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

My friend Anne and I had a great time with G and Leo (driver). Both men were very accommodating…read moregetting us in and out of the van as it was pouring down rain. Leo is an excellent driver and G was very personable and funny. We got lots of information on the places we were going - there was 5, 4 taco and one churro. All of different Mexican origins - all delicious. Churros really topped it off - sweet, crunchy and fresh. I would highly recommend this tour - it is a great way to spend an evening. Tasting wonderful food, enjoying different beers and making new friends. Enjoy!

Our family took a food tour with Eating With Carmen and our tour guide was Angelica. Angelica took…read moreus outside the tourist area of Playa del Carmen where we were able to eat some real mexican food that was fresh, authentic and delicious. Angelica was not only knowledgeable about the food but about the history of the area. She made the tour very informative and enjoyable for the entire family!

We love.\nThe whole tour and it was a very small group. Are…read moreyou sure guide Abbey was very friendly in upbeat and was quick too?Make sure that she answered all of our questions correctly. It was really really fun. Delicious food

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.

**INITIAL REVIEW**…read more Given the fact the Mayan Cacao Company (which I will shorthand to Mayan Cacao for the remainder of this review), as a locale has been designed for tourism, I will review the business on the fact most tourists' experience here will be "one and done." With that in mind, is Mayan Cacao worth it for a "one and done" locale for tourists? The answer is "YES!" Mayan Cacao is engaging enough with its tour and show that makes it interesting and memorable. And it should also be noted it is usually a stop on an excursion, ergo if people are concerned this is the only place they'll go to, take note it won't take your entire day. Though an address is provided, Mayan Cacao is located about 30 minutes southwest of San Miguel de Cozumel, the port city in which cruiseships come into the island. Mayan Cacao has thoroughly embraced not just its importance in making the unique brand of cacao that is popular around the world, but being a tourist attraction. For starters, when you enter, you can technically go straight to the store where Mayan cacao candy bars, coffee, and other cacao-based foods are sold (which I must stress is a-okay to take with you as long as they stay in their original packaging), but souvenirs of a distict artistry to Mayan culture. However, most tourists, especially those on excursions, will go through the tour. The beginning of the tour will provide you an opportunity to use the restrooms and take a picture with a female worker dressed as a traditional Mayan locale right next to the Mayan Cacao Company sign or mural. The tour consists of your tour guide giving details of Mayan culture including their numerology and calender, as well as a short movie showcasing how cacao is turned into chocolate. However, the highlight of the tour is the live demonstration of how Mayans made cacao back in their time, using the same ingredients they used then, and also demonstrating the tools they used at the time. Not only that, you get to sample the chocolate once it is done... which I have to say, DELICIOUS! The final leg of the tour brings you to a hut that sells alcoholic cocktails with cacao and the souvenir shop. Overall, the tour was about 20 to 30 minutes long. Ultimately, I am going to give Mayan Cacao a five-out-of-five star rating with this review. Just because they are five-out-of-five, does that make them perfect? No, of course not. Perfection has no rating because it goes beyond it. However, what they provide in both as a tourist stop and prominent chocolatier of Mayan cacao, it is definitely an unparalleled service and presentation that has sharpened like steel over its many years in service.

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.

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.

¡Un tour inolvidable gracias a Rod y Limbert!…read more Tuve la fortuna de vivir una experiencia única con el servicio de custom tour ofrecido por Rod, el propietario, y Limbert, nuestro guía turístico. Desde el primer momento, la atención fue impecable, personalizada y cálida. Limbert no fue solo un guía: se convirtió en un verdadero amigo que nos hizo sentir como invitados especiales en su propia casa. Su conocimiento sobre la cultura maya es impresionante, y visitar las ruinas con él fue como viajar en el tiempo --una experiencia educativa y fascinante que no habríamos tenido con nadie más. Además, nadar con las tortugas fue una experiencia fuera de este mundo. Limbert se encargó de que todo fuera seguro, organizado y, sobre todo, mágico. Nos llevó también a restaurantes maravillosos con auténtica comida mexicana, alejados de lo turístico y llenos de sabor local. Gracias a Rod y Limbert, mis vacaciones fueron mucho más que excelentes --fueron absolutamente memorables. Recomiendo este tour a cualquiera que quiera descubrir La península de Yucatán con profundidad, autenticidad y un toque personal inolvidable. An Unforgettable Tour Thanks to Rod and Limbert! I was lucky to experience a truly unique custom tour organized by Rod, the owner, and Limbert, our tour guide. From the very beginning, the service was impeccable--warm, personalized, and incredibly thoughtful. Limbert wasn't just a guide; he felt like a true friend welcoming us into his home. His knowledge of Mayan culture is outstanding, and visiting the ruins with him felt like traveling back in time--an educational and fascinating experience we wouldn't have had with anyone else. Swimming with the turtles was also absolutely out of this world. Limbert made sure everything was safe, smooth, and above all, magical. He also took us to amazing restaurants with authentic Mexican cuisine, far from the tourist traps and full of local flavor. Thanks to Rod and Limbert, my vacation was more than excellent--it was truly memorable. I recommend this tour to anyone who wants to discover the Yucatán Peninsula with depth, authenticity, and a personal touch you'll never forget.

Great information and really informative!! The tequila was also very delicious and good pricing for…read morethe bottles!

Such a fantastic experience & bonus - we actually learned a lot too. Jasmine our tequila master…read morewas fun & knowledgeable. The food & service was great as well. The location. Is spectacular - on the landing looking at the ocean. So thrilled we chose this experience to memorialize our trip in Cancun. Salute !

Absolutely horrible experience…read more I had booked a private transfer from Cancun to Playa Mujeres. I arrived and there was nobody waiting for me. I therefore had to use my phone in Mexico (something I was not planning on doing) to contact the Tour Operator. I was told there was an issue with the reservation getting into their system and to hold on. After about 20 minutes they told me that it would be at least an hour before they could get anyone to me. That they would cancel this trip and issue me a refund and that I could find a Taxi. Obviously I would not use this company to return to the airport and booked with a different company. Now, had this company wanted to even attempt to make things right, they should have informed me to book a taxi, and they would pay for that taxi. The trip I booked via Viator was $118. The Taxi Cost me about $147 for one way and the return trip with a different company was $75. So, essentially this company could have offered to pay for the taxi (they would not have had to pay for the cost of their driver or their transportation). So, for maybe an out of pocket expense to them of under $100 they could have maybe had a little better review. But, I did request and get a refund. The company responded to me, "We apologize, there was indeed an error in the automated system entry; however, we have approved 100% of the refund. We regret the inconvenience and remain at your service. Best regards!" User beware if you are using this company.

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 used USA Transfers for transportation from the airport to our hotel and back, and both…read moreexperiences were absolutely flawless. The vans were clean and comfortable, the drivers were friendly and professional, and the service at the airport was smooth and well-organized...exactly what you want after a long day of travel. Everything ran on time, and the whole process was stress-free from start to finish. Honestly, we can't say enough good things about them. Next time we're back in Mexico, we'll definitely be using them again. Highly, highly recommend!

Excellent service and great communication. William, the driver, did a great job. So glad I booked…read morethrough them to get from the airport to the ferry and ferry tickets. Only critique is they should provide a bag to carry the optional items you can purchase through them. It's a great service but not helpful if you have no way to carry the items.