Discover Mexico

I had the pleasure of having a private tour of the facility during a recent cruise to Mexico. As this was my fourth trip to Cozumel, I decided to book privately outside of the cruise line and do something a bit different. My tour guide Martin gave me the difference that I was seeking.

My day started with a welcome Margarita, which was very tasty. I then saw examples of art and culture from around the country. We then moved into the chocolate room where I was welcomed with another drink, a chocolate margarita. Martin then should be the process of making cacao into chocolate bars. I got my hand on the mill and got to make my own cinnamon and sugar bar for cocoa. I was then treated to a dish of mole with chips and chocolate covered snacks.

We then went outside to the dioramas and to see the rain ceremony from the flying dancers. The rain ritual was brave and amazing.

My favorite part of the experience was the Jose Cuervo Tequila Tasting. I tried three tequilas, looking for the flavor notes of each level of aging.

The day ended with a delicious authentic Mexican meal.

If you are going and are looking for a low rate to book this excursion or any others check out http://shoreexcursionsgroup/v/a/cruisebrothers/?data=info@kerawoodard.com

Awesome afternoon visit to Discover Mexico! Tour offered by Bryan as he introduced the 32 states of Mexico, some of their unique cultures and art from each region. The park has many very well-made dioramas which help tell the stories as well as a nice collection of art. Our group also enjoyed "The Joy of Chocolate" tour which explained Mexico's importance in the world chocolate trade. We learned where and how chocolate was grown and how it came to be a key crop and export for Mexico. We tasted a wonderful hot Mexican chocolate as well as the raw cacao beans. We then split in to pairs and were directed to a grinder where we ground our own beans and then massaged the product with our hands until the fat had softened. At this point, we added sugar, cinnamon and some vanilla and mixed until the ball was shiny. We pressed in to a mould, added a unique mark and waited for the chocolate disc to solidify. We later wrapped the disc and had a wonderful souvenir of 40% cacao to take home. Really fun! We also tasted a delicious molé and a chocolate margarita. A unique experience and very nice tour at the Discover Mexico Park!

Very informative and a lot of detailed history with visuals to astound the young and old. Make sure you get a drink in a souvenir glass, they're gorgeous. And make sure you wait for the show, it's so captivating.

This was an amazing place. Sure it's a bit of a tourist trap but I learned so much about the people and the culture of Mexico. The tequila tasting (and I consider myself a tequila expert) blew my mind as I learned so much more in a 30 minute session. Our guide Rafael was so passionate and knowledgeable about everything and was willing to show us everything he loves about tequila, culture and food.

Oh and the Tacos were awesome.

You must go here when in Cozumel.

We were on our way to Cozumel on Royal Caribbean and we did not have major plans. We did contemplate some of the excursions they offered on the cruise but they were way to expensive. There was the Jose Cuervo Tequila Tasting they were advertising for $70 a person. I was not sure that I wanted to do that or not for the price, but it did sound interesting. Once we got to the island, we decided to do the excursion, it was sold out and we were slightly disappointed.

Never fear though, we decided to give it a second shot by asking the locals if there was a good place to do a tasting. We found a cab a few blocks off the pier and he told us to go to Jose Cuervo. We told him it was sold out but he advised that the cruise tour might be sold out but they have different things going on. So we decided to check it out. We got there around 10AM, the place was empty. This is because the cruise tours started after 1pm. For a cheap price of $20 per person, they offered us to do a private tasting. Even better!!!

The Jose Cuervo Tequila Tasting Experience tour showcases the diverse tastes of Mexicos famous tequila. A master tequiller gave us a lesson the origins, distillation and process of many types of tequila at its facility. We learned what brands Jose Cuervo creates and we had a chance to taste the 1800 Blanco, Reposado and Anejo. For the tasting, they teach you how to drink and distinguish different types of tequilas and the guide was very funny and responsive to our questions. At the end of the tasting, they prepared us a mango tequila with a splash of hot sauce and chili pepper powder instead of salt on the rim. By far one of the best tequilas I have had, never thought I would enjoy a spicy drink like that!

I definitely recommend this excursion to anyone visiting Cozumel. If you have big bucks and want to go in a big group with all the cruise people then buy it off the boat. If you want to get a nice price and score a more intimate setting, or less people then go on your own. Avoid going later in the day because that is when cruise lines book their group tours. Location is central to the famous popular beach clubs.

Our guide Martin really made the tour one of the best we have ever experienced. Very interesting especially to someone like me who is interested in archaeology. We enjoyed it even more then I anticipated and Martin was even kind enough to push my husband in one of their wheelchairs as it would have been tiring for him to do all the walking required. My husband partook in the homemade food and had some rice and beans and some of the hot sauce and he said it was fantastic. Very authentic. We couldn't have had a better time And were very pleased we chose this excursion. Thanks to Martin!

Came to Cozumel on a Cruise. Booked the Tequila tasting tour as an excursion. Carlos the tour guide was excellent, very organized and knowledgeable. He explained what the tour was about, what we would be doing and how we were going to get there before we started. We had to split into 3 different taxis, that the tour company covered. This Discover Mexico park has several tours available if Tequila is not your thing. Carlos thoroughly explained the difference between the types of tequila as well as the history of Tequila. Also included lunch by Lucy, wonderful homemade tacos!! Highly recommend this excursion. FYI - the excursion states the tour lasts 2.5 hours, we hit closer to 3.5 but well worth the extra time.

We had a fun time at Discover Mexico. Our guide, Katy was informative, gracious and entertaining. We tasted various chocolates and mole before making our own chocolate. After a walkthrough of the history of Mayan and Aztec culture, we were on to the tequila tasting. The different reactions we all had to the tequila was amusing. We were served yummy margaritas an tacos. There are vegan options.

We stayed at the Presidente in Cozumel. Flavio did an amazing job walking us through the experience. Very detailed oriented.

If you are planning​ to visit this site, I strongly recommend you include The CHOCOLATE WORKSHOP- it was fantastic! I booked this online ahead of time, as our cruise line did not offer this particular​ tour. I have been here before on a tequila tasting tour, and saw the chocolate "Kitchen" and knew I wanted to return. I was not disappointed​! Starting with​ cacao​o​ seeds we each made our own chocolate bar using traditional Mayan​ methods. We tasted Mexican hot chocolate, ​were served​ chocolate​ margaritas​ and​ to our happy surprise, a tray of fresh​ mole and chips. We were a group of four and Eder was our private guide throughout the site. He was friendly, very knowledgeable​, and his English​ was spot on. The art museum and "chocolate kitchen" ​were air-conditioned​. The gift shop specializes in hand-crafted "art" items representing the different places and cultures featured​ in the museum (a nice change). We ate lunch at the cafe, under a shaded canopy. The cheese quesadilla​ was excellent. THIS IS A GREAT TOUR for those who do not like the beach and can't do a lot of walking on rough terrain​. There is a shaded patio, benches along the pathways​, and very clean restrooms. Every staff member was friendly. When we finished our tour, Eder kindly called for a taxi and then presented us with a certificate​ for our participation.