Nassim was a phenomenal host !!! He guided us through the outdoor food market with ease , giving us…read morephenomenal food tips along the way. ( ie .. how to pick the perfect tomato and avocado, explaining what each pepper is used for(and their heat levels ) and even recommended hot sauces to bring home as we gathered the ingredients for our cooking class. While at the market Nassim treated us to delicious authentic mexican enchiladas and beverages. After leaving the market we went to the La Parrilla restaurant for the cooking class. This is when Nassim showed us he was more than a tour guide , he is a phenomenal private chef. He was extremely patient with us as we attempted to follow his lead as he showed us how to prepare the dishes. HIs knife skills are amazing and his use of seasonings is spot on. Nassim showed us how to make authentic corn tortillas for chicken enchiladas along with the red sauce , handmade sopas for chicken sopas and an amazing guacamole . Nassim and the La parilla staff treated us to delicious margaritas while the food was cooking. When the food was almost finished cooking, we assisted Nassim in plating the meal and we sat down with him to eat. Nassim excused himself towards the end of the meal to finish making the arroz con leche, which is a delicious rice dessert he served us. In conversation I had mentioned we were in Mexico to celebrate my birthday. Nassim , very thoughtfully and unexpectedly, had a slice of birthday cake brought to me as he and the restaurant staff sung happy birthday to me at the end of the class. I could not have asked for a better experience. Thank you Nassim and Cancun Food Tours for this experience and the recipes. I cannot wait to recreate these dishes at home

We had a great time on our market tour/ cooking class today with Nassim! The food was delicious and…read moreeveryone had a blast (me, wife, and our 8&4 year olds). Our 8 was able to get in on the class and even do some knife work (under close supervision). My only suggestion for CFT is to have some bottles of water available for us on the market tour. Man was it a scorcher today, and some water would have been great before we got back to the restaurant. But I highly recommend - a great way to spend a day on your vacation.

Adrian was a great guide to both the food and various topics about Baja and Mexico in general. All…read more3 eateries were delicious with a range of dishes from the freshest, moistest and lightest Baja fish tacos imaginable to ceviche and empanadas. Also a decent selection of beers and micheladas to accompany them. He was also patient while I shopped for a pendant for my wife. Really nice guy with life stories to share, including working as a personal chef and galley preparation on deep sea fishing boats. He definitely knows his seafood.

From start to finish, our food tour led by Alejandro was something taco-bout! (sorry)!…read more It was a wonderful way to learn about and enjoy the local cuisine and culture of Porto Morelos. Alejandro was awesome and flexible as everyone in our party has done tours with them before. There were a couple of stops we'd all been to before, and so we pivoted to other dining spots without missing a beat. My only complaint was I gained 2+ Kgs (5 lbs). Would absolutely do another tour with Eating With Carmen, and it would be great to have Alejandro as our guide.

I'd give this scam outfit a -2 rating if I could. IT MAY…read moreHAVE BEEN a reliable business years ago. But it seems the owner sold it (or had it scammed away from her) and now some dude named SAUL is scamming people. He pretends to be Emily (even replying from her email) and introduces himself as Emily. Then after a while it's not Emily, it's Enrique. Then it turns out he's not done shopping for your groceries, so he'll be another 30 minutes (45) and he's not actually shopping, Saul is, and then it turns out it's his wife Tania who is shopping, and then it's SAUL WHO SHOWS UP to "fix" your problem. But then you circle back and get an email from Emily (all the same email) and "she" says she doesn't know Saul and he's not on staff. Tania, meanwhile, pulled this: Pork chops :: requested 1 and got 3 Sliced provolone :: I got smoked provolone. I cannot eat smoked cheeses. Fresh green beans :: I got peas. Activia yogurt :: yogurt drink and yogurt are not the same thing Cornstarch :: cornstarch and cornmeal are not the same thing Morrell snowcap lard :: is for baking biscuits. The tan pig fat I got won't work. Fritos plain original chips :: not the same as chorizo chipotle chips. Triscuit crackers :: Crackets are like Ritz crackers, not like Triscuit. Anaheim chiles :: not even close to poblanos. 1 doz. tortillas is not 3 doz. tortillas. Saul's response: "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration you experienced with your recent order. Our shopper, Tania, always strives to fulfill the items on the list accurately, and when certain items are unavailable, she attempts to find suitable substitutes." She went to 3 stores and figured fresh peas and beans are the same, and cornstarch = cornmeal. The tour with Xantel is probably very good. Do not have these scammers buy groceries for you.

Booking the food tour was a breeze and you are provided email confirmations and instructions, even…read moreif you book it through trip advisor. You are required to reconfirm your tour a few days prior with the owner Emily, but she is responsive and confirms your tour! We learned from our guide Xantal (pronounced SH-ANTAL) that Emily owns the business but works from Cozumel where she runs the business and other ventures; she actually was the one that started doing her tours personally after guests to her and her husband's inquired about where was the best local cuisine in Playa del Carmen. Thus, the business was born! Xantal met us at the corner of Benito Juarez Ave and la Quinta Ave. We stood in front of the white stoned church on the corner, directly across from a souvenir store as instructed in the email. Xantal greeted us promptly and introduced herself and gave us free water! We then walked a few blocks to the first stop, a street taco stand! We had the best tacos here ever, made from Cochinita Pibil. We learned the making of this meat takes hours and overnight preparation through underground heating. This was honestly the best tacos we had the entire week we stayed in Mexico! The next stop was a quesadilla stop, which you had the option to put your choice of vegetables and meat. The drink is also included here! The taxi ride is also taken care of by the tour. The next stop is at a local market where Xantal showed us various herbs and local ingredients along with their historic value to local cuisine and the Mexican people. You have the option here to buy some of these items if you wish! Right next door is the next stop where we have posole (soup). This soup is so tasty and is a classic dish with mayan roots. We learned that there are 3 variouations, a white base, a red base (which you will have here), and a green base (all colors of the Mexican flag). The next stop is another tacos stop which specializes in carnitas and is also very delicious. The drink is included and the taxi ride is also covered by the tour. The last stop is an ice cream shop, which had homemade flavors with fresh fruit and cream with a variety of flavors and your basic favorites from back home too! We then walked back to the church and ended the tour! Xantal through the entire experience was very informative, hospitable, and relatable! She did her best effort to make us feel welcomed and made the tour about us! We got lucky we were the only ones scheduled that day for the tour, so it was a private tour! I would recommend if you have dairy restrictions to bring some lactaid pills with you. Overall, well worth it, especially to avoid the touristy food that might mistake you to be local!

We were on a cruise and love chocolate so thought we would try the chocolate place. The bus ride…read moreout was good and when we arrived we first took a picture with one of the staff dressed in local costume (for purchase afterwards). We then entered an area to see how chocolate is made. Our hostess was very friendly and demonstrated how the process works. Be sure to bring small bills as tips are always appreciated. We then had time to taste and purchase chocolate and other items. They also have a bar where you can purchase drinks with chocolate in them. Nice on a hot day.

The whole experience was amazing! We did both the chocolate making class and the chocolate…read moremargarita class. Paty did an amazing job guiding us through the process and making the history of chocolate fun

I accidentely found KaoKao on a web site and it looked interesting, after all, it is chocolate. I…read moresigned us up for the two hour "tour" and Chocolate making. The shop is located in a neighborhood and not a tourist area in a small storefront. Nancy led our experience and gave us an interesting talk on chocolate and its history. It was really interesting. We then actually ground some "nibs" and made our own chocolate for hot chocolate. It was a lit of fun and we ended up taking our little medallion of chocolate home with us to try on some winter evening. Nancy also gave us samples of different types of flavored chocolate. They were just small pieces but by the time we were finished I think we had about 20 different chocolates. The tour is inexpensive and a lot of fun. As an added comment, we were on a cruise and the cab fare was about the same as a ride into the tourist area. This is not in a tourist area so you'll see where people actually live. Nancy will call a cab for you for the trip back to the ship or to the tourist area. Again, this was a lot of fun.

Every time I go to Cozumel I like to buy their chocolates. I did not do any research prior and…read moredidn't know where to go. We asked our driver to take us to best chocolate shop in town and he took us to Kaokao. We were really please. We were greeted by the nicest ladies who walked us inside the shop. They also gave tours here but we were there strictly just to purchase. The lady behind the counter did offer us some samples. I had a lot of questions and the nice staff was able to answer all of them. She also knew all the ingredients in them and helped me choose what was best for me. I ended up getting some dark chocolate, milk chocolate, coffee espresso beans, and some other goodies. The shop was really cute and they had all things chocolate and more. They even had toys and souvenirs. But their star are their chocolates which are high-quality and made from the finest ingredients. They even had interesting chocolate flavor combinations. The shop should also be clean, well-maintained, and air conditioned. Pricing was also reasonable. I highly recommend if you are in Cozumel and want to stop in a good chocolate shop.

I booked the Chichen Itza Deluxe Tour with The Custom Tour for my group of 12. We traveled during…read moreThanksgiving week 2021. Our group comprised of three families with adults, teens, and young children. It was all of our first times traveling to Cancun so I wanted to find a private tour for my large group. Booking with them through their website was easy and they were very quick to communicate via email. Leading up to the tour, we had some travel delays, but after updating Rod and their team of our situation, they were very accommodating. Kat was our guide and Pepe was our driver. Kat was informative during our guided walk of Chichen Itza and also accommodating of our last minute concerns and needs. Pepe was a great driver and got us to our destinations swiftly and safely. Marveling at the ruins at Chichen Itza and learning more about the history of Mayan culture and the way life might have been like at the time was very interesting. Kat took photos during our entire tour and later shared them via Google. A plus for our group as we LOVE photos. On our way to Cenote Samaal, we requested a stop for some fresh coconut water. They were quick to find a vendor on the side of the road. Pepe also got out and helped cut the coconuts for the 12 of us. Very impressed with his initiative and helpfulness. The coconuts were so refreshing after walking around in the sun at Chichen Itza! Admission, locker access, life jackets, and lunch were provided for us at Cenote Samaal. Everyone in our group enjoyed swimming in the cenote. The lunch buffet was a favorite among the adults in our group as we got to get a taste of Yucatan cuisine. There was something for everyone on this tour and I would highly recommend this company to anyone traveling to Cancun and wanting to get more than just a tour of Chichen Itza, but an experience of what the Yucatan area has to offer. We will definitely be touring with them again when we're back for our next Cancun adventure!

What an amazing trip with Limbert and Luis. My wife is not…read morea confident snorkeller but with help from Luis and Limbert she went out into quite a rough sea to see the turtles and then snorkelled over some deep water in the cenote/caves. We both thoroughly enjoyed the half day trip and would recommend it to anyone. Limbert was a very knowledgeable guide and told us a lot about the history of Mexico on the drive down. Both were quite close to Playa Del Carmen/ Playacar so the longest drive was around thirty minutes. I got some great photos and at the end of the trip we were sent a Google Drive of the photos that Limbert had taken.

If you are visiting Cancun, you absolutely must do the Cancun Tequila Tasting. It was an amazing…read moreexperience from start to finish. A massive shoutout to our tour specialist, Jasmine--she was excellent! Her knowledge, energy, and warmth made the entire tasting so incredibly special. The selection of tequilas was fantastic, the pairings were spot on, and the vibe was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better milestone birthday celebration. Highly recommend!

Amazing. Jasmine was the perfect tequila master and gave us recommendations for local spots to try…read more More tequila's than I knew existed 12/10 would recommend.

I truly appreciated this airport transfer service. They were very communicative leading up to our…read morepick up date. They even let you know lots of people will try and sell transportation when exiting the terminal and to keep an eye on the driver with the sign for our name. Our driver was friendly and offered us ice cold water when we arrived in the car. Reconfirmed drop off location before we departed. The white shuttle van was clean and well kept. AC was blasting which was great. Smooth ride to our hotel.

Highly recommend booking an excursion with CA Tours. The staff was prompt, professional, friendly…read moreand knowledgeable about everything. My group of 6 got picked up in a fairly large fan. We chose the Cenotes, Mayan ruins and snorkeling excursion. The $170 excursion included lunch, cold water, snacks, transportation from our resort in Playa Del Carman, tour guide. The 3 part excursion lasted from 745 to 3 PM. Highly recommend bringing towels, bug spray, water proof phone case, snacks and if you choose the Cenotes bring a flash light if you arent a fan of the dark. My friends and I really enjoyed our experience. Everything was organized. We had plenty of time to ourselves to explore and overall we felt really safe. We booked on Trip Advisor to get the price of $170. I'd recommend going through maybe your resort or hotel to see if you can get an additional discount.

We visited Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, and cenote Ik Kil. Jerry shared with us the history and culture…read moreof the Mayan people. It made the trip more interesting than going solo. Upon arriving at the Mayan temples, he gave us an amazing explanation. We even had people listening in to our group. Jerry kept our 10 year old son's attention during the whole day. Jerry took great pictures of us during the trip. We booked Jerry before we left for Cancun. His communication was great. There were no surprises, or hidden fees. Our family highly recommends using Jerry to book your next adventure!

Do not hesitate to book your tour with Jerry. He was very knowledgeable in the history and…read moresignificance of Chichén Itzá. Since we were his only tour for the day, he took the time to explain and answer our questions. Since we departed very early, we arrived well before the large tour groups, we avoided the hot sun and the crowds. We arrived at the cenote early and practically had it to ourselves. It was nice to tour Valladolid to learn and experience the colonial town.