Costa Maya: My Mayan Riviera Escape

We woke up to turquoise water so bright it looked Photoshopped. The ship docks literally inside a purpose-built cruise village (pool, flamingos, dolphin tanks, the works), but the second we hopped in a shared taxi to Mahahual (10 minutes south) the real Costa Maya appeared — colorful palapa restaurants lining a perfect strip of powdery sand, mariachi drifting on the breeze, and barely another cruiser in sight.

We spent the morning snorkeling straight off the beach at Maya Chan. Within five minutes I was floating above brain coral the size of coffee tables, schools of electric-blue tangs, and a curious 3-foot barracuda that shadowed us like a bodyguard. A hawksbill turtle (shell easily 3 ft across) cruised underneath me so slowly I could count the barnacles. The reef here is stupidly healthy — purple sea fans waving like flags, giant parrotfish crunching coral with audible crunching sounds.

Lunch was the freshest ceviche of my life at a beach shack — grouper caught that morning, mixed with lime, cilantro, and enough habanero to make my lips tingle for an hour. Washed it down with ice-cold micheladas served in cups rimmed with tajín. Then we claimed a palapa for the afternoon and did absolutely nothing except float, read, and watch pelicans dive-bomb the shallows.

(On a different visit we skipped the beach entirely and did Chacchoben ruins — 45 minutes inland, climbing pyramids with howler monkeys roaring in the canopy. The original red paint still visible under the moss on Temple 24 is 1,400 years old and properly Indiana Jones. Both options are magic — just pick your vibe.)

The pros: way less crowded than Cozumel or Playa del Carmen, genuinely friendly locals, and incredible value.

The cons: the cruise-port village itself is a soulless trap — skip it completely and head straight to Mahahual.

Practical tips: Pre-book a shared taxi or golf-cart rental in the port; the drivers are honest and waiting right outside. Bring reef-safe sunscreen and water shoes — sea urchins hide in the seagrass.