hiring a driver for the day

[Grungycat]

Just returned from Cozumel and again was lucky enough to have Lazario drive us around Cozumel, this is our 5th time using him and each time he amazes us with his stories and places to see. Anyone planning a trip to Cozumel should request his services.

I guess we were fortunate that Gerry was busy the first time we tried to hire him.

 

If going to Cozumel have fun and see all that Cozumel has to offer.

[airlink diva]

Hey everyone!

I originally had Gerry book on March 4, 2010 for a tour. However, I had to move my cruise back to April. This date is now open!!!

[arlodog]

We were so happy that Gerry was available after all for our tour of the island--originally he was booked. We count ourselves among the lucky to have spent the day with him. He allowed us to spend our time as we wanted, but was always available to watch out for us and make recommendations for what he thought we would enjoy.

 

We have been to Coz a few times before on cruise stops, but this was our favorite. We were able to see the East side for the first time and I highly recommend. We also had the best lunch at I believe Playa Bonita--you have to try their shrimp!

 

Spend a great day with Gerry and see some of the island that not everyone gets a chance to experience! He is the best!

[jbscoggins]

I got my confirmation from Mike that I have Gerry booked for April 7. So a question for those of you who have used him in the past:

 

a) Several of you mentioned that you have brought something small for his daughter -- does anyone know how old she is? I thought about bringing a smallish Easter-type gift since it's that week, but wanted to bring something age appropriate.

 

b) Would it be frustrating/upsetting to Gerry if we wanted to head out to Chankanaab/Dolphin Discovery to do the new Manatee encounter? We have him booked to start at noon. We were thinking we'd sightsee (maybe San Gervasio, maybe Playa Bonita), snack around the island (I'm hoping he knows where I can find some great helados or a panaderia), and then end up out there by 3:30 for the encounter, and have him haul us back to the ship after all of that. I guess I'm just concerned that I haven't read anyone else post that they went out there with Gerry.

 

Thanks in advance!

[arlodog]

Gerry's daughter is 4 years old almost 5. Her name is Carla. He has pictures of her in the car--what a beauty! I am sure he would appreciate it if you thought of her.

 

I am sure he will take you wherever you want to go. The time is yours to do with what you want. Just let him know up front where you want to go and what time. If he doesn't have another party booked I am sure he will accomodate you. If he has to wait for you I am pretty sure you will still pay the hourly rate. If you want to let him leave I am sure you could just catch another cab back to the pier after you are done at Chekanab.

[airlink diva]

We were so happy that Gerry was available after all for our tour of the island--originally he was booked. We count ourselves among the lucky to have spent the day with him. He allowed us to spend our time as we wanted, but was always available to watch out for us and make recommendations for what he thought we would enjoy.

 

We have been to Coz a few times before on cruise stops, but this was our favorite. We were able to see the East side for the first time and I highly recommend. We also had the best lunch at I believe Playa Bonita--you have to try their shrimp!

 

Spend a great day with Gerry and see some of the island that not everyone gets a chance to experience! He is the best!

 

You sound like the tour with Gerry was great!!

Like you, I've been to Cozumel several times,but this is going to be the first time that I'm leaving from the more common tourist area.

Several people mentioned Playa Bonita as a great place to have lunch at. How much was lunch for two people?

Did you also visit any of the local churches and plazas?

We are looking at five hours for our tour. Do you think this is enough or six hours?

[pdukey]

Spoke to Gerry last week when we ran into him at Coconuts. His daughter is 4. From our experience last Aug. with him he will take you anywhere, offer any advice, wait for you as long as you want. We hired him for 5 hours toured the town, east side, and climbed the lighthouse. Settled up with him when he dropped us off at the Money Bar. He even came back by when we wanted to leave and we cabbed with him over hailing a cab. To answer your Q, I do not believe he will be offended.

[crewsweeper]

I got my confirmation from Mike that I have Gerry booked for April 7. So a question for those of you who have used him in the past:

 

a) Several of you mentioned that you have brought something small for his daughter -- does anyone know how old she is? I thought about bringing a smallish Easter-type gift since it's that week, but wanted to bring something age appropriate.

 

b) Would it be frustrating/upsetting to Gerry if we wanted to head out to Chankanaab/Dolphin Discovery to do the new Manatee encounter? We have him booked to start at noon. We were thinking we'd sightsee (maybe San Gervasio, maybe Playa Bonita), snack around the island (I'm hoping he knows where I can find some great helados or a panaderia), and then end up out there by 3:30 for the encounter, and have him haul us back to the ship after all of that. I guess I'm just concerned that I haven't read anyone else post that they went out there with Gerry.

 

Thanks in advance!

jb...Gerry has 2 daughters. I forgot their ages but ones around 4-5 and the other is maybe 9 or 10. I could be wrong. Both are darling but very shy. I believe others here have brought small gifts, but as far as Easter gifts, remember they are Spanish Catholics and not into the Easter Bunny hoopla. That said, I think any gift will be much appreciate by them and by Gerry.

 

As far as your itinerary goes. I don't think Gerry will be too upset so long as you do the minium 3 hours. He will know where to go for helados and panderia. You may wish to communicate this in advance through Mike so Gerry has an idea of what you'd like to do.

However, I do think you are stretching your time to get in everything you want to do. There'd be no way you could get in San Gervasio and Playa Bonita and sightsee with Gerry down the east side in 3 hours. If there is any way you can start earlier, please ask Mike if it's possible to book him earlier.

 

What ever you wind up doing and whereever you wind up going, you'll have a good time with Gerry.

[trmclendon]

Hey, We are going to Cozumel in June...I would love to know which stops you viewed that you thought was a MUST SEE. Thanks

P.S-And any other helpful tips that you think!

[crewsweeper]

Hey, We are going to Cozumel in June...I would love to know which stops you viewed that you thought was a MUST SEE. Thanks

P.S-And any other helpful tips that you think!

Just my opine...But the lighthouse at Punta Sur and then either Playa Bonita or Mezcalitos for lunch. On the way to the lighthouse stop at Paradise Beach for a margarita to get you in the mood:D. If going to Mezcalitos for lunch, do stop at Coconuts for a view ( and maybe another 'rita) and any of the interesting rock formations and blow holes along the way for pictures. If you're game, do a quick stop by the Tequila Museum. Otherwise, head on back into town and let Gerry take you shopping before heading back to the ship.

[arlodog]

You sound like the tour with Gerry was great!!

Like you, I've been to Cozumel several times,but this is going to be the first time that I'm leaving from the more common tourist area.

Several people mentioned Playa Bonita as a great place to have lunch at. How much was lunch for two people?

Did you also visit any of the local churches and plazas?

We are looking at five hours for our tour. Do you think this is enough or six hours?

 

We started our tour at 10:30 and were back to the ship at 3:30 so 5 hours or a little over. It was a full day and we really didn't have any time to stop at a beach if that is of interest to you--you will need to add time or make arrangements to end your day at a beach and cab back to the ship.

 

Lunch at Playa Bonita for 3 entrees, a bottle of water and 2 margarittas and guacamole appetizer was $50 with tip (if I remember correctly--the margarittas were strong:rolleyes:) They also offer you a shot of tequilla after lunch but we passed since we had just been to the tequilla factory before lunch! We offered to buy Gerry his lunch but he told us he eats free (for bringing the customers there). He made sure to double check our bill before we paid to make sure we weren't charged incorrectly. They do have less expensive entrees, but if you like shrimp the garlic shrimp is excellent! Entrees were about $8-15.

 

We stopped at the catholic church downtown and looked around. It wasn't as old as I thought, but Gerry did a great job of giving us the local history and showed us the university, airport and other areas around town. We had already been to the main plaza so didn't stop, but Gerry did show it to us. He is more than willing to stop and show you whatever you are interested in.

 

We also stopped at the marina to look at the boats and to look at Bill Gates yacht which was anchored out while we were there:cool:. Gerry showed us the local paper where it was on the front page--guess the Gates are frequent visitors to Coz.:D

 

Let me know if you have any more questions. Really glad we went to see the East side!

[connera3]

We just got back from a great day in Cozumel with Gerry. We loved every minute of it! We had 2 40 somethings and 2 20 somethings.

 

It was so nice to have him waiting for us right at the pier and was so quick and easy to escape the crowds. We first went to the Mega and picked up some snacks and beer. It was just fun to see their "Walmart" and look at the prices.

 

We then drove around town looking at the resorts, high end homes, schools, churches, etc. We really wanted to do the tequila tour so Gerry got us there pretty quickly. We really had a good time at the tequilla place. Our tour guide was fun and Gerry got us in for $10 each. Of course, we bought some tequila so they were happy.

 

We finished our day with lunch at Playa Bonita and exploring the "other" side of the island. Gerry was very good at pointing out things we would like and always offering to take pictures of all of us.

 

We spend 6 hours with him and paid $200. It was well worth it and we will recommend this to all of our friends. Back at the ship, we felt that we saw 99% more of Cozumel than anyone else and had more fun. If we had all day I would have wanted to hang at the beach longer but it was already getting dark when we were heading back. Please let me know if you have any questions about Gerry or Cozumel.

[jeno]

We were just at Paradise Beach Club this weekend and had an excellent time. Good recommendation! Ask for Martin or Juan and maybe you will be lucky enough to get some Windex shots!

 

We had a great tour guide/taxi driver named Dario Vera (dariosantiagovera@yahoo.com.mx). I was in Cozumel with 3 friends a couple of weeks ago and we ended up with him randomly. I went back with 3 other friends this week on another cruise and we reserved him by email in advance.

 

We set up a 3 hour tour with a stop at Paradise Beach for Margaritas and ended up keeping him for 7 hours. We had an excellent time. He has a beautiful 14 person van but will take a smaller group if you request it. He can arrange anything you want: snorkeling, beach break, horseback riding, Mayan Ruins, Shopping, city tour, island drive- you name it.

 

The first group I was with asked to go to an authentic Mexican restaurant where the locals eat. He took us to his sister's restaurant which is in the living room of her home. His two sisters were cooking and invited us into the kitchen to see what they were making etc. We met his sisters, his nephew and his twin brother. It was exactly what we were looking for. He will do whatever you would like him to do. Tell him "Juanita" sent you!

[FliLady]

Does anyone have the contact information for Lazario or Gerry?

[AgnesK]

We read about Gerry on this board and were able to book a day with him through his business partner Mike. We had a wonderful day in Cozumel last week. Gerry was a wonderful host and we had a delightful time. He showed us around the city first. Then we did the tequila tour -interesting and fun, stopped at Coconuts for a snack overlooking the beach, stopped at El Mirador for pictures, and then ate at Playa Bonita. The meal (we had grilled grouper) at Playa Bonita was in the top 10 meals of all time for both my husband and me. It was a safe, comfortable and fun day. Gerry shared some ideas about our day and listened to our interests annd he seemed to know just what would be a perfect day for us!

 

 

We were a group fo six and hired Gerry with a mini van. Gerry is wonderful. He will take you were ever you want and if you are not sure he will give you suggestions, If you want to shop tell him what you are looking for and he will take you to the right shop. He took us to a shop for Black Coral. The Black Coral was beautiful and not very expensive.

 

Don't forget to ask him to sing for you. He has a wonderful voice. We ended up using Gerry for about 5-6 hrs. He is very flexiable as to what you want to do.

 

Thanks Gerry we Love you

Irene

[richcrow]

Well we were lucky enough to get Gerry as our driver on May 20th.:D Now we just have to decide what we want to do and where we want to go. After reading all of the posts with glowing reports on Playa Bonita, I'm sure that is where we will have lunch. Can someone tell me just where Playa Bonita is located? I have tried to find it on Goggle Earth to see if anyone had uploaded photos of it, but could not find any.

[pdukey]

here ya go Playa Bonita Google Street Level...Great Place Enjoy!!

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Cozumel+o+Iztaccihuatl,+Loma+Bonita+Sur,+Heroica+Puebla+de+Zaragoza,+Puebla,+Mexico&oe=utf8&ie=UTF8&hl=en&cd=1&geocode=FfI2IQEd2uQk-g&split=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.875,57.630033&hq=&hnear=Cozumel+o+Iztaccihuatl,+Loma+Bonita+Sur,+Heroica+Puebla+de+Zaragoza,+Puebla,+Mexico&ll=20.347182,-86.903776&spn=0.004748,0.00663&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=20.347148,-86.903895&panoid=lQuENYRx_AR45z957gfUNA&cbp=12,116.7,,0,12.39

[crewsweeper]

Well we were lucky enough to get Gerry as our driver on May 20th.:D Now we just have to decide what we want to do and where we want to go. After reading all of the posts with glowing reports on Playa Bonita, I'm sure that is where we will have lunch. Can someone tell me just where Playa Bonita is located? I have tried to find it on Goggle Earth to see if anyone had uploaded photos of it, but could not find any.

Here's a picture of PB.

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss201/Crew84_photos/Dream%20Cruise%202010/Sam_0208.jpg

 

the ceviche

 

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss201/Crew84_photos/Dream%20Cruise%202010/Sam_0211.jpg

 

and a picture of Gerry with the marachas

 

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss201/Crew84_photos/100_0290.jpg

[rjscott]

We are just back from our cruise and we had Gerry as our driver on Cozumel and had a wonderful day. Gerry is very easy to talk to and if you aren't sure what you want to do, he will make suggestions, and he will do anything he can to make the day special for you. Due to very cool weather, we had to make some changes in our planned itinerary, so on our next trip to Cozumel, we will definitely ask for Gerry again, and plan to see those sights we didn't get to see this time. Thanks, Gerry and Mike!

[BAJABOOTY]

We just returned from our cruise/ Cozumel on monday. Gerry was already booked when we emailed Mike, so he offered us Lazaro. After our trip we wouldnt have it any other way. He was right there ahead of the line, very easy to find with his name tag:)

We arrived @9am their time. We rented the station, he had a cooler in the back for us. We saw so much and drank SO much tequila. :rolleyes: Some stops we had were, shopping (it helps to have him with you, he helps you wheel and deal), we saw some small business, churches, beautiful scenery, Tequila tour (must ask for Gasper), Playa Bonita, Coconuts. We seriously did not want to get back on the boat. He also had a great sense of humor.

 

You can contact him through Mike cozumeltaxi@hotmail.com

[crewsweeper]

We just returned from our cruise/ Cozumel on monday. Gerry was already booked when we emailed Mike, so he offered us Lazaro. After our trip we wouldnt have it any other way. He was right there ahead of the line, very easy to find with his name tag:)

We arrived @9am their time. We rented the station, he had a cooler in the back for us. We saw so much and drank SO much tequila. :rolleyes: Some stops we had were, shopping (it helps to have him with you, he helps you wheel and deal), we saw some small business, churches, beautiful scenery, Tequila tour (must ask for Gasper), Playa Bonita, Coconuts. We seriously did not want to get back on the boat. He also had a great sense of humor.

 

You can contact him through Mike cozumeltaxi@hotmail.com

And I think Lazaro sings too...He's a great alt if Gerry is busy.

[LHP]

Here's a picture of PB.

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss201/Crew84_photos/Dream%20Cruise%202010/Sam_0208.jpg

 

the ceviche

 

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss201/Crew84_photos/Dream%20Cruise%202010/Sam_0211.jpg

 

and a picture of Gerry with the marachas

 

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss201/Crew84_photos/100_0290.jpg

 

 

Great pictures.....Gerry is definately a lot of fun....

[LHP]

And I think Lazaro sings too...He's a great alt if Gerry is busy.

 

Thanks...someone just emailed me and asked about him. Since we have only used Gerry....I had no personal experience...I will forward them your comments.

[Debbierpof]

Quick question: so what is the cost for a private driver like Gerry or Lazaro? Per hour? Sounds like a great option. Thanks!

[crewsweeper]

Gerry charges $95 for minimum of 4 hours,IIRC, then $35 per hour afterward. His car/stationwagon seats 4 adults. If you have a larger party, he'll rent a van which will cost a bit more. So approx $25 per hour, plus tip. Some folks think that's a bit expensive.

 

If you want to do a shorter time period or just want to go to Playa Bonita or Coconuts for lunch, you can get a taxi at the port. Be sure to negotiate and agree on the price before you get in th etaxi.