The first port for the Grand Princess Exotic Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston was Costa Maya. The cruise lines essentially created Costa Maya to be an easily accessible port to take a break from the rigors of cruising. You can enjoy much of what you want on shore without walking far from the ship.For many people, shopping is a primary draw of Mexico and the Caribbean, so Costa Maya vendors offer diamonds, souvenir hats and t-shirts, and anything else you desperately need. For the people who like those wild Mexican cantinas or kicked back Caribbean palapa bars, Costa Maya has you covered. If you like to go to a resort to enjoy a pool, there's a large swimming pool with a swim up bar, and you don't have to sneak in or pay a cover charge. There are traditional Spanish and Mayan dancers among other free entertainment. There's a little beach, although not much of one.
If the beach experience is what you crave, you can catch a shuttle to the nearby sleepy village of Mahajual for a fistful of dollars and get a return taxi for a few dollars more.It isn't a long stretch to see Mahajual as being like Cozumel used to be thirty years ago, before tourist dollars built it up. The turquoise water and white sand beaches are cordoned into what I guess they consider to be resort bars. These shacks serve food and drinks to people who sit at plastic tables and chairs or recline in loungers and hammocks to enjoy the seaside views and sun. The hand scribbled signs offer six beers for $10 or some other deal, and the proprietors try to lure touristas shuffling down the dusty street to choose their places to spend the day.We ended up a hundred yards down from the bus drop, taking advantage of a beach club with more shade. If you like to just sit on a beach, order chips and Cokes, and then alternate reading a good book with cooling dips in the warm sea, this is as good as any Corona commercial looks on TV. The guacamole was particularly tasty.
While walking back toward the shuttle stop, we came across my buddy Bob getting a massage on the beach from one of the many competing stands. Days after the trip, Bob was still calling it the best part of the cruise, and at $20 for a 45 minute massage, it may be, as he claimed, the best bargain in Mexico.There's more to do in Costa Maya, like visiting Mayan ruins, but for your first port, you could do a lot worse than to simply wander off the ship and unwind in this idealized version of Mexico.
