Wife and I are going to Mayan in February, anyone know if we should bring pesos, Canadian dollars or american?
Also what kind of things should we bring for the staff as small gifts

Pesos. No use taking American as when you buy something your change is given back in pesos. The staff - I leave them cash

I agree. We always take Pesos. We buy colouring books, crayons, soaps, tooth brushes, totthpaste, hats, school stuff & candy. We also leave cash tips with the gifts.

Mexicans literally have all of that usually at a much lower price than Canada. The gesture is nice but $$ is what they want/need.

Actually we had a maid chase us down to hug us for all the stuff we left. So we do it every year and we leave cash as well

That’s really nice of you to make the gesture. I really think Mexicans are gracious and loving people. They appreciate it when people take the time to appreciate their hard work. However, you are totally wasting your space in your suitcase with all that stuff. I now live in Mexico and I promise that everything you listed is available for a fraction of the cost. It’s totally up to you what you decide to do, I just want to let you know that so you don’t make the unnecessary effort if you don’t have to.

All the items mentioned (crayons, colouring books, etc.) are moreso for when you visit Cuba.

I don't know. We always do it and they always appreciate it.

Mexicans like Pesos best as a lot don’t have bank accounts and it costs them a fee to change other currencies. calforex Chinook has the best rates

We don’t bring gifts either, we give cash too

We always bring cad either the hotels or the money exchanges all over playa del Carmen will do exchange rates better than the banks here, although they do vary slightly so don't just stop at the first one walk a little and keep you eyes open for rates.

Nicole MacLean

Cash for staff.

Awesome, thanks guys

Pesos. AMA will give you up to $300 CAD if your a member. Otherwise be sure to order some at the bank in advance, it sometimes takes awhile!

Pesos & American

Pesos. Use your CDN debit card at BANK ATMs (not the exchanges on the street). Staff appreciate money/tips - they can,and do, afford the basic necessities such as soap and toothbrushes.

Take pesos if you can purchase from your bank. That will save the exchange rate

Bring pesos. Literally everything we have in Canada is available in Mexico, usually at much lower prices. Leave money for staff. They will appreciate it.

Pesos or American , both are used. No gifts, just cash!

Take your ATM card and hit the bank... steer clear of the little street ones to avoid extra fees or percentage fees. Banamex, Santander, Scotiabank, HSBC are all good.

Employees in Mexico prefer USD as tips (I’m Mexican living in Canada
). The reason is that it’s easier for someone to give 1 or 2 USD as a tip compared to 20 or 50 pesos - sounds much more in pesos. But.... if you want to save money, get pesos at an ATM.

American dollars and pesos

We were in Cozumel a few weeks ago and couldn’t pay for anything with Pesos. Maybe a bad day but when we go to Mexico usually we take $1 American bills for tipping and pesos for paying for goods.

Always paesos

We left our kids clothes and some of ours too. You need to assign them to a staff with a note but they were very appreciative

Pesos. Use ATMs if you need more. You get a good exchange rate. No need for American at all. We have a house in Mexico and have lived/worked there.

Pesos is best - you can purchase at your bank.
I like to take things that say Canada as keepsakes for them (keychains, pens, etc). For the maids I bring good chocolate (Lindt or Cadbury) and hair clips, costume jewelry, or make up.

Mexican pesos from the bank in 20 Peso denominations is best. 20 Peso tips are adequate.

Take lots of candy ,$1.00 in US bills

Pesos! Always pesos because you get the best rate, other wise they give you a lot less.

Use a secure Bank ATM (no US$ Exchange Fee) or use VISA for good exchange rate.

For an all inclusive for 10 days how much cash for tips should we be taking (either USD or pesos)? Thanks!

20 and 50 peso notes translate to roughly $1 - $2.50 USD, which should give you an idea of how much to tip. You dont need to tip every time you get a drink (we'd all go broke if that was the case!! haha) and throwing down a 50 after a nice lunch is greatly appreciated. For exceptional dinner service, 100+ pesos is recommended IMO. Tipping at an all inclusive is not mandatory but is becoming the norm - the staff get paid so very little and come to rely on our generosity.

I usually tip an American one every drink or two, 10 for a la carte, 2 for buffet. I would exchange at the bank or airport before you go.

We stock up on USD ones for tipping before we go. You can exchange at the airport. We don’t bother with pesos

As most mexicans don't have a bank acct the preferred currency is pesos, it costs them a service charge to exchange us or cdn

Agree with
Barb. Converting foreign currencies to pesos isnt worth it for most Mexicans who dont have bank accounts.

Best to use the currency of the country your in, calforex in Calgary sells everything you need, great rates and they have most currencies in stock, no need to order ahead.

better deals using pesos. ATMs at banks or airport give fair exchange.

The ATM at the Cancun airport only charges 30 pesos transaction fee. That’s about $2 CDN.

I’m in playa right now and I’ve used all three to pay, but pesos is the best, most straightforward, currency I’ve payed with so far. As change does come back in Pesos, the exchange varies and you can often be ripped off. If I was to recommend a currency it’d be Pesos for sure!