15 Mexico Travel Tips I Give Every Guest

Before every check-in, I send my guests a WhatsApp with the practical stuff nobody puts in the pretty travel guides. After years of doing this across Puerto Vallarta, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Cancún and Mérida, the list has been polished by hundreds of real questions. Here it is, in full.

Money

1. Pesos, not dollars. Some tourist spots take dollars, but the exchange rate they give you is a small robbery. Pay in pesos everywhere.

2. Skip the airport exchange booths. Use an ATM from a real bank (Banorte, BBVA, Santander) and withdraw pesos directly. When the ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, say no. Always choose to be charged in pesos, it's a better rate every single time.

3. Carry some cash always. Cards are widely accepted in cities, but the best tacos, the market stalls, the golf cart rental on Isla Mujeres and many beach palapas are cash only. I keep 500 to 1000 pesos on me as a rule.

4. Tipping is real here. Service wages depend on it. The norms: 10 to 15% at restaurants (15% for good service), 20 to 50 pesos for housekeeping per day, 10 to 20 pesos for grocery baggers and gas station attendants, and round up for taxis. If a place adds "servicio" to the bill, the tip is already included, check before doubling it.

Phone and internet

5. Get a Telcel SIM or an eSIM. If your plan doesn't include Mexico (many US and Canadian ones now do, check first), a Telcel prepaid SIM from any OXXO convenience store costs a few dollars and works everywhere tourists go. eSIMs like Airalo work well too and you can set them up before flying.

6. WhatsApp is how Mexico communicates. Restaurants, tour operators, your host (hi, it's me): everything happens on WhatsApp. Make sure it's installed and working before you land.

Getting around

7. At airports, use official taxis or pre-booked transfers. Buy a ticket at the official taxi counter inside the terminal, or book a transfer ahead. Ignore anyone shouting "taxi amigo" in the arrivals hall.

8. In cities, use the apps locals use. Uber works in Puerto Vallarta, Mérida and Cancún city. In Playa del Carmen and the hotel zones, taxis dominate: agree on the price before getting in, always.

9. The ADO buses are excellent. First-class buses between Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Mérida are comfortable, air conditioned and cheap. It's how I'd travel that route.

10. Rent a car only if your plan needs it. For cenote-hopping around Playa or exploring Yucatán from Mérida, yes. For a beach week in Zona Romántica or Isla Mujeres, you genuinely don't need one, and parking will fight you.

Health and safety

11. Don't drink tap water, and relax about everything else. Bottled or filtered water for drinking, including for brushing teeth if your stomach is sensitive. Restaurants use purified water and ice made from it, that's standard. My homes all have filtered or bottled water waiting.

12. Street food is not the enemy. The rule is turnover: eat where the line of locals is, where the meat hits the grill in front of you. An empty stand at lunchtime is the real red flag.

13. Use the same judgment you'd use anywhere. The tourist corridors of the destinations I host in are well cared for, because tourism is the local economy and everyone protects it. Standard travel sense applies: don't flash valuables, use registered taxis at night, keep your phone off the table edge. Millions of people visit every year and go home with nothing worse than a sunburn.

Culture

14. Learn five words. Buenos días, gracias, por favor, la cuenta, and cerveza will genuinely change your trip. Nobody expects fluent Spanish, but leading with a greeting before asking for something is basic manners here, and doors open for people who do it.

15. Slow down on purpose. Meals take longer because they're supposed to. The waiter isn't ignoring you, he's letting you enjoy; ask for la cuenta when you want it. The country runs at a human pace. Guests who fight it have an okay trip. Guests who surrender to it come back every year, and I have the repeat bookings to prove it.

The tip I can't put on a list

Having a local to ask changes everything: which beach has seaweed this week, whether that "closed for renovation" sign is real, where to watch the game tonight. That's the part of hosting I love most. Every stay at one of my homes comes with me on WhatsApp, before and during your trip.

Still packing? Here's my honest packing list. Already eyeing dates? Message me, and remember that booking direct saves you up to 15% versus Airbnb.