I know that Chankanaab Park has been discussed here many times, but there are so many different views that I thought it merited another discussion.
I am trying to find a nice place to book for our group in October. I saw Chankanaab Park was only $16.00 per person, and a car rental for five was only $25.00. So, I was thinking maybe rent a few cars and just spend the day at Chankanaab Park.
I realize that the hurricane did lots of damage, but is everything really gone? I don’t want to pay to set on a destroyed beach. Anyone have any insight to this question?
Thanks, Emily

It's only a ten minute cab ride to Chankanaab; I wouldn't think about renting a car unles you were going to other locations on the Island. I haven't gone there since Wilma destroyed it, but I hear it's pretty much restored. Someone else will have to comment on that.

Sonny

The surface is pretty much back to pre-hurricane, the sea life isn't. It's a nice place to spend the day, Paradise Beach is as well. There really isn't a need to rent a car, cabs are abundant.

There will vans available at your port, so you cna get most of your group that way. I am with Sonny, renting a car should be avoided. You can negotiate with the van with your large group.

We stopped by the place in Jan just to take a peek & they were up & running. One worker told me that the large pavilion by the ticket boot had been totally wiped out & replaced. From what I could see from the ticket booth there was no detectable damage.

I went mainly for the snorkeling and was not told that the place was destroyed until after I paid...the website claimed extensive coral and 6 underwater statues all but 1 statue and 1 small coral head were gone...i snorkeled the whole roped off area and only saw a starfish, a ray, and a few fish near the one chunk of remaining coral. the above ground features were thoroughly destroyed as well, at that time the dolphins were gone, the nature walk with replica mayan statues was gone...nothing was left except the beach with chairs and hammocks, a beer hut with no corona and $3 beer prices, and snorkel rental booths where a worker confided that all the near shore reef was destroyed and the only worthwhile snorkeling was offshore and required a boat excursion. we went back to the ship feeling disappointed and ripped off...i joined this forum to vent my outrage and i hope nobody was ripped off like we were almost a year after the hurricane. They may have gotten new dolphins and rebuilt the shacks out there but the underwater damage will take years to recover...so if you want to snorkel take a boat excursion...if you want an overpriced beach that will rip you off given the chance...go for it...then post how it went.

Thanks wise2u, Like I originally posted, you can't see much from the ticket office & I guess you can't believe what they tell you either.
It reminds me of the one time we rented a car in Mexico (never again because of what I've read about accident cases) they told us it had air conditioning. Yea right- We didn't find that out until we were on the road & out of town.
They'll tell you anything you want to hear in Mexico to make a sale & deny it afterwards.

I would see if anyone has been there more recent and get an opinion. Things could have significantly changed from a year ago.

quote:

Originally posted by wise2u:
we went back to the ship feeling disappointed and ripped off...

When did you go?

You should look for a more recent review.

Dwayne