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Our tour with David/Ivan/Luis! Awesome service!

kjunea

By kjunea,
in Costa Maya

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kjunea

kjunea

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My husband (46) and I (44) were on the Carnival Miracle and booked with David and Ivan to tour the ruins on May 25. We took a taxi to Mahahual and found David almost immediately. We checked in and then wandered down the main street to Tapas, where we had a great small lunch of cheese quesadillas, guacamole, chips and salsa. It was fantastic! Total cost was $16, including 2 beers and a margarita. Juan was our server. He just works there part-time and he was so nice!

 

We made our way back to the Cat's Meow (the meeting place). David and Ivan were very busy that day, so we had Luis as our guide. Our group of 10 loaded up into the van and started for our 40 minute ride to the ruins. Luis talked along the way about the history/culture of the area and gave some great insight into the geology of the area also.

 

When we arrived at the ruins, we started on our tour. It was so nice to be in an intimate group, as opposed to the cattle herds that were in the large buses. Luis was wonderful, talking about every aspect of Mayan Life, showing us native plants, seeds, etc. The ruins are in various stages of recovery. You can see some that have been uncovered and others are still covered by the jungle. My husband climbed up to the top part to see the sun temple and he said it was wonderful, but I have arthritis and can't climb stairs well, so I stayed down below.

 

After an hour at the ruins, we returned to the port. They have to let you off outside of the port area and you walk in, because Ivan and David are not part of the "Cartel" that runs the tours there. It was no problem at all! You can also return to Mahahual and take a taxi back, if you prefer.

 

We, unfortunately, left our video camera case under the seat of the van. We emailed Ivan the next day from Cozumel and he has since emailed back twice. They have found our bag and will return it to us! That is what I call service!

 

I highly recommend Ivan and David to anyone who wishes a more intimate experience at the ruins. I know that they are overrun with people wishing to tour with them now due to these boards! Luis said that they had hoped for 100 people a month, and on the day we came, they had over 100 people contact them for that day! That shows the quality and service that they deliver.

 

If you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them!

 

June

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mcbor

mcbor

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I am so glad to hear you had a good time. I am sailing on the Miracle in August and booked this tour also. I picked Ivan & David because I had read so many good things about them on this board. I can't wait.

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D & M

D & M

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This is the tour to take for the ruins. Our group had Ivan as our tour guide on the morning of May 25th. It was the highlight of our trip. He is an amazing person that has a very sweet spirit. He was very interesting - we would have gladly stayed all day with them if it had been possible. We came away with such a new perspective of the Mayan history, the people and the temples. The little tidbits of information that Ivan gave us were amazing....insight and information that is past down from generation to generation.

 

p.s. The tour costs so little - if you enjoy it like we did - remember to offer a tip. We did - and Ivan tried not to accept it - but we insisted. They are the best kept secret in Costa Maya - and I am so glad for these message boards so the word can get out.

 

2 Thumbs Up and 5 Stars ***** for Ivan and David

 

To make it easy for you heres their website that we booked through.

http://chacchobenruins.com/

 

The Evans Family - Atlanta, GA

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paradisegal

paradisegal

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We were on his afternoon tour that day! Were you on the van that had the flat tire on the way back????????????? Ivan went out of his way to make sure we went on our tour anyway...all of us in our own Taxi! Such a sweet man!

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kjunea

kjunea

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We were with Luis on the noon tour. We saw the broken down van on the way to the ruins and we stopped, but the driver had already called for help. When we came back, the van was still there, but the driver was gone. Our driver said the van had gotten 2 flats on the same day!

 

June

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D & M

D & M

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Yep, we were on the way back from our tour of the ruins with Ivan and our van had a flat tire. Ivan felt soooo bad - but within 10 minutes we were already on our way - another bus service saw us and stopped - Ivan arranged for him to take us to the port. Ivan was great - and it didn't matter to us. It sounds like it may have created delays for the afternoon tours and for that I am really sorry. I hope it did not put a dark cloud on their tour.

 

I know things like this can happen anytime and anywhere....so we assured Ivan - we were fine and it was not a big deal.

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kjunea

kjunea

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Our tour left on time, but there was others that had to leave about 30-45 minutes after us with David. We didn't have any problems, once they found us a van to use. It was well worth the effort. The tour and our day in Mahahual was one of our favorites!

 

June

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paradisegal

paradisegal

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Yep, we were on the way back from our tour of the ruins with Ivan and our van had a flat tire. Ivan felt soooo bad - but within 10 minutes we were already on our way - another bus service saw us and stopped - Ivan arranged for him to take us to the port. Ivan was great - and it didn't matter to us. It sounds like it may have created delays for the afternoon tours and for that I am really sorry. I hope it did not put a dark cloud on their tour.

 

I know things like this can happen anytime and anywhere....so we assured Ivan - we were fine and it was not a big deal.

 

 

We were only about 45 minutes late for our tour.....no big deal at all. We sat there at the Cats Meow and enjoyed the view and a cold bottle of water. Once Ivan got the cabs together we were on our way.....he kept aplogising but no one was upset....things like flat tires happen! :p

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Nanaj

Nanaj

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Hi June,

Glad to hear you enjoyed your tour with David and Ivan. Sounds great. My sister and I and another friend are going on their tour June 27th. I would like to know if you felt safe going on the tour? I don't know if there will be others on the tour and my sister is questioning the safety issue now that the 18 year old girl is missing in Aruba. I understand her concern since we are three older women alone and in a foreign country. I feel comfortable since I have read so many positive reports on this board. I would appreciate some feedback from anyone who has been there. Thanks for the help. Jeanette

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D & M

D & M

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We felt completely safe. I am sure there will be others from the ship on your tour with Ivan and David. But it is always wise no matter where you are to follow the common sense safety rules you know, Stay together, don't leave with any strangers etc.....

 

If you have any specific concerns you can email Ivan and he will email you back.

 

I hated to hear about the young girl in Aruba. I hope they find her.

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kjunea

kjunea

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I felt completely safe also! No problems anywhere. I would love to go back again soon! Loved Mahahual! Wonder if they need an English speaking-non-Spanish speaking teacher anywhere down there? I could get used to the sun, sand and wonderful people!

 

June

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swom

swom

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Do they have a website? I don't really want to do the ruins, but hubby does, so I'd like to check out their tour times and cost. I just want to go to Tapas and eat and swim......LOL

Thanks in advance.

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upsndowns

upsndowns

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We were with Ivan on June 8th. It was the highlight of our trip as well. His love and passion for his culture is contageous. It is our hope to have an extended stay sometime in the future.

 

Ivan spent more than two hours with us at the ruins. Total trip time was around four and a half hours. He is very conscious of ship departure times. You shouldn't have any problems getting back in time.

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kjunea

kjunea

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I will be in Costa Maya in another week and a half. Which of David and Ivan's tours did you take? Any concerns about getting back to the ship in time?

 

We just took the Ruins tour, but I would have loved to have done the Mayan Experience. It was one of the best excursions I have been on in my 13 years of cruising!

 

June

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redwings1958

redwings1958

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We were with Ivan on June 8th. It was the highlight of our trip as well. His love and passion for his culture is contageous. It is our hope to have an extended stay sometime in the future.

 

Ivan spent more than two hours with us at the ruins. Total trip time was around four and a half hours. He is very conscious of ship departure times. You shouldn't have any problems getting back in time.

We must have been on the same van and didn't even know it :p

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