Join the "Hole In The Fence" gang!! - Cruise Line Fans: Cruise Forum, Reviews and Chat From Real Cruisers

musicalcruiser · 08-18-2007, 01:35 PM

We are official members of the "hole in the fence" gang!!!

When you dock at Costa Maya, you will see a small beach resort to the your right. And your first thought is, wow... a beach resort I can walk right to...no taxi needed!!!

Wrong....

Sadly, as you walk down the pier... you see that (for whatever reason) the port has built a huge concrete wall to prevent cruisers from being able to go to that resort.

At first you think, man...that must be a private resort and they don't want cruiers.

Wrong...

(for whatever reason) it is the port that does not want you to go over there. The resort would love to have you and your business.

So then you walk through the port and see a chain link fence....so you say...well, I will just get a taxi and go there.

Wrong again.......

(for whatever reason) the taxis will not take you there. They will take you into town, but not there...even though it is about the same driving distance.

So what is a cruiser to do?????

You look to your good friends who have "been there and done that" for an answer.

Zydeco provided an excellent website that shows pictures to the first hole in the fence.

New Page 1

Now there is a second hole in the fence that is MUCH more convenient. It opens right on the road shown in the 9th picture and once you turn the corner you see the back gate of Chac-Chi.

There is also a map of how to get to the second "hole in the fence" that was hand drawn and is at the website:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...hac-ChiMap.jpg

If you click on the map, it will get larger and you can print it out.

We only had beer, but from what I have read soda is $1, water is $1, beer is $2 (I think they only have Corona) and margaritas are $3.

They only take cash but there are NO VENDORS to bother you. And you can swim, use their chairs, and they have restrooms.

The "second hole" is the one you want to use. The first hole has you walking a narrow path through some brush. But the "second hole" goes right onto the road shown in picture number 9 and later.

If you want a beach, cheap beer and no vendors...this is the spot for you.

They do have a small kitchen that provides some basic meals...but we did not eat there. We did not get to stay long because our youngest son (16) stayed on the ship and we did not want be away for to long.

Here is their website:

Costa Maya, Mexico: Chac-Chi Cabins, Mahahual

You can email Joaquin and they will get right back to you.

The location of the holes have changed sent Zydeco posted those pictures...so just use the pictures as a "reference" not an EXACT map.

Use the hand drawn map as an EXACT map.

It is one good size block from the port guard gate. Take a right. Another good size block to the second hole in the fence and then one more good size block to the beach!!

One more thing...for folks who are in wheelchairs or can not walk that far...you can also rent golf carts for $35 for 2 hours and drive there!!! A road map is on their website!

Also, during some months like October...there can be mosquitoes. So take some spray. We did not have a problem at all last week (August 13th). We had the spray but did not need to use it.

We will be back in December !!!

Tell them Linda sent ya!!!!

LuLu · 08-20-2007, 11:33 PM

Good info! Thanks for posting this! Really does sound like a very nice place.

Keep thinking that it is Mexico! Would guess that "proper arrangements" have not been made with "the powers that be" in control of where taxis go and DON'T go.

musicalcruiser · 08-21-2007, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuLu

Good info! Thanks for posting this! Really does sound like a very nice place.

Keep thinking that it is Mexico! Would guess that "proper arrangements" have not been made with "the powers that be" in control of where taxis go and DON'T go.

That would be my guess as well.....

zydecocruiser · 11-14-2008, 02:25 PM

Taxi Unions are powerful in many parts of Mexico including here and Cozumel.

Chac-Chi should be partially open by the end of the year, if it isn't already.

A message from Joaquin

.hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 10pt; font-family:Verdana } Hi,

Chac-chi will be open only on Cruise days. We have only have drinks and sodas available. We are still unable to open the restaurant. We hope to have it running by next year.

We will have the same problems to getting in prior to the hurricane. We are working toward making a road that will facilitate the access for our customers.

Regards,

Joaquin R.

marci4tony · 11-17-2008, 01:13 PM

When we docked - there was NOTHING to the right of the dock...??? Rocky beach area, dead trees splotched with a little green evident of regeneration...

The new dock is parallel with the shore line. Carnival docked on the outside...Veendham docked on the inside. From that dock, the pier was perpendicular to the dock and perpendicular to the shore line. As we walked down the dock, there was NOTHING to the right (NORTH) of the dock and to the left (SOUTH) there is the Port. As we stepped off the LEGEND, we were startled to see a pair of armed guards on the dock and then another pair of armed guards on the pier. I did see a wall to the NORTH of the pier, but because it there was nothing there, I thought nothing of it. Then again, with all the armed guards around, I was not going to take any chance of getting in trouble. Not a fan of machine guns.

I guess it's safe to assume that things have changed drastically. I posted a very thorough blog about my day in Costa Maya and Mahajual - If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at marci4tony at gmail dot com.

Sorry if this is news one didnt want to hear. I'm not sure where chac chi is based on the new Port.

zydecocruiser · 11-17-2008, 04:38 PM

I think it is still there. Chac-Chi was always rustic.

marci4tony · 11-18-2008, 01:08 PM

I've read posts from them so I'm sure it's there - It's just got to be down further from the new dock/pier. There was NOTHING to the NORTH (Right) of the dock but a half-dead mangrove, lots of rocks (which made for some kick-butt pictures - surf crashing!) and no sand. Its got to be further up the road. They are saying that they will be open on port days - and since the dock only holds two ships at present (I think they can park 3 there??) I'd check ahead at their web page before arriving.

zydecocruiser · 11-19-2008, 12:08 PM

It never was very much and is directly north of the wall. It wasn't a natural beach but did have some sand. At some point they will probably truck some in.

It was mostly some palapas which take almost nothing to rebuild.

But it really doesn't matter. The snorkeling was good as was the beer and was cheap cheap cheap. A favorite with crew members of the cruise ships.

The iron shore made for lots of tidal pools where you could discover all kinds of critters.

When the owner of Chac-Chi wouldn't sell out to the port developers, they built the wall trying to drive them out of business, but that plan failed. People would just use a little ingenuity to gain access:

The land is worth a fortune and they wouldn't let something like a hurricane force them to relocate

There is somewhat of a cult culture that has embraced that "rebel" and we will continue to support.

Even in its "prime" it wasn't always open when cruise ships were in port. Open or closed, I'll check it out and post pictures of whatever is there for the Chac-Chi fan club.

zydecocruiser · 11-19-2008, 12:10 PM

I am curious if there were still lots of tour operators selling tours at the port?

packard89 · 12-01-2008, 08:31 PM

Thank you guys for that info! I will be going there in February and if I'm not mistaken Zydeco, I believe you will be there in December some time. Let us know if the "holes in the fence" are still there. I'd rather go there and not be bothered by the pushy vendors. Thanks!