Heya good people, Can anyone give me a 'Beginners Guide to TTR Tipping' please. With my Australasian culture (and definitely in New Zealand where I hail from), tipping is very rare. You might pop your small change into a tip jar on the bar, but it is never expected, very rarely seen. I need to upskill! From what I gather for TTR, it is not a necessity but it sure makes a difference to service. And more importantly, the staff work long hours for very basic wages, so rely on tips to make their pay packet realistic. It sounds like it is necessary get a large roll of small change notes to shower around as you go, yes? USD $1 would be best or..? Any special situations where a non-tip would be seen as social rudeness? I foresee alcohol and enjoyment creating forgetfulness, so forewarning is in order! Apologies for asking what's probably a pretty basic thing, but you know what they say: When in Rome, etc. I also want to properly budget my trip - changing currency mid-enjoyment is a pain in the wrinkle. Any tips for the best way to carry $, also? I have taken to using debit cards with lower amounts on them when travelling more recently, less risk if they do get compromised. What about for going to town, etc - cash or cards better? Any advice from other travellers regarding mobiles, please. Roaming is really expensive for my usual ph, am I best to buy a cheap temp ph or SIM on prepay when in the country? I have a personal ban on social media and photos while relaxing, but will have to be checking on the business and family while away - it sounds like Wifi isn't a realistic option at TTR, so what's the options? Can you use good wifi elsewhere, use internet cafes, what is prepay data like..? Thanks in advance!!
We bring plenty of 20 and 50 peso notes with us. With the exchange rate it is like 1-2.50 each usd. I tend to tip almost everywhere. As far as mobiles, We are with AT&T and Mexico is on our plan so it is the same as home. Maybe someone else from your side of the world could answer that.
Typically we tip the cleaning staff a $5ver everyday. They will leave you extra beer, water or sodas. Whatever you request. The wait staff can be a different story. We will leave from a $1usd to $5 depending on the service! I would advise you look for Joe, he is a great waiter and very attentive to your needs. Once he learns your routine, he'll have your drink waiting and a plate of fruit if that's your thing. The bartender's, we usually give the bartender that serves us in the morning a $20. They work the same bar all day, so he'll remember that and juice your drinks up! As for cell service, that's a different story. Still trying to figure that one out. Last trip we were on a referral so we had free Wi-Fi, usually our service doesn't work even though Verizon is supposed to offer service in Mexico we haven't figured it out. I have an internet business so it is crucial that I have access to wifi. Good luck!!! P.s. when are you traveling to TTR?
Thanks guys. So $25-30 a day for tips would be reasonable, it seems? Yep, reliable net connection will be pretty important, somehow, somewhere. I will be travelling through the US before my break so away for a while, so important to me to keep tabs on work issues and more importantly, keep in contact with the kids! Dates still to be confirmed, but looking at mid-late August, for a week or so. (as long as I can afford!)
From the UK here! Yeah, tipping isn't a big thing here either, so it is kind of alien to tip for everything, but I'm in another country with a different culture so I embrace it. I tip for pretty much everything. Lots of $50MXN pesos notes, and $100MXN for lunches. If I'm at one of the reserved speciality restaurants, I'll up that to $400MXN or $500MXN, depending on how long we're there for and what we ordered. You won't get terrible service if you don't tip, but I don't like to take the chance! I'd say the biggest situations where non-tip would be viewed as rude would be not leaving a tip for dining at one of the speciality restaurants (Asian and Italian reserve restaurants), or if you get one of the waiters walking around at the club or around the pool to bring you a drink. Oh and also for maid service.
I always use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007KVLTM/?tag=cancuncare-20 for carrying tip $, room key, anything else (NOT anything that isn't waterproof!). Even the "waterproof" ones leak - especially if your drunk a$$ doesn't seal them properly. lol They work great because you can just put your room key (card) strip side out & swipe the whole pouch across the lock - no fumbling with your key or potential of dropping stuff. I tip $1USD per round (1-2 drinks), more if I'm getting a stack of shots or a bunch of different drinks. $3 at breakfast, $3-5 at lunch and $5-10 (or more for great service) at dinner, depending on the restaurant. At Paty'o's, it's usually $1 per drink. Loose calculation is $1USD - about 20 Pesos. I bring $150 in singles (for one person, 7 days) and usually only spend about $100. If you walk towards the beach & turn left, there's a beach bar a short walk that has free wifi if you buy a drink.
The past few years we have bought a phone card in the lobby and used one of the pay phones. This year our carrier offered a Mexico plan for no charge so we had it added to our phone.
