Casita Dragonfly, Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico
FAQ'S

IS THERE A BANK IN MAHAHUAL

No, although it should change soon there is no ATM in town. Your best bet is always to get Peso's at an ATM machine in Tulum or Akumal on your way down.

IS THERE A GAS STATION IN MAHAHUAL

Yes it is on the 'cafetel' road on the way into town, before the lighthouse. It's the only one, so use it whenever you have the chance. It's best to fill up your rental car in both Cancun , if it has an empty tank when you get it and Carillo Puerto about one hour before the turn off to Mahahual (there are two gas stations there)

WHY SHOULD I NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT

It's a long drive and you may have had a long flight. The 307, the main road from Cancun down is boring and often goes from 4 lanes to 2 lanes with not much warning. If you are tired it is also hard to judge distance and it can be very hard on the eyes to judge just how are far away you are from oncoming traffic. Passing is a way of life on the highways in Mexico , in the dark however, it can be alarming. Most of the 307 has no highway lights.

WHO ARE THE FEDERALS AND WHAT WILL THEY DO TO ME

They are the Mexican army, and can look menacing with their machine guns, however they are only looking for drugs and guns. They may ask to look through your car, they don't steal things, and we don't know of anyone who has ever had an issue with them.

ARE THEIR GROCERIES IN MAHAHUAL

Yes, but there is not a large grocery store. You may have to go to one little store for milk, another for fruit, another for alcohol, etc. There is a small meat market in the casitas area of town, there is also drop off laundry services and a lot of small stores that have a LOT groceries, just not a large selection! This is why we suggest large grocery shopping take place in Tulum and you can supplement with the stores in Mahahual

WHERE IS THE CRUISE SHIP DOCK

It's 6 miles to our north, and as of right now, non operational although that could change as early as October 31. If it does change and the ships return, this should not impact your stay at Casita Dragonfly, although town will be MUCH busier on those days.

WHAT SORT OF CONVIENCES WILL I NOT FIND

Here's a partial list of what you won't find in Mahahual?Fine dining like you might in a place like Maui . No hairdressers. No banks, No post office, No nail boutiques. Do not plan to buy cameras, phones or any sort of computer equipment including replacement power cords, batteries, hard drives, memory sticks. You will be hard pressed to find a c/d player or an ipod or headphones. Come prepared!

HOW BUSY IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD?

Not very. There is one house right next door to us to the south, a caretaker in between the two houses in the back (you can ask for pictures) There is one more house about 3 lots to the north of us.

IS IT TOO ISOLATED

It's only six miles from town, but it can feel like a long drive if you just need to run in for a can of coke. If you have a car you are really no more than 10-15 minutes from medical care, stores, restaurants, etc. Mahahual itself is quite isolated from the rest of Mexico though, so if you crave nightlife, lots of tourism, guided tours, time share sellers then this is not your place! If you need to read a book for a week and can keep yourself entertained with simple things, this is your place (however internet is provided, just in case :o)

CAN I FISH THERE:

You can fish right in front of the house if you'd like. You will see the caretaker do it and a few other people along the beach do it, but you will have to bring your own fishing gear, and I have no idea what you would actually be catching. :o)

CAN I SNORKEL RIGHT OUT FROM THE HOUSE

You can?but depending on your tolerance for seagrass it is not the perfeect snorkeling location. On calm days, the sea grass is on the bottom of the ocean, on windy days or after a storm some can be free floating or on top of the water. The town of Mahahual has been dredged, taking the seagrass away, but ecologically this is not the best policy for the ocean, but it's good for tourism. It's not a widespread policy to do this, would have ramifications on sealife and is much too expensive for a private party to even think about doing it. Once you get to the reef though, it's beautiful!

WHAT ABOUT DEBRIS ON THE BEACH

Depending on the time of year and the weather conditions, currents can bring seagrass and debris from as far away as Colombia right onto the sand. Although our house and the house next door do rake the beach, the large expanses of privately owned, but unimproved lots are not maintained, which can lead to a build up of seagrass and debris both north and south of us. There is nothing we can do about this. There are days it's even futile for our caretaker to try to rake up the seagrass and debris, and often it is taken out to sea again by the next day.

HOW'S THE WEATHER

It depends on the season, most times year round there really is a seabreeze that does keep you cool enough even without a/c. There are days though, and we can't predict those, when the wind will stop and you will feel the tropical heat which can be relentless. It's much more tolerable in March than say, September. Rainy season starts in September and the rain can last from 10 minutes to all day. If you think the tropical heat might be an issue for you it's probably best to stay at a house or hotel with a/c.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW

Yes, and we urge you to ask questions and do some homework on the area. If you are familiar with the more tourism driven parts of Mexico such as Cancun , Puerto Vallerta, Cabo San Lucas you are in for a surprise in Mahahual, which you may find refreshing or shocking. We urge you to do research on the area or ask, ask and ask. You are bound to get wildly differing experiences from people who have been to Mahahual just once and those who return again and again. I am happy to give you best AND worst case scenarios so you know what might (but probably wont) happen in such a diverse and undeveloped area.

SO WHY SHOULD I GO TO MAHAHUAL

To really get a glimpse of the last undeveloped coastline on the Yucatan . It won't be like this forever, it will change which could be bad or could be for the best.

To really, really get away!

Because you are a traveler and not just a tourist!