What is standard and what should we budget for our 5 days there? I'm thinking $1 a drink, $2-3 per day for the housekeepers, Bellhops and shuttle drivers will be a 2 time expense (coming and going). How about waitstaff @ the restaurants? or front desk clerks? Anyone I'm forgetting?
You're on the right track. Just consider that if you go to walmart most goods coat the same as at home. So don't be afraid to be generous either Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2
I'd like to note that I work in the casino industry so I know what it means to get tipped or stiffed. I just want to make sure I don't miss anyone. (Karma is a bitch..lol) How much do you give the waitstaff @ the restaurants since there is no bill to go by?
For the buffet, it depends, if they only bring me one drink I usually tip $1. At the restaurants anywhere from $5-$10. If I get great service my tip goes up. I usually give the maid $5 a day. I LOVE coming back in to a tidy room!
Tip in USD only I say, and have only seen. The value of the USD is still great than Pesos. I give the van driver $5, bellhop $5, the maid $3-5 a day, when we sit down and eat $2-5(buffet or regular sit down), and the bartenders and drink runners typically a total of $5-10 a day from the time we get out there until we get back in the room to go to sleep. That is what we pretty much do, and we have never had an issue, and all seem to very much appreciate the offer, and remember that you have done for them.
I wondered about tipping with other currency - not sure if that would be a good idea or not. I end up with a fair bit of extra currency from my overseas business travel, and while dropping a $1000 korean won bill might look a little different, they might get upset when they find out that really works out to $1 usd and might not be taken by their local bank...
We did a $1 per drink $5 a day for maid and buffet $3 per meal dinners anywhere from $10-$20 depending on service. One morning was out taking some pics of my wife early gave each security guard $5 and that went a long way with them and got the pics I wanted. So tips do go a long way for sure!!
We tip $3/day to the maid, and $2-3 at the buffet and lunch, and usually $5 at the restaurants. However, $1/drink is steep imo, and with the small cups, that can really add up between a couple. We usually go with $1/round.
