hiring a driver for the day

[c-leg5]

While we have never had this driver, I have heard great things about him .

 

I would also suggest the Lighthouse.... The waves on the East side are cool.

 

Only one bar. (Coconuts).. May not be your cup of tea....but there are neat restaurants to watch the surf from. And be sure to walk over the porous rock that the surf shoots up through ... That is cool...

I second the suggestion to go to the lighthouse and area around Punta Sur to see the sea crocodiles although there is an entrance fee and depending on how long you have for your tour you may have to make choices and save some suggestions for a return visit!

[sdear]

We just returned and we had Leo and he was awesome ! Will definately use their service again when we go back to Cozumel. He took us anywhere we wanted to go and was very informative on the history of Cozumel.

 

The service was excellent. We have always been leary about using a private tour on the islands, but after reading so many positive reviews we gave it a try. Was very well worth the money we spent ! Had a great day !

[EZcruiserfamily]

We just returned and we had Leo and he was awesome ! Will definately use their service again when we go back to Cozumel. He took us anywhere we wanted to go and was very informative on the history of Cozumel.

 

The service was excellent. We have always been leary about using a private tour on the islands, but after reading so many positive reviews we gave it a try. Was very well worth the money we spent ! Had a great day !

 

We are scheduled with Leo in just 2 weeks! We are doing the chocolate factory but really don't know what else to do with our dd(6) and mil for the day. Playa Bonita looked fun and pretty. Any suggestions from your day?

[sdear]

Just driving around seeing the different culture was interesting. We did have lunch at Playa Bonita, and it was great. Keep in mind everything is "open air" there, but the food was great. I do not reccommend the "large" marguarita unless you have a few hours to sleep when you get back to the ship :D

 

We did an "informational" tequilla free tour which was a little cheesy but the shots at the end were great lol.

 

Coconuts is a very fun bar at the highest point in Cozumel. Not sure if you want to take your DD there, some people like to get pictures of their "coconuts " taken at the bar lol. Great view and great ambience to sit and have a drink. They have some large parrots there that are entertaining as well....

 

I know Leo will have some great suggestions for your family...he was a great driver. Tell him Sue said hello from Florida ! We invited him to have lunch with us at Playa Bonita....and it was very intersting to learn more about his culture and living on Cozumel.

 

Have a great time, we plan on doing it again in March !

[grumpyjr88]

We just reserved Alberto from http://www.toursplaza.com/eng/hiring-driver.cfm based on others recommendations here. I so can't wait!

 

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2, please pardon any typos.

[sdear]

We had a great day with them ! :D

[tylerdad]

We just reserved Alberto from http://www.toursplaza.com/eng/hiring-driver.cfm based on others recommendations here. I so can't wait!

 

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2, please pardon any typos.

 

We had Alberto last week, he is awesome .He has a great passion for what he does . We will request him next time we are in Cozumel

[grumpyjr88]

We had Alberto last week, he is awesome .He has a great passion for what he does . We will request him next time we are in Cozumel

 

That's great to hear. Where did he take you?

 

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[DanJ]

. I do not remember having taken so long to get there on our previous cruise. Is there another port closer to Tulum? We could do that on our next trip.

 

Not sure if you are even reading this thread now, but what the heck LOL. Cruise ships used to stop in Playa Del Carmen and drop off Tulum tours, and then head over to Cozumel for the rest of the day, so you only had to do the ferry one way. Not really sure if any or many ships still do this, or they just go direct to Coz and make you deal with the ferry.

 

We are going to Coz for the first time in January, and my wife would like to go to Tulum. I showed her the shore excursion page, where it's $99 per person (and we have kids with us), so $400 for the tour. I also told her about the 45 minute ferry ride each way, and the hour or so bus ride to Tulum and back. Not so sure this is going to fly now. I did however find a company called cozumel-tours.com (by Johann and Sandra). They have a private tour to Tulum for $199 for 4 people (leaving from Playa, so you have to get yourself over there). As others have said though, I am a touch nervous about doing that independantly, as I don't like the idea of 12 miles of water between me and the ship should stuff hit the fan LOL. Anyone here use that company?

[Magic City Cruiser]

I am a touch nervous about doing that independantly, as I don't like the idea of 12 miles of water between me and the ship should stuff hit the fan LOL. Anyone here use that company?

 

Yeah, I always book independently in Coz but no way would I go to the mainland unless it was a ship tour. Too many things can go wrong and the ship WILL leave you if you're not on their tour, trust me :-)

[Magic City Cruiser]

My group of 9 went with Tour Plaza 2 weeks ago, Gerry was our driver. We had a great time and Gerry was a most gracious host! I had chosen Tequila Factory, Punta Sur and Playa Palacar but after a brief downtown history tour and way too much fun at the Tequila factory (we took time for some delicious nachos, quacamole and quesidillas there) we didn't have time for everything. So, we stopped at El Mirador for pics and saved Punta Sur for another visit. Playa Palacar was very nice and we enjoyed our time there.

It was a great day in Cozumel and kudos for Gerry and Tour Plaza for a most wonderful day!

[tylerdad]

That's great to hear. Where did he take you?

 

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

 

We went to the ruins, Punta sur and Playa Bonita for lunch wanted to do the Tequila factory but we run out of time.

[Stircrzy]

I've traveled to Cozumel about 20 times on cruise ships, and met the fellows from Tour Plaza many years ago.

They are great guys and will definitely give you more than your money's worth.

With their guarantee of returning your deposit if you do not dock in Cozumel for some reason, you have nothing to lose by booking with them online in advance of your trip.

They will be there to pick you up, take you to the places you contracted to visit, and be professional, courteous, and safe drivers.

You can count on a safe and great trip with the guys from Tour Plaza!

[aussie cruzer]

Just back from Cozumel on Ncl Star.....we had Alberto as our driver for the day.

 

Great tour...we stopped by to stock up ice box with beer first and then had a five hour island tour.

 

We headed over to the east coast and had some beach time on the return....Alberto's english was perfect and gave a interesting tour.

 

Will use these guys next time....when in Cozumel :)

 

 

Alberto

 

 

[AMATEX]

We were interested in seeing the island away from the tourist areas. Our driver Alberto was waiting for us exactly where we were told outside the port's shops. We had a minivan taxi ride through the residential areas of town, stopping at some of the monuments where Arturo gave us a history lesson. We visited a local chocolate factory and learned the entire process of production, complete with some sampling.

 

We crossed the width of the island with optional stops at the ruins at San Gervasio and a tequila factory. The interior of Cozumel is uninhabited and there is no electricity on the eastern side. This keeps development away from he turtle nesting areas on the beaches. There are several beautiful beach areas, though, and overlooks for nice picture taking. We had lunch at one of the rustic open air restaurants (I think it was named Playa Bonita- with the largest margarita we'd ever seen - potent, too!), overlooking the shore with gorgeous blue water.

 

After a quick stop to see some of the rescued live turtles,we continued on to the Punta Sur area where there is an optional drive out to the lighthouse there. Rounding the southern tip and heading onto the western side, we came back into the more populated area where the resorts are strung out along the coast. Arturo drove us back into town and wherever else we wanted to go before dropping us off back at the ship's dock area. Arturo was very courteous, knowledgeable and friendly. We would definitely recommend this option to those who are not big water/sun/snorkeler/bar hoppers. But because this is a customized tour, you could do whatever you desire. It took us 5 hours, but we did not stop at the ruins, tequila factory or drive out to the lighthouse. With multiple people in one vehicle, this makes it more cost effective and you do not have to wait on an entire busload of tourists to move around to the sights.

[kbkids]

i want to reserve a van with eduardo. he said Pino would be our driver. Has anyone ever had him? thanks!

 

 

That's who we've been assigned too. I'm kinda nervous after reading all the threads and not seeing this name much. Anyone have any experience with this driver?

[LHP]

That's who we've been assigned too. I'm kinda nervous after reading all the threads and not seeing this name much. Anyone have any experience with this driver?

 

Not to worry.

 

Any driver that you are given has been passed Gerry's HIGH standards....

 

they run an excellent operation there...go and enjoy!!!

 

We are headed to Aruba next week and I wish I could have Gerry or any of his team waiting for me when we arrive on the Carnival Breeze!!! I wonder if they would fit in my luggage!! LOL

 

Have a great cruise and a wonderful day in Cozumel...

[tangerinebunny]

Many thanks to those who have reported on their trips. We have Alberto scheduled for early December and this is all so encouraging.

[boricua65x]

We arrived in cozumel on the disney fantasy 11/14/12 . our driver was great, very informative,polite and helpful. we wanted to go to the chocolate factory but we did not have reservations and this guys made it happen, they will take you where you want to go no problem if I go to cozumel again I will use their services for sure

[vplsh]

Not to worry.

 

Any driver that you are given has been passed Gerry's HIGH standards....

 

they run an excellent operation there...go and enjoy!!!

 

We are headed to Aruba next week and I wish I could have Gerry or any of his team waiting for me when we arrive on the Carnival Breeze!!! I wonder if they would fit in my luggage!! LOL

 

Have a great cruise and a wonderful day in Cozumel...

 

We have enjoyed a few trips with Gerry and also wished to have him drive us in many of our other ports. In Aruba, we toured with Bully. Take a look for him on the Aruba boards. I highly recommend him.

[jcfcruise]

We were in Cozumel Nov.15. Used Crescensio Lopez. Had a very nice day.:)

Would definately recommend him. He was friendly and reliable.

We let him know what we wanted to see:

SanGervasio Ruins, driving tour of San Miguel, El Mirado,

"Stairway to Heaven" @ Coconuts Resturant,

Drive around Eastside of Island.

He suggested the Tequila Factory Tour which was very interesting.

We stopped @ several places for photos.

Here is his Email.

 

 

creslopez41955@hotmail.com

[readyforgetaway]

jfcuise

[readyforgetaway]

Sorry- hit send too soon... I was trying to ask -how much did your driver cost for the day? I may have missed this info somewhere in this thread, sorry.

[jcfcruise]

readyforgetaway

 

There were 5 adults, Crescensio charged us $125.

We paid the $8 admission fee for the Ruins.

I just named a few places we would like to see.

He mapped out the route. Very nice day.

Edited November 25, 2012 by jcfcruise

[readyforgetaway]

Thank you!