This place closed but the place on the beach next to it was 3 taco plates, guacamole, salsa, and 4…read moremargaritas was $200! Watch out!

Instead of booking a standard destination from the cruise's list of premise options, we decided to…read moretry this option from TripAdvisor. The staff was so friendly and food was fantastic. Try the fish tacos and you will not be disappointed. And look at that hibiscus daiquiri! Gorgeous!!!

Spending the day at Nacional Beach Club in Costa Maya and I'm still thinking about it…read more From the moment we arrived it felt a little VIP. We had booked our tickets ahead of time and transportation was included, which made everything super easy. When we pulled up they walked us straight to our private palapa... and it literally had our name on it. I'm not kidding. Such a fun touch. The whole vibe here is exactly what you want for a beach day: relaxed, not overcrowded, and really great service. No chaos, no fighting for chairs, just comfy loungers, beautiful beach views, and staff who are constantly checking on you. Food and drinks were honestly really good too (which isn't always the case with beach clubs). We spent the day doing the perfect routine: swim, grab a drink, eat, relax, repeat. Out of all the beach days I've done at cruise ports, this one easily stands out. It feels a little like a hidden gem -- more elevated but still super laid back. If your cruise stops in Costa Maya, I'd absolutely recommend spending the day here. It ended up being one of our favorite port days.

Look, on this carnival cruise I absolutely loved Nacional, great food, amazing service, the vibe…read morewas calm. There are a few vendors, but not bad. The chilaquiles (red with pork belly and egg) is amazing, we ordered the pichania with 2 lobster tails... perfect! Julian was amazing.

Knowing that we were going to be in Costa Maya and my sister had been here several times we made…read moreplans to spend some time here. When we arrived we were greeted immediately by someone who asked us where we would like to sit and if we needed anything to drink. He walked us out to the area and gave us our choice. We got there early in the day so we were the first to arrive. I ordered a bloody mary to start and it was fantastic. Just the right amount of spice. Shortly after we arrived we were asked if we would like a massage and we both said yes. The tables were close to the main road but I never felt uncomfortable as I was covered by my swimsuit the entire time. The massage was great, very professional. She found all of my problem areas and made me feel much better. The beach area was beautiful and very clean. The was was so clear that you could see the tiniest minnows near the bottom. My sister ordered the guacamole and it was served with homemade chips that were wonderful. The guacamole was incredibly good especially paired with their delicious margaritas.

We have stopped st Tropicante for the last several visits to Costa Maya. Thinking I had already…read moredone a review I noticed upon checkin this year that was incorrect so knew I had to do one this go round. Prior to your visit you send an email to Steve letting him know the number in your party and the date of your arrival. He will then reserve chairs, tables and/or ounce chairs for you. In or out of the sun as well. He will give you the details of where to catch a cab to his place ($2 per person). Once there you will be greeted by a member of his staff who will walk you to your seats and check on you throughout your visit for drink orders, etc. Available are great margaritas and beer and a menu for food. I can attest to the guacamole being awesome and the chips homemade and very fresh. The iguana eggs were enjoyed by many at our table as well as the shrimp soup is a must have for my teen. You can have a very relaxing day or spend your day kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling, or swimming. There are plenty of trinket shops on the Main Street for souvenir shopping too. When you are ready to leave they will walk you to a taxi for your ride back. They are not at all pushy about purchases and you can stay as long as you like. We find it to be a must stop in Costa Maya.

Warning if you want off ship fun don't visit! Had a blast from the food to the service…read more The atmosphere shines IDGF for the over priced food or drinks if your don't have an excursion or want to leave the port. Once you order anything your waiter or waitress will take your phone and punch in the WiFi password if your don't have the international plan data plan like we did. Brought the kids for mocktails and for the wife and I to enjoy some cocktails of ship!

Shots! Shots! Shots! Came in here for some Mezcal! They…read moreushered us right up to the bar. I sat with my butt in a bar stool that made it look like I was wearing American Flag bikini. They don't offer a shot list. The bartenders didn't seem to quite know what they had and what they didn't. We opted for the 400 Conejos mezcal, a joven that I'd seen at the Airport Duty Free shop on the way in. The place was loud, and the employees are trained to get things riled up with shots and screaming and Woooooing a bunch! Grito!!! Ay yi yi yi! The artwork all revolved around frogs, and replacing various classical masterpieces subjects with frogs. It had a fun vibe, but this is as touristy as it comes, and the prices reflect this. It feels like being at a chain bar, because, well, it is a chain bar. These places are all over. Did you know that this place is owned by the Andersons, who also own Porfirios, a nice restaurant? This place is like a Mexican Dick's Last Resort, but with more of a party vibe.

OMG! This place is amazing! The ambiance, the staff, the food...all amazing! I can't believe a…read moreplace like this exists in this little town so far from most tourist areas...so lucky to have had the opportunity to experience it with friends! Appetizers were great, entrees and desserts were great, drinks were good...and prices were very fair and reasonable! If ever I am in this part of Mexico again, I will be sure to eat here!! You will not be disappointed!!

So who would think it?…read more We were staying in a remote resort near Xcalak, which is about as far south as you can go on the Yucatan peninsula without crossing into Belize. Everyone kept talking about The Leaky Palapa - DON'T MISS IT! Great advice! (Amazed it isn't on Yelp yet!) The place is easy to miss if you're not looking for it, but once inside, the decor is artsy and the food is fabulous. And the wine list is diverse but VERY reasonably priced. We went twice and tried the beef and seafood, all prepare with a local flare, but in the new American tradition. Service was great. Owners are charming. It's worth the drive to the end of the world simply to eat there! GO!

Most beautiful fish ever!! So tasty and garlicy. Folks I came to the area on a cruise and thank…read moregoodness this restaurant was open!!! Best meal of my vacation!!

They have great fish tacos, beef, or pork, served in lovely corn tortillas. Loaded with salsa for…read morea wonderful lunch! Service is very good and views are amazing. It can get LOUD but that's part of the experience. Plenty of seating. We highly recommend coming here for lunch!

A bit pricy, but worth it. Great location, great food and great attitudes. This place has it all…read more We spent the day at el Faro for drinks and the beach , but decided to come here for the food. The chef is really proud of her food, she does a great job and really cares about the customers experience and satisfaction. The beach at this location looked kind of shallow, but very pretty and calm. This location is more mellow than the other spots in the same strip. For a party go somewhere else then come here to unwind and eat some good food.

INCREDIBLE food. The best shrimp tacos, salsa, and guacamole I have ever had. Our waiter Leo was so…read morefriendly! Gotta try it! My friend said "there wasn't a single thing I put in my mouth that wasn't perfect" lol

You can't feeling swim in the water. The water is very low and fenced off. (Maybe because seaweed…read morecontrol) It doesn't make a good view. We just had the guacamole. It was not seasoned. The chips were not salted. So it just tasted like avocado smashed into a bowl. The area around it feels safe and trendy. The staff are nice. The breeze is great. Wonderful seating and music. The prices are touristy, but not crazy. We hope the rest of our meal is good. We bought a "package". **** I just went to a 5 star, when I realized all beach's in that area have the same type of beach, our massages were great, and the burgers were amazing. * service could have been better- but super nice. ** even though they quote in usd, they charged our $80 usd (for two people) into PESOS = $88 usd -that was sneaky.

Malecon 21 is a wonderful, modern spot with a huge open air restaurant overlooking the beach. I…read morehighly recommend having lunch here if you're cruising and docking in Costa Maya for the day. It's just a quick $5 cab ride from the port. I had the Quessabirria and it was fabulous!

I had such a nice, chill day at Jamie's At The Blue Reef! If you're looking for a spot to just…read morerelax and enjoy the ocean, this is definitely it. I loved the beach loungers, they were so comfortable and made it easy to just hang out all afternoon. The whole environment is super laid-back and exactly the "vacation vibe" I was looking for. I was also really happy with the prices. The drinks are very reasonably priced, especially for being right on the water, and the mix of Seafood and Mexican food was great. It's the perfect no-stress spot to grab a bite and a cold drink while soaking up the sun.

Feels like a place where you feel 'special' because you are in the know. Jaime's at the Blue Reef…read moreis a restaurant the offers an AYCE food/drink experience on the beach at Costa Maya for $61 for a day pass per person (if you contact the business directly). It also includes free rental of canoe or paddleboard (which we did not take advantage of). They only have a certain number of slots per day, though on our day, there were plenty of spots still open. My brother and I spent a half day experiencing their hospitality on a port day from the Harmony of the Seas, and it was great, exceeding my expectations. My brother was able to book directly with them days before. Once off the boat, we took a taxi from the cruise port for $5 a person. It was .about a 10 minute ride, going through very bumpy and potholed roads. We got dropped off in a rural area, and it's definitely an island vibe in the area. Blue reef is the hotel which the taxi driver knew and routed towards. Once we checked in at the hotel, we got the choice of shaded loungers closer to the water or a bit further back (good to bring a rented towel from the boat). The beach in back of the hotel has palm trees to provide shade, and the water is extremely shallow, protected by a man-made barrier . It's a public beach, so a lot of vendors initially asking for purchases, but after enough 'no, thanks', they left us alone (though new ones popped up during our stay). It wasn't so busy, so our waiter/beach attendant came by pretty often to check on us. The first order of business was to get the wi-fi password, and the wi-fi worked well throughout our 4 hour stay, letting me catch up a bit. Of course, we started with drinks, so off the focused menu, got two mojitos. They were surprisingly good...served in cheap plastic mile glass, but had plenty of fresh muddled mint...tasted really good and I probably had too much. Also towards the end of our stay, got a mango margarita (served frozen, but done so a bit melted, preventing a brain freeze) and a tequila sunrise. Both were well made, with a decent amount of alcohol. As for food, we ordered a lot off the menu and everything was decent to very good, especially since it was served to you beachside in small portions. The corn tortillas were fresh, home style, thick and greasy: perfect for the various dishes that we ate with them. Nachos had choice of chicken and beef, and both proteins were excellent: good flavor, cooked over a flame. It also used nacho cheese, and a good mix of diced onion and cilantro. The quesadilla used good flour tortillas, intentionally cut into very small squares for sharing, and used the same good meats. I had to try their shrimp ceviche, and definitely better than i expected, with good mexican white shrimp and a good mix of lime juice and tomato/onion to bring out the flavor. Recommendation is to keep ordering every time the server comes back, until one is satisfied. The friendly service was excellent, with Roberto (main server) and Chucho being the two servers with Ale being the bartender, who made the excellent drinks. One can definitely get much food and drinks as wanted in the shade, and with the constant excellent weather, a really great way to spend the day if coming in for the day on a cruise.