This will be our first out of the country trip together as a couple and we’re a bit nervous that our budget of $500 for eight nights at Temptations is abit low. We have three tours/excursions (including isla mujeres) already scheduled and paid for ahead of time. We don’t intend to take any more tours/excursions than we already have scheduled but do intend to do a half-hour jet ski ($50) at the resort. Is $500 for 8 nights too low to bring? How much do you bring for your past holidays and how much do you actually end up spending on tips, misc, airport tax (although I think our continental flight bought through Travelocity should have this included in our paid package)? Are there any other costs that I have overlooked?
We usually plan on spending $20-$30 per day in tips at the hotel. So for 8 nights, bring roughly $200 set aside for tipping bartenders, waiters, maid staff, omelette maker, etc. If you plan on doing the Saturday night Lobster Dinner, set aside $100 per couple. If you plan on going to the downtown clubs, set aside $100 per couple per night. If you plan on taking 3 excursions, set aside $20 per excursion for various tips for the workers on that excursion. If you plan on buying stuff like gifts or whatnot, set aside cash for that, although we never spend more than $40 on stuff like that. If you plan to buy extra water or gum or smokes from the hotel gift shop on a regular basis, set aside $60 for that. If you plan on taking taxis around town, set aside cash for that, although the bus is less than $1 per person. We never take taxis with how simple the bus system is. You mentioned you were setting aside $50 for the jet ski, that will be fun. So basically you could definitely get away with bringing $500 for your eight nights and have the time of your life!
KristenandDoug posted a very good reply. I usually budget for $100 a day and any $$ we bring home is a nice surprise and goes to the next trip there! I'd rather have too much than not enough but that's just our 2 cents...
We went through $200 in ones just for tips in 6 days/5 nights, and another $300 in Coco Bongo/wave runner/airport transfer tips/and other random stuff we bought. We wish we had brought another few hundred - it really just depends on what you want to do. I would recommend using cash for everything and not depending on using a credit card, some places charge foreign transaction fees and I have heard of other people saying their credit card numbers were used fraudulently after purchasing tours etc. with the credit card. You may want to get some pesos for local merchants so you don't get boned in conversions. Some places will only give you 10 pesos for a dollar, when you should get 12-14. The conversion place across the street from TTR was pretty fair at 12.6 pesos per dollar, TTR will give you 11 pesos per dollar. If you don't plan to buy anything at the local stores then don't worry about pesos, you don't need them at TTR (they like dollars for tips better). If you buy something at a store with dollars, though, you will get pesos in change. You can just use a dollar bill to ride the bus, and it gives the bus driver a small tip.
Thank you so much! Thank you so much for very detailed and helpful information! Now, i can figure out how much we should bring! I'm thinking around $700 since we do want to try the lobster dinner and go clubbing one of the nights. Hopefully, everyone there would be as great as the posters on this forum! Can't wait!
We don't like to shop and don't usually go off TTR at night clubbing because it is so much fun at the resort! CocoBongo is a must though! I usually take $200 cash including $100 in ones. Don't expect to get any small change exchanged down there. Yes the all inclusive packages say that tips are included but don't get caught up in that. The staff at TTR are second to none and work for next to nothing! They deserve tips big time! :biggrinbandit::ernaehrung005::cheerleaders::azzangel:
We are Canadian. With all this talk about ones what about the Canadian Loonie (the one dollar coin) Is that just as good there or should we change to American. Perhaps it would be better to change out money to Mexican before we leave for a better rate?
I was in L.A. two weeks ago, and apparently the banks won't even take loonies and toonies there, according to my shuttle driver, who was annoyed that someone tipped him in loonies and toonies. So I would not bring them to Mexico. I always bring US dollars myself, but I know some people prefer to bring pesos. Don't try to give U.S. change to anyone as tips, as apparently the banks won't take it. I kept trying to leave some U.S. change for the maid one trip, and couldn't figure out why she took the paper money but left the same change there day after day! Even funnier, on the same trip, I tried to give one of the little street kids some U.S. change, and he THREW it back at me with a look on his face like I'd given him a steaming turd! Rookie tourist mistakes!
