hiring a driver for the day

Hi all! We finally decided to hire a driver for the day, from what I've been reading I see that Gerry and Alberto are the best of the best. Does anybody know how to find them? Thanks in advance!

Hi all! We finally decided to hire a driver for the day, from what I've been reading I see that Gerry and Alberto are the best of the best. Does anybody know how to find them? Thanks in advance!

If you google ToursPlaza you will find their website which includes current pricing and suggestions.

Also you can go to tripadvisor and under Cozumel search attractions for driver for a day. The reviews and their site will come up

We used Tours Plaza for a private tour for a family of four on August 12. Our driver for the day was Gerry. Meeting place was easy to find.

Gerry was great, very friendly, polite, knowledgeable about the country's history.

We visited downtown points of interest, one of the air force bases, Chocolate Factory, Tequila factory, Mayan Ruins, and Coconuts.

We were very satisfied with the service.

ultramax12 -- how long was your tour?

ultramax12 -- how long was your tour?

Approx 6-hours, the amount of time is flexible based on what you want to do, I believe Tours Plaza has a three hour minimum and then it's $25.00/hr.

Thanks, we have them booked already. Just wondered how long your tour was with everything you had included. thanks!

Thank you cleg5 & pookeybear1966 for your replies!!

I have another question, how many hours do you think it would take for us to shop for souvenirs at the market, go to the chocolate factory tour, mayan ruins, visit the tequila factory, and the islands wild side making a stop at el mirador and having lunch at playa bonita restaurant??

TIA

Thats a nice itinerary! I'm interested in the answer too!

Thank you cleg5 & pookeybear1966 for your replies!!

 

I have another question, how many hours do you think it would take for us to shop for souvenirs at the market, go to the chocolate factory tour, mayan ruins, visit the tequila factory, and the islands wild side making a stop at el mirador and having lunch at playa bonita restaurant??

 

TIA

That is a lot to fit in and very difficult to estimate.

It really depends on how long you want to spend at each place, whether you want to relax or just rush through and say you have been there! It is roughly the same as the above posters route, without the air force base. The places are all en route from each other and I would say minimum 5.5 - 6+ hours like above poster.

It also depends on whether the tours with a guide (chocolate factory and tequila) are ready to go when you arrive. Also whether you do a quick DIY tour of the ruins, or have a guide or do the jungle walk to the outlying ruins.

However as I said you are basically following the circular island road so you could easily "miss" a stop if time is running short or you have had enough listening.

Thanks again c-leg5!!

Hubby isn't keen on running around all day though so I think we'll cut off some of the stops in our itinerary so that we do 03 hours and combine it with the a.i. beach break at los Girasoles beach club near the piers that I found on the tours plaza website for a pretty good price :cool:

Does your private car thru Tours Plaza pick you up at the pier or do you have to meet them somewhere else?

Does your private car thru Tours Plaza pick you up at the pier or do you have to meet them somewhere else?

They pick you up at the pier. They are waiting outside with your name on a card. The tour is in a regular taxi type car or van.

They pick you up at the pier. They are waiting outside with your name on a card. The tour is in a regular taxi type car or van.

Thanks I started a thread and asked if we could just get a private taxi at the pier instead of reserving in advance. That way if weather is bad we aren't obligated to go ashore.

Does anybody know if at the "Los cinco sales" store they sell chocolates from the chocolate factory? Or, does anybody know where else I could find them? We wanted to include a visit to the chocolate factory in our taxi tour, but we're taking 2 children under 5 yrs.

Planning tours for 2 families is driving me crazy, LOL! :p

We have used Gerry many times .... he speaks excellent English (he used to be a Maitre d' at one of the upscale resorts there in Cozumel).

His driving is perfect. He locks the car or van every time.....

He is just wonderful.

I have heard equally great things about the other drivers that they use.

Crescencio Lopez is wonderful! He is the friendliest guy you will meet. We have him scheduled to be with us for the whole day when we visit Cozumel in December. It's nice to have a driver for the day. He knows lots of great local spots to experience. He keeps anything you purchase locked in the car - so no worries if you go to the beach after shopping. Also, it's great to hire him for the day, just in case the weather doesn't cooperate. He can make suggestions for alternate plans as you go. You will have a fabulous day with Crescencio! Creslopez41955 at Hotmail dot com

Does anybody know if at the "Los cinco sales" store they sell chocolates from the chocolate factory? Or, does anybody know where else I could find them? We wanted to include a visit to the chocolate factory in our taxi tour, but we're taking 2 children under 5 yrs.

Planning tours for 2 families is driving me crazy, LOL! :p

I had planned to visit visit the Chocolate Factory during our taxi tour of the island with Alberto but had to cut it because hubby didn't want to spend the whole day riding around; luckily, I read about a mexican chocolate store called Isla Bella which is located down town and also makes mexican chocolate so we've decided to stop by and get some chocolate there!

Shamrockmama thanks for the tip, a lifesaver! I'd alrady read about that chocolate store but thought they didn't sell Mexican chocolates. I'm so glad you're telling me, because I also read that in the "cinco soles" they do sell chocolates from the chocolate factory, a little more expensive, though. So, one way or another, I've solved the chocolate problem, now I only need to look for the vanilla and a few other spices that I want to bring to cook special dishes; we want to know and do so many things that I think it's going to be difficult with only a few hours on the Island..... :rolleyes:

Just got back from a cruise with a stop in Cozumel. We booked a van through Tour Plaza and it's the best thing we've ever done in Cozumel...did I mention this was NOT our first trip there.

Marcos asked about what we wanted to do/see, made suggestions, offered some alternatives considering the looming rain storms and everyone was very happy with him. His suggestions were right on with our aims. We were actually able to accomplish all our goals before the skies literally opened up in a downpour.

His knowledge of the history of the area was vast. He explained the various statues/monuments we saw. We even enjoyed to stop by the 'air force base' static display when he discovered 2 of our party were retired USAF pilots. Yes, there were lots of photos with the planes.

Whenever we are back in Cozumel, we will definitely book with Tour Plaza and ask specifically for Marcos.

Thanks for the reviews on the other drivers.......

good to know they are great as well.

I will continue to book Gerry every time I come CoZumel!

He is hands down the best! Provided my family with a memorable day!

Thanks again and until next time my friend ...

Places visited :

Playa Palancar (w/ Reef Snorkel)

El Mirador

Coconuts

Amanda & J

we hired black hat cozumel you can find him on Facebook via this name too, he was by far the best tour guide we have had, took us everywhere we wanted to go didn't ask for payment until day of your great instructions on where to meet

we did a tequila tour the ruins and all round island tour stopping for lunch at bob marley bar went to the beach etc was amazing day very memorable

We took a custom private jeep tour in Cozumel with cozumelcruiseexcursions.net and recommend checking their reviews out on Tripadvisor. We were able to customize our own jeep adventure, and included food, beer, Punta Sur Park Pass, Mexican lunch, snorkel tour and more for $69 per person. We had a great time and hope this information is helpful for someone else.

Every post I see from you even on other boards is about this tour company.

Shamrockmama thanks for the tip, a lifesaver! I'd alrady read about that chocolate store but thought they didn't sell Mexican chocolates. I'm so glad you're telling me, because I also read that in the "cinco soles" they do sell chocolates from the chocolate factory, a little more expensive, though. So, one way or another, I've solved the chocolate problem, now I only need to look for the vanilla and a few other spices that I want to bring to cook special dishes; we want to know and do so many things that I think it's going to be difficult with only a few hours on the Island..... :rolleyes:

Always glad to help artseeker! Btw, I don't know if you've already found out where to buy the vanilla but I've come across quite a few reviews that state the best place to get it is at the super market or at the market, they have the best quality and prices compared to the tourist shops... You may even find a good TEQUILA! at a good price lol :D