Caribbean and Mexico Airport Transfers: Private Cars from Landing to Lobby

How do Caribbean and Mexico airport transfers work?

Most visitors arrive at a resort airport, clear immigration, collect bags and then face one decision: who drives them to the hotel. The options are the same everywhere: a taxi at the airport, a shared van that waits for a full load, a rental car, or a pre-booked private car already at arrivals.

Onroutz.ca is a route planner first. Every page in this section answers the same questions: how far is it, how long does each way take, and when is a private car the better call? The destination pages below carry the distances and the local detail, and this hub covers what is common to the whole region.

Check your fixed fare

Where we operate across Mexico and the Caribbean

Each destination has its own page with a mode-by-mode comparison. Times are typical drive times; hotel location, traffic and the hour of arrival change them.

The sections below group these by region, because the logic of a Mexican Riviera transfer is different from an island one.

The Mexican Caribbean: Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum

Cancún International is the busiest door into the Mexican Caribbean and the airport for three separate trips. The Hotel Zone is a long, thin strip along Kukulcán Boulevard, with addresses counted in kilometre markers from Km 0 downtown. Travellers heading to Playa del Carmen and Tulum drive south on the coast highway, and the time to either depends on where you are staying more than on the distance.

Start with the Cancún Airport page for the airport itself. If you are sleeping on Kukulcán Boulevard, read Cancún Hotel Zone transfers, which explains the kilometre markers and hotel-to-hotel moves. For the Riviera Maya, see Cancún to Playa del Carmen and Cancún to Tulum.

Quintana Roo, the state around Cancún, charges foreign visitors a tourist tax called Visitax. The state's portal says it is mandatory for all foreign tourists, including children, and can be paid on the official site. Check the portal before you fly.

The Pacific coast: Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta

Mexico's Pacific resorts work differently. At Los Cabos, the airport sits near San José del Cabo, and Cabo San Lucas is about 20-some miles (35–40 km) away along the Tourist Corridor. See Los Cabos transfers. At Puerto Vallarta the airport is about 8 km north of the Zona Romántica, with Marina Vallarta very close and Nuevo Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit to the north. See Puerto Vallarta transfers.

The islands: Punta Cana, Aruba, Montego Bay, Nassau and Saint Lucia

The islands are small, and the airport is usually close to the hotels, with a few exceptions. Aruba's airport is minutes from the high-rise strip, and Punta Cana's resorts spread across a long coastline that runs from a short drive to nearly an hour. Montego Bay is a hub for a very long north coast, and Saint Lucia has two airports at opposite ends of the island.

• Punta Cana and Punta Cana resorts cover the Dominican east coast.
• Aruba covers the island's western hotel strip.
• Montego Bay covers Jamaica's north coast.
• Nassau covers Cable Beach, Paradise Island and downtown.
• Saint Lucia covers both airports and the road between them.

Central America: Costa Rica's Guanacaste coast

Liberia's airport serves the beaches of Guanacaste. The Government of Canada's advice notes that most roads in Costa Rica are not paved and that paved roads are often in poor condition, with hazards that include potholes and landslides, so drivers who know the route matter. See Liberia and Guanacaste transfers.

Entry rules for Caribbean and Mexico airport transfers

Rules change, so check the official source before you fly. The table summarises the Government of Canada's advice for Canadian citizens, from its country pages, as read in 2026. Travellers from other countries should check their own government's advice and the destination's immigration site.

The full text is on the Government of Canada's pages for Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, Jamaica, The Bahamas and Saint Lucia. Several of these pages also list a high-caution advisory level for crime, and that is one reason many guests prefer a pre-booked driver to a street-hailed taxi.

Taxis, ride-hail and why guests pre-book

Official advice from Canada is consistent across the region: use official taxis, agree on the fare before departing, and avoid sharing a taxi with strangers. In the Dominican Republic, taxis are not metered, so the fare is negotiated. In Jamaica, the advice is to use taxis ordered through your hotel and authorised by the Jamaica Union of Travellers Association. In Nassau, taxis charge standard zone-based fares, and in Saint Lucia, registered taxis with a blue number plate should be used, with the fare agreed in advance.

A fixed-fare pre-booking removes the negotiation. The booker shows the all-in fare for your exact pickup, drop-off and vehicle before you pay, and your chauffeur's details come with the confirmation.

Hurricane season and flight changes

The Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf hurricane season runs from early June to the end of November, according to the Government of Canada. The Pacific season starts in mid-May. Storms can form quickly, so build flexibility into plans in the peak months. Cancellation terms are simple: more than 72 hours' notice has no charge; at 72 hours or less the charge is 10 percent; at 48 hours or less it is 50 percent; at 24 hours or less or on a no-show it is 100 percent, counted from the scheduled pickup.

Which side of the road, and why it matters

Aruba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica drive on the right. The Bahamas and Saint Lucia drive on the left, and so does Jamaica. Visitors renting a car should read the national advice, and visitors who would rather not drive should book a transfer.

Choosing a vehicle

Vehicle classes are "or similar", with the model confirmed at booking. The Executive Sedan and First Class Sedan take up to 3 passengers. The Luxury SUV takes up to 6 passengers and 5–6 large bags. The Executive Sprinter takes up to 12 passengers and 12 bags, and mini-coaches and coaches of 20–56 seats are available on request for weddings and group travel. See the fleet for details, and the services hub for hourly cars and meet and greet.

Infant carriers, toddler seats and boosters are available; request them when you book. Water and phone charging are provided in most vehicles.

From Toronto and beyond

Many of our guests begin in Canada. If your trip starts in Toronto, see the Toronto hub and Toronto Pearson airport transfers. For a Florida stopover or cruise, see the USA hub, the cruise transfers hub and the airport transfers hub. Multi-leg itineraries can be placed on one booking, so a Toronto pickup, an island transfer and the return home share one confirmation and one invoice.

The resort transfers hub explains the airport-to-resort process in detail, and the FAQ covers booking questions.

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