I wasn’t down for a scenic trip. I just wanted to go to my destination since we didn’t have much time.

There would only be 10 of our traveling crew today. We lost 1 to a Carnival SCUBA excursion (which he enjoyed) and the other 2 we lost to Club O2/Circle C/24 hour pizza and ice cream. Taxi was exactly $2 per person not including tip to Blue Kay. It was a nice 10-15 minute drive down to the Majahual.

We arrived at Blue Kay to find them still setting up and opening for the day. Ivan met us and said it would be $15 per adult that would include 2 drink tickets and chair mats for everyone in our party. In all my research on Cruise Critic, I had read that it was $7 per person and then pay as you go. While it took some unanticipated haggling and mentioning Mitsugirly and Cruise Critic, the owner finally agreed to the $7 per person. This deal was more efficient for us because we were paying $21-28 per family instead of $30. Two of the adults with us are not drinkers at all, so drink tickets are of no consequence to them…they also brought water from the ship.

Once we were set up in our shoreside seats for the day, service was much more relaxed. Ivan came to check on us rarely. We actually had to go up to the bar to make our orders. They would deliver to our seats, and on one occasion, the virgin margarita we ordered actually had tequila in it. By lunchtime, things were back in order, and everything was fine. The nachos at Blue Kay are meh, but the garlic shrimp and the shrimp tacos were a delight. They were the best shrimp tacos we had ever eaten. We probably should have ordered another portion, but some of us disappeared to use the massage services at in the canopy a few feet away. We spent about $100 in food and drinks here (including tax and tip).

Massage services were $45 for an hour or $25 for half an hour. While these ladies weren’t as impressive as the LFK service, once you ask for “mas suerte” (more pressure), it became okay. Massage services actually become cheaper as you walk down the Majahual, but we weren’t willing to do that.

The Blue Kay beach area is lovely. You can actually see the ported ships from the beach. The waters are super clear and calm out to the breakers. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the water is waist-deep out to the breakers. The sands are powdery white soft, but if you walk out to the water, be careful…there are some rocks on the ocean floor and some can be on the sharp side. The kids spent most of their time building sandcastles and fortresses on the beach while the adults enjoyed the water.

After the excitement andadventure of the past few days, it was nice to slow down a lot and just enjoy asimple and beautiful beach.

We came back into the port area to find it full of people. The Norwegian Getaway had docked right next to us and Costa Maya was in full swing. We didn’t have much time before having to be back on board, so I was able to find some chocolate for folks back home, and some churros for us. I think we had forgotten about churros in Cozumel, but we were not going to leave Costa Maya without eating some fresh hot churros. There’s a bakery in the port (Pan Dulce), they have bags of 2 hot and fresh churros for $2. I bought 4 bags and distributed to our traveling crew as I walked through the port. They were piping hot (which was great), but I wish they were spiced with more cinnamon.

Blue Kay was cool, but factor in the stress from the haggling and the inconsistent pricing, I am not sure that I would come back. There seem to be plenty of beach clubs along the Majahual…or there’s always Maya Chan if I’m in port for the full day. It was still a nice day.

[papasha]

We went to Blue Kay a couple of weeks ago. The price was $15 per adult with 2 drinks and kids are free. I started to argue about $5-7 price that was mentioned many times before, but after getting a manager (a young lady) or whoever it was, price did not change. We paid and got on with our day.

They need to be consistent with their pricing and not offer different price to each family (like Paradise does in Cozumel).

The beach itself was nice, but the initial confrontation left a bad taste, as did salsa and chips.

[sahm2alexis]

Sounds like Blue Kay has changed to $15 per person... I was trying to decide between Blue Kay and Tropicante, and my husband doesn't drink so his two tickets would go to waste (if it was just the two of us I would just use all 4 lol but my kids will be there, so best not to get drunk on the beach ;) )

 

So, Tropicante... still free? And if the snorkeling isn't great there we can always walk down toward Blue Kay to snorkel?

[sk84fungirl]

We're heading to Costa Maya in September and have a short port day. Sounds like this is the place to be. Can't wait to hear more.