budgeting

[ggunn]

I suggest you change some dollars into pesos when you get in since it makes a diference. Most people will take the dollar as if was worth 10 pesos when it's actually close to 11.50 pesos per one dollar, which means if you change 200 dollars you will end up with 300 more pesos then if you paid in dollars (since most people like taxi drivers take the exchange rate at 10) which for us meant 10 taxi rides from the Hotel Cozumel into Town since it was $30 pesos or $3 dollars for the fare.

I exchanged dollars into pesos at the Mall where Carlos & Charlies is located, right before you get to Burger King, but I think the super market Chedraui can exchange them aswell.

But neither place will give you quite the bank rate, I don't think. At any rate, you've gotta ask yourself if it really makes a diff to you if that cab ride is $3 or $3.50. I get some pesos and use them when I'm there for cabs and stuff, but I don't go to a lot of trouble to do that, and I just pay in dollars when that's what I have. When I'm on vacation I don't sweat the small stuff. YMMV.

Offer to save me $200 on my air fare; NOW you've got my attention. :^)

 

[z28pwr]

But neither place will give you quite the bank rate, I don't think. At any rate, you've gotta ask yourself if it really makes a diff to you if that cab ride is $3 or $3.50. I get some pesos and use them when I'm there for cabs and stuff, but I don't go to a lot of trouble to do that, and I just pay in dollars when that's what I have. When I'm on vacation I don't sweat the small stuff. YMMV.

Offer to save me $200 on my air fare; NOW you've got my attention. :^)

Yeah, but It wasn't hard to convert them and I got an extra 750 pesos by converting 500 dollars which to some is $75 bucks, an extra 15% more then I originally had.

In some places they do a good conversion rate therefore there is no big advantage as to paying in pesos then in dollars.

I just do it since it's easy and most of the times I'm already at those locations, but like ggunn says it's your vacation enjoy. I did the All inclusive plan but still spent $1300 dollars for an 8 day vacation. $600 of those went to diving, $150 of those went to my back injury and the rest on eating out, souveneirs etc.

 

[sharky60]

Hey! I'm just 64 days out myself!! Do you have a dive operator set up yet? we usually dive with Blue Bubble.
as usual, i agree with the parrothead, i've got to dive with that guy some day.
if your room has a refrigerator in it go to the supermarket accross from Plaza los Glorias and buy a case of water, beer and some snack items you'll save money over the hotel prices.
although i usually do tip the taxi driver a buck, hey, they can use the money.
either Peso's or the US dollar will do.
I don't know what the exchange rate is for the Aussie dollar to the US dollar or the Mexican Paso, check that out on the net. I think right now you get a better deal on the US dollar. I'd exchange my money before i left, the bank hours there are really funny, it seems that sieta time comes whenever they feel like it. we usually take lots of $1's and $5's for tips and taxis. if you had someone a 20 dollar bill they look at you like it might as well be a 100 so don't take anything larger than a 10.
meals can be anywhere from $12-25 for 2 for breakfast and a little more for lunch, depending on where your eating, i think breakfast at the museum usually runs us about $14 US and lunch at Ernesto's can be about $25 including a cerveza.
dinner you can go from $25 and up, when we go to Prima's and have appatizer, salad, main dish, dessert, wine and an after dinner drink, ( hey, it's special!) we can spend from $75-100 depending if we get a bottle of wine, so it depends on how big you want to eat. we also use the credit card for a lot of dinners sometimes with the exchange rate this works out in your favor, sometimes not.
i've never heard of bringing small gifts for maids but it's a cool idea, we usually leave $2 a day on the pillow in the morning before heading out.
hope this helps, maybe we'll see you down there, we'll be there from Sept. 3rd thru the 11th.
God Bless,
marc

Ok...we are getting pretty excited about all of this...only 63 days to go!!

We are trying to finalize our budget since we have to deal with changing currency before we leave. Any input on recent costs & more or less budget figures for the following are great (US $$):

2 of us - DH has a healthy appetite. Three meals/day $?
2 of us - DH likes Mexican beer, I prefer Margaritas! I think I have read about $2 - $6/drink, is that about right?
bottled water...not sure if Caribe Blu supplies any? Cost and where to buy if not?
maids - tips per day or at the end?? I have read some bring little gifties - like what?
taxi - tips? amount?
dive crew - again, at the end? each day? how much? I personally prefer to give the tip to the person who I believe deserves it, but don't know the protocol there.
hire car - book ahead of time or when we arrive? where? how much/day more or less?

Can you get $1 and $5 notes in Mexico or do I need to deal with that before we get there?

 

[parrotheaddiver]

as usual, i agree with the parrothead, i've got to dive with that guy some day.
marc

Hey Sharky60 I'm flattered you usually agree with me. Great minds think alike (Parrothead minds anyway).

Uh BTW I'm a female :gr1:

 

[alcina]

meals can be anywhere from $12-25 for 2 for breakfast and a little more for lunch, depending on where your eating, i think breakfast at the museum usually runs us about $14 US and lunch at Ernesto's can be about $25 including a cerveza.dinner you can go from $25 and up,

That seems high?? Add another couple of $6 drinks each and it really adds up. Almost looks like it is a lot more economical to stay at an AI and pay the taxi & random meal cost...

I guess I am surprised as we don't budget that much per day for food/drink when we travel in the US. We are there for 14 days...what is a reasonable daily budget for the three meals/day? You all that have been there recently and repeatedly would really be helpful!

 

[parrotheaddiver]

You can eat cheaper than that, but it will probably depend on what you order. http://www.mxtravel.com/cozumel/cozumel_restaurants.html

We usually go AI because it is easier to eat breakfast and lunch at the resort. We don't want to have to clean up and go to town for every meal. We eat dinner out. I don't remember what we pay but it is around twenty dollars unless we have several drinks. Casa Denis, La Choza, Especias are some moderate price resturants.

 

[ggunn]

That seems high?? Add another couple of $6 drinks each and it really adds up. Almost looks like it is a lot more economical to stay at an AI and pay the taxi & random meal cost...

I guess I am surprised as we don't budget that much per day for food/drink when we travel in the US. We are there for 14 days...what is a reasonable daily budget for the three meals/day? You all that have been there recently and repeatedly would really be helpful!

Food costs on Cozumel are comparable to those in the US; it costs about the same for the same quality meal, and the range is about the same, except for the extreme high end, which you won't find on Coz.

It may be that you'd save some money going AI, but how much, and how important is that? You could save money here (in the US), too, if you took all your meals at McDonald's. Some of the AI's I've heard about don't sound all that much better.

We shop at Chedraui for ham, cheese, bread, and such (and beer), and make sandwiches for lunch, then we go into town for dinner. We also make toast with peanut butter and jam for breakfast. It's fairly economical.

Of course with this, as in all things, YMMV.

 

[Moodiejeff]

hire car - book ahead of time or when we arrive? where? how much/day more or less?

Can you get $1 and $5 notes in Mexico or do I need to deal with that before we get there?

Please, Please, PLEASE do yourself a favor and NOT rent a car or a scooter from a place that Caribe Blu recommended... I can't recall the name, but the brochure (in the lobby) was blue w/ orange writing on it.

Grrrr, It frosts me to even think about it! It's too long to go into on the forum but please watch out for this place. I know my description is pretty vague but you don't need the headache. GOD, I wish I could remember! If i do I'll post again.

As far as cash is concerned... bring more $1 & $5's than you think you'll need. I ran out much quicker than I anticipated. When I needed more spending money, I took more out at the ATM. Any cash you take out of the ATM will be in pesos.

Caribe Blu likes to be paid in cash and the best rate you'll get is with US dollars. The one bad thing I have to say about Caribe Blu is they will inflate the exchange rate if you try to pay in Pesos. Lesson learned... I will make sure to pay in US dollars if I go back.

A few dollars a day for the maids is reasonable.

We tipped the DMs $5 per tank per day, they are supposed to share with the boat captain and any deck hands.

As Gordon said, water is in the hallway. We brought a 2 qt. jug with us and bought some powdered drink mix at Chedraui and drank that... it was much easier to stay hydrated that way than with plain water as I'm not much of a water drinker.

I love it, someone with the Great Barrier Reef on their doorstep and they're going to Coz! Enjoy your trip!

 

[ggunn]

Please, Please, PLEASE do yourself a favor and NOT rent a car or a scooter from a place that Caribe Blu recommended... I can't recall the name, but the brochure (in the lobby) was blue w/ orange writing on it.

Grrrr, It frosts me to even think about it! It's too long to go into on the forum but please watch out for this place. I know my description is pretty vague but you don't need the headache. GOD, I wish I could remember! If i do I'll post again.

I wish you could remember which place it was; I didn't see a brochure, but I called a couple of places that Jeanie (one of Caribe Blu's managers) suggested, and I got a van for the day for a reasonable price with no hassles. It was Aguila; they have an office back in that little mall near the Calling Station. I called them, made a deal on the phone, and they came and picked me up in 10 minutes - fast service, no prob with my credit card, no trumped up damage claims - no complaints. My daughter rented a car from them the next day for her running around, and it was fine, too.

What was the prob with who you went to?

 

[Moodiejeff]

I wish you could remember which place it was; I didn't see a brochure, but I called a couple of places that Jeanie (one of Caribe Blu's managers) suggested, and I got a van for the day for a reasonable price with no hassles. It was Aguila; they have an office back in that little mall near the Calling Station. I called them, made a deal on the phone, and they came and picked me up in 10 minutes - fast service, no prob with my credit card, no trumped up damage claims - no complaints. My daughter rented a car from them the next day for her running around, and it was fine, too.

What was the prob with who you went to?

Still can't remember the name... it was north of the square. I'll need to consult my map to get the street.

To make a long story short they tried the "gas tanks not full - you owe $5" routine even though I had JUST filled it! Agreed to pay it just to get out of there, then they said "it's an hour late, you owe for another day". Screw You! I'll take it for another day then!

They were just looking to screw another gringo out of his money. If I had a positive experience I would have used them next trip... alas - they screwed themselves out of my business next time.

If I was smart (which I'm obviously not) I would have taken the brochure and bad-mouthed them on every forum I could find. But I'm not smart. Ooops I already said that!