The wife and are were talking money for the trip. Is there a needs for pesos at all? It seems everyone takes Visa. We have a card for the trip, plus our debit card. I would think even bellboys and other service people would take US dollars for tips. Also, we're eating lunch on Isla Majuras. Perhaps some pesos for shopping? ...for tips?
No need for pesos except for the local bus. The whole economy is based on the good old US dollar. You can get pesos out of the ATM machinces when you get at the airport. I usually get about $40 worth. The buses are the best way to get around. No waiting and there are a ton of them. Best way to get from the airport to hotel is the multitude of vans. Don't rent from anyone in the airport right out of customs. Go outside and walk up to the one of the van services and tell them where you want to go. If you have 4 or more people in your party take a taxi it is cheaper. Vans cost about $10 per person.
Thanks for the advice on the pesos. That's exactly what our friends have told us. Also, this is a corporate trip so the vans and buses are already taken care of. I have been told, however, to ignore all the scammers in the airport that will approach you.
As I said, we've booked an eight hour trip on the Yumil-Ik. It runs around $650 for the day including lunch. What should we tip our crew afterward? Should we tip the captain the same as the mate?
I've been to Mexico quite often and don't worry too much about getting pesos, just use your USD.
I've never tipped captains or the crew on a charter, they are making very good money off of you already. If the crew are mexicans then you may want to consider giving them $5-$10 each, cause they don't get paid much from the owner of the boat. The people I always tip are the bartenders, chamber-maids and bell boys at the hotel. They'll take really good care of you on your holiday.
Please let us know how your experience was, I'm sure you'll have a blast.
OK, here's a couple of teaser pictures of our day cruise of the Yumil-Ik the other day. I'll be creating a slide show later on this weekend and let everyone know the link.
The boat was a 36' Lancer built in 1977. It wasn't pristine, but everything was in very good shape. The rigging and ropes looked to have been refitted fairly recently. She definitely had her own personality.
I learned a little bit about sailing. We tacked to port mostly. Seas were rolling 2-3 feet, with light winds. We average 6 knots. We peaked at 8 a couple of times. We jibed at 3 knots late in the day. (all terms I actually learned the real meaning to!) I had no problem holding her to wind. My poor wife turned her around a couple of times. I guess she was overcompensating.
Our captain has 25 years sailing, and his mate was only out for the second time. They were both wonderful. But, the language barrier prevented me from asking more specific questions about sailing. By no means did that take away from our experience. He had a great personality and was very accommodating the entire day. We spent a couple hours on Isla Mujeres. There were a number of transient sailboats on the leeward side of the island. Anyone from these forums out there this weekend?
I won't ramble on. Here's pics as promised. I'll tell more about it later.
I actually have a good friend who trained for the Olympic sailing team at one time. Life pulled him away from the full-time commitment, however. We're considering buying a Hobie to teach our kids (and me) on.
Connect with Facebook
