Any comments on Cristian Martinez -- Tour Cartagena?

[susiesan]

Looks like Cristian's business is imploding. He's getting a bad rep here on CC.

[MrHydro]

I contacted Cristian Martinez and requested prices on his 3 hour walking tour. His response took a couple days and was $95.00 for up to 4 people.

 

I posted his info on our CC roll call board and had 2 couples interested in joining us so I again contacted Cristian Martinez and 2 or 3 days later he responded with $160 for 6 people. The price per person just went up by almost $3 per person. Below is the email's in this regard.

 

Cristian

 

The 1 st price you gave me was $95 for 4 people or $23.75 per person if I add 2 more at the same price it should be $142.50 with out any discount but you RAISED the price to $160 this does not make any sense. The price per person should go down not up, no additional cost to you, still one guide I would think $120 total for 6 would be fair.

 

E***

 

Hi E***,

 

The first and only price we gave you was USD $ 95, ( not single units) and the second one is USD $ 160. Those are the calculations we made based on private decisions. If you are interested please just let us know.

 

Kindly regards,

Cristian Martinez.

 

No justification , no reason for the difference in per person cost. Just take it or leave it. We left it and will find some else:mad: .

 

There is also a another post on this board saying he has a problem with the police and not paying fees to be a guide and another saying he never showed up.

[Floflegs]

He didn't show up for us although I did get an email apologising saying he was ill. However he was not on the list of authorised guides the police had so i would look elsewhere. We got anothet guide who was great.

[laughing husky]

I emailed him about the possibility of a walking tour in Dec.....I emailed twice....He never responded....

[2552phxcrzr]

We were one of the original people who used Christian successfully and were very pleased with the services provided to us. It's a shame that he was unable to continue the level of service he provided us and others before us.

[reesser]

For what it is worth, we have been there twice. the first time we signed up for the ship sponsored tour for about $40 that took us to the Monestery with the best vista (I don't believe it is offered anymore), drive thru the busy city, stop at he Dungeons for shopping (best item was a cool beer in the only small tavern in the place), stop at another shopping place for about anything. The tours have about 45 minutes at the two shopping stops - more than most wanted.

The ships are not near the areas that you would want to go - so walking is out of the question. For the second trip we took the free shuttle 1/4 mile to the port gate. Got a cab with a cruise worker for about $6 to the old gate in the old city (15 minute ride); walked thru the old city and wound up at the dungeons again; Had another drink; took a cab back for about $8; no english; dollars accepted. It was hot!

Bob

[Floflegs]

If you take a cab from the port to the clock tower you can either get a guide there or explore the city yourselves

[jagoodbar]

I recently contacted Mr Martinez and received this reply back the next day:

 

 

 

Thank you for inquiring about a tour of Cartagena.

 

We would be more than happy to accommodate you for a personal,

individual walking tour of the historic district of Cartagena, where we can show you the highlights of the city.

 

We are able to personalize the tour based on your preferences, or you

can simply leave it in our hands to give you an in depth understanding

of the architecture and behind-the-scenes history of Cartagena.

 

Your tour guide will be glad to meet you at your hotel or Las Bovedas

where we usually start the tour, to get there you only have to

take a cab at the pier and ask to be taken there, ( me or my associate

will be holding a sign with your name) we will guide you safely around

the city giving you an interesting and interactive perspective that only

a native can give to you.

 

A typical 3 hour walking tour would generally begin at the famous

"Clock Tower" .

 

Centro area

 

Puerta del Reloj

Plaza de los Coches

Plaza de la Aduana

Casa de la Aduana

Casa del Premio Real

Museo de Arte Moderno

San Pedro Claver: Plaza, Iglesia, Museo, Santuario

Museo Naval

Baluarte de San Francisco Javier

El Bodegón de la Candelaria

Museo del Oro

Parque y Plaza de Bolivar

Palacio de la Inquisición

Catedral

Iglesia Santo Domingo

Casa del Marqués de Valdehoyos

Teatro Heredia

Universidad de Cartagena

Casa Museo de Simón Bolivar

Iglesia de Santo Toribio

 

San Diego area

 

Parque Fernández de Madrid

Plaza de San Diego

Las Bóvedas

India Catalina(The monument of the emblematic India Catalina)

 

On a 5 hour tour- we would genererally add the following areas:

 

Cabrero area :

 

Casa Museo Rafael Nuñez

Ermita del Cabrero

 

Getsemaní area

 

Parque del Centenario

Convento de San Francisco

Centro de Convenciones

Iglesia de la Tercera Orden

Calle del Arsenal

Iglesia La Trinidad

Iglesia San Roque

 

And outside the walled city -The Castle of San Felipe.(The oldest

fortress in Latin America.)

 

Here you will find more sites according to your interest!

http://www.cartagenainfo.com ----. click on atracciones turísticas

--- click on each sight to read about it

 

My tour company has had many satisfied travelers, and we look forward

to making your experience in Cartagena a memorable and safe one.

 

The price for group size is as follows:

3 hour tour- US $ 95 up to 4 persons

5 hour tour- US $ 170 up to 4 persons

For an additional person the fee is USD $24.

 

 

 

Starting point: Las Bovedas- ( we will start the tour right here)

Ending point: Clock Tower- (might vary)

Transportation and admission fees not included

from 10 to 15 dollars per ride

from 3 to 4 dollars per admission.

 

Do not forget that each ride is USD $10/15 each way, and if requested

a different place from the walled city the cost for the ride will be

assumed by the tourists.

 

I would suggest comfortable shoes,umbrellas,water and last but not

least... your enthusiasm!. In adittion to this and just if you like

tasting local cuisine do not hesitate to ask me for a recommendation.

 

.Please confirm via e-mail in order to make an appointment for a tour.

 

.If you feel more comfortable, I can always be reached on my cell

phone by purchasing a calling card at any convenience store and calling:

.011-57-315-666-2252, or you can always e-mail me at

tourcartagena@cs.com or at my personal-direct e-mail at criul@yahoo.com

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Sincerely

Cristian Martinez

 

P:S We are currently obtaining all of the permissions.

 

(I still haven't decided if I plan on using Cristian Martinez for a tour, but it is an option I'm looking at. Anyway, I hope this helps anyone interested.)

 

Jon

[DebsUK]

Jagoodbar.......I would urge caution in using Cristian Martinez. I had booked him in April of this year for a walking tour for four of us. I got an e-mail virtually identical to yours and we e-mailed several times to confirm everything. I confirmed again the day before we left on our cruise and he stated all was good. Of course he was a no show! We took a taxi from the port and had an excellent day but only after wasting half an hour running around trying to find him. When I got back I had to e-mail him twice before I got a response. He said that he had e-mailed me before I left (not true) and I can't even think what excuse he gave now (if you do a search under this forum you will likely find it and several other unhappy cruisers). He then lied to another cruiser about the agreement that we had implying it was my fault. I do know he was a no show for the next cruiser who had him booked and was going to give him the benefit of the doubt even after I had posted my experience (which I supported thinking he would never let two us down in a row). He was a no show for them as well. I believe form other posts I read after that, that he was having problems with the port police as he did not have a licence as a guide.

 

If, as he says, he has all this sorted out, I have heard that his walking tours are excellent (which is why I wanted to book him in the first place).

 

If you do go ahead and use him, I would check and double check that he will be there and will give you the tour you are expecting.

 

Enjoy Cartagena....The old city is stunning and a walking tour is a great way to see it.

[jagoodbar]

Jagoodbar.......I would urge caution in using Cristian Martinez. I had booked him in April of this year for a walking tour for four of us. I got an e-mail virtually identical to yours and we e-mailed several times to confirm everything. I confirmed again the day before we left on our cruise and he stated all was good. Of course he was a no show! We took a taxi from the port and had an excellent day but only after wasting half an hour running around trying to find him. When I got back I had to e-mail him twice before I got a response. He said that he had e-mailed me before I left (not true) and I can't even think what excuse he gave now (if you do a search under this forum you will likely find it and several other unhappy cruisers). He then lied to another cruiser about the agreement that we had implying it was my fault. I do know he was a no show for the next cruiser who had him booked and was going to give him the benefit of the doubt even after I had posted my experience (which I supported thinking he would never let two us down in a row). He was a no show for them as well. I believe form other posts I read after that, that he was having problems with the port police as he did not have a licence as a guide.

 

If, as he says, he has all this sorted out, I have heard that his walking tours are excellent (which is why I wanted to book him in the first place).

 

If you do go ahead and use him, I would check and double check that he will be there and will give you the tour you are expecting.

 

Enjoy Cartagena....The old city is stunning and a walking tour is a great way to see it.

Thank you for your post. After reading many posts, we are not going to take a chance with Christian Martinez. There are so many other alternatives and I'm sure we'll find something else that will work.

 

Jon