Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

What a pleasant surprise! After all the grumbling we heard when we were re-routed here from Roatan, Honduras we expected a port with nothing going on. Instead this port, in the southernmost portion of Mexico on the Caribbean Sea, (just north of the border with Belize) provided a fun morning of doing nothing and enjoying every minute.

 The town of Mahahual is the big blue dot in the middle of the peninsula.

Walking from the dock into the port area you find the usual array of tourist shops selling "quality junk" according to one honest shop keeper. In addition there is a large pool with swim up bars and a sandy area with lounge chairs. Needless to say, this is as far as some people managed to get!

We bought our $3 pp shuttle ticket to take the straw-covered jitney the 4+ miles into town. There were some intrepid souls walking it, but the road cuts through the mangroves and there's not much to see. Plus, it's a longer trek than it looks from the ship.

Once in town we walked to the right (south) along the Malecon as far as it went (to the Fisherman's Pier). The walkway is being continued but it is under construction at the moment. Turning around and heading back we stopped at the Hotel Carpe Diem and seized a couple of cold beers while we sat and looked out over the water.

According to the Italian manager the entire town was wiped out in 2007 by Hurricane Dean. There were no fatalities as the Army evacuated everyone, but there wasn't one building, one tree or one plant left after the 12 foot waves washed 4 kilometers inland! Given that everything here has been re-built in the last seven years and given the recent economic climate I think they have done an amazing job!

There are a few small hotels along the beach and the usual beach bars and restaurants, but the attitude is pretty low-key. We didn't feel overwhelmed or overly pressured as you do in many touristy beach communities.  The water is very shallow and didn't look particularly clean, but there were people swimming and snorkeling. You could also rent a jet ski or kayak or just lounge in the sun or under a tree or in a hammock over the water!

I wasn't wearing my swimsuit or I would have taken advantage of a $20 beach massage. 

The taxi ride back to the ship was $2 pp which is curious as they usually charge you more to get back than to get into town.

My parting shot is of the swing bar. I wonder if this is a test? When you fall off--you're done!