MEXICO

GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE

GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO TO MEXICO

– Pay in pesos and not in dollars. Prices in pesos are a little lower.

– Mexico is a giant country: it can be in hot in some states and cold in others.

– Pay attention to the time zone. It’s not the same in the whole country and in certain areas it’s different.

– SIM CARD: the best provider is Telcel and it worked ok in all Mexico. Go to an OXXO shop and buy it there. They can help you to configure everything. Later if you need to recharge the plan (we had the ‘Paquete Amigo Sin Límite’), it’s easy. We did it.

– BUSES: we used the ADO Buses. If you buy the ticket some days before, sometimes you can have a discount. Visit www.ado.com.mx for all the info.

– MARKETS: in markets, always bargain over the price. Usually they always go down. In any case, always use common sense and be aware of a fair price.

– TIPS (propina in spanish): throughout Mexico they are waiting to receive tips. In Portugal we don’t have this habit so for us it was a little strange to be almost ‘forced’. Pay attention because sometimes the tip is already included in the bill. If not, they can ask you how much you want to give.
We sometimes gave, sometimes not. It also depended on the service.

– SOUVENIRS: if you want to buy souvenirs of any kind like skulls, clay objects, etc, and you go to visit Tlaquepaque, save the money to spend here. There is a market in Tlaquepaque in which prices are very low compared to the rest of Mexico and it has everything. To know where it is located, visit the GUADALAJARA tab.

– ULTRAMAR FERRY: if you visit the Cozumel island and use the Ultramar company, it’s not worth buying the first class ticket. Purchase at normal price.
They will say that there are many advantages associated with it, however they’re not worth it and it’s a waste of money. – UBER (January 2020): we used and abused Uber in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. In Playa del Carmen and Cancún there’s no Uber.
— GETTING AN UBER FROM PUERTO VALLARTA AIRPORT: it’s easy but we were tricked by the tips of some blogs.
The correct way is this: when you leave the airport, turn left. At the end of that path, on the left you see an elevated bridge to cross to the other side. Cross it and when you get off on the other side, turn right and move a little further away from the taxi zone. From that point, call an Uber.
— GETTING AN UBER FROM MEXICO CITY AIRPORT: it’s also very easy. When you leave the airport, open the Uber app and just choose the gate number where you want to wait. Go to that gate and wait. Keep an eye on the car plates because Uber’s are always arriving.

— CABIFY: it’s a good alternative to Uber. Check both prices first.

– ORDERING FOOD: if you want to order food to eat in the apartment, we used the Rappi app several times. It works very well and if you search you can find discounts for the first order.