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#85303 04/27/04 01:37 PM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 30
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After all the discussions about Costa Maya on this board, I was a little nervous about staying there. I just returned from a week at CMR. My trip was great and all the fears about CMR were unnecessary. I am glad I kept my reservation and didn't change it.

CMR has new owners and they are doing a great job in getting the place back in shape. They have many plans in place for improvements.The grounds and beach were beautiful and the landscaping was wonderful. All the units face water and have great views. There are tables, chairs and hammocks on every porch. CMR is right next to Mexico Rocks. You can easily kayak out to the rocks and snorkel. You can also snorkel right off the pier. The staff are very helpful and professional. The rooms were clean and had everything I needed for a comfortable stay. They don't have full stoves, but do have a nice deep electric frying pan and a microwave. We hardly ever cooked, so this wasn't a problem for us. They have a full time security staff. The pool is small but I never saw it used very much.

Yes, CMR is a bit out of the way, but it is very quiet and away from the traffic and motor boats that I saw at other resorts. Some people are concerned about the location and the distance from San Pedro. They have a water taxi service that goes to Fidos dock, and if you pre-purchase tickets, it is only $4 each way. The trip is fast (about 20 minutes). You can rent a golf cart at CMR and go from the resort to San Pedro. It takes about an hour or so. The path is pretty bumpy and takes you on the beach, through jungle, and on the west side of the island. There is trash and construction debris along the way, which is disappointing. It is not something you would want to do every day, but one time during your stay is fine. (If you have back problems you may not want to do this. But if you like an adventure, go for it!) I spoke to different people about the golf cart trip. One couple loved it, another hated it. It all depends on your expectations. Also, if you take an excursion trip (ie: Lamani, Bacular Chico, Manatee watching), the tour company will pick you up at CMR and/or drop you off after the trip.

I hope this will alleviate some of the fears that some people have about CMR. If anyone has any questions, please post them and I will try to answer them.

#85304 04/27/04 08:31 PM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 24
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How new are the owners? Do they have an olympic sized swimming pool like Pedro's Inn?

#85305 04/27/04 10:24 PM
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 4
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How was the food at CMR??

#85306 04/28/04 08:43 AM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 30
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The new owners bought the property sometime last fall.

We never ate breakfast at CMR, but did eat at three of their beach BBQ's. The food was good and at each BBQ they had a different variety of food; bbq chicken, ribs, fish, fresh fruit, potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, etc.

#85307 04/28/04 08:47 AM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 30
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The pool is small, however, the management told us they are planning on adding another pool to the property.

#85308 04/28/04 12:53 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 47
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Thanks for your report on CMR. We have a few(?) questions. Were there very many guest at the resort while you were there? Was access to other activities limited due to the remoteness? Since you said you didn't use your cooking facilities much, where did you eat? How late did the resort water taxi run? And finally... (enough of the questions already!!), was the resort taxi sufficient for your travels or did you have to use one out of SP?
Sorry for all the questions but we are still contemplating the CMR.

#85309 04/28/04 01:58 PM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 30
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Taters and Dab-

Don't worry about asking lots of questions. I did before I left.

It was hard to tell how many guests were at the resort as I think many people go away from the resort during the day. It certainly was not overcrowded, but it was not empty either. It is a small resort, so that may account for not seeing that many people there. We usually were out and about during the day as well. Some days there were several people sitting on the beach, reading or sitting at the bar. Not too many people were in the water around the pier or beach, but we saw many guests take a kayak out to Mexico Rocks to snorkel. You really can't swim directly from the beach as there is sea grass around (which I hear is pretty common on AC). But we just went to the end of the pier with our snorkel stuff. Off the pier I used water shoes to protect my feet from the bottom as it is pretty rocky in some places. The steps going into the water are slippery, so be careful. We never had any problem with pica pica or jelly fish even though the management said there were jelly fish in the water, we never saw any.

As soon as we arrived in San Pedro we had to wait a while for the water taxi. It was scheduled to come at 5:00, but they made an earlier pick up because so many people were coming in that day. During our wait we stopped at a little grocery store and fruit market for some food; cold cuts, fruit, cereal, milk and bread. This gave us plenty to eat for Breakfast and Lunch. We went into town two nights and ate in San Pedro. One time we went by their water taxi, and once by golf cart. We ate at the resort 3 times for their beach BBQ's. I thought they were pretty good, all you can eat, and the prices ranged from $12 to $20 (american $). They have a bar on the beach where you can order drinks and bar food (sandwiches, nachos, chicken wings, etc). We never ordered food from the bar, only a few drinks. When we went on all day excursions, the tour companies fed us lunch.

CMR has four shuttles a day going into San Pedro.
The first one goes out at 7:45 am. You can also ask if they are going into SP for supplies and you can ride along for $4 (if you got the prepaid tickets). They have four runs back from SP, the latest one at 7 pm. We never used the public water taxi service. It was helpful that some of the tour companies picked us up in the morning and dropped us off at night. Be sure to ask about this when you make the reservation. If you snorkel or dive, CMR has a dive shop on site so you don't even have to go into SP. We wanted to always use the resort water taxi since it is a lot cheaper than the public one, so we planned our activities around their schedule. We are also not night people, so the 7 pm shuttle coming back worked fine.

When I was researching CMR, I emailed them and they answered my questions. The other guests staying at the resort were very friendly and everyone was glad to tell you about their experiences; what they liked and didn't like
Let me know if you have any other questions.

#85310 04/28/04 03:27 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 233
J
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J
Hey sandytoes you didn't mention how nice and smooth the golf cart ride is from CMR to Town. That is one long haul. Taters you better think about this real good because if you don't want to be isolated & not be able to get to town without having to schedule your day around water taxis, this may not be the place for you. There is a great little town that time has to be spent in to get the real feel of San Pedro & Belize.

Don't get me wrong I realize people like different things & some want to be further from the so to speak action, but honestly I think a lot of the charm of AC & Sanpedro is lost if you don't spend more time among the locals. If it was me I would go with Coral Bay. It's not far from town, you could actually walk it with no problem, yet it's not in town.

But,opinions are like butts, we all have one

#85311 04/29/04 02:53 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,484
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J&R - I guess you forgot about the local Belizean staff at Costa Maya. The charm is in the people if you haven't figured that out yet.

"Interestingly, in terms of determining true value of a destination, people believe that the destination's most indespensable resource is its people" - Conde Nast Traveler on Belize, March 4, 2004.

T&D - Town is best reached via boat from the north beach resorts and run hourly between the Island Ferry and the resort's boats. Cart into town at least once (safari).

This will kick up a storm on the forums.........

A family from New Jersey (dad, retired NYC detective) spotted a white tailed deer and wild pigs on the way to town.

The Basil Jones are is a great full day hike/picnic from the Mexico Rocks area. Snorkeling from shore here is great!

S.I.N.


Check out my site: www.ambergriscayerealestate.net
#85312 04/30/04 07:56 AM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 233
J
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J
Sir Issac, thanks for the lecture." The charm is in the people if you haven't figured that out yet"

What did you think I meant when I said it's good to spend time with the locals?

Maybe you haven't figured out yet that there is a difference between only interacting with paid staff and not with locals you meet on the street or some other informal setting?

Actually every local I met either through staff or otherwise was most gracious. The people of San Pedro were a joy to experience. What a profound statement you quote from Conde Nast,if you didn't clue me in I never would have known that.

tounge in cheek, good day,jack

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