hiring a driver for the day

[Rascalcs]

We recently got back from RCCI's Navigator of the Seas May 4th sailing. For our day in Cozumel I had priced out Tours Plaza but found them to be too expensive for our group of 6 people. After searching the tripadvisor forums I found several recommendations for Santiago, and made arrangements ahead of time for him to be our driver for the day.

 

Here is his contact email:

santizapa69 at outlook.es

 

Santiago was a great guide and spoke excellent English. He met us at the taxi station as soon as we got off the boat with his AC cooled van and a cooler full of beers and water. No time limits on the tour. Also he was very professional and would stay available but let us have as much time as we needed at each stop.

We started out with breakfast in the downtown area. Don't know the name, but we had asked for a non-touristy place that had authentic food. Only saw other locals and taxi drivers there and the food was plentiful and delicious. Next we headed to the backside of the island to Coconuts, then el Mirador, checked out El Cedral, and finally relaxed at a couple of beach bars in the south end of the island. Never felt rushed at all.

 

I would highly recommend Santiago for anyone looking for a driver in Cozumel!

[LHP]

Another great review for Tour plaza and hiring a driver for the day in Cozumel.

Our driver Gerry was exactly where they said he would be and on time. He was very nice, and took us to see the Myan ruins at San Gervasio. He also arranged for Bianca to meet us there and be our guide for the ruins. Bianca was the best!! She has a vast knowledge of everything Cozumel. Thanks so much Gerry for arranging that for us. Gerry also took us to the KAO KAO chocolate factory where we were able to taste and purchase some awesome chocolate!!

We took a drive to the east side of the island and got some wonderful pics.

I would highly recommend hiring a driver through these folks!!

Eduardo responds quickly through e-mails and sets it all up perfectly!!

 

 

THANKS GERRY!!!!! :)

 

 

Gerry is an absolute doll.

 

We have used him many times and he has never disappointed us!

[Califborne]

We just came back from a week long cruise on the Carnival Legend. I found some information on Cruise Critic about taxi drivers and private tours. I contacted several different drivers and decided to go with Santiago. He was awesome. Picked us up at the taxi station. Took us to his air conditioned van and had an ice chest ready for us with sodas, water and beer. There were 9 in our party. We prearranged through email with him what we wanted to do. First stop was some shopping downtown. Then it was off to tour the island. We went to a small bar and the end of the island called Coconuts. Great views, the best shrimp ceviche I've ever had and cold cocktails. Also amazing guacamole and salsa. Santiago stopped at a few different places for us to see and take photos. You have lots of options on where to go and what to do. Then he took us to the beach where he had arranged free snorkeling and kayaking for us. He was awesome. Very informative and great english. All for $25 per person for ALL day (note that many of the others are $25-$35 for only 3 hours). You can reach him at sanzaparadise@hotmail.comEudaldo

[LindaJean]

We just came back from a week long cruise on the Carnival Legend. I found some information on Cruise Critic about taxi drivers and private tours. I contacted several different drivers and decided to go with Santiago. He was awesome. Picked us up at the taxi station. Took us to his air conditioned van and had an ice chest ready for us with sodas, water and beer. There were 9 in our party. We prearranged through email with him what we wanted to do. First stop was some shopping downtown. Then it was off to tour the island. We went to a small bar and the end of the island called Coconuts. Great views, the best shrimp ceviche I've ever had and cold cocktails. Also amazing guacamole and salsa. Santiago stopped at a few different places for us to see and take photos. You have lots of options on where to go and what to do. Then he took us to the beach where he had arranged free snorkeling and kayaking for us. He was awesome. Very informative and great english. All for $25 per person for ALL day (note that many of the others are $25-$35 for only 3 hours). You can reach him at sanzaparadise@hotmail.comEudaldo

 

My family agrees 100%. We were with Santiago last Thursday, June 12th. It was the best tour we have had. He will customize your day, the way you want it. Our tour was very similar to yours and we can't say enough good things about him. Contact him. He responds to all questions and you pay at the end of the tour. You will be taken good care of and will enjoy!

[CJI15]

Just got off the Sunshine from a 7 day Cozumel,Belize Roatan, and Costa Maya.

I had all my transportation and activities planned except for Costa Maya.

 

We had pre booked with Adiel King. I found him through one of these posts. We agreed on a price and I made a reservation. He emailed me about a week prior to make sure we were still going. I confirmed and he told me he would see us there. He have me instructions to walk to the Taxi drivers wearing white shirts and blue pants and ask for him, and he will pick us up. So we arrive in Costa Maya went to the Taxi drivers and asked for him. One of the employees who said it was Adiel's brother told me that he was not there because I did not confirm. I then showed him the confirmation email and he said "oh" and that Adiel requested to go to another port. So no Adiel. I figured the "brother" was just trying to take the business so I went to a different driver. He also told me that Adiel requested a different port. So Adiel's brother directed me to the supervisor who told me he would charge me 15.00 more per person for a the same trip but 2 hours less. After some discussion, I was able to find someone who gave me a fair price. The trip was an hour less based on all the time it took me to find a new driver.

[Kerri M]

Just returned from a trip to Cozumel, our first. We had 2 adults, 2 teens, an 11 year old and 8 year old. This company could not have taken better care of us. :)

Eduardo set everything up for our family ahead of time, and Gerry met us at the dock right where he said he would be. They made sure each of our group had something to look forward to, made sure we didnt want to make any changes, and then took us on a fun filled adventure. We went ziplining, tequila tasting, saw the ruins, went snorkeling, shopping, and a tour of the city, and never had to worry about a thing.

 

Gerry was very friendly, made sure we were all ok, played music we could all sing too, took pictures for us, made sure we were hydrated, and was our timekeeper, to make sure we got it all in!

 

I cannot express how easy our day was with no worries, because Eduardo and Gerry took care of it all for us! We will book again without hesitation.

[Kim C]

We can't say enough about Gerry and Eduardo!! Fantastic, professional, courteous, friendly, personable, funny, knowledgeable.....just a few adjectives that come to mind! From initial email communication until Gerry dropped us back off at the dock, our experience was first class! Everything we did was customized to our goal of seeing as much as we could in one day!!! And they exceeded our expectations!! Can't wait to go back and we will be looking for Gerry again!:D:D:D

They made our experience in Cozumel so memorable and made us feel like family!

Thanks! Kim

[LHP]

We can't say enough about Gerry and Eduardo!! Fantastic, professional, courteous, friendly, personable, funny, knowledgeable.....just a few adjectives that come to mind! From initial email communication until Gerry dropped us back off at the dock, our experience was first class! Everything we did was customized to our goal of seeing as much as we could in one day!!! And they exceeded our expectations!! Can't wait to go back and we will be looking for Gerry again!:D:D:D

They made our experience in Cozumel so memorable and made us feel like family!

Thanks! Kim

 

It is so great to find an independent tour operator that you can really trust your vacation with!

[beshears]

I agree with you all. Hiring the locals, or I call them the "natives," is the way to go. They know their area, and this way, you are helping them out with finances, etc. when we hire them as tour guides.

[rhinomike]

We had a great experience taking the private jeep excursion as well. We found out about cozumel cruise excursions dot net on here.

 

We are new to cruise critic but we are so happy we are now part of this community because we had a great time thanks to reading the forums.

 

If your looking for a private tour or looking to hire a private tour guide in Cozumel, we recommend their private cozumel jeep excursion, because we had a great time.

 

Help support the locals!

 

Who did you book through? Website?

[Morgsmom]

You can reach him at sanzaparadise@hotmail.comEudaldo

 

I just tried that email (without the extra "e" after .com) and it came back as a bad email address:eek:

[albeachrealtor]

Just got off the Sunshine from a 7 day Cozumel,Belize Roatan, and Costa Maya.

I had all my transportation and activities planned except for Costa Maya.

 

We had pre booked with Adiel King. I found him through one of these posts. We agreed on a price and I made a reservation. He emailed me about a week prior to make sure we were still going. I confirmed and he told me he would see us there. He have me instructions to walk to the Taxi drivers wearing white shirts and blue pants and ask for him, and he will pick us up. So we arrive in Costa Maya went to the Taxi drivers and asked for him. One of the employees who said it was Adiel's brother told me that he was not there because I did not confirm. I then showed him the confirmation email and he said "oh" and that Adiel requested to go to another port. So no Adiel. I figured the "brother" was just trying to take the business so I went to a different driver. He also told me that Adiel requested a different port. So Adiel's brother directed me to the supervisor who told me he would charge me 15.00 more per person for a the same trip but 2 hours less. After some discussion, I was able to find someone who gave me a fair price. The trip was an hour less based on all the time it took me to find a new driver.

 

I have booked with Adiel and his brother Argel on several occasions and they have always been fair, prompt and courteous. We are going on a cruise the 1st week of November and I have already spoken with Argel, negotiated a price, and he knows to look for us on the Elation and request whichever port we are going to. I know it was years ago, but I don't want them to get a bad name. I am sorry you had a bad experience.

[2dogs4cats]

I, too, tried the email for Santiago Zapata, sanzaparadise@hotmail.com, and it's not a valid address.

 

Could someone share contact info for a great driver in Cozumel? Reasonable prices would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[adverb]

This is the e-mail that I used for Santiago: santizapa69@outlook.es

 

He was great!! It was just my boyfriend and I. We paid $100 for 5 hours and the itinerary was very flexible (especially with a little bit of rain). He picked us up at the chocolate factory and we went tequila tasting, to Coconuts, to Rastas, to Mr. Sanchos, and then a quick stop at a Mexican gas station for some mexican coffee and random candy. :)

Edited October 22, 2014 by adverb

[albeachrealtor]

argelcozumel@hotmail.com is Argel King's email

 

He is also on facebook Argel Antonio King Cardeña

 

He offers "bar hop" tours, trips to specific destinations, off the beaten path tours or a friendly ride to a beach and tour of the city

[c-leg5]

This is the e-mail that I used for Santiago: santizapa69@outlook.es

 

He was great!! It was just my boyfriend and I. We paid $100 for 5 hours and the itinerary was very flexible (especially with a little bit of rain). He picked us up at the chocolate factory and we went tequila tasting, to Coconuts, to Rastas, to Mr. Sanchos, and then a quick stop at a Mexican gas station for some mexican coffee and random candy. :)

 

Glad you had a good day and managed to do most of what you wanted to do. Glad the rain wasn't too bad in the end!

 

Did you do the tequila at Hacienda Antigua or somewhere else?

Edited October 22, 2014 by c-leg5

[adverb]

Glad you had a good day and managed to do most of what you wanted to do. Glad the rain wasn't too bad in the end!

 

Yess! The nice part about a private driver was that we could change our itinerary on the fly. So since it was raining when we started out, we decided to do some indoor tequila tasting to wait out the rain.

 

We did the tequila tasting at the Pee Pee Station.

 

We did get a little more rain at Coconuts but it wasn't too bad. Definitely didn't ruin the whole day :)

Edited October 22, 2014 by adverb

[lifeasme123]

This is the e-mail that I used for Santiago: santizapa69@outlook.es

 

He was great!! It was just my boyfriend and I. We paid $100 for 5 hours and the itinerary was very flexible (especially with a little bit of rain). He picked us up at the chocolate factory and we went tequila tasting, to Coconuts, to Rastas, to Mr. Sanchos, and then a quick stop at a Mexican gas station for some mexican coffee and random candy. :)

 

So glad to read this! We are booked with Santiago for our cruise first week of december. Typically we would dive or hang out at the beach in Cozumel. This is the first time we are actually going to do a tour of the island.

[2dogs4cats]

We really enjoyed Crescencio as our Cozumel driver. His Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Hat-Cozumel/113171112203973

 

We paid $120 for 4 hours, but he said he would drive us for longer at no extra charge. Very nice guy, clean and cool vehicle.

[gumpy]

Im lookin gfor a tour guide driver for the day for a group of 10-15 people can someone give me reccommendations ?

[c-leg5]

Im lookin gfor a tour guide driver for the day for a group of 10-15 people can someone give me reccommendations ?

 

There are several personal suggestions in the last couple of pages of this thread of drivers you can contact directly.

 

If you go through a company like ToursPlaza, they have a bank of drivers that they are able to call on but they are all personally vetted by Gerry, the owner.

 

We have used ToursPlaza on several occasions, most recently last week when we had a driver named Miguel. I think they can access a larger vehicle to fit your party. Write to Eduardo at the ToursPlaza website and see what he suggests.

 

Depending on what type of tour you require, another suggestion may be to contact Tom at the Cozumel Bar Hop website to arrange a private hop, they can also do a "Kids Hop" if you have mixed ages.

[MississippiMom]

Im lookin gfor a tour guide driver for the day for a group of 10-15 people can someone give me reccommendations ?

 

Who did you use for a group your size?

[Airbubble]

Who did you use for a group your size?

 

Black hat Cozumel is very good with big groups you can find him on Facebook.

[parrotfeathers]

Just returned from Cozumel. Had made reservations previously with Tours Plaza. We had the best time and the best tour guide!

 

I can recommend this group whole heartedly. He was at the taxi stand waiting on us. Spoke wonderful english and knew the whole island and culture and was willing to share whatever information he had. I enjoyed visiting the different churches and learning the religious culture also. That was one of my interests.

 

We went several other places, one being the lighthouse. It is a long climb to the top but well worth it. There is also a small museum that is very interesting. And I had my sis' photo made with the 2 blue and gold macaws even though I have many many parrots here at home.

 

We went to a restaurant but I cannot remember the name of it. The guacamole and chips was the best I have ever had. It is considered a local hang out and I couldn't understand a word anyone said. The driver handled everything for us.

 

There was only 2 of us so we had a car rather than a van. Don't hesitate to use Tours Plaza!

[Loucat]

Just returned from Cozumel. Had made reservations previously with Tours Plaza. We had the best time and the best tour guide!

 

I can recommend this group whole heartedly. He was at the taxi stand waiting on us. Spoke wonderful english and knew the whole island and culture and was willing to share whatever information he had. I enjoyed visiting the different churches and learning the religious culture also. That was one of my interests.

 

We went several other places, one being the lighthouse. It is a long climb to the top but well worth it. There is also a small museum that is very interesting. And I had my sis' photo made with the 2 blue and gold macaws even though I have many many parrots here at home.

 

We went to a restaurant but I cannot remember the name of it. The guacamole and chips was the best I have ever had. It is considered a local hang out and I couldn't understand a word anyone said. The driver handled everything for us.

 

There was only 2 of us so we had a car rather than a van. Don't hesitate to use Tours Plaza!

 

Thanks so much for your post! This is exactly what I am looking for. I want to travel over to the beach side of the island and have lunch at one of the seafood restaurants.

I looked up Tours Plaza and sent them an email.

I hope this works out!!