DCDivenut
Guest
This is actually of a trip report that I started in another thread here but since I sort of hijacked it 
I figured I would submit an overview/wrapup post seperately.
Mahahual - This is a real nice location with a nice backpacker feel and very reminiscent of the way Coz and Cancun used to be (or so I have been told). Either way, it is definitely off the beaten path in all the right ways. It is a bit of a haul to get there (see other post for details) but well worth it. The cruise ships do change things when they are in, but since there are never more than 3, they are only in M-F and a lot of the pod people stay in the port area downtown is not overwhelmed. However I would stay South of town since the places are nicer and you can really avoid the "ugly Americans"
There are not a lot of dining options in Mahahual and since the owner of the place I stayed at did the cooking we only ate out a few times. I tried Delfin for lunch and their ceviche was good. There are two Italian restaurants, we ate at the on further South (I can;t rememebr the name) and it was quite good and reasonable. Also, when we were driving to the airport at 5AM on Saturday the party was still going on on the beach! There are two small grocery stores in town to get basic supplies and supposedly a 24 hour conveneience store is coming soon.
"Resort" - I stayed at Margarita Del Sol and would highly reccomend them. The units are clean, the kitchens are great and the location is wonderful. I put resort in brackets since even though it has all the amenities, it definitely has a much more relaxed feeling.
Diving - This is where the other thread devolved very quickly so you can look for details there but I dove with Bucanero del Caribe and had a generally positive impression. I promised people I would provide contact info since they do not yet have a website and here it is
Arturo Barbabosa, bucanero_caribe@yahoo.com.mx and his cell is 982-123-2731
Overall impression - The diving was solid Caribbean but not great. Chinchorro is fantastic and almost worth the trip in itself. There was quite a bit of wind all week and although it did not prevent us from diving I think it did stir things up bit. The reefs are healthy (a good sign that not a lot of people dive there) and Chinchorro's were in fantastic shape.
I woudl reccomend Mahahual for anyone looking to have a very relaxing time and get in some good diving as well. If you want to do 4 a day this is not the place. If you want bright lights and big city this is not the place. If you want to kick back, relax, do some godo diving and go somewhere that not a lot of people even know about, then this is perfect.
Feel free to PM me with any questions.
I figured I would submit an overview/wrapup post seperately.Mahahual - This is a real nice location with a nice backpacker feel and very reminiscent of the way Coz and Cancun used to be (or so I have been told). Either way, it is definitely off the beaten path in all the right ways. It is a bit of a haul to get there (see other post for details) but well worth it. The cruise ships do change things when they are in, but since there are never more than 3, they are only in M-F and a lot of the pod people stay in the port area downtown is not overwhelmed. However I would stay South of town since the places are nicer and you can really avoid the "ugly Americans"
There are not a lot of dining options in Mahahual and since the owner of the place I stayed at did the cooking we only ate out a few times. I tried Delfin for lunch and their ceviche was good. There are two Italian restaurants, we ate at the on further South (I can;t rememebr the name) and it was quite good and reasonable. Also, when we were driving to the airport at 5AM on Saturday the party was still going on on the beach! There are two small grocery stores in town to get basic supplies and supposedly a 24 hour conveneience store is coming soon.
"Resort" - I stayed at Margarita Del Sol and would highly reccomend them. The units are clean, the kitchens are great and the location is wonderful. I put resort in brackets since even though it has all the amenities, it definitely has a much more relaxed feeling.
Diving - This is where the other thread devolved very quickly so you can look for details there but I dove with Bucanero del Caribe and had a generally positive impression. I promised people I would provide contact info since they do not yet have a website and here it is
Arturo Barbabosa, bucanero_caribe@yahoo.com.mx and his cell is 982-123-2731
Overall impression - The diving was solid Caribbean but not great. Chinchorro is fantastic and almost worth the trip in itself. There was quite a bit of wind all week and although it did not prevent us from diving I think it did stir things up bit. The reefs are healthy (a good sign that not a lot of people dive there) and Chinchorro's were in fantastic shape.
I woudl reccomend Mahahual for anyone looking to have a very relaxing time and get in some good diving as well. If you want to do 4 a day this is not the place. If you want bright lights and big city this is not the place. If you want to kick back, relax, do some godo diving and go somewhere that not a lot of people even know about, then this is perfect.
Feel free to PM me with any questions.
