best place for solo cruiser to hang out at the beach

[sunsetme]

looking for a safe place beach side with no seaweed 

[c-leg5]

33 minutes ago, sunsetme said:

looking for a safe place beach side with no seaweed 

 

No seaweed can’t be guaranteed anywhere in that area - it will depend on season and weather conditions.

 

Maya Chan will offer the most vendor free experience  if you are comfortable walking outside port to transport. 
 

Malecon 21 would be my “in town” choice or Jaimies is popular if you want AI. They will both have vendors selling all day long.

 

Otherwise find a lounger at the pool in the port.

 

Maybe team up with someone on your roll call for transport otherwise you may be paying $16 each way for a five minute ride to town.

Edited December 20, 2023 by c-leg5

[2stonesthrow]

We recently went to Malecon 21. Minimum charge for a chair but was hands down amazing. Order and drink and a snack, and you'll be good to go. Not crowded. Great service. Cheap massage. Away from the cruise crowds. 

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, 2stonesthrow said:

We recently went to Malecon 21. Minimum charge for a chair but was hands down amazing. Order and drink and a snack, and you'll be good to go. Not crowded. Great service. Cheap massage. Away from the cruise crowds. 

Good to hear good review. It used to be our “go-to place” pre Covid but we were disappointed in service when cruising resumed. Nice to know it has picked up again - we were hoping it would.

[JT1962]

The Krazy Lobster is a good option if you want pay as you go. Five dollar bucket of 5 small Coronas ($ 10 for 5 regular size) in May. The food was good and reasonably priced as well. 

[MamaToMany]

The seaweed situation looks ok currently, but no idea when you’re planning to travel. I’m a solo traveler as well (female) and have booked Maya Chan. I like that the transportation is included and that they make sure you get back to the ship in plenty of time to make all aboard. Sounds like food and drinks look good too? Fingers crossed.

[c-leg5]

7 hours ago, MamaToMany said:

The seaweed situation looks ok currently, but no idea when you’re planning to travel. I’m a solo traveler as well (female) and have booked Maya Chan. I like that the transportation is included and that they make sure you get back to the ship in plenty of time to make all aboard. Sounds like food and drinks look good too? Fingers crossed.

As you say sargassum is entirely dependent on season you are traveling and the current weather conditions. Off shore baffles have been installed along the malecon which have been somewhat successful. Beach clubs outside the malecon do not have this protection. 

 

We have enjoyed Maya Chan several times. As I stated above, it could be a good choice solo provided you are comfortable walking outside port to the meeting place for transportation alone, or with others from your roll call. Although transport is “included in price”,  it is not from within the port area. Also, depending on mobility, it is a long walk within the port and then a short distance outside.

 

Certainly once you are there it is vendor and hassle free, compared to the malecon. Service, food and drinks are very good. Food is local-cooked Mayan-style taco buffet. Sea conditions and sargassum are variable and outside their control.

 

One word of caution. Our last visit we had late, short port hours. To try and make the most of our time we opted for their last recommended taxi back. Unfortunately the taxi was late arriving and we returned to port much too late for comfort considering the long walk back through the port from taxi drop off (which is at port entrance on return). I would not be comfortable taking their last taxi again especially considering the distance, road and weather conditions - there would have been no contingency for breakdowns. Therefore I would recommend that you are not be too complacent regarding them getting you back in “plenty of time”. Ultimately the decision of which taxi to take is your responsibility. They will come round half-way through the afternoon and offer you a choice of times to sign up for.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 1 by c-leg5

[MamaToMany]

44 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

As you say sargassum is entirely dependent on season you are traveling and the current weather conditions. Off shore baffles have been installed along the malecon which have been somewhat successful. Beach clubs outside the malecon do not have this protection. 

 

We have enjoyed Maya Chan several times. As I stated above, it could be a good choice solo provided you are comfortable walking outside port to the meeting place for transportation alone, or with others from your roll call. Although transport is “included in price”,  it is not from within the port area. Also, depending on mobility, it is a long walk within the port and then a short distance outside.

 

Certainly once you are there it is vendor and hassle free, compared to the malecon. Service, food and drinks are very good. Food is local-cooked Mayan-style taco buffet. Sea conditions and sargassum are variable and outside their control.

 

One word of caution. Our last visit we had late, short port hours. To try and make the most of our time we opted for their last recommended taxi back. Unfortunately the taxi was late arriving and we returned to port much too late for comfort considering the long walk back through the port from taxi drop off (which is at port entrance on return). I would not be comfortable taking their last taxi again especially considering the distance, road and weather conditions - there would have been no contingency for breakdowns. Therefore I would recommend that you are not be too complacent regarding them getting you back in “plenty of time”. Ultimately the decision of which taxi to take is your responsibility. They will come round half-way through the afternoon and offer you a choice of times to sign up for.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the extra wise words of warning. We also have the late arrival/late departure hours at CM. I’ll be extra sure to leave time to get to the port and walk through it. You are right- it’s a looooong schlep. Don’t want to miss the ship!

[jean87510]

Also it gets dark early so you really want to head back!

 

We are currently at Hayhu with their cheapest selection which was $60 pp.  Gives you a $30 food credit plus the ride is included.  You can use cc but a 5% charge.  Cash only for tips.  Sargassum here but already cleaned and raked off of beach and none in water. This is our 2nd time here and we are here as a result of a last minute cancelation by a vendor (yesterday).  I sent a WhatsApp to Hayhu and grabbed last 2 spots.  Place holds 40 people.

[c-leg5]

17 minutes ago, MamaToMany said:

Thank you for the extra wise words of warning. We also have the late arrival/late departure hours at CM. I’ll be extra sure to leave time to get to the port and walk through it. You are right- it’s a looooong schlep. Don’t want to miss the ship!

Assuming this is for your Prima sailing from Galveston it doesn’t look like you will have a problem missing your ship. Your departure is later than ours. Sunset is around 6.30 EST so it will be getting dark (5.30 ship time unless Norwegian changes time on board). 
 

Unfortunately it makes for a very short beach day after travel time taken out.

[MamaToMany]

16 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Assuming this is for your Prima sailing from Galveston it doesn’t look like you will have a problem missing your ship. Your departure is later than ours. Sunset is around 6.30 EST so it will be getting dark (5.30 ship time unless Norwegian changes time on board). 
 

Unfortunately it makes for a very short beach day after travel time taken out.

The very short day had me thinking that maybe I wanted to just cancel the beach day and maybe just explore the port area instead, as I’ve never really done that in CM. But even if it’s short, I think I want the beach time. And yes, this is for my Prima sailing from Galveston. 

[c-leg5]

On 1/1/2024 at 11:00 AM, MamaToMany said:

The very short day had me thinking that maybe I wanted to just cancel the beach day and maybe just explore the port area instead, as I’ve never really done that in CM. But even if it’s short, I think I want the beach time. And yes, this is for my Prima sailing from Galveston. 

If you haven’t been before and you want a beach I suggest you go ahead and enjoy the experience on the understanding it will be brief but you can always return at a later date with better port hours if you enjoy it.

 

There are some that will always go to Maya Chan  no matter what port times  (just like Nachi Cocom in Cozumel) but we would probably just stay at the port if we had short hours again in the future. 

 

This is something we would never have done in the past but we are disappointed in the price gouging that is happening in Costa Maya, between taxis and prices along the malecon, since cruising resumed. 

 

Also we found we weren’t “ready” to eat lunch half-way through the afternoon and didn’t really need an AI. YMMV.

Edited January 4 by c-leg5

[tetleytea]

To be honest, I thought all the beaches were more-or-less the same.  We rented a golf cart for the day, and we decided to beach-hop.  We didn't have to pay anything, and I think part of that was because we had rented a golf cart, and those guys must have some arrangement with the beach guys.  After visiting well over half the beaches there, I think I like Krazy Lobster the best.  Chunky Monkey and Playa Lunas were the quietest--especially if you wanted to disconnect from Wifi, since Chunky Monkey's Wifi simply didn't reach all the way to the beach.  But really, I can't imagine what exactly a single cruiser would want that truly differentiated the beaches from one another.

 

[c-leg5]

2 hours ago, tetleytea said:

To be honest, I thought all the beaches were more-or-less the same.  We rented a golf cart for the day, and we decided to beach-hop.  We didn't have to pay anything, and I think part of that was because we had rented a golf cart, and those guys must have some arrangement with the beach guys.  After visiting well over half the beaches there, I think I like Krazy Lobster the best.  Chunky Monkey and Playa Lunas were the quietest--especially if you wanted to disconnect from Wifi, since Chunky Monkey's Wifi simply didn't reach all the way to the beach.  But really, I can't imagine what exactly a single cruiser would want that truly differentiated the beaches from one another.

 

 

From recent posts it would appear OP @sunsetme has sailed and returned. It would be interesting to hear where they went as a solo. 
 

I agree the “beach” along the malecon is very similar since it is one long bay but there can be a different “vibe” at the various locations, quality of service, PAYG/AI, loud/quiet.

As a solo the out of town locations are probably less intimidating providing you are comfortable with the transport aspect and you have long enough port hours.

 

Costa May is not high on my list of favorites presently and personally I would probably take a quick tour round the port area and return to the ship. 

 

[sunsetme]

In Costa Maya I went to Krazy Lobster, Roatan Tabayna (ship excursion with OBC) and Cozumel Paradise Beach.Good choices for solo cruisers.

[c-leg5]

3 minutes ago, sunsetme said:

In Costa Maya I went to Krazy Lobster, Roatan Tabayna (ship excursion with OBC) and Cozumel Paradise Beach.Good choices for solo cruisers.

Thanks glad to hear it all worked out for you.