Published on Nov, 2024
We'd recommend the dynamic duo of Eddar (our guide) and Edgar (our driver) to anyone!
This was our first time booking an excursion through Viator, so we were a little nervous, but they were great communicators and put our minds at ease. Once we made it out of the maze that is the Port of Costa Maya, it was easy to find the meetup location. They provided a map and detailed directions, so I felt really supported.
The van fits about 20 people, so it's a more intimate experience than the cruiseline buses that seat 80-90. We left right on time and the ride to the first location was about 60 minutes.
We first went to the ruins and were the first bus of the day there, meaning we got to get all of our pictures without hundreds of other tourists in the background. Eddar is a local and was very knowledgable about the ruins. It was a good mix of education and having the opportunity to explore / take pictures.
We then packed back into the van and made the 30 minute drive to the bay, which was definitely worth it. There were a couple of other vans there, so we maybe had 40 people in the area total. It's nothing fancy, but they have a couple bathroom stalls, a few tables for lunch, and a bar. We saw in reviews that lunch was a little light, so we made sure to eat breakfast and brought a few snacks just in case, which worked perfectly. We probably had an hour at the lake and spent 90% of our time there in the water--it was the perfect temperature, perfectly clear, and super calm. They also had kayaks available if you wanted to venture out into the middle of the lake.
The drive back was about an hour. I was nervous about spending so much time in the van, but it was definitely worth it. Also, the road is almost entirely straight and Edgar was a great driver, so no motion sickness involved. They got us back with an hour or so to shop, even with our early boarding time.