(4x1) Tulum, Coba, Cenote and Playa del carmen in a full day tour

Posted By : Erin_E
Our tour was booked as a part a 3 day work retreat in Mexico. We had dedicated a full day to spend at Tulum, Coba, a cenote and in Playa del Carmen and this excursion seemed to fit the bill well. We were originally told that non-alcoholic beverages, bike rentals at Coba, and all site entry fees were included, however after booking the beverages and bikes were available additional cost, as was the lifejacket at the cenote, to bring the total additional to roughly 425 pesos/$25USD per person. Once the trip was paid and tickets were provided, there was then an additional fee of $18USD per person required by the booker being described as a tourism 'tax', which we later found out is basically just an autogratuity...the worst part about this fee is that when we were on the bus they demanded $29USD per person. So, by the time all legitimate and illegitimate (but non-negotiable) fees were paid the per person price was double that which was advertised.

Now, add to that the fact our pickup was at 8:20am (not 7am as booked) and we were transferred between three buses without any English and absolutely NO COMMUNICATION from RockandTours, one transfer point included us being left in the hot sun from 10am - 10:40am at Xcaret wondering if we were even going to get picked-up for the excursion we had booked. Once on the actual tour, it was apparent we had been added to a Spanish group, the English was limited, the tour guide was lazy and entirely unhelpful in every respect (she wouldn't even leave the bus in Coba to direct us or give us any history on the ruins, and only spoke for 5 minutes at the entry to Tulum about the importance of obsidian to the Mayans...which made sense later at the cenote where we were pushed somewhat aggressively by her to purchase obsidian from a 'shaman' there seeking tips for the sale of his Amazon purchased jewellery. The whole day was a bust, minus the fact that we enjoyed each other's company and the archeological sites at both Tulum and Coba (the cenote was the worst I've seen in Mexico and not worth it, same with the 'traditional' lunch which was not amenable to any of the dietary restrictions we had included for our group at the time of booking). In the end, we got back to our hotel (two hours late for our dinner reservations) at 9pm...making this a 14 hour day for ~ 4 hours of actual activity time (1 hour at Tulum + 1 hour at Coba + 45 mins at Playa + 90 minutes at lunch/cenote/'shaman' gift shop).
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Posted On : 2024-02-12 18:33:16

Posted By : Kenneth_J
Bus came to lobby door of hotel. Florencia Esteves was a very kind, knowledgable Guide. Can be tough to hear him at times due to situations, but he really made this a special trip for me and my gf on our 3 year anniversary. He went above and beyond to be patient, kind, and honorable. Never felt tricked or taken advantage of. Always felt safe & secure with my belongins. Always felt in good hands. This is an all day tour. It was well worth the money.
Paid $7usd for coba (do it). Picked up others along the way (11 total in our small bus). There was about 10 in the other bus coming too (same tour).

Yes free entrance through this tour to Tulum, Coba, Cenote, Lunch, Stores, etc. It’s legit!

1. Tulum 11-1:10pm. It’s quick, but i recommend snapping pictures as guide talks to you. You will not go everywhere with guide. There is a moment where you can go off on own—utilize it to see everything (15min max). Guide will wait a few extra minutes for ppl to return before leaving through exit on other side. Note* we had a couple that didnt come back within 10min past meeting point so we began to leave. They met up with us at van before departure. I would recommend asking what time to meet at bus and utilizing this moment to leave Guide. Too much waiting for others. Just leave. Meet @ Bus. Tell Guide this. Be courteous.

Lunch-cenote-shaman location: 2-3:50pm: Shaman does mayan welcome in Mayan Village in Zona Archaelogical by Cenote.
1. 2:30pm Lunch - Delicious.
2. Mayan village (shaman/healer $26usd—$500 pesos). Pancheta-Mexican shaman spirit of qotemoc. Not enough time for this, but you could.

Shaman will bless purchased items for free but gotta tip. Very cool experience. Do it. We bought a bracelet & necklace. Blessed it. Cool!
3. 3-3:30pm Swimming in cenote: zona de archaelogical de coba. AMAZING! Be quick. Upgrade when Guide says to. Saves time.

4. Coba 4pm-5:15pm: ruins. Beautiful! Paid for the optional upgrade ahead of time for $16usd/$300pesos to skip line, jump on bike at coba. Bike lets you see more faster without lines since ahead. Do it! Omg do it. So much to see & its a mile walk. No time to walk and see it all. Bike was great & fast. Worked well on dirt bumpy road. Trust me! If athletic and dont mind a few bumps its best.
5. 6:30-7:40pm: Playa del carmen on way back. Shopping district/street. Lots of restaurants. Some street food. Be fast on your own. See more. The 25pesos for pizza slices are the best bang for buck.
6. ✅Optional: Upgrade early with tour guide for free tequilla/drinks at bus from guide, Life jackets @ cenote (otherwise $) so save time, Bike rental in coba (otherwise $) so save time. It is 300 pesos / $16usd (card). Saves time/money. We loved it!

UPGRADE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Save time and money. They will feee you Tequilla or drinks through your time near tour bus. It was the way to go.
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Posted On : 2023-01-24 17:02:19

Posted By : KayKeesh1212
Leave in mind, you will be out ALL DAY. Full day indeed. I enjoyed each moment👌🏽 Definitely worth it. Bring lots of sunscreen as you will be out in the sun for hours. The tour guide was very informative and clear from start to finish. I didnt like that the group of the tour was so big. Took us hours just to pick everyone up but besides that, fun filled day. Was able to get many pictures.
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Posted On : 2022-09-06 11:00:22