Costa Maya Tips
DON'T DRINK THE WATER IN COSTA MAYA!
Yes, we know you have been told this before... and it is true. Don't drink the water at your hotel unless it comes in a bottle.
We always recommend to drink bottled water, even locals drink only bottled water. You can find it everywhere, just make sure the seal is intact.
As an extra from your hotel you may find one or two bottles of purified water in your room.
FOOD IN COSTA MAYA
Culture and traditions of Mexico and Costa Maya are reflected in the food. For sure you will find a few options for regional food, Mexican food, sea food and international food.
If you decide to taste the different flavors of Mexico be aware that by tradition Mexican food is spicy hot, however, there is a "special version" of Mexican food for tourists which is not that spicy.
Mexican and regional dishes are usually served with corn tortillas and guacamole. If you are eating at a restaurant in Costa Maya, it is likely that you will also find one or more small bowls with red or green "salsa" on your table. Even if it looks tempting, try just a little bit. If you like it and you think you can handle it, add it to your food. We known of many tourists that simply did not resist the temptation of decorating their food with the salsa just to find out that it looks nice but it got as hot as liquid fire!
Habanero peppers are tasty, but hot. Keep this in mind when you hear the word “Habanero”.
In Costa Maya you will find a number of “puestos” and “taquerias” where you can find from a simple taco, quesadilla or sope. You can also find one or two “cocina economica” which are small restaurants that serve home made food at very affordable prices. There are certainly restaurants that offer elaborated international dishes.
COMMUNICATING IN COSTA MAYA
Habla Español?
Official language in Mexico is Spanish.
In Costa Maya you will find out that many people also speak English, Italian and German. Wherever you go in Costa Maya at one point you will find someone who also speaks Maya or speaks only Maya.
CALLING HOME FROM COSTA MAYA
It is always cheaper to use a Telmex public phone on the street to make phone calls. To use public phones you will need a prepaid calling card that can be purchased practically everywhere. There are prepaid calling cards of $30, $50 and $100 Pesos.
The cost per minute for a call to the United States or Canada is $5 pesos (50¢ USD) . The cost per minute varies for other countries.
To make long distance calls within Mexico (Ej. from Costa Maya to Mexico City) you must dial:
01 + area code + phone number (12 digits)
To call from Costa Maya to the United States or Canada you must dial:
001 + area code + number
To call from Costa Maya to any other country you must dial:
00 + country code + area code + phone number
Area code for Costa Maya is 983.
To make a phone call to Costa Maya from the United States or Canada you must dial:
011 + 52 (Country code for Mexico) + 983 (Area code for Costa Maya) + phone number.
CALLING A CELL PHONE IN COSTA MAYA
To make a call to a local cell phone you must dial:
044+area code+phone number (13 digits)
To make a long distance call to a cell phone you must dial:
045+area code+phone number (13 digits)
Note: For some reason people in Mexico have added the area code to their cell phone numbers. It is very common that when someone gives you their cell phone number they will give it to you with the area code as part of the number. When you are calling a cell phone just make sure you dial 13 digits starting with 044 or 045.
CONVERTING YOUR MONEY TO MEXICAN PESOS
The best places to exchange money is at the banks or at Casas de Cambio. Unfortunately, as of June 2008 there are no banks or casas de cambio in Costa Maya, so we recommend to exchange money before you get to Costa Maya if you are planning to stay a few days.
Banks in Mexico open from 9:00AM to 4:00PM Monday through Friday. Large banks also open from 10:00AM to 2:00PM on Saturdays. HSBC Banks open from 9:00AM to 7:00PM Monday through Saturday.
Casas de cambio usually open daily from 9:00AM to 9:00PM.
US Dollars are accepted everywhere, so if you are arriving on a cruise for a few hours you do not have to worry about exchanging money. Make sure you have bills in small denominations as it is likely that you would get change in Pesos.
For most operations the exchange rate is $10 Mexican Pesos for $1 US Dollar. As of June 24th. 2008 the exchange rate at the banks was $10.14 Mexican Pesos for $1 US Dollar.
MEXICAN PESOS
Currently you will find in circulation 10, 20 and 50 Cents coins as well as $1, $2, $5, and $10 Peso coins. Also $20, $50, $100, $200, $500 and $1,000 Peso bills.
TAXES AND TIPS
Value added tax in Mexico is 15%, except for the border states where it is 10%.
In Costa Maya value added tax is 10% since the state of Quintana Roo is on the border with Belize and Guatemala.
Required by law, value added tax must be already included in the prices.
Tips are a matter of personal discretion and should reflect your level of satisfaction with the service. 15% of your bill would make a fair tip for your waiter or maid if you are satisfied with their service.
PHARMACY IN COSTA MAYA
You can find a doctor at the Health Centers in Mahahual and Xcalak Villages. There is also a new doctor in Mahahual who also speaks English, you only need to ask around.
At the moment there is only one pharmacy in Mahahual at Las Casitas and it has a limited variety of medicines.
If you are planning to spend a long time in Costa Maya we recommend that you talk to your doctor about any vaccine that you may need before you travel to Costa Maya.
Remember that when you travel to a different part of the world your body will need some time to adapt to the conditions, temperature, food and even the germs of the place you visit. Some times these changes are suffered through your stomach.
If you are under a special medication make sure you bring your medicines and your prescription. For sure you would not have a problem to find your medicines in Mexico but it is likely that they have a different name.
Also we recommend that you bring bug repellent.