 After a spectacular coastal
drive south from Cancun
— perhaps with a lunch stop
in historic Tulum — you’ll slip into
shear barefoot comfort at Dreamtime
in Mahahual on the Costa Maya.
And you might as well shove those
shoes under your bed for the duration
because this beachfront resort
is a 100-percent-barefoot kind of
place. Calm waters lap the beach,
palm trees cast shadows on the sand
and hammocks swing in the shade
while the rest of the world races on.
Your home is a traditional cabana with
a woven palapa roof and split-wood
walls. Climate control and electricity
are courtesy of the sun and the wind:
effective and environmentally kind.
This is a PADI resort, and even though
it seems like a sleepy, quiet spot, the standards
are quite high. Check the rental
gear and you’ll find a good selection of
well-maintained late-model equipment.
The boats are custom-designed with the
largest taking a max of 12 divers. No
cattle boat diving here. All are equipped
with modern four-stroke outboards and
full safety gear, including oxygen.
| Accommodations:
Six cabanas — built by hand by Maya craftsman —
each with two double beds, a bathroom with a hot shower,
a private deck and a hammock; and two deluxe suites
Amenities: Full continental breakfast, high-speed
wireless Internet, full service instructional PADI dive
center Contact Information: Tel.: 904-730-4337
(US), +52-983-834-58-18, +52 983-834-58 23 (Mexico);
Web site: dreamtimediving.com;
e-mail: info@dreamtimediving.com |
Mahahual is a little fishing village on
the cusp of big change. The fishermen
have become dive-boat captains, sharing
their secret spots with enthusiastic
divers and leaving the fish to reproduce.
The drill is easy: Just walk across the sand
and board the dive boats right from the
beach. A short ride across the lagoon
and through the reef puts you on any of
dozens of sites, but the whole area is so
lightly dived that there are still areas to
be explored. The bigger boats make the
19-mile run to Chinchorro Banks, a true
diver’s delight where you’re likely to be
the first human the fish have ever seen.
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