Rene Rodarte

We had a great experience with all our guides; they were knowledgeable and friendly. However, our food tour could have focused more on the food rather than the history. Despite this, the guides were excellent.

It would have been more convenient to stay in Pueblo and Cholula instead of making the 2-3 hour drive back and forth in a day. Additionally, the transportation to and from the airport could have been better. While the pickup at the airport was pleasant, the ride back was a bit cramped with three passengers and three pieces of luggage in a Prius.

Overall, it was a good trip, but a few adjustments could have made it even better.

Hotel Review

Casa Decu

Mexico City

We arrived super early at 4 am. The hotel had the room we were going to stay in for the rest of our trip available, but they wouldn’t let us check in early without charging us for an entire night, even though the room was sitting empty and their early check-in policy starts at 8 am. This left a bad taste in our mouths. It took the front desk person an hour or so to get approval from her boss to let us into the room we were going to stay in. We were super annoyed because we were charged for an entire night and had to wait around for approval.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleaning agents that were used to clean the room gave us headache. Needed to air out the room for hours.

Activity Reviews

Discover the Magical town of Cholula

Mexico

Lupita was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour of the historic center of Puebla

Puebla

Our guide Lupita was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Be amazed by the pre-hispanic beauty of the chinampas in Xochimilco

Mexico City

Our guide made this trip enjoyable. Pamela was so knowledgeable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

a bigger car

Overall the trip was brilliant. Knowing nothing about Mexico we didn’t know where to start but I knew I wanted to see Mexico City and Frida Kahlo house and Diego Rivera murals. We added in mesoamerican history, and seeing something of the amazing national parks. This set us on I think a pretty standard tour of MC, Teotehuacan, Puebla, (and stunning trek of a high altitude, dormant volcano in national park which was a real highlight and not standard), Oaxaca with art tour and Monte Alban, and Puerto Escondido. We also did a small
Detour into the mountains en route to Escondido.
Our top guides were Clara from Food Mexico who gave us a tour of street food and the markets in MC. She was a true authority on Mexican eating and culture and was such a good introduction to eating as a local! Our guide Pablo took us to Diego Rivera’s museo Anahuacalli in neighborhood of Coyoacan , a 40 minute taxi ride outside of MC. Another trip highlight giving us an in depth understanding of pre Hispanic Mexican culture as represented in their artefacts. Loved this! Pablo was amazing , so much enthusiasm for the subject and we then went into Frida’s and Rivera’s house. Gorgeous .
Being Londoners we like to travel by metro and explore areas not necessarily of the typical tourist agenda and I do think a little more help could have been offered here in the itinerary. If you like to get off the proverbial beaten tourist track and experience MC as lived by Mexicans where do you go? We sort of worked it out though! We loved the metro. Easy to use, felt safe ( with common sense) and cheap! Often quicker than a taxi.
Our trip to Teotehuacan was fascinating but our guide a little confusing on his history which may be due to the fact so much of the archaeological understanding of Teotehuacan is down to informed interpretations of the era as there are no written records. Onto Oaxaca city which is a beautiful and vibrant city . It’s everyone’s favorite and it’s filled with gorgeous art murals, museums , funky little cafes, and exquisite food. Our guide Diego from Coyote tours was amazing and showed us his favorite murals providing a detailed background to the relevance of different murals(social, political, and cultural) that I would never have understood by myself nor gleaned from a tour book. We did a bicycle tour which meant we could cover more ground and was fun but you can do walking tours.
Only low point of guides was our visit to Monte Alban in a group tour. Place is fascinating but could have done it as well with a book! I think a personal guide is really worth it on everything.
Finally Puerto Escondido for our beach rest. We moved our hotel to Punta Zicatela as we prefer a funky beach scene. It’s very lively but we found a quiet place end of town and had a fabulous day watching the surfers and enjoying the sunshine. A morning with our guide Ishmael on the lagoon 30 minutes along the coast was another highlight. We kayaked and saw a range of unusual bird life, mangroves and a baby crocodile! It was a totally chill experience and I highly recommend it. Ishmael provides the guided info. whilst other members of his family work behind the scene to provide kayaks, organize etc. I love the fact we were benefited from the knowledge of truly local people, living on the beach or local town. All so proud of their regional defining cultures. We leave Mexico feeling excited by what we have seen and learnt an appetite for more exploring of this wonderful country as we only saw a tiny part.
Now at the airport about to go back to England. 😥
Rene and Mariana did a fabulous job of planning our trip. Mariana always available to sort out any problems and giving us lots of advance notice of guides, taxis etc. It was a real comfort to know we had such great background support. Thank you.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Suites Villasol

Oaxaca

It’s everything I don’t like in a hotel. Big, soulless down a development of other horrid hotels. Big rooms , soulless and the air conditioning has an awful chemical smell that made me feel sick. It was clean and staff were very nice. Breakfast was awful.

Authenticity & Character

Everything.

Location

Whole thing reminded me of a cheap English holiday camp, not a compliment. Hated it so much we moved hotels. Soulless neighborhood.

Staff

The few we met were very nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean room .

Casa Elba Cabins

Damp, our room was right at bottom of Stoney track and staff totally disinterested. Didn’t even know we were arriving and it was not busy. Dirty sofa was our first impression of room and not enough hot water for a shower.

Authenticity & Character

All of it

Location

It had a beautiful view of the valley. Short walk outside of town . Quiet.

Staff

Interest and enthusiasm

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sofa dirty. Made me feel it was all grubby

Hotel Punto Mx

Mexico City

Excellent central location within walking distance of Museum Belles Artes . Vibe is rather corporate and formal, lacking charm, the rooms dark and soulless although very clean and well appointed, huge bed, smart bathroom but the water wasn’t hot. Room right by atrium so noisy whilst breakfast was being set up early morning. Breakfast food rather average, good fruit and juices, everything else rather stale and dry. Redeeming feature were the restaurant staff who were all so sweet and attentive and a few of the reception staff

Authenticity & Character

Everything . Nothing about it was Mexico

Location

If you like being central great but you’re in a city center

Staff

See above

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Los Pilares

Oaxaca

Beautiful boutique style hotel , spacious, light filled with the most fabulous roof top lounge area , small pool, sun lounge and restaurant. Food was uncomplicated, delicious and beautifully presented . The staff at Los Pilares were so helpful and efficient. Always with a genuine smile. Loved this place and was so sad to leave it!

Authenticity & Character

Space, decor and amazing plants thoughtfully arranged. Gorgeous

Location

In a fascinating local community bug only 20 minutes walk from center . Absolutely top location. Quiet and unusual.

Staff

Efficient, attentive and kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything exceptionally clean from rooms to bathroom to restaurant

El Sueño Hotel & Spa

Puebla

Beautiful boutique hotel just on the edge of Pueblo. Loved all the exotic greenery, tasteful decor and location

Authenticity & Character

A characterful building of Pueblo creatively reimagined for the discerning tourist who loves plants, water and spacious spa style rooms. Very clean and staff so helpful.

Location

Easy to walk into Pueblo, lots of cafes and great restaurants on your doorstep

Staff

Smiling and so helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover the flavors and colors of the exotic San Juan Market

Mexico City

Already reviewed. Fabulous

Quality of Experience

See my general review. Book Food Mexico with Clara

Food

We tasted the best street food from best vendors and samples in market

Rural cooking workshop in Oaxaca

Oaxaca

We started with a tour of the local market, a local church to soak up the vibe and cultural richness of this small town just outside oaxaca. Our guide Alejandro was so knowledgeable and relaxed and really knows food and the history of his country. Our cooking experience was so special and we felt so privileged to spend time with this family and cook with them. Dalia planned a menu to suit our unsettled tummies and used herbs to promote digestion and healing in the most delicious soup and chicken broth. We made tacos which was great fun and ground cacoa nibs and made them into a delicious treat. We will always remember this . So special.

Quality of Experience

Food

Everything!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking in the Manialtepec Lagoon

Puerto Escondido

Already given a description of this. Top experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Afternoon in Puebla

Mexico

Loved this city and our hotel. Easy to walk around and absorb the atmosphere.

Quality of Experience

Oaxaca Street art walk

Oaxaca

Without this tour we would never have fully appreciated the significance of the street art we saw. Stories of the artists, the subject matter and techniques. Our guide Ariel was an absolute gem. So knowledgeable and passionate about his city and art. Fabulous English too. We had a great morning with him cycling around the best of the murals. This is a must activity to really fall in love with Oaxaca

Quality of Experience

All of it

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bikes , good enough

Hike in the Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl National Park

Mexico

Another wonderful guide that transformed this experience. Very knowledgeable about the national park and genuinely a mountain lover! We started at 4000 meters and climbed to 4500 meters of the “ white lady”. Hard at this altitude so got a real sense of achievement. We also met some very funny and friendly fellow climbers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver , Alberto was excellent. Punctuatuek, courteous and a amazing driver, we felt very safe.

Transport

Biking in Teotihuacán "The City of the Gods" & Overnight in Puebla

Mexico

Fascinating place and guide good

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great driver who spoke good English and gave us lots of tips

Visit the Museum Diego Rivera - Anahuacalli

Mexico City

Again it was our guide Pablo that made this one of the most enjoyable cultural tours we did. His knowledge of the artefacts and Diego’s motivation to collect , what each piece represented was astounding and thus knowledge lay the foundation to every thing else we went into see. Brilliant experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Casa Azul Museum

Mexico City

Pablo is a real authority on this . Not to be missed

Quality of Experience

Our guide Pablo made this very special as he had such an understanding of Frida, his her health affected her art and the social political context that influenced both her and Diego

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So knowledgeable and kind

Transport

Pablo driving

Rene was prompt, clear and professional in attending to my questions prior to the trip. This is consistent with other travel agents that I have used for other countries. I found out quite late that one of the hotels did not have air-conditioning and hence wanted a change. We ended up cancelling the hotel booking by Rene and I booking the hotel myself using Booking.com. Rene refunded me the "cost"of the hotel but refused to provide a breakdown of how he arrive at the refund amount which I thought was a bit on the low side.

Things also didn't go so well with the 'Trip Support' (the Rutopia team) during the trip itself. The team have to check with 3rd party providers most of the time and takes a while to respond to changing situations or questions. Some examples of areas that definitely needs improvement:

1) Drivers were late on 3 instances. Once by 0.5hr (we woke up early to be picked up at 5am for the hot air ballon tour but the driver came at 5.30am) and a second time by 10mins (we had landed at Cancun airport but the driver only showed up later) and a third time by almost 1hr (after we took the ferry from Holbox back to Chiquila). In the 3rd instance, my family was left standing in the open at the entrance of the jetty waiting for the driver for 1hr. To escape the hot sunny weather, we had to seek shelter at a nearby public toilet! When the driver eventually showed up, he expected us to go find his van which was supposedly parked in front of some restaurant instead of coming directly to our location at the entrance of the jetty. The driver also picked up an additional passenger along the way without explaining why (is this appropriate for safety reasons?)!

2) I reminded 'Trip Support' before the trip and a few times during the trip that we are a family of 4 adults with big luggages. However, they still arrange for small cars to pick us up on a few occasions. We were told that this is what the 'package' provides for which I am very surprised given that this is not a budget tour package! We have to spend time figuring how to fit all the luggage into the car as well as squeeze 4 adults into a small car for long journeys. I find it most unacceptable when there are no shortage of vans or big SUVs in Mexico and other travellers in smaller groups are travelling in comfort in larger SUVs and vans. I have used travel agents in the US, South America, Europe and Asia and they are all able to ensure that my family travels in comfort when it comes to transportation but the experience in Mexico is definitely below par.

3) We were booked into Ventus Ha Resort at Puerto Morelos for 1 night. However, we were not told beforehand that we were booked into 1 room instead of 2 rooms. We only found out when we checked in at the resort. Although the room at Ventus Ha are a little bit bigger, it will be normal expectation for us to be given 2 rooms which is the arrangement for all our other hotels during the trip. As we were given 1 room, the resort only provided 2 complimentary wifi access and we can't even share the access as they are fixed to 1 person each! The 4 of us have to squeeze into 2 double beds for the night and a single toilet. It's a beautify resort but our experience was sub-par due to the arrangements.

4) There were huge demonstrations along the main streets of Mexico City and in Zocalo Square due to the elections but the travel agent did not give us any warning or advise beforehand or did not do anything to adjust the itinerary to help us avoid the crowds or disruptions. During the tour of historic Mexico City on May 19, the tour guide did her best to navigate through the rowdy crowd in Zocalo Square and the surrounding streets but I feel that the travel agent should have switched the tour to another day given that we had multiple days in Mexico City and the date of the political rally in Zocalo Square on May 19 is known beforehand. When I requested to stay 1 more night in Mexico City on May 29 in a hotel next to Zocalo Square, the tour agent also didn't advise me that there will be a big political rally at the square on that day and the roads surrounding the square will be closed. We had to walk 45mins out from our hotel in order to get an Uber to travel out of the area. In fact, our hotel had to roll down the metal shutters in its front entrance in order to protect the premise from the rowdy crowd. For basic security and safety reasons, these are things which I expect the travel agent to discuss with me in advance and help me avoid them rather than leave it to me to figure things out myself on the spot!

Overall, I find the tour arrangements to be sub-par for the price that I paid. This is the first time I used Kim-Kim for my travel arrangements and I had high expectations. However, I have to say that given the sub-par experience, I will think twice in using Kim-Kim again.

Pros:
1. Constant communication
2. Convenient and stress free- having a driver take you to remote locations is a lot more reassuring than driving yourself.
3. The drivers provide an authentic perspective of the way of life for people in Oaxaca.

Cons:
1. Pricy since you’re paying for the service
2. The itinerary is subject to change- some of the activities mentioned in the itinerary were not offered. For example, we were not given the opportunity to paint our own alebrijes (which was what my son was looking forward to)
3. Some of the activities felt like sales pitches rather than interactive workshops.

Overall, I recommend for those who want a stress free adventure in Mexico.

I am almost 77 years old and my biggest complaint is the number of activities that are packed into one day. I had the same problem in Spain last year and even though I purposely added a number of rest days, I would say the trip was still too exhausting.
Mariana the logistics person should be awarded a gold star. She was excellent and without her help the trip could have been absolute disaster. She should get a pay rise.
The hotels were excellent.
The guides were good and especially the guides to Uxmal, Rio Lagartos and the operator Bejil-Ha.

My local specialist was Sofia. I enjoyed the planning process with her. The local support person, Mariana was an excellent communicator and always responsive. The tours were excellent. Most were private tours. We would have enjoyed more group tours to have the chance to interact with others. The guides were very knowledgeable and fun to be with.

Hotel Reviews

The Fives Oceanfront

Quintana Roo

Authenticity & Character

The lobby is amazing with a view of the ocean and pool. Check in was organized. We were encouraged to use the pool and beach until our room was ready.

Location

A very quiet and peaceful resort

Staff

Every staff member we met was friendly, helpful and attentive. Enjoyed yoga and bike riding with Will. The gym was well equipped and clean

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was spacious, clean and modern. Exceptionally comfortable bed and linens. Large balcony, unfortunately on the street side of the hotel.

Casa Quetzal Hotel Boutique

Valladolid, Yucatán

The hotel is lovely with a beautiful courtyard and pool. Very close to amazing restaurants, this hotel was the perfect place to stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

No help with the luggage to our room on the second floor.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kuka y Naranjo

Mérida

This is a unique hotel, with a beautiful patio sitting area. The room was comfortable with minimalist decor.

Authenticity & Character

A vegan restaurant on site had an interesting menu

Location

Not far from the city centre but not the best part of town

Staff

Friendly, helpful and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

The concrete floor had crack that should be filled for hygienic reasons.

Hotel Boutique Casa Piedad

Campeche

This hotel did not meet our needs. The room was advertised as 20 sq meters, but was only 13 sq meters. There was no room for luggage and the bathroom was tiny. We did not stay a second night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not close to the centre of town

Staff

No greeting, not friendly. There was no breakfast and we were not given any suggestions for breakfast restaurants.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean but not comfortable

Hotel La Aldea del Halach Huinic

Palenque

The hotel is peaceful and serene. The pool was beautiful and surrounded by plants and trees. The rooms were a bit dated, but clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The jungle location of this hotel was unique. However, it was far from town and without a car, few dining options

Staff

No help with bags to room which was located down 2 flights of stairs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable bed, pleasant patio outside the room, good restaurant

Hotel Parador Margarita

San Cristobal de las Casas

The hotel has a lot of charm and character. Very spacious room with a good courtyard view. Breakfast was good and staff were helpful and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

The decor of this hotel is unique and beautiful.

Location

The walk to the center of town was okay

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oaxaca Real Hotel

Oaxaca

The hotel was beautiful and well maintained. We especially enjoyed the gift of a water bottle. The pool was excellent and we really enjoyed it after a day of touring.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa Eva

Colonia San Pedro Cholula, Puebla

The Hotel Casa Eva was a very comfortable hotel, with easy access to the city centre. Hotel staff were friendly and responsive. The room was spacious with a great bed and linens.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful courtyard, delicious breakfasts

Location

Easy access to city centre

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Get to know the history of Mole Poblano through the streets of Puebla

San Andrés Cholula

We had a great cooking experience making and eating mole. The class took place in the home of the guide, making it a very comfortable experience. The mole was excellent.

Quality of Experience

The instructor was very good.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Between markets and corn in the magical town of Cholula

Mexico

We had a fantastic time at the market in Cholula. The food tasting was diverse and delicious. Our guide was very attentive to our interests. The experience at Mili was very interesting. We enjoyed tasting all of the food products made from corn.

Quality of Experience

We enjoyed the variety of food on the tour

Food

The foaming chocolate drink was delicious

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The pace of the tour was very good.

Free Afternoon in Puebla

Mexico

We actually stayed in Cholula and did not get to see Puebla. It was disappointing as I was interested in seeing Talavera pottery.