hiring a driver for the day

[MisterBill99]

All the information you need is on the website: http://www.toursplaza.com/eng/hiring-driver.cfm

There is a minimum hire period of 3 hours and price is per vehicle. There is a station wagon or van depending on how many in your party.

I'm thinking of booking with them (need to convince the other couple traveling with us that it's a better idea than the ship's bus tour to San Gervasio ruins :-) ). Anyway, for those who have gone to San Gervasio with the driver, do you find a guide once you get there, or is there a guided tour to pay for? My friend said it's $18 per person, although I don't see that info anywhere and it seems expensive, especially since there will be 4 of us.

[c-leg5]

I'm thinking of booking with them (need to convince the other couple traveling with us that it's a better idea than the ship's bus tour to San Gervasio ruins :-) ). Anyway, for those who have gone to San Gervasio with the driver, do you find a guide once you get there, or is there a guided tour to pay for? My friend said it's $18 per person, although I don't see that info anywhere and it seems expensive, especially since there will be 4 of us.

 

We did the ruins during one of our tours with Gerry. There is a 2x$4 charge pp (paid in two lots) for entry to the ruins. Gerry will wait in a taxi waiting area for you until you are done. You will be given a printed hand out describing the ruins which you can follow on your own, or you can hire a guide. The ruins are very small but spread out over a large area if you wish to see all of them or you can just stay in the main plaza area. We just followed the map and guide ourselves. We enjoyed the jungle walk but bear in mind depending on time of year it can be wet or very hot - remember water and bug spray! This link gives you more information about guides and the opportunity to purchase a more detailed guide http://www.everythingcozumel.com/San-Gervasio-Guide/

 

The day we did the ruins we just did a short tour with Gerry of the ruins and lunch but you could easily combine it with a trip round the east side and back to the ship for a longer tour.

[MisterBill99]

This link gives you more information about guides and the opportunity to purchase a more detailed guide http://www.everythingcozumel.com/San-Gervasio-Guide/

Thanks for the link. They say a tour guide is $20 and I assume that's per group, not per person. A friend who is joining us is insisting that we have an English speaking tour guide so she can ask lots of questions (and clearly for that she will be much better with a private group than a bus tour). Interestingly, that website says that some tour guides are good and others not as good. I emailed Sofia to see what she recommends, since I can't imagine I am the only one who is asking stuff like this.

[c-leg5]

Thanks for the link. They say a tour guide is $20 and I assume that's per group, not per person. A friend who is joining us is insisting that we have an English speaking tour guide so she can ask lots of questions (and clearly for that she will be much better with a private group than a bus tour). Interestingly, that website says that some tour guides are good and others not as good. I emailed Sofia to see what she recommends, since I can't imagine I am the only one who is asking stuff like this.

 

When I read it I also assumed it was per group not per person but I nerver spoke to any one to confirm I will add that there were a lot of large groups, presumably bus tours were going round the main plaza area but we didn't see any at the outlying sites so I am not sure if they go there or not. As I said the ruins are very small in size and a lot of people, expecting ruins like on the mainland are disappointed. We enjoyed the experience and the walk and nature trail through the jungle and the chance also to see birds, iguanas, butterflies etc.

 

At least one of Gerry's drivers is of Mayan descent so may be Sofia could suggest one of them who would be willing to accompany you.

[MisterBill99]

When I read it I also assumed it was per group not per person but I never spoke to any one to confirm I will add that there were a lot of large groups, presumably bus tours were going round the main plaza area but we didn't see any at the outlying sites so I am not sure if they go there or not. As I said the ruins are very small in size and a lot of people, expecting ruins like on the mainland are disappointed. We enjoyed the experience and the walk and nature trail through the jungle and the chance also to see birds, iguanas, butterflies etc.

 

At least one of Gerry's drivers is of Mayan descent so may be Sofia could suggest one of them who would be willing to accompany you.

Thanks, I'll see what she says. I think that since my friend says she wants to ask a lot of questions, we'll definitely end up with a better situation than if we went with a bus tour.

 

I found a couple of interesting relatively cheap places for lunch in TripAdvisor, Burritos Gorditos and Diego's (the latter is apparently near the airport). Strangely, Sofia said she had not heard of Burritos Gorditos, which seems odd since it's rated #1 in TripAdvisor. She did say that the driver could suggest someplace if we wanted. I've read many posts where people said they go to Pancho's Backyard but it seems more touristy and expensive than I'd like.

[Kletina]

Thanks, I'll see what she says. I think that since my friend says she wants to ask a lot of questions, we'll definitely end up with a better situation than if we went with a bus tour.

 

I found a couple of interesting relatively cheap places for lunch in TripAdvisor, Burritos Gorditos and Diego's (the latter is apparently near the airport). Strangely, Sofia said she had not heard of Burritos Gorditos, which seems odd since it's rated #1 in TripAdvisor. She did say that the driver could suggest someplace if we wanted. I've read many posts where people said they go to Pancho's Backyard but it seems more touristy and expensive than I'd like.

 

I have never been in Burritos Gorditos but they have a facebook page

 

https://www.facebook.com/burritosgorditos

[MisterBill99]

I have never been in Burritos Gorditos but they have a facebook page

 

https://www.facebook.com/burritosgorditos

Thanks Sofia got back to me and said that she asked some people there about it and they were shocked that she'd never been there.

[raytownlady]

We received our confirmation from Sofia yesterday so we're all set. OUr driver for the day is Marco; I've not seen his name mentioned on this thread has anyone had any experience with this driver?

[MisterBill99]

We received our confirmation from Sofia yesterday so we're all set. OUr driver for the day is Marco; I've not seen his name mentioned on this thread has anyone had any experience with this driver?

Did you search the entire thread? There seem to be a few mentions of him.

 

We booked for next month and got Leo, who has several glowing reviews here, so I'm very happy (I assume there's only one Leo).

 

One of the friends we're going with is concerned about using the driver, she says "how do you know they're any good and that they are safe?". She wanted to take a bus tour to the San Gervasio ruins. Ugh.

[Cold_Canada]

We received our confirmation from Sofia yesterday so we're all set. OUr driver for the day is Marco; I've not seen his name mentioned on this thread has anyone had any experience with this driver?

 

Four of us were on a HAL cruise week of January 12, 2014 and had a tour planned with Marcos as the driver / guide. What an awesome day it ended up being, and a large part of the success was directly attributable to Marcos. He was a very pleasant person to converse with, good English, very knowledgeable. He had a well organized plan that included the items we had asked to be included, and more. Very considerate to the walking issues of the 2 women, etc.

If returning to the island will specifically ask for him again. Got a real nice picture of him posing by his vehicle. Fond memories.

[raytownlady]

Great it looks like we're in good hands. Thanks for your replies

[Badwine]

We received our confirmation from Sofia yesterday so we're all set. OUr driver for the day is Marco; I've not seen his name mentioned on this thread has anyone had any experience with this driver?

We were in Cozumel on January 25, 2014 and had arranged for a car and driver with Tours Plaza. We were fortunate to have Marco as our driver. He was excellent! There were just the two of us and we were picked up in a full size, air conditioned van at the cruise port.

 

Marco took us anywhere we wanted to go, so we started out in town and viewed the various monuments. We wanted to buy vanilla, so he took us into a local grocery store and helped us pick out and pay for four bottles. Then we visited and toured the tequila factory followed by the chocolate factory. From there we went to San Gervasio (the main reason for our trip). The ruins now cost US$9 ($5 + $4) to enter. As has been mentioned, guides are optional but we wanted to explore on our own. We did encounter a bit of a hard-sell by the guides, but told them no thanks. Also, as has been mentioned, be sure to wear walking shoes as the paths to several of the ruins are a bit rough. Of course bug spray is pretty much a requirement too. We then asked Marco to recommend a locals restaurant for lunch. He took us to a place that he enjoys and we asked him to join us for lunch. The meal was OK but not great. I would not eat there again. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the establishment. Marco is an excellent guide and knows much about Mayan history and culture. His English is good and he is studying French. We enjoyed our time with him very much. I cannot recommend Marco more highly.

[raytownlady]

We were in Cozumel on January 25, 2014 and had arranged for a car and driver with Tours Plaza. We were fortunate to have Marco as our driver. He was excellent! There were just the two of us and we were picked up in a full size, air conditioned van at the cruise port.

 

Marco took us anywhere we wanted to go, so we started out in town and viewed the various monuments. We wanted to buy vanilla, so he took us into a local grocery store and helped us pick out and pay for four bottles. Then we visited and toured the tequila factory followed by the chocolate factory. From there we went to San Gervasio (the main reason for our trip). The ruins now cost US$9 ($5 + $4) to enter. As has been mentioned, guides are optional but we wanted to explore on our own. We did encounter a bit of a hard-sell by the guides, but told them no thanks. Also, as has been mentioned, be sure to wear walking shoes as the paths to several of the ruins are a bit rough. Of course bug spray is pretty much a requirement too. We then asked Marco to recommend a locals restaurant for lunch. He took us to a place that he enjoys and we asked him to join us for lunch. The meal was OK but not great. I would not eat there again. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the establishment. Marco is an excellent guide and knows much about Mayan history and culture. His English is good and he is studying French. We enjoyed our time with him very much. I cannot recommend Marco more highly.

 

 

Another glowing review of Marco, I'm really excited to meet him.

[MisterBill99]

So, I realized that I had my reservation for next week at 8am ship time, which is 7am Cozumel time (the ship arrives at 7am ship time). I'm thinking that I should push it back an hour and get picked up at 8am Cozumel time. The only problem is that we have a relatively short time in port, we leave at 4pm ship time, 3pm Cozumel. I emailed Sofia and she said most people get an 8 or 9am local time pickup, but agreed that given our short time there, 7am wasn't an entirely bad idea. Wondering what the consensus here is.

 

PS to badwine - Did you have reservations at the chocolate factory, or did you just show up? Also, did you bring some sort of reference material for San Gervasio, or did you just walk around and explore? One of the other people we're traveling with says she needs a guide because she wants to ask lots of questions. Oh, and is the $9 to get into the ruins cash only, or do they take credit cards?

Edited February 5, 2014 by MisterBill99

[caral2004]

We want to have our driver to visit Cozumel in few weeks. I saw for Tour Plaze that people had a good experience. What about the "Black Hat", anyone hired him ?

Is it more safe to go with Tour Plaza ? Please I need advice on this. Black Hat already told me he has availabilities for us...I just need to confirm the time and the boat and he said I have to pay him cask at the end of the day....Please if someone can help me ? Do you know him ? THanks

[c-leg5]

We want to have our driver to visit Cozumel in few weeks. I saw for Tour Plaze that people had a good experience. What about the "Black Hat", anyone hired him ?

Is it more safe to go with Tour Plaza ? Please I need advice on this. Black Hat already told me he has availabilities for us...I just need to confirm the time and the boat and he said I have to pay him cask at the end of the day....Please if someone can help me ? Do you know him ? THanks

 

Plenty of recommendations for both companies on this thread if you scroll back. Black Hat is also Cresencio Lopez. He has substituted for ToursPlaza in the past so I would be comfortable with either company although I have only used Tours Plaza from personal experience.

[BrandonH]

We want to have our driver to visit Cozumel in few weeks. I saw for Tour Plaze that people had a good experience. What about the "Black Hat", anyone hired him ?

Is it more safe to go with Tour Plaza ? Please I need advice on this. Black Hat already told me he has availabilities for us...I just need to confirm the time and the boat and he said I have to pay him cask at the end of the day....Please if someone can help me ? Do you know him ? THanks

 

We used Crescencio last year and will be using him again next Monday. I highly recommend his service.

[Holly2]

We used him in December for our family of 5. He is completely dependable and a charming man. He was willing to be flexible and was able to accommodate everyone's agendas during a four hour tour. His price was reasonable, van comfortable, and he even had water and bug spray for us if needed. Have a great time and give him our regards from snowy Boston.

[c-leg5]

So, I realized that I had my reservation for next week at 8am ship time, which is 7am Cozumel time (the ship arrives at 7am ship time). I'm thinking that I should push it back an hour and get picked up at 8am Cozumel time. The only problem is that we have a relatively short time in port, we leave at 4pm ship time, 3pm Cozumel. I emailed Sofia and she said most people get an 8 or 9am local time pickup, but agreed that given our short time there, 7am wasn't an entirely bad idea. Wondering what the consensus here is.

 

PS to badwine - Did you have reservations at the chocolate factory, or did you just show up? Also, did you bring some sort of reference material for San Gervasio, or did you just walk around and explore? One of the other people we're traveling with says she needs a guide because she wants to ask lots of questions. Oh, and is the $9 to get into the ruins cash only, or do they take credit cards?

 

Really depends on how much you plan to see and do. Assuming you want to be back at the ship buy 1-2pm local time you would still have 5+ hours starting at 8am. Depending on where you want to visit consider a complete tour of the island as a clockwise or anti-clockwise route so that you are not back tracking too much.

 

The ruins open about 8am I believe and it is recommended to arrive earlier rather than later because of the heat and to avoid the tour buses. Gerry, or whoever your driver is, should be able to advise you of the best time. Here is a link to a good map of the site which will show you the main area and outlying buildings. It is supposed to included an audio guide for purchase but I was unable to get the link to open.

http://www.tektrek.com/images/san_gervasio.pdf

This is the brief description I took with me although each ruin has a description in front of it, if I remember correctly.

http://moon.com/2014/01/maya-archeaological-sites-on-isla-cozumel/

If your friend requires more than that I think she will have to hire a guide, or purchase the book I suggested earlier. I think the ruins are cash only but we visited a few years ago and that may have changed.

 

Tours for the chocolate factory are at 9am, 11am and 1pm. They only take 12 people for each tour so if there are a few of you in your group and you really want to take the tour I would suggest booking in advance. You would need to decide which time fits your schedule best and work from there for the rest of your route. Perhaps Sofia would be able to help.

[caral2004]

Thanks to all! So I did not realize Crescendo was Black Hat too! :) I will confirm him that I want to tour with him :) THanks again!

[beshears]

We are planning on coming in to Cozumel around the end of April by ship. I have not read all of this forum of questions, but have some questions of my own.

 

Someone mentioned the "rocks" of El Mirado. Is that in Cozumel, and is it worth seeing? The reason I ask, we would like to get a Taxi to take us around for a couple hours to see some of the sights of Cozumel.

 

Is Paradise Beach a good beach and sand? Can we get there by Taxi?

 

The name of Roger has been mentioned for Taxi service. Now instead of calling him, does he have an email address where we could contact him?

 

Jobi, you said you just got back from your cruise. If/when you do your review, I would love to read it.

[MisterBill99]

Really depends on how much you plan to see and do. Assuming you want to be back at the ship buy 1-2pm local time you would still have 5+ hours starting at 8am. Depending on where you want to visit consider a complete tour of the island as a clockwise or anti-clockwise route so that you are not back tracking too much.

 

The ruins open about 8am I believe and it is recommended to arrive earlier rather than later because of the heat and to avoid the tour buses. Gerry, or whoever your driver is, should be able to advise you of the best time.

Thanks for the info. I guess it pays to go to the ruins first, in which case leaving at 7am would probably be too early. Maybe split the difference and start at 7:30 and go right to San Gervasio?

 

We want to go downtown to do some shopping after the car tour. So finishing by noon local time wouldn't be bad.

[c-leg5]

Thanks for the info. I guess it pays to go to the ruins first, in which case leaving at 7am would probably be too early. Maybe split the difference and start at 7:30 and go right to San Gervasio?

 

We want to go downtown to do some shopping after the car tour. So finishing by noon local time wouldn't be bad.

 

As I said earlier timing depends on where else you want to visit. Do you intend to do a whole island tour and visit the east side for photographs, food, drink, Punta Sur, beach time? Or are you just concentrating on the ruins and downtown? This could influence which chocolate factory tour you want to take.

 

Also if you shop downtown, unless you are docking downtown, you will either have to include the shopping time in your tour time, or finish your tour downtown and get a taxi back to your pier when you are done. Depending on what you want to shop for there is shopping at all the piers but to see the old square area you will have to have a stop downtown. Your driver will be able to drive through most of the areas of the town and along the sea front to see the monuments.

 

After you meet your driver you will spend a few minutes discussing what you want to see, and what is important to you, and then he will be able to suggest a route. It is important at this time to communicate what is important TO YOU. From what you have said the only thing you need to decide in advance is which chocolate tour you want to take - if you are willing to take a chance I guess the driver could always phone the chocolate factory on the day to check on availability.

[LRene]

We have only used Tours Plaza and have known them for years. Very dependable and a great tour of the island. We've enjoyed a few trips around the island with Gerry and have taken quite a few other people who all agreed it was the best day in Cozumel. :) Any of their drivers would be good (I'm partial to Gerry though) and they're a reputable company. There is so much to see and do outside of the normal touristy areas.

 

http://www.toursplaza.com/

 

If you've done a lot of the normal things on the island, I highly recommend doing a tour with them to see the rest of beautiful Cozumel!

[beshears]

OK is Tours Plaza or Gerry there once we get off the ship in Cozume, or do you have to book them ahead of time? If they are there for us to ask if they would take us on a tour, do you have an idea what they charge per hour?