Mayan Princess

[frameless]

I have read a few posts concerning the Mayan Princess in San Pedro. I just wanted to know if anyone has been down there lately and how they liked the place.

I also noticed that most people recommend Amigo's del mar for a dive operation. What size boats do they run and how are the DM's.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Aeolus]

I have not stayed at the Mayan Princess, but I did visit them while on Ambergris Caye in May. My buddies and I did tours of many of the accomodations on the island to get some comparison for possible later trips. I found the Mayan Princess to be clean, well maintained, and the pricing seemed reasonable - at least compared to everything else there. The prices for everything are high, but it was probably worth the effort. I met the managers at Seaspace 2004 in Houston and Sheila was very friendly and helpful. Their website is www.mayanprincesshotel.com and you can e-mail them at mayanprin@btl.net. I hope this helps you, good luck.

I used Amigo's del Mar for a dive op and found them to be very good. The smaller boats could use some work and most of us were not fond of using the back roll entry and the ladder for returning into the boat from the dive was rather unstable especially in fairly rough seas. The larger boat used for the Blue hole trip was excellent, but once again pricey ($175 + $10 per tank for Nitrox for the two shallower dives). Many other operators on the island use Amigo's for the Blue Hole trip. Have a wonderful time and be SAFE.

 

[pkrdiver]

I recently returned from a one-week stay at the Mayan Princess and found the accommodations, and level of service to be an excellent value. The location is perfect if you are planning on frequent dive trips and want a quick walk to restaurants and bars. Lilly's (next to Mayan Princess) is a great beach front spot for breakfast.

Amigo del Mar is an outstanding dive shop and by most comments during the trip, the best on the island. We did 12 dives with Amigo del Mar, including two day trips to the Blue Hole and "the Elbow". The divemasters and dive shop staff were extremely helpful, and very friendly. Amigo del Mar reportably has the largest and fastest boat for the Blue Hole trip, which was well appreciated on the day (rough seas) we went on the trip. With the assistance of our experienced divemasters, we saw sharks, dolphins, turtles, eels and countless types of fish and coral. Fantastic trip!

 

[Gaz]

Just a quick clarification on the diveboat situation as one of the posters mentioned not being keen on the backward roll and getting out of the water using the side ladder.

This type of entry and exit are the safest and most used on the island and the reason behind this is the seas off Ambergris can get choppy and the backward roll is the safest method of entry especially since 98% of boats used on the island do not have rear entry platforms.

There is a good reason for this as you try doing a giant stride entry in 4-6 ft seas even experienced divers have a balance problem.

the same goes for getting back into the boat

In general we get beginners to intermediate divers vist the island and trying to get onto a boat ladder thats bobbing in choppy seas is also a skill which is learnt over time, and without that skill it can be dangerous with the back end of a boat going up and down.

For experienced divers it not a problem but as we said we generally get inexperienced divers

Over the past 14 years I started with backward roll boats then went to rear entry boats and now i am back to the backward roll boats as they are far safer for diving Ambergris, unless of course you are diving in calm seas such as when amigos use there boat for Blue Hole trips in which the diving is conducted in calm seas at the Atolls of Lighthouse and Turneffe.

Have Fun and Dive Safe

Gaz Cooper

 

[clearwaterdivers]

I have read a few posts concerning the Mayan Princess in San Pedro. I just wanted to know if anyone has been down there lately and how they liked the place.

I also noticed that most people recommend Amigo's del mar for a dive operation. What size boats do they run and how are the DM's.

Thanks for the advice

Hi my Dear. I am owner operator of a dive shop and have had both up front and personal dealings as well as group dive trips with both of the operators mentioned. They have all size boats and I am only familiar with 3 captains and 3 divemasters that worked with my group, and all being experienced and proffessional. The information you have recieved is that of truth for both and hats off to gaz cooper who we all know has been around down there for awhile and he speaks the truth and has a pretty good reputation as a dive operator there as well!! There are those of us that are still building an experience level and are still learning the ins and outs of diving and find ourselves sometimes having to do things different than what we are used to and therefore this feels odd. This is leaning to be a master and getting a taste that Diving is not all the same all over the world. The Mayan Princess was there for my group when I had my hotel pulled out from under me, kinda a last minute thing and helped me with my group on everything that I needed to comply with, and were there to help with sustained injuries without question, just damn helpful. Stayed in contact with me during the weeks in advance of the trip to make sure all was well and good. Great people, just like you would want and ready to be of service. Without a huge story, we had a sort of problem during a particular dive day and being a dive operator myself, I was so impressed on the way things were handled, it was impressive and totally not really what I expected but they sure proved me wrong and changed my thoughts 100% that there are still people in the world that dont just worry about themselves and their losses, but care about others and there losses too!! It was a neat thing to do business with people that are more like myself. Again, the people you will have to deal with are awsome and they will take care of you, hand and foot and are extemely Proffessional Operators. And remember, Boats are huge holes in the water you throw money into, so you just do your best to keep up with what you have. Did I mention that We have dived with Gaz in the past. He was already busy on our last trip and I tried Amigos at that time. It worked out great for me and my clients. George