Chichen Itza, Beautiful Cenote and Valladolid All Inclusive Tour

scam and lies, perpetuated by tour guides and the locals

Our tour guides, Alex and Victor, helped perpetuate a scam at Kona. We were forced into a line to get a “free“ picture with natives. They then denied us water for over an hour as the bus was locked. When we finally were given lunch, we weren’t allowed to take our water with us into the restaurant. They wanted to upsell us for water! We ended up eating the watermelon for liquid. We got very dehydrated. After the tour, they tried to scam us with honey. They told us the honey had no alcohol in it. They had a picture on the honey of us with the natives! We had not approved them taking a picture of us. We thought the only picture taken of us was on our phone. We felt very high-pressured to buy the bottle of honey since they put it in our hands on the bus. They told us it had no alcohol in it. Alcohol is against our religious beliefs and they lied about it. When we got home, we found out it has alcohol! These two guides perpetuated a scam with the locals to part visitors with their money and lied about alcohol. The only good part of the tour was our guides were knowledgeable about the area.

Response from the operator: Dear Karensa, Thank you for your feedback. However, several statements in your review are factually incorrect, and we believe it is important to clarify what is actually included in the tour. Our tour description clearly states that drinks during lunch are not included. Drinking water is provided on the bus, and guests are welcome to take it with them. If the bus is temporarily locked while the group is at the restaurant, guests simply need to wait until the group returns. The bus cannot be left open because guests’ personal belongings remain inside. Drinks are also available for purchase at the restaurant and at other stops during the tour. There is absolutely no “scam” involving water or lunch. Suggesting that our guides intentionally withheld water in order to force guests to purchase it is a serious and completely unfounded accusation. We are equally concerned about the allegations regarding the honey. Honey itself is a non-alcoholic food product and contains no alcohol. The souvenir bottle with the photograph is an entirely optional purchase. Before the photograph, the guide explains what it is, that the photograph is optional, and that the bottle is available for purchase separately. There is absolutely no obligation to participate or buy anything. You chose to participate in the photograph and subsequently purchased the honey bottle. It is therefore particularly difficult to understand how this voluntary experience can now be described as being “forced” upon you. We are also disappointed by the disrespectful way the Maya community was referred to in your review. The correct name is Kaua, not “Kona.” The community and its people deserve to have their name represented correctly and respectfully, especially when serious accusations are being made about them. We respect every guest’s right to leave a review, even when their expectations differ from ours. However, calling our tour a “scam” and accusing our guides and local partners of deliberately deceiving tourists are serious allegations that we cannot simply accept. The tour you booked included the advertised services: comfortable transportation, the cenote visit, entrance fees, a professional guided tour of Chichén Itzá, and Valladolid. We are genuinely surprised that, after receiving the services described in the tour, the main basis for a one-star review is a voluntary photograph and purchase, as well as water that was provided on the bus. We are sorry that you left with such a negative impression, but we strongly disagree with the characterization of our tour and our team as a “scam.” Best regards, The OlMar Travel Mexico Team

via Viator

Beautiful Destination, Disappointing and Unprofessional Tour Experience

Chichén Itzá itself is absolutely gorgeous and worth visiting—but I strongly recommend booking your tour through a different company on Viator. Unfortunately, our experience with this tour company was extremely disappointing. The people in charge, particularly Alejandro, our tour guide, were unkind, aggressive, and made what should have been an enjoyable vacation experience incredibly uncomfortable. It became very clear that he had connections with many of the stops included on the tour, and we were repeatedly pressured to spend significantly more money than we were comfortable with. The most frustrating part was being pressured to purchase tequila for over $320 USD for two small bottles, despite knowing that the same or very similar products could be purchased for significantly less elsewhere in the area. When my husband stood up for me and questioned the price, Alejandro became insulting toward him. A tour guide should never make a guest feel intimidated, embarrassed, or upset to the point of tears. We were also discouraged from purchasing anything from the vendors at Chichén Itzá because we were told their products were inexpensive and lower quality. While that may sometimes be true, we later realized that many of the same types of products were available at the stores this company took us to—just at substantially higher prices. The cenote itself was pleasant, but overall, the experience was overshadowed by the pressure to purchase, the treatment from the tour staff, and the lack of professionalism. The guides also drank during the tour, and there was very little effort made to address or assist with issues that arose because of it. Chichén Itzá: absolutely visit. This tour company: absolutely not. Do yourself a favor and choose another tour operator. You deserve to enjoy your vacation without being pressured, insulted, or made to feel guilty for saying no.

Response from the operator: Dear Karena, We are sorry to read this review, as several of the accusations made in it are simply not true and do not reflect how our tours are operated. First, our guides do not consume alcohol during tours. This is strictly prohibited. Our guides are checked at our office before departure and are required to report back after the tour. We take this responsibility very seriously. Nevertheless, we will of course review the details of this particular tour internally. We also want to clarify the comments regarding purchases. We do not force, pressure, or require our guests to buy anything. At the cultural stop, guests are simply shown the products available and are free to decide whether they are interested in purchasing something. No purchase is required. It is also important to carefully read the tour itinerary and inclusions before booking. The visit to the artisan village is clearly stated in the itinerary published on Viator. It is not a hidden or unexpected stop added during the tour. This stop also has an important logistical purpose. The bracelets for entry to Chichén Itzá are provided there, allowing our guests to avoid standing with the entire bus in the entrance line, which can otherwise take more than 30 minutes. The cultural aspect of the stop is an additional part of the experience. We are also disappointed that the review focuses almost exclusively on an alleged disagreement regarding purchases while completely overlooking what is actually included in the tour: entrance fees, comfortable transportation, lunch, a cenote visit, a professional guide, and other services included in the tour price. We work hard to offer a complete Chichén Itzá experience at a competitive price, without hidden mandatory purchases. We have checked our records and had not received similar complaints from other guests regarding guides drinking during tours or guests being forced to make purchases. We will, of course, investigate this particular case, but we cannot accept accusations that do not correspond to our operating procedures. It appears that the main dissatisfaction arose from the fact that the guest did not appreciate the artisan-village stop, despite this being clearly stated in the tour description before booking. We respect every guest's right to leave a negative review, but it is unfair to turn a disagreement with an included and clearly disclosed part of the itinerary into personal accusations against our guide. We encourage all future guests to carefully review the itinerary and inclusions before booking so they can choose the experience that best matches their expectations. Our goal remains to provide a safe, professional, comfortable, and enjoyable experience, with all purchases at the artisan stop being completely optional. Best regards, The OlMar Travel Mexico Team

via Viator

Very hot in the summer!...

Very hot in the summer! Drink lots of water and wear sunscreen, loose fitting clothes. Educational and fun!

via Viator

Connected with the moon!!!

This experience gives you knowledge and brings you back in time, in order to understand and to walk into the Mayan world!!! Gabriel gives out with passion, all the info about the Mayan culture and civilization. But please be careful on the Cénote!!!! I didn’t rent the locker and was a mistake. My things got misplaced from somebody. I thought that they were stolen and I asked for security. His name was Oscar. Me and two of his co workers we were calling his name and refused to come. After I called louder he came down there and he didn’t help me at all!!!!! I found my backpack to another place of where o left it but I was relieved that I did. But Oscar the security guy , not only he didn’t help but I found out later that he accused me to my travel guy that I was mental ill or I was taking grubs!!!! So please do not take your valuables down there!!! It’s dark and crowded and you won’t get any help from Oscar’s!! Other than this the tour will exceed your expectations

via Viator

Verry Beautiful

All is verry beautiful and pool clean

via Tripadvisor