We spent one afternoon in Costa Maya when we sailed on the Grand Princess. There is basically just vendors there. Someone said you could see a village down the beach by horseback but didn't speak to anyone who did this. There is a couple of bars there and a salt water pool which wasn't used much. I assume you are going on a cruise ship. Most of the excursions are to visit Mayan ruins. I didn't hear of any disappointments except one ruin was a very long bumpy busride. The pier is fairly new and worth getting off the boat. They have a tram every few minutes that can take you down the pier if you don't want to walk (no charge), so you can look around and not spend a cent if you wish. We bought silver and gold there at a very good price. My son bought a hand carved marble chess set for $20 US. If the vendor sees your interested in something and offers a price, just start walking away and the price is almost half. I don't believe there is a beach there. Hope this helps. Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions.