Victor Bodden Tours

[saluki1]

what is a normal tip for one of these private tours for 2 people?

[lovevacadays]

We took a Bodden tour last week and we very pleased with the guide and the service. I do have to add a word of advice about the monkey place. It's probably terribly obvious of me for saying this, but the monkeys DO bite! Our island tour was cut quite short after my son was bit by a monkey last week so we could return to the ship to visit the doctor. Neither my son nor the monkey were aggressive. I think the animal was just being playful. The staff at the monkey place said their monkeys "never" bite, but the medical staff on the ship said they "frequently" see monkey bites in Roatan. We were told that the monkeys are "up to date" with their shots, but we were given no specifics. In retrospect, I wouldn't visit them again. It wasn't worth the rabies concern that followed or the afternoon in the cruise ship medical center! I should have listen to the voice in my head reminding me that wild animals can bite!

 

That is a good reminder! We had a wonderful day in Roatan with Tex from Victor Bodden's tours but skipped the monkeys. Both because we have one of the best zoo's in the world in the San Diego Zoo but also because of what you have mentioned. Animals are animals and who wants to get hurt on a cruise.

[lovevacadays]

what is a normal tip for one of these private tours for 2 people?

 

I see lots of different answers on this as tipping is a very individual thing. If you are booking Victor Bodden or similar and there are two of you = you will pay $40 a piece. Consider $6.00 each (15%) although, personally since it's a private tour and not a group tour I wouldn't tip less than $10.00 (I'm a good tipper).

 

I will say, my friend and I did Victor Bodden's private tour with Tex last November and loved it so very much that we each tipped him $20. He really made out that day as we were tipping him 50% of our tour. Wouldn't normally do this but we loved, loved, loved Tex and were in a great and generous mood at the end of our tour. No regrets!

[lovevacadays]

Just did a private tour with Tex from Bodden Tours and it was well worth the price. It was just my Mother and I and he asked us what we wanted to do for the day. He took us on a tour of the island, then we stopped at several shops (bought a great salad bowl set for $38), took us to the beach, and then ended up eating right by the water. It was a great day and he was very patient with my mother who has problems walking long distances. I highly recommend him or Bodden Tours.

 

We loved Tex too and actually got to go to his house and meet his dogs. He had left something there and asked if we didn't mind going by. We loved it and got to see a neighborhood we probably wouldn't have seen otherwise. It really was a unique experience. I've posted about it a few times and now as I post wonder if Tex has been asked to take people to meet his dogs. He might not be too happy with me!

[Hatteras51]

We used Victor Bodden last week. I was really looking forward to this because I had read such good reviews. Our driver was very nice. It had rained over night and had cleared up when we arrived. Soon after we started the tour, it started pouring. By the time we got to the monkeys, it was raining really hard. He asked if we wanted to stop and we asked if we could come back if the rain let up. We were told that they weren't allowed to come back after they pass the area. We decided to keep driving because we didn't want to stand out in the rain playing with wet monkeys. We had planned on eating lunch at the beach and relaxing there for a while. When we arrived there a few minutes later it was still pouring, so we skipped that too. Our tour that should have lasted most of the day ended up being over in just a few hours. I was very disappointed. Of course, as soon as we arrived back at the ship, the rain ended. They certainly had no control over the weather, but it would have been nice if they had backtracked a little and taken us to some of the things we had wanted to do after the rain stopped. We had hired them for the whole day. In hindsight, my husband and I wished we had offered to pay the gas for our guide to take us back, but we didn't know if the rain was going to start up again. We did give him a nice tip. However, this ended up being the lowest point of our trip. I guess I had too high expectations for the day.

[Oz9591]

We were there last Friday (4th time with Bodden, I think?) and had a blast. THe weather was not so great, but we had SO much fun with all of those silly monkeys. There was one up on a branch that kept scooping the water from the branches onto my girls...they squealed each time, and the monkey would do it again, and again! So cute. Since it really wasn't beachy-type weather, we asked our guide to take us to see some places "off the beaten path" We had lunch in a place just around the corner from the Coxen Hole dock -- it was SO great. Amazing hot sauce/vinegar stuff...adn wonderful chicken baelatas (sp?) We all said we'd love to go back there again next time (I don't even know if it had a name...but we all "noted" where it was located for our next visit!) We also visited some beautiful scenic overlooks, with the rain the sea looked even more beautiful. Bright, Bright turquoise compared to the grey clouds and rain. Although, it wasn't the BEST Bodden tour (due to the weather), it was still a great day -- and the most memorable of this year's Western Caribbean cruise.