Report - Mahahual, Chinchorro, Xcalak, and Sian Ka'an

[Coz.I.am]

I am arranging a trip to Cozumel this summer and want to go across to Xcalak area for a few days. I have been doing some research on places to stay, but wanted to get input from this board.

There will be 4 of us and we need basic accomodations for around $75 to $100 per night. Since it will be August and pretty hot, we like something that catches the trade winds, so somthing on the ocean would be great. I understand this area is mostly solar or wind power, so no AC. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[billmosel]

Check out Xcalak Lodging ~ Xcalak on the Costa Maya (Mexican Caribbean) in Quintana Roo, Mexico. I stayed at Costa de Cocos. Cabanas on the water with nice breeze, ceiling fan over bed but no a/c. Ask for unit 1, 20' from the water. There are a few hotels that offer a/c. If they haven't fixed the ocean road yet, try and stay close to town. A 3 mile ride could take you 45 minutes. The Leaky Palapa restaurant can't be missed.

 

[Coz.I.am]

Perfect. I will check it out.

 

[jnowak100]

REEF great report on Mahahual, I went there last year with my dive buddy, my daughter Ellie, great place. I went after I read the Sport Diver report on Chinchorro Banks, we were diving with Dream Time Diving, fun shop, also did the trip to the banks with Jorge of Zona da Buceo, he has the license to actually send a boat there. Jorge is a great fellow, he does lionfish hunts as well, We rented a car in Cancun and drove down, excellent road, but would not recommend at night. Beautiful dive spot.

 

[ccannon707]

Reef, thanks for an entertaining and detailed report. My husband and I also stayed at Maya Luna when we were there in Feb '10 on our way to Cozumel. I didn't dive in my short stay in Mahahual - it was more of a look-see and get the lay of the land, but do plan on going back if I can ever tear myself away from Coz. Your dive shop rec's and experience are appreciated. Here is a trip report on the area for anyone who is interested. ...
:blinking:... Christine
PS: hahaha on the Fox Hat!


My husband and I took a 4 day side trip to Mahahual in Feb 2010, busing down from Playa del Carmen. TripAdvisor will give good info on several of the hotels, but it helps to know where they are along the coast. Here is a good map link:

Sac-Be Riviera Maya maps and travel tips
Under Maps click Mahahual.

We perused and pondered and finally chose Maya Luna. It's a small place (4 units) - we felt lucky to get in on such short notice. The bungalows are beachfront with a shady front porch, hammock, very spacious, and clean. Loved it! The water in front there is shallow and full of turtle grass so the snorkeling is not good. We tried. There is a reef a-ways out but it wasn't safe (IMHO) to swim out there and back. I remember we paid about $75+ a night. This included a good breakfast and felt right for what we got.

I notice now on TripAdvisor people talk about using the bikes at Maya Luna. We didn't see any when we were there. That would have been ideal. There is one main road along the water in Mahahual. Maya Luna is located 6+/- Km (3+ miles) from town... We walked and hitched rides to town - once w/ some cruisers in their golf cart. Taxis are available in town to get back if you don't want to walk. Fortunately there is a restaurant/bar in the hotel with delicious food. Guests from other hotels came there to eat. A full-on breakfast is included with your room which is very appreciated and pretty much took us to dinner. WiFi is available in the dining room as well for your computer or smartphone.

In our short stay we ate most of our meals at the hotel, though there are places in town. Walkable from Maya Luna is the Travelin' Inn - just beyond Balamku. We had a nice dinner there and appreciated their book exchange corner. As we didn't have a rental car we were a bit limited but walking is do-able (see above). There was no car rental available in town when we were there. Actually, locals were celebrating the recent installation of an ATM because there is also no bank. Take cash and make sure you understand before you get there how to pay for your hotel – not all take credit cards.

There are other hotels that I took a look at for future visits. The most well-known, Balamku, is just up the road from Maya Luna. Nice place but same beach, same turtle grass. Luna Plata is closer to town. Run by Italians, they have a good restaurant. But when I went to look around they and their guests were all smoking - a lot. We don't, so that was a turn-off for us. 40 Cannons seemed pricey (and noisy) for the location. The old Mahahual Hotel right in downtown is very basic. Rooms seemed clean but... small, dark hotboxes. Cabanas del Doctor looked intriguing... individual cabins around a courtyard + closer to town. But that day I couldn't find anybody to look at a room. As you can see from the map, most places are across the road from the beach. Only a few on the beach. But keep in mind the road is just not that busy. Due to the potholes, cars drive slow and it was easy to flag down rides. Locals and other tourists were happy to oblige.

When the cruise ship arrives the downtown unfolds like a flower – all these souvenir shops open, golf cart tours go by on the road and every bar and beach chair is full. Then the ship leaves and it all gets real quiet. On days the cruise ship isn't there most of the shops and many of the restaurants aren't even open. It's a very small town; albeit spread out. Hurricane Dean really whacked it a few years ago. The mangrove forest that's right on the other side of the main road was basically wiped out. It is startling to see the expanse of dead vegetation, but a closer look revealed spots of green. It's coming back. The extensive rebuilding of the town from that event is remarkable as well.

Maya Luna - our cabana

Inside our cabana

Beach in front of Maya Luna

Downtown Mahahual Beach

 

[Reef Tank]

...My husband and I took a 4 day side trip to Mahahual in Feb 2010, busing down from Playa del Carmen.

...The water in front there is shallow and full of turtle grass so the snorkeling is not good. We tried. There is a reef a-ways out but it wasn't safe (IMHO) to swim out there and back.

...Walkable from Maya Luna is the Travelin' Inn - just beyond Balamku. We had a nice dinner there and appreciated their book exchange corner.

...There are other hotels that I took a look at for future visits. The most well-known, Balamku, is just up the road from Maya Luna. Nice place but same beach, same turtle grass. Luna Plata is closer to town. Run by Italians, they have a good restaurant. But when I went to look around they and their guests were all smoking - a lot. We don't, so that was a turn-off for us. 40 Cannons seemed pricey (and noisy) for the location. The old Mahahual Hotel right in downtown is very basic. Rooms seemed clean but... small, dark hotboxes. Cabanas del Doctor looked intriguing... individual cabins around a courtyard + closer to town. But that day I couldn't find anybody to look at a room. As you can see from the map, most places are across the road from the beach. Only a few on the beach.

Wow, thanks for all the good info. Scouting out hotels for future visits is something that I would do but we ran out of time.

I agree about the snorkeling in front of the Maya Luna. There isn't much for coral until the reef at a thousand feet.

Did the bus from Playa work as planned?

 

[ccannon707]

Yes, the bus there and back to Playa worked like a charm. Once you are in Mahahual the bus service can be difficult to decipher. One day, because the weather was so windy, we took an all day trip to Bacalar and back (another look-see) and got conflicting info on bus schedules. Fortunately it worked out, but it can be tricky getting the right info. There is no actual bus "station" in Mahahual, just a driveway and a palapa, Part of the charm and adventure.

 

[DennisS]

Check that they reset the pumps at the Pemex station, before you fill up, some of these chaps are less than fastidious!

Watch those guys with the Pemex pumps. I got to BSing with one of the guys pumping my gas. He goes "watch this", he clicked the pump on and off a couple times and hit the sweet spot. It looked like a slot machine with the numbers jumping. It took a second before I yelled stop, stop, alto, alto (that's what the stop sign says) when I realized it was my money rushing by. It probably cost me 50 cents to a buck but it was worth it. I always watch them pump the gas.

 

[Reef Tank]

Watch those guys with the Pemex pumps. I got to BSing with one of the guys pumping my gas. He goes "watch this", he clicked the pump on and off a couple times and hit the sweet spot. It looked like a slot machine with the numbers jumping. It took a second before I yelled stop, stop, alto, alto (that's what the stop sign says) when I realized it was my money rushing by. It probably cost me 50 cents to a buck but it was worth it. I always watch them pump the gas.

And inside I paid $9 for a bottle of water. When the teller said 90 pesos I stood there dumbfounded. He reached out and took the 100 peso note from my hand, giving me 10 in return.