My wife and I can't recommend My Quest Concierge Private Tours enough. Shout-out to our amazing…read moreguide, Heriberto Lopez. He took excellent care of us for the day. It was just us three. We loved having a guide all to ourselves.
We stayed at Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen. My wife found out about My Quest from Tripadvisor. We booked a "VIP Tulum Private Tour" over two months in advance through Viator. It cost $340, prepaid online, and we tipped Heriberto $75 in cash after the tour ($415 total in US dollars). We thought it was worth it.
The preferred method of communication for My Quest, like most of Mexico, is WhatsApp.
Two days before our tour, we got a WhatsApp text message from Carolina to confirm details. Our only gripe with My Quest came in this message. The company wanted to change our pickup time from 7:30am "to 6:45am since we have found more people due to the season." We were a bit annoyed with that because we booked and prepaid with My Quest in order to get a private tour at the time we specified months ago. I politely replied and asked if we could keep the original reservation time. I received a prompt response, yes.
Around 8:30pm the night before our tour, we got a message from Fernanda. She confirmed our pickup time, told us that Heriberto would be our guide, and gave us his phone number so that we could message him via WhatsApp. Once again, I had to correct the pickup time from 6:45am to 7:30am. I messaged Heriberto to make extra sure. Heriberto showed up on time at 7:30am. He picked us up in a company car, a GMC Acadia, I believe. It could've been a GMC Terrain. I don't remember exactly. The SUV had a transmission issue where it would downshift unexpectedly, usually after we got going on the highway. This mildly concerned both us and Heriberto. He reported the issue to My Quest.
Heriberto is local to Playa del Carmen, where My Quest is based. He's friendly and intelligent. We could tell he is passionate about his job. He loves his family, Mexico, and the environment. We felt safe when we were with him.
Our tour consisted of three stops, each of which I reviewed on Yelp. In order, they were:
1. Zona Arqueologica de Tulum
8:45am to 10:00am (times approximate)
https://www.yelp.com/biz/zona-arqueol%C3%B3gica-de-tulum-tulum-2
Zona Arqueologica de Tulum is the famous ruins of Tulum. This is a popular tourist attraction. Heriberto and My Quest proved to be very valuable here for two main reasons: First, Heriberto knew the most efficient route through the ruins and he was terrific at timing our stops so we were rarely around other people. He made our tour of Tulum feel special and intimate. Second, Heriberto was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Tulum and the Maya people. He brought an iPad to show us pictures and diagrams, which added another layer to his history lessons.
2. Cenote Xunaan Ha
10:30am to 11:45am (times approximate)
https://www.yelp.com/biz/cenote-xunaan-ha-ciudad-chemuyil
3. Cenote Taak Bi Ha
12:15pm to 1:45pm (times approximate)
https://www.yelp.com/biz/taak-bi-ha-zona-hotelera-tulum
Cenote Xunaan Ha is an open, above-ground cenote. Cenote Taak Bi Ha is a closed, underground cenote. At both cenotes, Heriberto provided us with life jackets and snorkeling gear. Life jackets came from the cenotes and snorkeling gear came from My Quest. Xunaan Ha was a leisurely swim and snorkel. Taak Bi Ha was a guided tour. We absolutely loved both. Cenotes are some of the most beautiful natural occurrences on earth and they must be experienced in person. No hiking was involved, but the swimming, especially in the cold water of Taak Bi Ha, did take some energy. Eat a good breakfast and bring snacks for the car. Heriberto had bottled water for us.
We arrived back at the resort around 3:45pm. We were gone for over eight hours. Due to highway traffic, it took over one hour to get from our resort in Playa del Carmen to Tulum and it took over one hour to get from Taak Bi Ha back to our resort. Therefore, there was a lot of drive time. We also made a pit stop at a Pemex gas station on the way back.
At all three stops, Heriberto took care of everything: translation, parking, restrooms, escorting, tickets, access, etc. He was also great at taking pictures and videos of us, and knew all the best spots and angles. He knew how to make the pictures look as if there weren't other people there, especially at Tulum, which had large groups of tourists. We appreciated that even though we didn't ask for it. He just made it happen. Heriberto was fantastic.
Tips:
- Both Viator (via an emailed link to a web page) and My Quest (via WhatsApp messages) will tell you what to expect, what you can and cannot bring, and what's included and not included (e.g., lunch was not included on the tour we booked).
- Don't wear sunscreen to the cenotes. It's generally not allowed because it harms the cenote ecosystems.
- Strongly consider bringing water shoes. Ours came in handy at Taak Bi Ha.