This was a great trip filled with very positive and unforgettable experiences. Everything worked out as planned. The itinerary we had was excellent and the gastronomic, geographic, archaeological, and artisanal tours were excellent. The hotels were great with a couple of exceptions. They were all centrally located and we could easily move about on our own and explore the places not included in the formal itinerary. All the guides were knowledgeable and spoke english as promised. The drivers... read more
This was a great trip filled with very positive and unforgettable experiences. Everything worked out as planned. The itinerary we had was excellent and the gastronomic, geographic, archaeological, and artisanal tours were excellent. The hotels were great with a couple of exceptions. They were all centrally located and we could easily move about on our own and explore the places not included in the formal itinerary. All the guides were knowledgeable and spoke english as promised. The drivers that took us on our city tours and long distances from city to city were friendly and drove with great care. All the guides and drivers were very punctual and we could complete all the activities in the time that was planned.
Ximena out travel coordinator was outstanding! She checked in with us every day to ask how the day went and also to inform us about the next day's plan. The couple of times we had an issue with hotels, she was very quick to get them resolved.
Hotel Reviews
Histórico Central Mexico City
Mexico City
Very centrally located with extremely friendly and helpful staff. The breakfast that was included had a lot of choices, and the free food all day long was amazing.
Casona de los Sapos Hotel Boutique
Puebla
Very centrally located. The staff were very accommodating even though it was Christmas eve.
Hotel Boutique Casa Garay
Oaxaca
The hotel is very centrally located and that was the only positive aspect about it. The room was windowless and had very poor ventilation. Unfortunately, to improve ventilation we could not leave the door ajar since it opened directly into the dining area. The room was not serviced well and one morning the water ran out in the bathroom and it took a lot of time to restore. The air conditioning unit was very noisy, but we had no choice to use it since the room had no air circulation. The hotel was understaffed and the couple of employee there were doing multiple tasks and as a result everything took time. We had breakfast at the hotel the first morning, but it was such a bad experience that we decided to eat elsewhere the next day. We were also very frustrated with the wifi which was very very slow and at times we could not even connect to it.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Please refer to my detailed review.
Hotel Parador Margarita
San Cristobal de las Casas
Nice hotel. very centrally located. Large rooms. The only issue was that the rooms did not have any heating, but fortunately we could get spot heaters from the hotel. The breakfast was wonderful and the staff were very friendly and helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The heating could be improved.
Piedra de Agua Hotel Boutique Palenque
Palenque
It is a nice hotel, but it is far from the town center. Also, there are no shops anywhere within walking distance. Continental breakfast was served at the hotel, but besides that the hotel did not have a restaurant and since we did not have a car, the only option was a restaurant that was 75 meters away. We had to eat all our meals at that single restaurant, The room was a bit small and it was strange that the light for the bathroom also switched on a light that was in the bedroom. That did not work out well at night when my wife or I had to use the toilet.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Please see my detailed review.
Hotel Plaza Campeche
Campeche
Nice hotel, very centrally located.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Nice large room and everything worked.
This is nice hotel, but we had a bad experience. We were assigned a room with clearly had an issue with the plumbing. The water pressure was extremely low and therefore we informed the front desk who sent someone to attend to it. After sometime they reported they had fixed the problem, but the situation was still the same. It is hard to accept that the hotel was not aware that this room had a plumbing issue, but still decided to assign the room to a guest.
Cleanliness & Comfort
I have mentioned about the issue with the plumbing in my review.
Activity Reviews
History, Culture & Gastronomy in Mexico City
Mexico City
This is a good introduction to Mexico City's historic center and street food. The tour is a bit early in the day to truly enjoy the street food especially after a hearty breakfast.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Knowledgeable, friendly and could speak English.
Transport
This was a walking tour and so there was no transport.
Floating Gardens & Canals of Xochimilco
Mexico City
This is a very unique tour. We enjoyed the serene and quite environment and the demonstration of how farming is carried out on the small islands on the canals.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Explore Coyoacán
Mexico City
Very nice neighborhood of Mexico City with its colonial ear houses, markets, and food courts. The zocalo and church are very picturesque.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Explore the Pyramids of Teotihuacan
Mexico
Must visit archeological site.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Free Afternoon in Puebla
Mexico
Very charming city with a nice zocalo and cathedral.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Tastes of Oaxaca Gastronomy Tour
Oaxaca
This is a fun tour, but to do justice you have to start on an empty stomach since there are many stops for food.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Archeology and handicrafts in Monte Alban, Arrazola, Cuilapam and Coyotepec
Oaxaca
All wonderful sites and places on this very enjoyable tour.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Excursion to the Sumidero Canyon & Chiapa de Corzo
Mexico
The Sumidero Canyon is amazing!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Cultural Immersion in Zinacantan
San Cristobal de las Casas
This was a very very unique tour. The visit to Chamula and especially to the church there was a truly one-of-a-kind experience. The visit to Zinacantan was also special, with an exposure to the milpa form of farming and being invited to the house of a local artisan to see how they create their wears and to share a meal with them.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The beautiful waterfalls of Misol-ha & Agua Azul - Night in Palenque.
Mexico
Agua Azul is beautiful, but Misol-ha is special.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Discover the Palenque Archeological Site
Palenque
A must visit archeological site of the Mayas.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Explore the Archaeological Site of Uxmal
Mexico
A must see archaeological site of the Mayas. It is laid out much better than Palanque, the first Mayan archaeological site we visited.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Jícara Engraving Workshop & lunch in a Mayan Community
Mexico
A very unique experience. We loved the hands-on workshop on how to polish and engrave a jicara shell.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Visit Chichén Itzá, Wonder of the Maya World
Mexico
Unfortunately, we could not visit Chichen Itza since the site was closed due to local protests. However we did visit Izamal which was nice.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Leslie Pérez