![]() ![]() We looked for the El Delfin restaurant based on other reviews. We got off at the second stop, which put us in the main part of the pedestrian area. We took the tourist bus for $3 to Mahahual from the port in Costa Maya. ![]() This seems to be the best choice for cruise ship people who want to learn something or take a break from the raucous beach scene. It's certainly not cheap, but not much more than the other available excursions. The only drawback to Native Choice is that it's a long van ride there and back again. It's obviously not an "authentic" lunch if the company is bringing tourists there every day, but it was as close as we were going to get during a 5-hour shore excursion. The Mayan ruins were interesting, and the native lunch was delicious. Our guide Jose was knowledgeable, and he stopped by a roadside stand to get us fresh pineapple. I was concerned about that, but the girls were respectful and relatively mature. Our tour consisted of us (a 40-something married couple), a retired English couple, and 20 sorority girls on spring break. Once on shore, finding the Native Choice office is a little tricky, so bring your map or ask for help. We chose the Native Choice because of Trip Advisor reviews, and it turned out to be a good choice. Like most visitors to Costa Maya, we were there on a cruise ship. This was our favorite excursion on the entire cruise. I highly recommend using Native Choice, they were great. The food and the experience were great (even my picky eating 9 and 11 year old daughters loved it). It was nice being with Native Choice as we were first out of the port beating the cruise line tour buses (that were packed) so by the time we finished the tour and the buses were showing up the weather was HOT and HUMID! While they were touring the ruins in the HOT sun we were enjoying a fabulous lunch prepared by 3 Mayan ladies who taught us how to make tortillas. The tour of the ruins was incredible! We actually saw monkeys jumping from tree to tree (this was a great treat even for our guide). The guide and driver were very diligent in making sure we were all comfortable, had a fun time and made it back to our ship with plenty of time to spare. We chose the Native Choice tour of the Mayan Ruins (against all advice of the cruise line) and by far this was the BEST choice. I felt safe the entire time.My family and several friends just finished a spring break carnival cruise to the western caribbean and Costa Maya was the last port of call. This tour was one of the more worthwhile things we did while on our cruise. It boggles the mind that while there is so much to see at the site, there is also so much that is not yet excavated. Diana is informative, personable, and truly gave an impressive tour. ![]() She is very knowledgeable about Mayan civilization and Chacchoben itself. We really lucked out with having Diana as our tour guide. It is necessary to leave the port in order to hook up with Costa Maya Tours, but not a big deal at all as they are right there between the port exit and the decorative Mayan statue. As it turned out my family of three had a private van, driver and tour guide. I booked the tour online prior to our trip. Even after tipping well, I saved a ton of money and had, what I believe to be a better and more personalized experience. I am so glad that we took this tour rather than a ship excursion. ![]()
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