hiring a driver for the day

Has anyone done this lately? If so, who did you use? We've been to Cozumel many times but have never really seen the island, so this time (July 3) I'd like to hire someone to take us around. I know you can rent a car, but I'm not too keen on me or my husband doing the driving. I've read about Gaby, a driver you can hire for $95 for four hours, but it's been awhile since anyone has posted about using him. There will be three of us--myself, my husband, and 20-year-old son. We will be there from 8:00 to 5:00 with only one other ship in port. Any help would be appreciated!

Has anyone done this lately? If so, who did you use? We've been to Cozumel many times but have never really seen the island, so this time (July 3) I'd like to hire someone to take us around. I know you can rent a car, but I'm not too keen on me or my husband doing the driving. I've read about Gaby, a driver you can hire for $95 for four hours, but it's been awhile since anyone has posted about using him. There will be three of us--myself, my husband, and 20-year-old son. We will be there from 8:00 to 5:00 with only one other ship in port. Any help would be appreciated!

I have seen recently that you can hire a taxi for the day for $20 USD/ hour (up to 4 people).

I saw where PB Tom mentioned the $20/hour rate, but not sure that includes an English speaking driver?"

I guess a taxi would be fine, but I think we'd like a driver that spoke English. We also don't have an itinerary planned for the island, so I thought a "guide" would be better than a taxi driver. If someone has had experience hiring a taxi and touring the island, I'd appreciate hearing how it went.

Now that I look back at my notes, Gaby charges $95 for five hours (not four as I originally stated), which is actually cheaper than hiring a taxi for $20 an hour as long as you want to tour for five hours. I'm hoping someone has used him recently. Thanks!

Now that I look back at my notes, Gaby charges $95 for five hours (not four as I originally stated), which is actually cheaper than hiring a taxi for $20 an hour as long as you want to tour for five hours. I'm hoping someone has used him recently. Thanks!

In another thread a while ago there was mention that Gabby was sick, or injured (unsure of which) Here is a an email addy to contact Jane Stewart, she handled his schedule, as well as other drivers.

janiecoz@yahoo.com

If that don't work try emailing cozumel insider at ... sherri@cozumelinsider.com

DH and I just came back from the Princess Grand and we stopped in Cozumel. We hired driver Roger at the recommendation of another board member and he was great! This was our 5th cruise and we had always hired our own taxi driver for shore excursions and my husband thought Roger was one of the best driver/guide we had. His taxi number is 282 and is air conditioned and clean. He can show you the entire island, the local places, quiet beaches and a nice place for lunch. I can't recommend him enough. His cell phone is 987 1054996. Hope this helps!

I contacted Jane Stewart (janiecoz@yahoo.com) and she is no longer setting up drivers.

Bigeyeparrot, did you contact Roger by cell phone before you arrived? How many people was he able to take? What did he charge and for how long? Thanks for any information you can give me!

I contacted Jane Stewart (janiecoz@yahoo.com) and she is no longer setting up drivers.

 

Bigeyeparrot, did you contact Roger by cell phone before you arrived? How many people was he able to take? What did he charge and for how long? Thanks for any information you can give me!

Try emailing Sheri at cozumel Insider

sherri@cozumelinsider.com

We did this last week and I thought I would share my experience. I had read on another board about using the vans at the pier marked "Island Van Tours." We were planning on using them, however we found out that these were 15 passanger vans. The minimum you could have on the tour was 5, but it was just DH and I. They did allow you to buddy up with others, but we really wanted to do it ourselves.

We then decided to just hire a taxi, and I had heard about the $20/hour rate. We tried talking to a taxi driver, but he was very certain that people do NOT hire drivers to go the other side of the island.

By this time I was becoming very frustrated because I was set on getting away from the crowds. We then stood in the taxi line for a long time until we were able to get an English speaking driver to agree to take us. However, he was very clear that $20 an hour was not an acceptable rate and would not budge on $140 for 5 hours. We just wanted to get our day going that we said fine. He did extend our time which was nice, so it really ended up being close to 6 hours.

I just wanted to warn you that it may be frustrating if you don't set something up ahead of time. It was a zoo of people trying to get taxis (we were at International Pier, so that may have made a difference). It's very frustrating when you think you're being charged too much too. In spite of the rough start to the day, we did have a very nice time. If you want to know about any of the stops we made, let me know.

kel3120, I would appreciate hearing about the stops you made and any other details you can provide! Thanks!

I got a reply from sherri@cozumelinsider.com and she save me this link:

https://cozumelinsider.com/Customczm

Their prices are:

Prices per van - not per person

1-4 passengers

$214 for 4 hours

$283 for 6 hours

5-8 passengers

$283 for 4 hours

$352 for 6 hours

That is definitely more than I was wanting to pay, since we are a small group.

I got a reply from sherri@cozumelinsider.com and she save me this link:

 

https://cozumelinsider.com/Customczm

 

Their prices are:

Prices per van - not per person

1-4 passengers

$214 for 4 hours

$283 for 6 hours

 

5-8 passengers

$283 for 4 hours

$352 for 6 hours

 

That is definitely more than I was wanting to pay, since we are a small group.

Sorry I was just trying to help, That sounds more inline with like a guided tour than a ride.

kenf333, I appreciate your suggestions! It won't work for me, but it may work for a larger group.

kenf333, I appreciate your suggestions! It won't work for me, but it may work for a larger group.

My only other reccomendation would be at the pier the cabs will be lined up, some of the drivers will be walking around trying to round people up, talk with them find one that seems to speaks good english and go from there. Just remember to always set the price before getting in.. The $20/hr (up to 4 people) is about the norm, if you are going during the low seaon (summer) you may get a better deal!!!

Just got back from Cozumel last week. I can tell you we got a taxi at the port and I told him right up front that I wanted to go to the Tequilla Museum and to about 3 stops on the other side of the island. He said no problem. Then I asked him how much. We had 5 people so he said $100 for 4 hours. I barganed him down to $80 and he took it. He took me everywhere we wanted to go and waited for us. He was really nice. I can't remember his name now. He spoke pretty good English but my wife speaks spanish so she would just translate for us most of the time. We even went to the ruins, which we were going to, but he waited very patiently for us. The other side of the island is cool. Not much there but I liked it. The driver told us all about the history of the island and took us all over. I ended up giving him $120 since he was so nice.

Yes, I called Roger from the US prior to leaving for the cruise and set up a time and place for him to meet me right across the pier where our ship stopped. There were 4 of us, all adults. He has a Nissan Sentra and can fit one passgenger in front and 3 in the back, not very roomy, but we were comfortable. His rate was $85 for 3-3.5 hours and $25/hr additional. We met him around 9am and he dropped us off at 2pm and only asked for 1 hour overage so the total would have been $110 but because we were so pleased with him we gave him $140. He took us all around the island including the other side where there are some really nice beaches. We also stopped at the Mayan ruins, went to a nice place by the beach for lunch, and stopped at the Playa SF and a few places along the way for pictures and stuff. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions.

kel3120, I would appreciate hearing about the stops you made and any other details you can provide! Thanks!

Our first stop was to the San Gervasio ruins. We had never been to any ruins before, so even though this is small we wanted to see it. I was pretty confused about the prices when we got there. We walked up to the counter and was told we had to pay two times. At the first part, I gave the lady $2 for each of us. She then told me to keep walking to pay again. We walked past small shops and then were stopped to pay admission, which was about $5 each. What the first $2 was for, I have no idea. Maybe just to get to the shops? Anyway, we decided not to take a guide and just go around reading signs (which were also in English). Each part of the ruins had a sign with a map, but we ending up realizing that the entire grounds runs in a complete circle which is not found on the maps. Just keep following the arrows along the paths and you should hit all of the ruins. It was very hot, and I was a little scared of all of the lizards running around. Sometimes when we were walking on the paths between ruins, it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We spent a little over an hour there, and I am glad that we went. However, this may not be something you want to do if you've been to the larger ruins.

The next place we decided to go was a bar called Mezcalito's. I thought it was a very neat oceanside bar. There were only about 15 people there, and it was great drinking a margarita looking out over the beautiful ocean. A warning though, if you are easily offended this may not be a good place to stop. There was a wedding party that was also making their way around the island, and they decided to take photos on the "naked beach." There is a sign that says this that is still in view of the tables, so it must tempt people to take their clothes off for pictures. There were also things like flashing, staff encouraging other things... you get the idea. It is a beautiful area though.

Next we made our way to Coconut's for a drink. This is the highest point in Cozumel. It is a very nice view, and I loved how the tables were secluded with growing plants. We were planning on eating here, but our driver talked us into going for lunch at Chen Rio, so we just had a beer and left.

At Chen Rio, it is one of the only places on the east side of the island that you can swim. We just decided to eat, and were looking forward to a great Mexican meal. We were disappointed when they said they were not serving things like fajitas, only the seafood. We ended up both getting shrimp, which was really good. It came with tortillas and toppings, so it wasn't just like eating plain shrimp like we thought. I would recommend eating there if you like seafood, otherwise stick with Coconuts.

Next we stopped at El Mirador. This is very neat rock formations. You can walk on them, but it is difficult because of all of the holes. This is just a very beautiful natural structure that is worth a stop.

Our last stop was to Paradise Beach where we swam for about 45 minutes. If you go there, remember that the water toys are an extra fee, and they require drinks/food to be purchased if using a chair. This was a very nice beach to end our day.

One other tip. Be sure to have plently of cash before you leave. The east side of the island does not have electricity, so they will not accept credit cards or have ATMs. We didn't plan so well and were running low at the end of the day.

Have a great time with whatever you decide to do! The east side really beautiful, and it was great to get away from the crowds.

You can check out my photos from all of the these places:

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2446017220078130403hFgyPh

kel3120--Your photos are beautiful! It makes me wish we were leaving tomorrow instead of in 8 weeks! I appreciate the intinerary, too. That gives me a good idea of things to see.

Bigeyeparrott--How far in advance did you call Roger?

Jojomacing--Since you had five people, I'm assuming this taxi was a van. There are three in my family but another couple is wanting to come along. I'm just afraid with none of us speaking Spanish that we would have problems unless we could find an English-speaking driver. Did you take the first taxi you saw or asked multiple drivers before deciding? Were there lots of vans?

Tyson,

I have a few emails sent, I will let you know when I have a response that will get you a confirmed driver that is around your price range...

kenf333--I appreciate your efforts! I really want to do this cheaply, but I also would prefer a driver that speaks English. I guess I want it all! ;)

I called Roger about 4 weeks prior to departure and then I called him a week before leaving to confirm. Hope this helps!

OK guys. Just talked to one of the cab drivers that I've gotten to know over the years here at PB and he'll take you wherever you want to go! He's got a Ford Focus stationwagon with ice-cold air. Gerardo speaks very good English and charges $80USD for 3 hours and $20USD for each additional hour. Let me know if you want to book him and he'll meet you at the pier...

OK guys. Just talked to one of the cab drivers that I've gotten to know over the years here at PB and he'll take you wherever you want to go! He's got a Ford Focus stationwagon with ice-cold air. Gerardo speaks very good English and charges $80USD for 3 hours and $20USD for each additional hour. Let me know if you want to book him and he'll meet you at the pier...

 

Tom,

Thanks for locating a driver.. You forgot to post your email so here it is..

beachinfo@paradisecozumel.com