5-Bay Exclusive Premium Panga Experience

We mostly had a very good experience on this tour. I booked it with a friend, and it was a real luxury to have the whole boat, plus TWO crew members (a captain and a snorkel guide), just for us. The five bays that we visited were all beautiful, and on the way to the first bay the captain got a call that a whale was nearby, so we got to see a whale as well -- a wonderful experience! Also, the guide and captain were both very good. However, there were two elements that were not really expecting. The first was the fact that we only snorkeled in two of the 5 bays, and we were told that normally there is only ONE snorkeling stop, but because the water was cloudy from a recent rain, we went to a second stop. I would have been quite disappointed to pay this kind of money for only one snorkel stop. The second was the fact that at the last stop they took us to an expensive seafood restaurant. We were not interested in eating there, so we each just had a Coke and and then said we were ready to go. As a result, our tour ended about 45 minutes early, presumably because they assume you will spend that time eating at the restaurant. So, if you want a private boat cruise with a little bit of snorkeling and a restaurant stop, this is for you! If you just want to snorkel, I'd book something else.

This is billed by many lists as the first "must do" in Huatalco, and I wouldn't rank it that high. We had a private tour with 6 adults aged 20 - 80. Our boat captian and guide were affable fellows, but our "English speaking guide" did not speak English past the phrase "the name of this beach is....." We saw a couple of turtles and the beautiful coastline of Huatalco. We stopped several time to swim and snorkel and had the opportunity to eat at one stop, which we passed up. There were lifejackets, plenty of shade, and sodas and water enough for the trip. The marina where the tours starts is a swirl of hawkers selling goods and tours. Stick with your driver to make it through the throng.

Our guide was Omar would recommend him highly had a great experience also did some snorkeling saw some turtles

My husband and I had the best experience would recommend this highly we saw dolphins whales Saw beaches, that you would only be able to see with the boat

We did the bay tour on seados , snorkeled, watch Dolphins and Whales. It was an awesome day stopped inSan Augustine and had a fantastic sheimp lunch

While the activity itself is highly recommended, we are really unhappy with the way the operator handled the Service. First, when we contacted Huatulco Travel Experience that we would not need to be picked up as we would arrive in our own car, we were given a completely non-specific meeting point (actually the Google Maps link for the entire port) and instructed that, once there, we should look for someone named Ambrosio Pacheco. We wandered from one group of people to the next until we learned that Mr. Pacheco was not there. Someone totally unknown to us volunteered as our tour guide. Since we hadn’t heard from the operator about this change, we felt unsure so we texted and phoned the operator to let them know that Ambrosio wasn’t there and that someone seemed to speak on his behalf wanted to take us. We only received a laconic text that said “ready” without any apology or explanation for this confusion. Once we had clarified that this gentleman did belong to the local agency, we were ready to start our tour. When we were asked to get on board, I remembered that part of the tour was about snorkeling, but no one had offered us the rental equipment mentioned on the voucher. Only after I requested it, we were informed that the equipment was available to rent in the port. Otherwise, we would have left port without any equipment. They also never offered us the possibility of entering the park of Huatalco although in the experience it does indicate the possibility of doing so (paying 7 pesos entrance to the park). The tour continued normally until we were offered to make a stop at Magüey Bay so we could have lunch if we wished. We accepted the proposal and, as we reached the shore, the boy told us what kind of dishes we could order in the restaurant. When we got off the boat he introduced us to a waitress who led us to a restaurant ¡Ay Caray!, without giving us the opportunity to see other options (the place is full of restaurants). The point is that when we started ordering we realized that the prices were really high (higher than any other restaurant we have visited during our time in Mexico, even the most elegant in Mexico City). Finally, when we asked for the bill, a waiter told us only the amount to pay (in exchange about 150 euros for 3 people, without wine) Only after insisting on seeing the rating in writing did we realize that some of the dishes had been charged as other more expensive options, for example mixed ceviche had become cold seafood. After that we argued with the restaurant staff, but eventually we agreed to pay because we didn’t want to spoil our vacation by calling the police and spoiling a day that had already spoiled. We were really puzzled when the waitress who had welcomed us to the beach insisted on returning to the seaside with us. We couldn’t understand why she wanted to join us until we saw her slipping some tickets to our guide, the same one who had taken us to that tourist trap. On a 15-day trip through Mexico with many private tours along it, the only time we have felt scammed has been this time. I highly recommend the experience but would never do it with this agency.