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Mahajual
It takes about four hours to drive to Mahajual (or Mahahual. Pronounced "MAH-ha-woll") from Merida. This classic fishing village is one of the last frontiers of the Mexican Caribbean. If you had visited Cancun 35 years ago or Playa del Carmen 20 years ago, you would have seen something like what Mahajual looks like today. If you go there, you will find that hard to believe.
If you are the type of person that enjoys a laid-back fishing village with sandy streets, solar-powered and wind generated electricity, great diving, tranquil beaches and no specific dress code, then Mahajual is for you! But it is growing quickly because it has been discovered, so if you want the experience, be sure to visit sooner than later. These days you will find small eco-friendly hotels, dive shops, cafes, quaint restaurants, and the mom and pop handcraft industry that revolves around the cruise ships that arrive to neighboring Costa Maya about 2 miles north. The fishermen of the past are now the dive boat captains who know the area like the back of their hands.
Above: The beach at Mahajual
Although the area is most publicized as a dive resort, Mahajual is also for the non-diver. With miles of open, palm tree-studded beaches, pristine waters and ocean breezes, this is the perfect place to hang out in a hammock, sleep the hours away and/or read to your hearts content!
On our mini-reconnaissance trip to Mahajual, we visited several hotels and ate at two restaurants that we will mention. We stayed at the eco-friendly American owned hotel Dream Time Diving (www.dreamtimediving.com).
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 Above: The town of Mahajual
This small hotel has everything to make divers comfortable and happy. It is a PADI-certified dive outfit with brand new boats. Hotel accomodations are six cute, quaint, bungalows nestled in amongst coconut palm trees. While they are still renovating their rooms, prices are $700 pesos a night per room and include a continental breakfast. Our breakfast hostess Estela offered her services as a masseuse. I took her up on her offer for a full-body relaxation massage right on the beach for just $150 pesos. She also does sports massage for divers and others. The massage was heavenly.
Farther south, we visited the Dutch- owned Mayaluna Hotel (www.hotelmayaluna.com) and were quite impressed with their installations. Mexican décor, lots of hammocks, a well stocked bar and full restaurant made us think this was also a great place for $700 pesos a night.
If sitting by the beach in a hammock gets a tiresome, there are other things to do in the Mahajual area. Of course, if you aren't a diver, you can still enjoy the water and the fish by snorkeling. Bird watching is a popular pasttime, as the bird population easily outnumbers the human population. Daytrips are available to the Chinchorro Reef, a few hours offshore, or to the Cays of Belize which also aren't too far away. There are Mayan ruins not far away and small inhabited Mayan villages as well. Even the "lake of seven colors", Lake Bacalar is within daytrip distance.
Read more about the State of Quintana Roo:
 Cancun (under construction)
Cozumel (under construction)
Holbox Island
Playa del Carmen (under construction)
Punta Laguna Natural Reserve
Tulum archaeological site
Whale Sharks every summer
Transportation in the Yucatan
For more information about Mahajual, consider these websites:
Xcalak.info
Mahahual.com
To read in Spanish click here 
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