questions about majahual

[erin1998]

Good evening all, :)

just a few quick questions about Majahual. We were in Costa Maya last year and did the Jungle Beach Break excursion. We are sailing on Disney's Magic this November and are stopping in Costa Maya again. I have read that Majahuals beach is beautiful and is very easy to get to by taxi and it is a place that I'd like to go to.

I am travelling alone with my 8 year old son and typically prefer to stick with ship excursions for many reasons (I'm not an experienced traveller, so I can always follow someone else if I don't know where I am going :rolleyes: , and being a single mom I prefer to do ships tours for comfort/safety of not venturing off on our own.) If we were to take a taxi to Majahual, do the taxis fill up with people and we share a taxi with others then leave, or would it just be the two of us in a taxi? How would I find a taxi to return back to the pier? Also I have read that Majahual can be quite the fun party place, but are there spots that my son and I can just enjoy the sun/sand/ocean? :cool: I am looking for any advice if this would be a great spot to spend the day and still feel safe being out on our own. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :D

Thanks

Erin

Also....a really stupid question....but how do you pronounce Majahual?

[MSN-Travelers]

Good evening all, :)

just a few quick questions about Majahual. We were in Costa Maya last year and did the Jungle Beach Break excursion. We are sailing on Disney's Magic this November and are stopping in Costa Maya again. I have read that Majahuals beach is beautiful and is very easy to get to by taxi and it is a place that I'd like to go to.

I am travelling alone with my 8 year old son and typically prefer to stick with ship excursions for many reasons (I'm not an experienced traveller, so I can always follow someone else if I don't know where I am going :rolleyes: , and being a single mom I prefer to do ships tours for comfort/safety of not venturing off on our own.) If we were to take a taxi to Majahual, do the taxis fill up with people and we share a taxi with others then leave, or would it just be the two of us in a taxi? How would I find a taxi to return back to the pier? Also I have read that Majahual can be quite the fun party place, but are there spots that my son and I can just enjoy the sun/sand/ocean? :cool: I am looking for any advice if this would be a great spot to spend the day and still feel safe being out on our own. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :D

Thanks

Erin

Also....a really stupid question....but how do you pronounce Majahual?

 

This site will give you an overview of Majahual, to include how to pronounce its name (with all three spellings). http://www.mayanbeachgarden.com/Mahajual.html

My wife and daughter spent a day here in March. This sleepy little fishing village is really nothing more than an open air flea market about 150 yards or so long. The beach area is beautiful and does run the entire length of the village.

Ground transportation to the village from the Costa Maya dock is by shuttle bus. You buy a ticket at the transportation booth and they load you up and take you to town. You will not be traveling alone. There are a number of threads here that describe the process. There are dozens of taxis waiting at the north edge of town waiting to take you and all the rest of the cruisers back to the ship. These are individual taxis and you don’t share them with others. The cost per person, both ways, is a fixed fee.

I did a quick search on WebShots and located these photos. This should give you some idea what to expect. http://community.webshots.com/album/114789709YvwEkL

Based on recommendations from CC members, my family walked to the southern end of the town and located a beach bar named “Pez Quadros”. There were plenty of tables and umbrellas for shade. Here is a link to WebShots that will show you what it looks like. http://www.webshots.com/search?new=1&source=mdocsheader&words=Pez+Quadros

There were about a dozen crew members there from our ship and, eventually, 20-30 fellow passengers that made their way to this end of town. Food is made in the restaurant/hotel across the street and that is where the restrooms are located too. The waters are crystal clear and pretty shallow for quite a ways out. It was a very relaxing day and didn’t cost anything other than our food and beverages.

[wgeddings]

Here is a link to some more info about Majahual -

http://www.mahahualmexico.com/ (aka Majahual)

To see the port and the village, click this link

http://www.locogringo.com/maps/tour/P1010121a-t.html that will show the port, to see Majahual, click the << arrow in the upper left 3 times.

I can understand how hard it is to plan when you have not seen the place but I think you will find that getting to or from Majahual is incredibly simple by taxi or shuttle and it is impossible to get lost.

[erin1998]

Thank you both for your replies. :)

Another question.....are there lots of beach chairs/loungers to use. I'm not a big fan of laying on a towel on the ground? Does it get really busy and packed with people or is there lots of room to relax?

Thanks again

Erin

[MSN-Travelers]

Thank you both for your replies. :)

Another question.....are there lots of beach chairs/loungers to use. I'm not a big fan of laying on a towel on the ground? Does it get really busy and packed with people or is there lots of room to relax?

Thanks again

Erin

 

It all depends on how many ships are there. As a general rule, a good number of people don't get any further than the shopping complex at the end of the dock. Some are on organized tours and others head to town to see what it is all about. We were on the Grand with 2600 passengers.

 

The beach fills up just like a church (from the entrance) with people going to the first place they see that has sand, massages, food & beverages. Pez Quadros is on the far end of town and I would say that most of the people that were there knew about the place and came directly to Pez Quadros. It was never crowded.

 

The shopping complex at the dock will be open until the last ship leaves. I would head to town, get my lounger on the beach, spend the day and shop on the way back to the ship.

 

Enjoy!

[Island Annie]

erin,

 

Being a single female traveler myself I can certainly understand your concerns. I actually remember laying awake a few nights contemplating similar questions before I departed on my Miracle cruise last March.

 

Visiting a new port for the first time (for me, anyway)is always exciting, but can also be somewhat confusing and maybe a little stressful hoping you make all the right decisions.

 

Here's what I tell you:

 

When you disembark your ship there will be a trolley parked near your gangway waiting to take passenger ashore. The trolley is free and requires no pre-arranging. Just hop onboard. I HIGHLY recommend taking this trolley rather than walking. Not only is the Costa Maya pier one of the longest I've ever seen, but it's usually very windy there. So windy that I saw a couple young girls who decided to walk ashore rather than take the trolley, and as we went past them they looked as though they were about to be blown overboard. Play it safe and take the trolley.

 

Once you're ashore there is a large terminal building with shops, restaurants, bars, etc. Enter the building and proceed directly towards the back. When you're getting close to the very back of the building, you'll see a sign that says "Taxis------>". Follow the direction of that sign, and You'll find yourself outdoors at the back of the building. Here there is a taxi stand against the building with a chalkboard listing their prices to different destinations. Purchase a ONE-WAY ticket to Majahul($3). I was then instructed to "stand in line with a group over there" which I did. A few minutes later, a large (charter-type) bus pulled up and everyone from my group started to board it. I mentioned to the man who was standing next to me that I had bought a TAXI ticket and was hesitant to board the bus. He assured me that this was the transportation to majahul and seem to know what he was talking about so I boarded.

 

The ride was only about 10 minutes. The bus driver announced our first stop for anyone who wanted to disembark at Tequilla Beach Club. Knowing my plan to explore majahul & the beach, my new guy friend told me to stay on until we reach the town center. so I did. Just a few minutes later the driver announced we were in Majahul at the town center. I recognized several places that I had seen posted on this board and on http://www.webshots.com so was comfortable knowing that this is where I need to be getting off.

 

The entire length of the town is only about 6-8 blocks long, has only one main street (actually a dirt road) is all beach on one side of the road and stores, bars, and restaurants on the other.

 

The entire beach is lined with palapa-style bar/reataurants which will provide you with a lounge chair (they call them sunbeds) as long as you purchase your food & drinks from their establishment. I took the recommendation of several posters on this board and decided to have my lunch & drinks at TAPAS. My waiter showed me to a nice umbrella table right on the beach and then took my order. Their food & drinks were delicious and very reasonably priced. After lunch my waiter showed me to a lounge chair that would be mine for the remainder of the day. There were beach massages available in that area on the beach as well as a strolling mariachi band. The water was very calm and shallow out several yards. It kind of reminded me of that beach on the Corona tv commercial.

 

Tip: If you go to webshots.com & do a search for Majahul you'll find several pictures that your fellow cruisers have posted to give you a better idea of the village.

 

When you're ready to go back to your ship: you'll find a taxi stand on the main street (beachside) where you can purchase your return ride to the terminal building (this time only $2 and in a yellow cab)

 

I found the people & business owners of Majahul to be extremely polite & helpful. You "shouldn't have any concerns about safety. But as when traveling to any stange town alone, use common sense.

 

I hope my information will be helpful for your day trip.

 

Enjoy!

 

Annie

[98Charlie]

Erin

 

From the looks of things, you will be in Majahual on November 14. If that is correct you will be the first ship in @ 7:30 AM. Legend of the Seas and Norwegian Sun are scheduled in at 10 AM. You should have no problem with crowds on your way to the beach.

 

To check out your cruise and ports, go to http://www.cruisecal.com

 

Charlie

[98Charlie]

As for pronunciation, my bet is

 

Ma Ha Wall

 

(emphasis on the first syllable)

 

Charlie

[starketcher]

Island Annie's info is on the money!!

 

That said, I was a single parent of a young son (who's now 6'2", 180#!!!) and we travelled alone together. I would not take anyting for our travelling times together! Go enjoy yourselves and go with the knowledge you can pick up on these boards to keep yourself and your child safe. AND HAVE FUN!! He'll be grown before you know it!

[erin1998]

Thank you all so very much for your responses. :)

Island Annie, your information was great and I do feel a little more relaxed after reading your response. I don't like to think that I am a nervous mother.....but I am a nervous mother :o

Starketcher, I agree. I love travelling with my son and after working long hours at the office, it is wonderful to go away where we can just relax and have fun. I just wish I could do it more often :D

Charlie, great website!....thanks

Thanks again for all your help

Erin

[nannydoe]

I had heard some great reviews for Majahual so decided that my 2 sisters & I would do this on our own.We almost always do excursions with the ship. We were near 50years old at the time & had no problem.Of course this was 2 years ago so things may of changed but after shopping in the complex that was built at the end of the pier for cruise ships we walked to the back of the complex and caught a taxi. The 3 of us had a cab to ourselves (this may be because we shopped for a couple hours first). It took us directly to the town, no other stops. Party? I don't think so. It is a very quiet town, sand road only, lined with very colorful shops. There was almost no one on the beach, there were plenty of lounge chairs, or you could sit at one of the umbrella tables when ordering drinks or food. It was a very laid back, quiet town. Anyone into photography will love it. Right along the beach were small colorful boats, fishing nets hung to dry, and long palms & cocunuts to frame pictures. I went of on by own for an hour taking pictures and never felt unsafe or uncomfortable. Be sure to get you return ticket at the taxi stand in town. The driver's can not take passengers with cash, you must have a prepaid ticket. Our taxi back was just the 3 of us also.

[BarbaraSails]

Awesome advice and reveiws all!

 

Island Annie

MSN

98 Charlie

wgeddings

 

I appreciate all the info.

 

Good question erin! :D

 

 

I'll be in Costa Maya on New Year's Day 2007 aboard the Fantasy out of New Orleans!!

 

The info I just read here is very, very helpful.:cool:

[Island Annie]

erin,

 

Just found this website, and thought it might answer more of your questions.

 

 

http://www.mayanbeachgarden.com/Mahajual.html

[erin1998]

Thank you all so very much for all your help! :) I've decided that we will spend our day in Majahual. Looking at all the pictures is making me want to go there much sooner than November

Thanks again for all your advice :D

Erin

[piginmud]

Good evening all, :)

just a few quick questions about Majahual. We were in Costa Maya last year and did the Jungle Beach Break excursion.

Also....a really stupid question....but how do you pronounce Majahual?

 

Hi Erin,

 

You mentioned that you did the Jungle Beach Break excursion before. I've been contemplating this (or doing Majahual). I'm a single mom myself (with 12 yr old in tow). I'm curious to know if u enjoyed the Jungle Beach Break.

 

Also to everyone else...does Majahual have enough to do to keep my 12 yr old busy? I noticed something about some water sports and wondered if there was enough for us to do or whether I should book the Jungle Break Break.

 

Thanks!

debbie

piginmud@yahoo.com