Tour Reviews

Colleen
Maryland, USA
Chacchoben Extreme
Royal Caribbean

Great tour... Wish we were there all day

We had a great time visiting the ruins. It was a small group, only 6 of us, which was perfect. We were able to hear our guide and have conversation with him. The seven color lagoon was beautiful. Everyone there was friendly and helpful. The food was delicious. Wish we had more time there.
We had the best guide, Maggie. She was friendly and knowledgeable. She made sure we did not miss our ship!

Dana
Orlando, FL
Chacchoben Ruins
MSC Seashore

Our guide, Ivan, was AMAZING!!

I can't recommend this company and our guide Ivan enough! We had 6 ppl in our group..ages 3 to 44. It was hot but our guide and bus driver had plenty of water.. great experience that we will never forget!

Sarah M Lulinski
Georgia, USA
Chacchoben Ruins
MSC Seashore

Buy this not the cruise ship excursion! No regular strollers or wheelchairs!

Take bug spray, sunscreen, & extra water!

When we got off the boat, we said we were looking for "Native Choice Kiosk" and were pointed in the correct direction from others selling goods/tours until we reached our destination. It's about a 2-block walk from the port area. That 2-block walk saved us about $400 for our party had we booked through the cruise line (for the same exact experience).

The company was flexible - we had one in our party that was unable to come, and they didn't charge us for that person though they could have because we didn't cancel that one reservation by the appointed time. They give you a wrist band for the tour you are taking and then gather up that color wrist band to head out. We left on time and returned on time. We were put on a large bus with air conditioning.

Our tour guide was excellent and told us about the area on the way there. On the way back our guide was quiet (as he said he would be, & most of the bus fell asleep.

The tour guide was informative and personable and spoke English very well. The site itself was worth going to if you've never been to ancient ruins like that.

It was HOTTT!!! Lots of biting insects. Our bus driver shared some bug spray with us, otherwise we would've been completed eaten up. If it's possible to not take small children - don't. It's too hot and uncomfortable and the talks at each location are several minutes longer than their attention span. Maybe 7 or 8 would be the youngest age I would take (we had a 3-year-old with us).

Do not take strollers with normal wheels (bike tire strollers would do fine) or regular wheelchairs. There is a gravel path before you reach the hard packed earth path that thin wheels are not able to go on. Many dads were carrying strollers in the blazing heat.

The only downsides were things Native Choice couldn't control: accessibility at the site (no pathed paths or ramps or handicapped restrooms), the incredible humid heat, and the biting insects. Though the ruins were very crowded, the guides did a good job of moving their groups around to where you didn't feel like it was as crowded as it was.

Don't be leery of doing a Native Choice Tour. It was a well-run tour company that was less than half the price of the cruise ship excursion and flexible with our changes in numbers. The walk was not excessive to get there, & everyone knew where to tell us to walk.

Adele Olmetti
Boca Raton, Florida
Mayan Experience
Enchanted Princess

This Tour is a Must Do!!!!!

First of all, Eliot was absolutely the most phenomenal host this company could ever employ! He was so interesting, full of knowledge and well versed in the culture, as he himself is Maya. He had an engaging personality and his enthusiasm was absolutely contagious. I learned so much from him, that it motivated me to read more on the Mayan culture when I returned home. Erik the driver got us where we had to go quickly and safely! Diego gave the tour of the ruins, taking us from when and how they were built to present day archeological finds. Then on to the town of Chacchoben, Eliot's stomping grounds, for our lunch and tortilla making! Everything was super fresh, from the vegetables to the chicken, beans and rice. The flan was flawless! And who doesn't love a refreshing hibiscus tea? Nothing was spicy, and everything was absolutely delicious! The women of the home were very gracious hostesses. Eliot took us on a tour of the home and grounds, explaining the Mayan style, and why things were built as they were. It was an extremely pleasant day! If Eliot ever decides to travel to Florida, we wouldn't hesitate to have him as a guest in our home! (But he'd have to sleep in a bed, not a hammock!) Thanks for an absolutely awesome time....highly recommend this experience!!

Howie M.
Lethbridge, AB Canada
Mayan Family + Seven Color Lagoon
Enchanted Princess

Fantastic Experience / Top Notch Guide

Can't begin to share how exciting and enlightening our tour was. Our guide debunked many misconceptions about the Maya and shared his life experiences as a Misto-Mayan. Lagoon was gorgeous and welcoming on that extremely hot day. The Mayan family treated us to a wonderful cultural experience and fantastic food. Highly recommend this tour!

Steve
Orlando, Florida
Chacchoben + Mayan Family
Wonder of the Seas

Amazing Experience

Native Choice was one of the most professional and well organized tour providers that I have ever seen! The tour guides were extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive to the guests needs. The information provided by David at the Chacchoben site was incredible and made the tour that much more impressive and enjoyable. Margeli (spelling?) was a great guide and went above and beyond during the tour. The lunch and visit with the Mayan family was a wonderful experience. The food was amazingly fresh and was better than anything I had on the Cruise Ship all week! Guillermo (memo) the driver was great and professional and I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who is in the Costa Maya port. It was definitely worth the long walk to exit the port to get to their meetup spot. Once you exit the port, it was easy to find their kiosk, it just takes a while to exit the port unless you know the shortcuts through the shopping area.

Kathleen Hunnicutt
Greenville, TX, USA
Chacchoben Ruins
Carnival Breeze

Amazing Experience!

Our tour guide (Edder) and driver (Tacho) were unbelievable! So much information, great guidance through the ruins, tidbits of information that were really cool, little touches that made it comfortable and perfect! It was a really great experience from start to finish. We even got a fruity surprise and then some on the way back to port.

Barbara S Becker
JANESVILLE, WI
Mayan Family + Seven Color Lagoon
Enchanted Princess

Wonderful Day

We had an amazing day with Maggie, our guide and Edgar, our driver. The lunch with the Mayan family was very interesting, educational and tasty. The Seven Color Lagoon is beautiful and the location is relaxing. Our only regret was that we had to leave so soon. We could have spent the entire day at the lagoon -- it was so pretty and welcoming.