Maya Palms Resort - Costa Maya

[nitrogenaddict2]

The Maya Palms Resort, located at kilometer 9.5 on the road going south from the village of Mahahual is here for you to visit. We have a large pool and deck area. We can supply drinks and snacks to visitors. There is an entrance fee of 20 USD per person to use the facilities for the day. We have 200meters of white deserted beach front for those looking for a place to escape the crowds. The Dive Centre is a PADI Resort and SSI Resort offering Discover Scuba Diving courses and diving for those with qualifications. We have very experienced staff running the Dive Centre and safety is always foremost in the minds of these staff. So on your day in Costa Maya wishing to escape the crowds, grab a yellow cab in the town and just ask for Maya Palms. We will then arrange for the taxi to collect you at a time desired by you.

 

[Xarifa]

We are cruising in March, and Costa Maya is one of the ports--we have been trying to find diving or snorkeling there. Do you know how far this is from the cruise ship port by chance? This would be a GREAT place to take our group, if it is as good as it sounds...

 

[nitrogenaddict2]

Hi there ,
Email me at crocodile@2dive.com and I can answer your questions. We will be able to accommodate you on the day you arrive.

 

[Jaxironman]

I have heard mixed reviews about Maya Palms (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=107211&highlight=bait+switch). I think Doug got a little beat up on the cruise critic board, some of it unfair. I was out there in November and stopped by to check it out and ran into a man with a shotgun at the front entrance. I was told they were having problems with previous owners. Hopefully all that has been resolved. The place is very beautiful though.

I ended up diving with Blue Ha. They were absolutely great and a lot closer to the cruise port. They were very professional and an accredited PADI shop. I am a veteran diver and went with 3 rookies. The owners Jono and Tanya were excellent. They are a couple of Australian environmentalists that truly have a passion for diving.

Here is their web address: www.bluehadiving.com

Caution: If you dive out there make sure you go with a PADI shop like Blue Ha or Maya Palms and check their credentials. There were a couple locals that put up dives signs and were clearly unsafe.

 

[nitrogenaddict2]

I have heard mixed reviews about Maya Palms (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=107211&highlight=bait+switch). I think Doug got a little beat up on the cruise critic board, some of it unfair. I was out there in November and stopped by to check it out and ran into a man with a shotgun at the front entrance. I was told they were having problems with previous owners. Hopefully all that has been resolved. The place is very beautiful though.

I ended up diving with Blue Ha. They were absolutely great and a lot closer to the cruise port. They were very professional and an accredited PADI shop. I am a veteran diver and went with 3 rookies. The owners Jono and Tanya were excellent. They are a couple of Australian environmentalists that truly have a passion for diving.

Here is their web address: www.bluehadiving.com

Caution: If you dive out there make sure you go with a PADI shop like Blue Ha or Maya Palms and check their credentials. There were a couple locals that put up dives signs and were clearly unsafe.

Hey Jaxironman
Thank you for your honest opinion. Yes we were going thorugh some problems to get this show on the raod. We have now succeeded in getting the dive operation going. We are a PADI affilliated site and the other problems are being resolved. We have the faclities to cater for non divers with a beautiful pool and 200 yards of beach for people to roam on and go swimming in the sea,with no boat traffic to worry anyone, a place to get something to eat and drink. We are able to offer snorkelling and kayaks to those non divers. This a place to visit if you want to get away from the usual tourist orientated places.

Check out http://www.mayapalms.com or email me. Check out my profile.

 

[jughead]

You owe it to yourselves to take the 20min adventure on the beach road to Maya Palms Resort. Here you see the real Mahahual, not just a tourist strip in town. We can't say enough about our experience. I rarely comment on message boards. I just read them for information. But I feel the need to tell you all what you could be missing. We chose the Resort day package of Diving and Lunch at Maya Palms Resort. We chose this excursion because while researching I saw so many great comments on many message boards about Maya Palms Resort. This is not just another bar in town selling themselves as a dive operation and sharing a crowded beach with a heard of humanity. This is a true dedicated PADI and SSI Diving Resort located on a very private beach (the only people you see are the other guests at Maya Palms). The barrier reef is only 400 yards offshore, which translates into a 5 minute boat ride to the dive sites. We return to the resort in between dives and ate a poolside lunch. (No sitting out in middle of the ocean for an hour or 2 for surface intervals). Four of us are experienced divers with over 100 dives each. Our Divemaster was Ken, a true professional. We made 2 great dives with Ken. He was very attentive and showed us many things we would have missed. He too was from the states. I was told that Maya Palms owners also own and operate Bonne Terre Mine in Missouri, and their Divemasters rotate duties at Maya Palms and Bonne Terre Mine. The boat was a comfortable 49 footer. We all rented our equipment and it was well maintained and looked like new. All their regulators were disinfected. Our aluminum 80's were filled to 3200psi. They had fresh fruit and water on the boat. A diver in the group had not dived in a while. Ken made sure she was very comfortable. I think she fell in love with him... Lots of beautiful live coral, giant sponges (6'-8'tall!) lots of fish, several large sea turtles, giant green moray eel, lobster and so much more. Great photography!!
The resort itself is absolutely beautiful and has beach front villas scattered down the beach. The food was authentic Mexican prepared by their chef Pedro. They even have a large freshwater swimming pool next to the beach! The cab fair was 20.00 dollars and you can walk outside the pier a block or so, and on the right is where you get the yellow cabs. We paid $75 for a 2 tank dive plus our rental. (A bargain when compared to $90 to $149 in town) Again about the cab ride….they take you along the beach road and you truly see a lot of Mahahual and not just the town. It's a beautiful coast. The 20 minute ride takes you past town along the beach road with the jungle to your right and the sea to your left. When you arrive at Maya Palms you will agree that nothing in town or along the way can compare. We even saw a toucan. (And I don’t mean on a Fruit loops box) When we arrived, the owner Catherine and the staff were there to greet us. Catherine made sure we didn't pay the cab until his return. She also planned the time for pick-up. She said it has never happened, but resort has an 18 passenger van to return us to the ship if they didn't show. They were definitely committed to getting us back. Catherine was so nice to us. She is beautiful and has a great personality. She made sure all our needs were attended to. The staff is bilingual. They offered diving, snorkeling, rental equipment, kayaks, restaurant, bar, clean fresh water swimming pool, lounge chairs with cushions, set up on the beach. Their where several other cruisers at Maya Palms that day including some crew from the ship. Fellow Divers and Cruisers, hope this has been helpful. You won't be disappointed. We will definitely be back...Enjoy Costa Maya... Their website link www.mayapalms.com