Get the taxi to take you to La Parrilla on the corner of 5th Avenue & 8th Street.They all go there & as soon as you see the ocean,decide if you can walk down that little road to the beach & if not ask,"por favor the playa"...lousy Spanish but they maybe understand.Lots of them do not speak English.
5th Avenue is all the shopping you want & the beach is right there.If Playa Maya is not too busy you will be able to sit there & have lunch at the beach all day.The beach is great there,no big dropoff.The rocks are big enough to see along the shore,those are the black areas.Once you are in,I have never stepped on rocks,only sand.
We have a friend with MS & he goes there with us & he loves it.
Hope this helps.
