Dune buggy in Cozumel alone, not with tour group

I have found lots of info on renting a dune buggy and doing a tour with that company but no where can I find info about renting one and just doing your own thing. DH and I want to drive around the island alone, not with a group of people. We rented a scooter last time but stayed on the main "drag" but I would feel safer in a Jeep or buggy. Anyone ever rent a buggy or Jeep and do their own thing? Who did you rent from? Thanks so much in advance!:D

I have not seen the dune buggies for rent individually, only for the tours. You can definitely rent a jeep. Never done it, but there are lots of people who have.

We did a dune buggy tour on October 2nd with cozumelbuggy.com Although we agreed to share a buggy, we happened to be the only two on the tour. Awesome...we got a private tour :cool:

Hernan and Omar met us at the designated place, the Cozumel Hotel & Resort, where we finalized the payment and paperwork. (you must sign an insurance release). They then led us to the buggy in a parking lot adjacent to the hotel where they instructed us on the rules of the road, how to get into and out of the buggy (there are no doors), and a general idea of what the tour was going to consist of. While we were there, Omar asked for my camera and took a bunch of pics of DH and I in the vehicle, standing up, sitting down. etc.

We left the parking lot, following behind the lead vehicle holding our wonderful guides. They brought us almost all the way downtown before we turned down a road that would bring us to a "highway" that goes to the other side of the island. Once on the other side, the scenery became spectacular. There are big waves and rocks on that side...it was just beautiful. Just when I thought that I would love to stop for a photo op...we stopped for a photo op. Omar took our camera once again and took pictures of us in the dune buggy with the wonderful scenery behind us.

We continued along the way for a while before we stopped at El Pescador for a break. It's a great restaurant right on the beach. We could have gone in the water but we chose to just take some more pictures (courtesy of Omar once again ) and then have a seat at the restaurant to order some pico de gallo with chips and a sangria to refresh ourselves. It's a great spot, the pico de gallo and sangria were spot on, the staff extremely efficient and polite and bonus....the bathrooms were impeccable :rolleyes:. I know that doesn't mean much to some but after the bathrooms we used in Costa Maya, this is a big plus. I think we stayed at this restaurant for about an hour before we continued on our way.

The next stop was El Cedral, a quaint historic Mayan village which had a small Mayan temple in the center. Hernan spoke to us about the culture and the history along with explaining many of the traditions. Being part Mayan, he still partakes in these traditions so he gave us his first hand knowledge with great enthusiasm. He then brought us on a tour of a tiny typical Mayan home/museum ending up in a typical Mayan kitchen where there was a Mayan women making fresh tortillas. Hernan taught us how to ask for a tortilla or two (or three) with the fixings. It was amazing! Our biggest regret was that we forgot to leave a tip.

From the house we were brought across the street to the village square. There were some shops and stands where we did a bit of shopping...I bought some pure vanilla and a silver pendant. Both were negotiable...

After we walked through the square, with a stop a stop at the temple, complete with a history lesson and a photo op (loved it!) we were brought to the tequila museum where we had a private "tour" and tasting on the making of pure, organic tequila. Although there was no pressure to buy any, we did purchase a bottle of 7 year old tequila. Take it from me when I say that I DO NOT like tequila:eek:, or what I thought was tequila. What I tasted was smooth as silk and did not give me that icky face and shiver down my spine. It was not cheap so we will be saving it for a special occasion :p

Once we came out of the museum we got back in the buggies for the final drive back to the hotel. At the hotel, we were brought across the street for the snorkeling part of this excursion. (I should mention that the beach is across the street from the hotel but is access by an underground walkway) I was quite impressed with the beach area although it is currently under repair for improvements. I don't snorkel so my DH basically had a private snorkelling tour let by Omar. He said it was amazing! Meanwhile, Hernan stayed behind with me at the beach where we had a wonderful conversation about how he came to Cozumel, what my life in Canada was like, etc. He also took some very nice pictures of me to add to the photo album.

After the snorkeling, we were brought back to the hotel where we sat down for lunch. This hotel is for the most part, an all inclusive so we were brought to the pool restaurant where we could have eaten as long as we wanted. Food choices went from tacos, rice, veggies, salad to french fries and pizza. Well, we can have pizza any time so we went for a couple of tacos...when in Mexico.... We were also allowed a free non-alcoholic beverage to go with our meal.

Once the meal was over, I believe we could have stayed at the hotel for swimming, etc., but we chose to go back to the cruise ship terminal to browse the shops. Hernan helped us get a taxi...these guys were the ultimate guides from beginning to end. I cannot say enough!

Overall, we absolutely LOVED this tour. This was our 4th time to Cozumel and all we had ever seen outside of the port area was downtown and Paradise Beach. This time we were determined to see more of the island, and we did. Having a private tour made it all the more amazing.

In the end, I have two regrets...

1. We forgot to tip the very sweet Mayan woman in El Cedral. She deserved something for her delicious tortillas, etc.

2. We didn't get a picture of our awesome guides. :(

If you are looking for a well-rounded tour of the island complete with a great lesson in the wonderful Mayan heritage, then I fully recommend this tour.

I think you just sold me on this. I'm looking for local tours like this in my ports in December.

Thank you for this fine review.

I think you just sold me on this. I'm looking for local tours like this in my ports in December.

 

Thank you for this fine review.

Thank-you outbackpaul! I think it would be a great choice if you want a little bit of everything in your tour. :)