The Costa Maya cruise port is completely commercialized to extract money from tourists. It consists of nothing but bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, and local performers—all designed to squeeze every penny from your pockets.
There is no real town to visit, only the beach. Taxi companies are well organized right at the port to take passengers there. The ride takes about 10 minutes and costs $5. Although there is a sign indicating that walking to town takes about 45 minutes, my travel partner didn’t feel like walking, so we took a cab. There was nothing to see along the way. The taxi dropped us directly at the beachfront, as there was nothing of interest in town itself. I briefly peeked down a side street away from the beach and saw dirty roads, rundown houses, and overall neglect.
Along the beach, the scene was once again dominated by bars, restaurants, and rows of beach lounge chairs catering entirely to tourists.
Nike and I walked along the beach until it ended at the lighthouse area. From there, we walked inland through run-down streets back to the cruise port, which took about 40 minutes.
I had purchased Airalo data beforehand, but it didn’t work. Fortunately, we walked with a very nice couple who let us follow their GPS, and we chatted along the way.
Here are some photos taken from my couple of hours spent in Costa Maya cruise port and beach.
