Maya Palms Resort In Majahul

[cool change]

We spent the day at Maya Palms last friday and had a wonderful time. We just did the beach break portion of this. We had the whole pool to ourselves. A few others had the beach to themselves. It was all you can drink and they served a nice lunch. The best part was getting away from the crowded cruise ship and shopping port. We shopped first then grabbed a cab.

All the information we needed to know has been reported on this board.

We are from the St. Louis area and know the dive shop where we made our reservations.

It is a 20 minute drive each way and worth it. It was about a 20 dollar cab fare each way. Same cab driver came back for us. Pedro at Maya Palms spoke to the cab driver for us when we arrived and everything was arranged.

Food was good and I did not get sick. This is a big deal for me as past experience with Mexico was not pretty. I can safely say that if I wont get sick you wont either.

We spent a good deal of time speaking to the manager Ken. He showed around the property which has some nice surprises I will leave for you to find.

[rwillis9]

What was the price of the Cab that you take (roundtrip) out to their. We may be going back next March and I was thinking about doing this. Thanks.

[ballinafad]

We spent the day at Maya Palms last friday and had a wonderful time. We just did the beach break portion of this. We had the whole pool to ourselves. A few others had the beach to themselves. It was all you can drink and they served a nice lunch. The best part was getting away from the crowded cruise ship and shopping port. We shopped first then grabbed a cab.

All the information we needed to know has been reported on this board.

We are from the St. Louis area and know the dive shop where we made our reservations.

It is a 20 minute drive each way and worth it. It was about a 20 dollar cab fare each way. Same cab driver came back for us. Pedro at Maya Palms spoke to the cab driver for us when we arrived and everything was arranged.

Food was good and I did not get sick. This is a big deal for me as past experience with Mexico was not pretty. I can safely say that if I wont get sick you wont either.

We spent a good deal of time speaking to the manager Ken. He showed around the property which has some nice surprises I will leave for you to find.

 

What is the cost of the beach break with unlimited food and drinks(alcoholic of course)? Do they have frozen foo foo drinks? Do you have to book the snorkel portion ahead of time too if some of our party would like to try it?

[wa.mama]

We spent the day at Maya Palms on Nov 24, booking the trip through Island Marketing. The directions were good - took a taxi outside of the port for a longish ride through Majuhual. The drivers know exactly where it is. The weather was bad, with high winds and occasional hard rain. The snorkeling was so-so, with poor visibility due to the high surf, and the coral formations not very memorable. Note to those not interested in paying the $$ for the snorkeling tour - if you are a good swimmer you can swim out to the reef yourself. DH had no trouble - I woudn't have done it though. The grounds were pretty - if you go, climb the pyramid for a great view down the coast. We didn't swim in the pool as it was quite cold. The beach indeed has quite a bit of sea grass and is not pleasant for swimming.

 

Lunch was very tasty and they were accomodating in preparing vegetarian food for our picky eater, but there was not much of it, esp after our two snorkeling stops. We were starving, and there were no other eating establishments out there.

 

It was quiet and peaceful, but so were the beaches in Majuhual due to the weather. We probably wouldn't go to Maya Palms again as it was pricey for a family of 7 after adding in the taxi and small meal. Majuhual was quaint also, had several taco shacks, and the reef looked similar to that at Maya Palms.

 

Check out my pics!

[BeadBabe]

Just booked my day with Al from the Maya Palms. GREAT guy, very helpful (and currently trying to fix his leaking room from ice storms in St Louis!!!)

 

My travel partner and I are at different skill and interest levels and Al was great about planning two adventures for each of us. My partner is snorkeling and I'm going to "discover scuba". (I have my Naui certification but it's been years, so I thought a refresher was in order.)

 

When I pre-ordered one lobster and one shrimp lunch he chuckled and said..."you are going to love that!"

 

Anyway, he says ABSOLUTELY...walk out the pier village to the taxi stands. Things have changed and you CAN take a taxi from the pier to Maya Palms directly without the prequisite stop in Majahaul first. The charge should be $20 one way for up to four people. He also says to NOT PAY the driver when he drops you off at Maya Palms. Instead, tell him what time you want him to pick you back up to return you to the pier and you will pay him for BOTH directions at that time. Al says the taxi guys are very use to this practice and won't complain too much.

 

Soooo, we'll be there the 26th of December! :D

[hockessinhon]

We are booked on the Carnival Miracle for Jan. and one of the stops is Costa Maya. We are looking at a shore excursion possibility at the Maya Palms, but have concerns as to how we would get there from the port. Any information you could share would be appreciated!

[smeesq]

My six member family group will be on the Liberty and in Costa Maya on Christmas Day. We already have our snorkel, scuba and beach break reservations at Maya Palms. This will be our second visit, so we know how to do it right this time.

 

After leaving the ship, get on one of the large tour buses that shuttles people into town of Mahujual(sp?). Cost last year was $3.00 pp. Takes about 10 minutes. You have to go in town to get a taxi, bec. they are not allowed to pick up people at the port. When you get off the bus in town, there will be a line of taxis. Write down the name Maya Palms, show it to the drivers, and start negoitiating. You are looking for one who will drive you out to the resort (its about half an hour drive) and return for you when you are ready to return to the ship for a decent price. Last year I believe it was $20.00 each way, not incl the tip. Some will try to tell you that they know a "better place" and try to talk you out of MP, so be prepared to reject that. Normally, the drivers take you along the coast on a rutted dirt road past shacks and thru jungle brush...VERY jarring and I admit I wondered if we were being kidnapped. If you want, for a few dollars more, you can ask them to go by the "new road" which is further in distance, but a much more comfortable ride. Either way, the trip takes about half an hour to 40 min. After arriving at the resort, do NOT pay the driver. IF they complain and want to be paid then, have one of the resort employees come out and deal with the driver. By not paying until the return trip, you ensure that the driver will be back on time to take you to the ship. The taxis can drop you off at the ship, so you don't have to reverse the bus ride.

 

Hope this helps.

[smeesq]

 

Soooo, we'll be there the 26th of December! :D

 

Which ship are you on?

 

My group (6 of us) will be at the resort on Christmas, just the day before you. We're on the Carnival Liberty. This is our second time at MP, last year we were so pleasantly surprised by the beauty, and quiet, the wonderful food, and the great staff. Our two scuba divers were awe struck by their dives, including the dolphins that swan above them.

Glad to hear that we can now get a taxi from the pier, last year we had to waste time taking a bus into town.

[BeadBabe]

Which ship are you on?.

 

The NCL Sun...departing New Orleans the 24th, returning on the 31st.

 

I'm happy to hear you are a 2nd timer. That speaks volumes. I hope you have a great stay and I'm sorry we'll be missing you! Always nice to make new friends!:D

[80spit]

We were at Maya Palms Last week, 12/26/06, and had such a great day, I thought I would post a review about it. We sailed the NCL Sun. This resort is a good half hours drive from the Pier, we were in a group of 7 people, that we all met from our cruise critic meet and greet, and from here we formed some great friendships for the rest of the week, We got a taxi and had the driver give us a round trip price upfront, cost us $80.00 for 7 people. You don't want to pay your driver until his return as this assures you he will come back, and he did, actually early

This is an all day stay, don't try to rush it, and do the fishing town as well, there just is not enough time. We all had the all inclusive stay, we were greeted very warmly by the owner himself, and we felt really comfortable,

hit the freshwater pool and the drinks started flowing, I felt like a guest at someones house, It was really nice, This is the place to go if you want to get away from the crowds, there were only about 25+/- people there. 2 s went scuba diving and the rest went snorkeling, usually a snorkel trip is 45 minutes, but I know we were out for more than and hour!! The reef is fabulous, and we had lots of fun exploring, as they will let you go on your own and that's what I wanted, not having to stay within certain boundaries. We came back to a great lunch which by made by Anna, real Mexican food, great Salsa and Guacamole and of course a couple more drinks And for desert rice pudding made with coconut milk, That was tasty and I don't even like rice pudding usually

The have a pyramid which is a reproduction of a Mayan temple, which is still being contructed, A hotel I believe, you can climb up to the top and have a spectacular view.

Bottom Line is if you want a peacefull day and good Snorkeling, this is the place to go, I'm sure I will return if I ever port in Costa Maya again

 

Cheers

Gerry

[IDKaren]

What is the price per person for the all inclusive? Thanks!

[80spit]

What is the price per person for the all inclusive? Thanks!

 

I cost me $65.00 for snorkel and a meal and open bar and full use of the facilities

[BeadBabe]

Read 80spits review...we were there that day too and it was fabulous! Just a few points to add...

 

After leaving the boat, walk the pier to the pier village. You will see lots of cruise excursions lined up, walk thru and past them into the actual village. Go all the way thru the village and exit the back. You'll see all the motor coaches parked out there, go past them and you should see the drive way out of the village and just past the gate a group of very shiny and clean yellow taxis. Before you actually get to the taxi's however, you'll be hit by some friendly but a little bit pushy tour guides wanting to take you to a "better place". Just politely so "no gracias" and continue to the taxi's. Tell them you want Maya Palms and negotiate the price right then and there. Should be $40 per foursome or there abouts, each way. When the cabbie gets you to the Maya Palms, tell him what time to pick you up, and that you'll pay him when he returns. He will for sure guaranteed. The cabbies are very polite and are quite use to this arrangement. Worse case scenario, Maya Palms has a 15 passenger van and they'll make sure you are back on time.

 

Doug was a gracious host, bartender and a very patient divemaster. I hadn't been diving in quite awhile and with his expert hand-holding, I was swimming like a fish, with the fish, in no time. Dive packages include all gear, which was newer equipment in excellent working condition, and very clean. There are wetsuits available if you feel you want one. The dive prep area was clean and comfortable with plenty of hoses to rinse off with after. The dive/snorkel boat literally picks you up right off the beach. The reef site is maybe a 5-10 minute boat ride.

 

Although we had a BLAST being in the 2nd snorkel/dive group, and that afforded us extra time on the reef, it rushes things in the end if you were hoping to stop in the little fishing village of Majahal on the way back. (Missed out on that, but I heard the prices on chachkas are less expensive than in the pier village.) So next time, I would opt to arrive at Maya Palms and head directly for the first snorkel group of the day. That way you can snorkel or dive, have lunch, lounge by the pool, consume all the open bar you can handle, and leave by say 3:30 and hit the little village before needing to be back at the pier.

 

Be SURE to climb up the pyramid. The view is spectacular. Bring your camera. You can see all the way back to the pier village and beyond in every direction.

 

BRING YOUR OWN TOWEL. (Conveniently your cruise ship will have a pile of them as you disembark the ship.) Or you can rent one at the Maya Palms...I know silly, :cool: but everything else was included.

 

The lobster and shrimp meal is exquisite!!! Yum Yum and more Yum!:D

 

This will be a definite return the next time around!

[warm weather bound]

This sounds like a great place but we can't get in and out of one of the boats that just puts a ladder over the side. Can someone describe how they got back into the boat from the water? Is the ladder attached, Is the boat like a catamaran? Thanks for the info

[BeadBabe]

This sounds like a great place but we can't get in and out of one of the boats that just puts a ladder over the side. Can someone describe how they got back into the boat from the water? Is the ladder attached, Is the boat like a catamaran? Thanks for the info

 

WarmWeather...I'm not good and knowing kinds of boats....LOL! :cool: But it was like a sort of typical reef boat. Could seat about 12-15 I'd guess. Benches all around the sides. And yes, the ladder mounted to the boat but hung over the side. You'd wade a bit into the water, about hip deep and climb up. Then do the same getting off. Here is a link to their online flyer about snorkeling, with a pic of "a" boat. That is NOT the boat we used, but it's about the same style. http://www.mayapalms.com/pdf/Snorkel%20Excursion.pdf

[maryn680]

We were the last part of the group of 7 from the Sun over Christmas with Gerry and Beadbabe.

 

We echo the great time had by all. Not sure I can add anything to their posts, but just confirm that it was a very nice resort, run by very good energetic people.

 

It was very clean, food was great and the $10.00 upgrade for all you can drink is well worth it. I would not have remembered about making arrangements for the taxi to come back before you pay him, but Doug was right there making sure that they understood what we intended.

 

As Beadbabe said, be sure to keep walking behind the Cruise Village until you reach the Taxi stand. They will bring you back into the pier area but can't come inside to pick you up.

 

Although we all made our reservations independently it was great meeting at the Meet and Greet and showing up as a group. Make sure you make reservations, you can't just show up. They have a dive shop in St. Louis and that is where you'll make your reservations and get information. Well worth it. Enjoy.

[Capt Blood]

We were also there recently. This place is fantastic. We are considering coming back here via Cancun for a long weekend. I would imagine that at the end of the day when the ship leave, this place would be quiet as a church. On the day we were there, the water vis was FANTASTIC. The reef of course was beautiful with lots of fish and coral. As mentioned earlier on this thread, great food and drinks as well as service. $10 for all you can drink is a deal. Awesome Pina coladas!! One thing about getting there from the cruise ship dock. As soon as you walk off the pier in Costa Maya, you will find the major touristy shops etc. There will be a line of people waiting to get bus tickets. The local trasportation hawkers will attempt to get you to get in line with all the other "cattle". Ignore these guys and walk right out the front gate, which is kind of too the right. Walk about 300 yards down a long main street to Plaza las Fuentes. There you will find local "yellow" cabbies that will take you to Mayan Plams for about $20. Dont let those hawkers discourage you from walking down the street. I had asked a local groundskeeper where Plaza Las Fuentes was and he was kind enough to walk me to the exit of the cruise dock and point me to Plaza las Fuentes. I tipped him a $5 for the directions and as we walked away, I saw one of these trasportaion hawkers really rip into this poor guy about helping us. Just reinforced my disgust with overt Mexican mercenary behavior. This is why I like to do my own thing in Mexico. Much more fun on my own, and it really makes the merceneries mad! LOL!

[hockessinhon]

Thanks for your input! I concur with the theory of going beyond the "hawkers".

 

Is there a particular cab line we need to "avoid". I've been told by other, more experienced cruisers that in some places you need to avoid the red cabs or the blue, etc. Was that your experience? We are traveling with my in-laws so I am trying to trouble shoot as much as possible.

 

Also-did you have any concerns re: getting back to the ship in time? What time did you coordinate your return?

 

Thanks for your help!

[80spit]

Thanks for your input! I concur with the theory of going beyond the "hawkers".

 

Is there a particular cab line we need to "avoid". I've been told by other, more experienced cruisers that in some places you need to avoid the red cabs or the blue, etc. Was that your experience? We are traveling with my in-laws so I am trying to trouble shoot as much as possible.

 

Also-did you have any concerns re: getting back to the ship in time? What time did you coordinate your return?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

Once you get out of the complex, just walk up the street, ignore all the cruise people, this is what you are avoiding anyways right!! you will see the yellow cabs at the end of the street, strike up a deal before you go,

Don't pay him until he returns, we told him to come back at 4 pm, and he was there right on time, our ship left at 6, get off the ship as early as possible, so you can enjoy as much time as possible at the resort, also try

to get the early snorkeling trip instead of the later one,

I'm sure you will have a great time, I know I will be back again

Cheers

Gerry

[DE cruiser]

I cannot agree more with the comments about the taxi's at Costa Maya. BE SURE to walk past the "hawkers" with ther white taxi's/vans (you may get some interesting English thrown at you by the hawkers once they realize you are not going to use them!!), through the chain link fence and up the street about 200 yards to the yellow cabs. They will gladly take you to the Maya Palms Beach resort. One note - the fare for the small yellow taxi's was quoted as $20 each way for up to 4 people - but it would be a tight fit for 4 in the small cars if you have backpacks,snorkeling equipment, etc). They will steer you to the large yellow taxi van, and want $40 per trip. I was able to negotiate $30 per trip. It was well worth the extra $10 over the small car if you have a foursome with equipment as we had.

 

MAYA PALMS WAS GREAT - well worth the trip.

 

P.S. A fellow cruiser group that was also going to Maya Palms took a white taxi by mistake - they ended up being dropped off in the small village (Mahahaua??) at a much higher fare and then only got to Maya Palms by luck when a dive shop owner (from Texas) picked them up and drove them to Maya Palms.

[Trigger69]

I cannot agree more with the comments about the taxi's at Costa Maya. BE SURE to walk past the "hawkers" with ther white taxi's/vans (you may get some interesting English thrown at you by the hawkers once they realize you are not going to use them).

 

 

Hmmm... what type of "English" are you referring to.:confused: I would be very unhappy if something unpleasant was being said in front of my wife and son... plus, I am quite capable of "interesting English" myself:D ! The Maya Palms does sound like a nice day. We are going in March and I think I will contact them. I am wondering if you can design your own excursion with them. I am also worried about their snorkel trip times due to our ship port times. We arrive late enough that I don't know if we can make the early trip. We leave early enough that I don't know if we can make the later trip. Anyone know if there are more than two trips a day to the reef? If not, another poster said their DH swam to the same reef. I noticed you can rent a Kayak for $10 for 2hrs.... maybe better to just do beach break and paddle out to reef... anyone done this?

[cruisinlawn]

I understand about the yellow cabs but...when you go out the gate, do you go left, right, or forward? it may be obvious but i have never been to this port. Thanks.

[LHARTWICK]

Just keep walking through the shops area and go out through the chain link fence gate area. Keep walking straight, about 100 yards or so. You'll see the yellow cabs at the end of this area. Note: all of the cab drivers will act like they don't speak English but they do. At least they do when it comes to negotiating a price.

 

In case you missed my previous post re: Maya Palms:

 

We were there last Friday. Heaven on earth! So peaceful and quiet. This is an excerpt from my review.

 

We made reservations at the Maya Palms Resort. Another wise choice! If you want a beautiful secluded area without the crowds of people OR the beach vendors harassing you, this is it! They have a freshwater pool with umbrellas and chairs. We were the first ones to arrive so we claimed the large area under the shade of the palapa for the day. Another heavenly day! If you are looking for a place with crystal clear water for snorkeling, this is not the place. There is thick sea grass for about 30 yards out so we never even entered the water. But the resort itself is just beautiful and so peaceful! The service is great, too. Be sure to climb to the top of the pyramid for some excellent photos! You will need to take a cab to get there. In order to grab one, go through the terminal and go OUT THROUGH THE CHAIN LINK FENCE gate area. Keep walking until you see the yellow cabs on the corner. Do not use any of the transportation inside the terminal. Even though we told them we needed to go to Maya Palms, they kept trying to tell us that they would take us “someplace better”. My gut told me to keep walking, and it was a good thing we did.

 

When you arrive at Maya Palms, the manager, Pedro, will come out to greet you. Have him tell the taxi driver to come back at your designated time and that you will pay him upon return to the pier. Otherwise, there’s no guarantee that you will have a ride back since it is so far away from the pier. They don’t like to drive out there. The taxi drivers will act like they don’t speak English but they really do. As soon as he told us he didn’t speak English, he immediately asked my friend where we were from in very good English.

 

They also have scuba diving excursions from this resort. Maya Palms is actually managed by a company in St. Louis. The owner lives in St. Louis, but spends a lot of time at the resort. He was there the day we visited. Very nice staff!

__________________

[BeckyMax]

We are from St. Louis, so the idea of supporting a local company here is very appealing. Can anyone tell me how many people were on the snorkle trip? Also, we were considering renting a golf cart, but it sounds like it would be too far to drive with a golf cart, correct? I'm guessing the 30 minute ride is at a pace far faster than a golf cart could go.

 

Becky

[LHARTWICK]

Yes - way too far in a golf cart. It's a 30 minute ride by taxi.