March30
There are many styles to travel from lugging backpacks around and staying in hostels (which I have done) to the opposite extreme of first class all the way (which I have never experienced)… until now that is.
This photo of my sisters and me on our first trip to Isla is so old that my hair is a different colour!
My relationship with AGI Tours goes back a number of years: from the very first time I spotted my name being held up by an AGI representative upon my first trip to Isla in 2005. In my experience, reliability is not always a guarantee when traveling in Mexico. You may have incorrectly assumed that the translation of “manana” was “tomorrow” but what it actually means is “in the indefinite future”. I kind of get a kick out of the easy-going Mexican “manana” philosophy unless I am doing one of two things: arriving or departing from Isla Mujeres. If I am arriving I am so anxious to get there, I can almost not stand it and when I am departing, I want to savour every last moment on the island and then get to the airport as efficiently as possible. AGI Tours has always provided that reliability for me.
This year they did even more. I managed to secure a golf cart through AGI. Having a golf cart when you are staying on the airport strip is ideal. Sometimes we still made the walk into town (okay I will fess up, Doug still made the walk) for the exercise. We were able to fetch my sister-in-law and her sister to have them join us for breakfast at Luna d’Miel, we picked up our daughter and her husband for dinner one evening and then another time so that they could just hang with us and we were able to pick them and their luggage up on their departure day. Doug used it to fetch his coffee and newspaper in the morning, to see if there were fresh tortas at the Supermercado and acquire the fresh orange juice that we love from our favourite market stall.
But we also used it to dine in Colonias, chase the sunset
and cool off on a warm evening by driving along the east side of Punta Sur. We felt so blessed by this convenience we were like little kids with a new toy.
AGI have joined forces with the “La Fortuna” cart company owned by a family member. Instead of having to be hailed by the golf cart guys at the ferry and select a company in the eeney meeney miney mo style, a new, well maintained cart was DELIVERED to our hotel! When we needed to gas up, we simply returned it to Adam (who gave us his cell # in case we had any concerns), he gassed it up and we were off again in a matter of minutes. When our time to leave the island had come, we called Adam and he told us exactly where and when to drop it off.
AGI is currently rolling out their new VIP Door to Door Service including a golf cart in their special package. Even more luxurious, were our return arrangements. Eduardo from AGI met us as we returned the golf cart
and walked us (and my luggage) over to a dock near Mininoes. Waiting there were two other couples and we all were escorted aboard a beautiful boat and whisked across the Bay of Cancun. I have always gotten a kick out of the ferry but we did not have to stand in line, lug our own bags on board and scramble downstairs to get to our luggage before the guy hoping for a tip did. We simply sat back and visited with the other two couples as we skimmed across the turquoise waters that I love so dearly.
On the Cancun side, we did not dock at Puerto Juarez so we did not have to endure the people and confusion there. When we were dropped off, our air conditioned vans were right there waiting for us. The van ride seemed a tiny bit longer and the route was slightly differently and more enjoyable. AGI is constantly improving their services to all their clients but especially their loyal VIP clients. So far this treatment has been handled as a surprise to customers as they analyze operation costing and logistics. Check out their website for final details.
Me enjoying every minute of the transfer.
We also experienced an unusual circumstance that sealed our faith in AGI Tours. My daughter accidently left her IPhone in the van when we arrived in Cancun. She asked me to contact AGI as soon as I could. When we arrived at our hotel and I connected to wifi, there was already a message waiting in my in box telling me that the phone had been found. I offered to cross back over to the Cancun side to fetch it, but AGI offered to deliver it to our Isla hotel! When they did so, my daughter was at the beach. They put her husband through some security questions to ensure that he was whom he claimed to be. We were so impressed with the reliability and trustworthiness of AGI Tours.
There are lots of companies now on the transfer scene. I am not saying that they are inferior, I am simply saying that I have found AGI to be in a class of their own as far as service and dependability are concerned
Kath’s quote: “Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen”.- Benjamin Disraeli
Love never fails.