The Backpackers agency offered us an excellent service on the pass to Playa Blanca. The attention provided by your guide José was very good, as was the staff at the Mambo Beach restaurant. As an opportunity for improvement, they must manage to control the number of flies that are in the place when they serve food.

The beach was beautiful! Although it was cloudy on the day we went to Playa Blanca (it was actually raining in the morning when we were picked up at the hotel) we had a great time! Some vendors wandered up to us a few times throughout the day, but the vendors are polite and usually walk away when you politely say no. We took up one of them on an offer for a jet ski ride, and it was great! The lunch included was helpful too; we didn't have to worry about finding a place to eat. The ticket includes a 25,000 pesos bonus, and if you want a dish that's over that amount, you just pay the difference. Initially we weren't thrilled about being picked up at 6 am, but once we saw the beach get FULL but 1 pm, we were so glad we got there so early! By the way, we didn't get there til nearly 9. Reason why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is because we didn't get picked up until 7 am, and some of the other people were LATE late to their pickup spot. So we got to the beach until 9 am.

The BEST day trip you could do for Playa Blanca! Jose is an amazing guide, so hospitable. The pick-up was fairly early (6:45 AM) but we got there at the perfect time - right before the beach starts getting super busy. Our guide took us to our own private, fenced-off restaurant of the beach where we soaked up the views and some of the sun in our very own gazebo. The set-up was perfect because you don't get too many vendors coming to you, but can look for anything you want to buy at a distance. The wait staff at Mambo Beach was also super awesome - we were able to order drinks, lunch, etc. with ease. Would HIGHLY recommend this trip - probably the best one for the best value out of everything I looked into re: Playa Blanca.