Beach Day excursions - Costa Maya, Cozumel or Grand Caymans

[CardRock]

We are booked on the 6/15/2019 Western Caribbean sailing of the Celebrity Equinox.  We are looking to do a beach day excursion, but wondered which would be the best port to do so and which to explore instead? 

[sdnich]

 I am on the same cruise November 2019 and just did some booking of excursions yesterday !We decided to go with Maya Chan in Costa Maya And do a beach day the water in that area does not look Caribbean blue but it sounds like their service and food are fabulous. They get great reviews I just booked it today it was $59 a person and you get your own private palapa with chairs and lounger . It is very laid-back though depending on what you’re looking for it’s right up our alley .  And in grand Cayman we are doing captain Marvins stingray and one snorkel stop excursion . Cozumel we probably won’t do another excursion we thought we would just go into town and see what is there and will have a beach picked out in case we want to spend a couple hours on one . Have a great cruise 😁

[1025cruise]

I would suggest Costa Maya. There's really nothing else to do in Costa Maya.

[koolforkatz]

37 minutes ago, sdnich said:

 I am on the same cruise November 2019 and just did some booking of excursions yesterday !We decided to go with Maya Chan in Costa Maya And do a beach day the water in that area does not look Caribbean blue but it sounds like their service and food are fabulous. They get great reviews I just booked it today it was $59 a person and you get your own private palapa with chairs and lounger . It is very laid-back though depending on what you’re looking for it’s right up our alley .  And in grand Cayman we are doing captain Marvins stingray and one snorkel stop excursion . Cozumel we probably won’t do another excursion we thought we would just go into town and see what is there and will have a beach picked out in case we want to spend a couple hours on one . Have a great cruise 😁

 

A big thumbs up to Maya Chan. We did that a few years ago and it was amazing. Cold beer and top shelf tequilas served to you as well as made to order tacos - fish for us - for lunch. I would book a cruise that included Costa Maya just to go back there. 

[sdnich]

Thanks Koolforkatz  I did research yesterday and it look like a great choice and know that there’s not a lot of people on the property just got confirmation an hour ago 😁 looking forward to it 

[SevenSeas1492]

CardRock, if you are thinking of doing Maya Chan, book asap, as they only take a limited number of people and fill up very fast.

[panoramaofthepast]

Chacchoben Ruins near Costa Maya are quite good and you can combine that with some time at the beach, if you want. Nachi Cocum is my beach of choice in Cozumel - $55/person for unlimited drinks and food under a palapa. They only take 130 people a day, so it is quiet and uncrowned. Extra options available for $. 

[Rustyman]

Have you seen Trikes Cozumel? We’re going on one next week, excellent reviews on Tripadvisor. We are also booked at MayaChan and looking forward to it.

[TeeRick]

Nachi Cocom in Cozumel is also a great choice!

[FRMPEI]

17 hours ago, sdnich said:

 I am on the same cruise November 2019 and just did some booking of excursions yesterday !We decided to go with Maya Chan in Costa Maya And do a beach day the water in that area does not look Caribbean blue but it sounds like their service and food are fabulous. They get great reviews I just booked it today it was $59 a person and you get your own private palapa with chairs and lounger . It is very laid-back though depending on what you’re looking for it’s right up our alley .  And in grand Cayman we are doing captain Marvins stingray and one snorkel stop excursion . Cozumel we probably won’t do another excursion we thought we would just go into town and see what is there and will have a beach picked out in case we want to spend a couple hours on one . Have a great cruise 😁

 

Have to agree with your comments above. We (group of six) did Maya Chan in 2012... very relaxing. Unlike other ports Costa Maya really has nothing other than the port if you are one who likes to wander on foot outside of the port on your own.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[39august]

Actually Costa Maya is a great place to leave the port shopping area and get a taxi to the local village, Nahajual. It is about a 12 minute ride and costs $3 per person. Ask  to drop off at any local beach bar. The malacon is about a mile long and beach bars are all up and down. Most cost nothing for a lounge assuming you buy something to eat or drink and there is lots of natural shade. The water there IS Caribbean blue, amazingly clear with soft, white sand. One area  has sea grass, but most of the area is clear. There is a reef about 100 yards off shore that keeps the wave action very gentle along the shore. You can get a snorkel tour or a massage on the beach for very little cost. Taxis are readily available to return to the port. The return fare is even cheaper at $2 per person.

[airhose]

Maya Chan was quite enjoyable.  But take bug repellant!  My legs were itchy for days after.

[angelhelly]

I love 7 miles beach in grand caymen. We usually go to the Royal Palms there. Great facilities. Main issue is if you will actually get there, depending of the tender...

 

 

[LIMPIT]

We are on Equinox in April and have Maya Chan,  Royal Palm Beach Club (Pre-booked Cabana), and Cozumel Bar Hop all booked as excursions and have a wander drink/lunch in bars in Key West.

[koolforkatz]

1 hour ago, LIMPIT said:

We are on Equinox in April and have Maya Chan,  Royal Palm Beach Club (Pre-booked Cabana), and Cozumel Bar Hop all booked as excursions and have a wander drink/lunch in bars in Key West.

 

Cozumel Bar Hop is really good fun! You get to experience the beaches - and beach bars - on the other side of the island. 

 

[sdnich]

12 minutes ago, koolforkatz said:

 

Cozumel Bar Hop is really good fun! You get to experience the beaches - and beach bars - on the other side of the island. 

 

 I am interested in this Cozumel bar hop do you just Google that or is there a specific company that does this? we have no plans of Cozumel right now .

[koolforkatz]

3 minutes ago, sdnich said:

 I am interested in this Cozumel bar hop do you just Google that or is there a specific company that does this? we have no plans of Cozumel right now .

 

That's the name of the tour company.  Highly recommend! 

[sdnich]

 Thanks for the recommend on the Cozumel bar hop  !! Great reviews we are  absolutely doing it !

[clskinsfan]

We always do 2 beach days on the western. Maya Chan in Costa Maya and Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. Cant go wrong with either. The water and beaches are nicer in Coz IMO. Maya Chans beach is not the crystal clear blue water white sand beach you are thinking of. But the service and vibe there are second to none.

[Jbrattoncruise]

any other beach options in Costa Maya?  I waited too long and Maya Chan is all booked for when we are going to be there.  boooo

[Beachdude]

I can't remember the name of the part of the Cost Maya beach we rented the two wooden lounge chairs for $10, but it is the beach just on the other side of the lighthouse. In fact, it is the closest usable beach to the ship docks. We typically go to a resort, but we were also to late. However, that turned out good for us. Looking off the ship just on he other side of the lighthouse, you will see two rundown docks 200 yards apart. The first 100 yards of beach closest to the ship are a lot of palm trees with wooden lounge chairs. It is very relaxing, the water is very clear and the sand is a white fine powder. Your first 2 drinks (per person) are free and the rest are around $6. The food on the menu was between $5 to $10 and very good. This was our 25th cruise in 20 years and we felt it was the best beach experience we ever had. It's a 5 minute $10 taxi each way. $30 and two drinks each before food. Great deal. There are more lounge chairs down the beach, but they are stacked next to each other like sardines in very little shade.

 

Beary

[CardRock]

2 hours ago, Beachdude said:

I can't remember the name of the part of the Cost Maya beach we rented the two wooden lounge chairs for $10, but it is the beach just on the other side of the lighthouse. In fact, it is the closest usable beach to the ship docks. We typically go to a resort, but we were also to late. However, that turned out good for us. Looking off the ship just on he other side of the lighthouse, you will see two rundown docks 200 yards apart. The first 100 yards of beach closest to the ship are a lot of palm trees with wooden lounge chairs. It is very relaxing, the water is very clear and the sand is a white fine powder. Your first 2 drinks (per person) are free and the rest are around $6. The food on the menu was between $5 to $10 and very good. This was our 25th cruise in 20 years and we felt it was the best beach experience we ever had. It's a 5 minute $10 taxi each way. $30 and two drinks each before food. Great deal. There are more lounge chairs down the beach, but they are stacked next to each other like sardines in very little shade.

 

Beary

If anyone knows the name of this spot, that sounds wonderful.  

[sparks389]

Jbrattoncruise,

Try Jamie's at thre Blue Reef. It is similar to Maya Chan and gets good reviews also. While researching Costa Maya, I came across this as a backup. Here is their website: http://www.jaimesbluereef.com/

 

[snyniew]

On 1/9/2019 at 11:52 AM, Jbrattoncruise said:

any other beach options in Costa Maya?  I waited too long and Maya Chan is all booked for when we are going to be there.  boooo

Tropicante is good in Costa Maya. You can e-mail to reserve chairs (they are free) and then they come to you all day long and bring you what ever you order. My nieces and I went last March and I expected our bill to be about $100 or more based on what we ordered but was very surprised when they totaled it up that it was only $40. They got a nice big tip.

Edited January 10, 2019 by snyniew