Best value Tours - 10 benefits of going private
- Claire Summers
- Apr 11, 2016
- 6 min read
1. One single pick-up, Yours! No more delays when choosing for a Private Tour
I am very sure everyone has been at least once on these "cattle" tours, where they go through several hotels in order to pick up as much people as possible in order to fill up the bus. In the worst case you are the first to get picked up and you are sitting in one of these coaches which are fitting 50 person.
Most likely it will take almost 2 hours before you even start your journey to your travel destination. There are tours where you spend more time in the bus than at your actual tour activities. You really have to like buses and crowds to enjoy this.
2. Clean, safe and licensed transportation in a new van
As long as your group has less than 9 people we use buses like the Toyota Hiace with a maximum capacity of 12 person. Should you have more than 9 we rent a Mercedes Sprinter with a maximum capacity of 19 person. All the vans we are renting are the latest models and not older than 2 years.
Our drivers are licensed, English speaking and the vans are fully insured.
3. Early arrival before the mass-tourism
We suggest an early pick up in order to arrive at our first destination the moment they open. That is how we make sure you can have a private and exclusive experience without the heat of the day and also avoiding the crowds of the mass tourism.
We only suggest an early start of your tour with us. Please don't feel like it is an obligation. In case you are not the early bird type, feel free to let us know and we will pick you up at the time you prefer. If you would like to know more about the benefits of our early pick ups, read the following post about: 5 reasons why we pick you up so early
4. Visit places where the locals go
Many of our guests have been in Playa del Carmen and the Rivera Maya before and still they only know little about the area. That is also one of the reason why they choose for a private tour, because they want to get away from the mass tourism and the "beaten path".
Would you like to get a good coffee in the morning after we picked you up? Well, there is more than Starbucks. Let us show you the little Italian coffee place we really like, because of its pastries and the strong coffee they make.
Do you like to have that real street food experience with some of the best Tacos in town, or do you prefer the catch of the day in of our preferred sea food restaurants?
What about snorkeling at that beach or cenote, where we hangout with friends on weekends?
5. All the attention from Your Private Tour Guide
There was a time I was working for big tour companies dealing with an average of 30 people per tour, sometimes more than 40. In my honest opinion this is not guiding at all. What I did in theses days was yelling at people giving them instructions where to go now, where the restrooms are and what time we will meet again at the bus.
There was hardly any personal interaction with an individual person during these days and I would come home exhausted, not knowing a single name of one of my guests.
This is different now and I enjoy a lot to get to know my guests. I am certain I may say the same for my colleagues which all worked before for some of the big tour companies.
It is our pleasure to get to know you, your family and your friends. We find it interesting what you do, what you think about Mexico and we also like to share our stories with you.
One of our guiding principle is to make your day with us the best day of your vacation. We are trying to make you happy. I am always saying: "When my guests are happy, I am happy and that makes my wife happy. You know how that works, right? Happy wife, happy life!"
Besides that, you may be sure you get all our attention, especially during our activities. Many times we have guests who never snorkeled before and we take our time to explain everything you need to know to feel secure in the water. We would never rush you, because we are in hurry or feel pressure from the rest of the group, or are on a schedule.
Being the guide of such big groups is giving you a lot of challenges and you realize quickly your limits. That is one of the reasons I started working as a private tour guide. I felt bad for the people.
6. Cooler with your choice of drinks
We want to make a difference, even though it is just a little detail like the choice of your drinks you have on hand during transportation in the van. Feel free to let us know which type of soda you prefer, sparkling or non-sparkling water, Corona, Pacifico or Modelo, etc. As long as we know your preference 48 hours in advance and we find what you like in one of our supermarkets we love to offer it during your exclusive tour with us.
7. Fruit and snack basket
Next to the cooler with the beverages of your choice we always have a basket stashed with fresh fruits, like apples and bananas, different spices of chips and several flavors of granola bars. Thanks to my wife, which is really taking care of that topic, the apples are always soaked with fruit & veggie wash concentrate. So don't worry about that apple a day during your tour with us.
8. Individual, personalized Private Tour on your pace
As I mentioned before, I am sure everyone experienced at least once a tour with a big group. The thing is, you are on a schedule and it is not the fault of the poor, most of the time frustrated tour guide. They have to take care of getting you back on time to your hotel. In other words the schedule is necessary in such type of tours.
Since we are only small groups and we do not have such a hustle of several pick ups in the morning and drop offs in the afternoon, we are basically of schedule. You decide how long you want to stay at each location, or if you want to get that coffee in the morning, checking out that little handicraft store down the street, away from all the other tourist traps.
There is only one thing to keep in mind, we are trying to get through your itinerary before it gets dark. At the bottom line, you decide if you want to skip something in order to spend more time somewhere else. You will never feel pressure from your private guide. When we are suggesting to move on, we do so, to keep up with the agreed itinerary.
9. Patient and knowledgeable guide at all activities
For the above mentioned reasons it is kind of obvious why your private guide is relaxed, patient and in a good mood. We deal with a small group, do not have to hurry and have no reason to be stressed.
Your private guide is either Mexican or a local, living in Playa del Carmen for at least a couple of years. We all experienced and professional, have been working in this field for a long time and love to share our knowledge with you. Actually many of our hobbies are related to our work. We all love to be in the water, going snorkeling, diving, exploring new things, supporting locals, educating people how to be more sustainable and to protect the environment and endangered animals.
10. A happy and experienced guide who loves doing his job
In my honest opinion the guide is the key to a successful tour experience and it is important that she or he loves doing this job and is passionate about it. We have been working for many years as tour guides and for sure did not love it all the time, mostly for the the same reasons I mentioned before in regards to the "cattle" tours.
When you come on a private tour with us, you will have a smiling guide in front of you who loves to show you this beautiful and peaceful area and does not get tired of it.
We have guests writing us reviews, where they talk about an tour experience which feels like hanging out with a friend.
We are in the lucky position to have one of the greatest jobs in the world. We know that and we get to hear that very often. The fact, that our guests are on vacation looking for some relaxed and fun time helps as well.
Do you agree with this 10 benefits? Do you even have to add some more?
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