I got an e-mail yesterday with some questions about Mahahual, and I thought I would post my response here in case someone else can benefit from the information.
Do we really need a car or would the bus be fine?
You can definitely do Mahahual without a car, but you won't have a lot of flexibility for where you stay and eat. Cabs are pricey and you have to call and wait for one if you're not in town.
What hotel do you recommend that you won't need a car?
Your options would be to either stay in town where there are a good number of restaurants. Or to stay south or north of town and eat at your hotel's restaurant and possibly a couple of nearby restaurants.
Downtown, the only hotel I think I can recommend is Pachamama. It's owned by Italians and looks super cute from the outside, but I haven't seen the rooms.
Mahahual | Costa Maya | Mexico - Posada Pachamama - Posada
South of town, you could try the Luna de Plata. They have an Italian restaurant and you could walk into town. It's across the street from the beach.
Luna de Plata, Ristorante, Bar Camere
There is a dive shop close by.
Welcome
There are a few other hotels/condos and possibly more restaurants in this area, but I don't have any info on them.
There's Balamku where we stayed. You definitely need a cab to get there and back to town. But it has great access to the reef. Balamku serves breakfast, and there are two restaurants, Maya Luna & Travel In, within walking distance that serve dinner. I think one of them has lunch as well. Balamku offers a simple lunch like a ham sandwich or grilled cheese.
Mahahual (Majahual) - Costa Maya - Hotel Mexico Vacation - Balamku Inn- Mayan Ecology Travel ecoturism vacations: Chinchorro Reef : Scuba Diving
Maya Luna, the restaurant near Balamku, also has rooms available.
Costa Maya- Hotel Restaurant Maya Luna Mahahual
Then, up north, there's Mayan Beach Garden. They're supposed to have a good restaurant. Not sure about the snorkeling though.
Costa Maya / Majahual / Mahahual Hotel - Villas - Vacation rental Mayan Beach Garden Inn - Bed & Breakfast
If we did drive...are there any ruins or "Need to see" places on the way there?
The only thing I know of on the way (sort of) to Mahahual is the ruins at Chacchoben. I hope to see them the next time we go down.
Chacchoben - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chacchoben: Mayan Ruins, Mexico