Salsa & Salsa cooking lessons + Beach day

Eric, our "host"/guide,...

Eric, our "host"/guide, was wonderful - knowledgeable, friendly and welcoming. He showed us how to make salsa and guac, and continually offered us all sorts of drinks which were included. Unfortunately, we were the only participants and I guess I expected something different. Also the numerous vendors trying to sell bracelets, jewelry etc. was almost overwhelming and EXTREMELY frustrating as they would not leave us alone!!

via Viator

Disappointing and annoyed

We were BOMBARDED the entire time we were there with sales people. I am fine with a few and like supporting the local economy, but this was an obnoxious amount of people. The class took FOUR hours. Could have easily been done in one. Our hosts would say they would be back in about 10 minutes and would be gone for over an hour. I would never go to this beach or excursion again. It was awful. One positive was we enjoyed the dancing portion. However the addition of a fan in the room would be wise.

Response from the operator: Hi Monnica, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are sorry to hear that parts of the experience did not meet your expectations. Our cooking class and beach day experience is designed as a relaxed cultural activity rather than a fast-paced cooking lesson, allowing guests to enjoy the beach atmosphere, local traditions, food preparation, and entertainment throughout the day. However, we understand that the pace may not be what every traveler is looking for. Regarding the beach vendors, please note that the beach is a public area and, while we do our best to minimize interruptions, we are unfortunately unable to control the presence of local vendors. We apologize if this negatively affected your enjoyment of the experience. We also appreciate your comments regarding the waiting times and room ventilation. We take all guest feedback seriously and will review these points with our team to identify opportunities for improvement. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed the dancing portion of the experience and thank you for recognizing that aspect of the day. We appreciate your visit and your honest feedback, as it helps us continue improving our services. Kind regards,

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Authentic Salsa and Guac on a Beautiful Beach

My family really enjoyed this cooking class on the beautiful beach. The instructor was very passionate about what he teaches and gave us lots of ideas to try at home. We made a variety of salsas and a guacamole, my kids loved eating and making them with us.

via Tripadvisor

Great salsa lesson, but No Salsa Dance

Our group booked the Salsa & Guacamole Beach Tour in Costa Maya and unfortunately the experience did not match the description or expectations. We arrived at 10:00 a.m. for our scheduled 10–2 tour and were immediately told the staff had no idea we had reservations. Shortly after being seated, we were informed another group of four would be arriving and asked to wait before beginning. Later we were told yet another group of four had reservations they also did not know about, so we were again asked to wait. Because of this, the salsa-making portion of the class did not begin until over an hour after the scheduled start time. The tour description mentioned a two-hour open bar, but drink service was extremely slow. Cups were limited, so after finishing a very small beer it could take over 30 minutes to receive another drink. Basic supplies were also limited. At one point a table of eight people had to share a single knife to cut avocados during the guacamole lesson. After the cooking portion ended, our group of twelve waited nearly an hour expecting the salsa dance lesson that was advertised. We asked several times and were repeatedly told it would begin shortly. Eventually we had to leave around 3:30 to return to our cruise ship, and as we were leaving we were told the dancing would start in about 15 minutes. Unfortunately we could not stay. To be fair, the salsa and guacamole lesson itself was enjoyable once it finally began. However, the overall experience felt very disorganized and unprepared for a group that had clearly made reservations in advance. Between the long delays, slow drink service, missing supplies, and the dance lesson never happening, the tour was not worth the price we paid and did not deliver what was advertised.

Response from the operator: Dear Patricia, Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed review of your experience. We truly value all feedback, as it helps us improve and provide better service to our guests. First and foremost, I would like to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration you and your group experienced during your visit. What you described does not reflect the level of organization, service, and experience that we aim to deliver. We deeply regret the confusion regarding your reservation upon arrival, as well as the delays in starting the activities. This is certainly not the standard we strive for, and we are currently reviewing our internal communication and check-in procedures to ensure situations like this do not happen again. Regarding the wait times, limited supplies, and slow beverage service, we understand how this impacted your overall experience. We are already addressing these operational gaps with our team to improve timing, resource allocation, and service flow—especially when managing multiple groups. We are especially sorry that the salsa dance lesson, which was part of the advertised experience, did not take place during your visit. We understand how disappointing this must have been, particularly given your schedule constraints, and we take full responsibility for not meeting expectations in this regard. That said, we truly appreciate your kind words about the salsa and guacamole lesson itself, and we are glad that portion was enjoyable once it began. Your feedback has been shared with our management and operations teams, and we are taking concrete steps to ensure a more seamless and enjoyable experience for future guests. If you are open to it, we would appreciate the opportunity to make this right. Please feel free to contact us directly so we can personally follow up with you. Thank you again for your honest feedback, and we hope to have the chance to provide you with the experience you originally expected. Warm regards, Stephanie Guest Experience Manager

via Viator

Expensive Salsa

This experience is outdoors with constant interruptions by paddlers. The company didn't seem prepared to host the event the day we arrived, nor did they expect 2 other groups of 4 were coming. Throughout the day we experienced constant delays with our drink orders and even the food supplies required to make our salsa and guacamole. Being directly on the beach and the actual making of the salsa were the only redeeming qualities of this excursion. We even patiently waited for the salsa dancing to begin, but since the other 8 guests weren't interested in dancing, it appeared that the salsa dancing class was put on the back burner. As we were leaving, way past our scheduled time, the operator continued to offer services if we wait just a few more minutes. The restrooms were also less than desirable.

Response from the operator: Dear kharmon, Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding your recent experience with us. We truly appreciate you taking the time to let us know about your visit. We are very sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. What you described regarding delays in service, limited supplies, and overall organization is not the standard we aim to provide, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. We would like to clarify that our experience takes place in a natural beach setting, which can occasionally include external elements such as other visitors in the area. That said, we completely understand how interruptions may have impacted your enjoyment, and we are actively working on improving the flow and setup of the experience to create a more seamless environment for our guests. Regarding the salsa dancing portion, we regret that it did not take place as expected during your visit. While we always aim to adapt the experience to the group’s dynamic, we understand that this activity is part of what was advertised, and we are reinforcing our processes to ensure all key components are delivered consistently. We also take your comments about restroom conditions and service timing very seriously, and these have been shared with our operations team for immediate improvement. We truly appreciate your positive note about the beach setting and the salsa-making activity, and we are glad that part of the experience stood out. Your feedback is extremely valuable to us, and we are committed to making the necessary improvements. We hope to have the opportunity to provide you with a much better and more complete experience in the future. Warm regards, Stephanie Guest Experience Manager

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