About Loco Gringo...

Gary originally fell in love with Mexico in the late 1980's when he was part of a small group of cavers diving and exploring some of the caves in Mexico and Belize. He then met Kay in 1990 while teaching Scuba diving in a quarry in Pennsylvania, eventually getting her into cave diving later that year. They began leading groups of cave divers to the Akumal area in 1991. After a job offer to move to the Akumal area in the Fall of 1992, they decided to follow their dreams, quit their jobs and move. Their goal was to make enough money teaching cave diving to get by, and explore some of the best underwater caves in the world in their spare time.

All was going according to plan when one of Gary's diving students introduced them to a new thing called the Internet and suggested they offer vacation rentals to their dive groups and the general public. "We started our new venture with eight rental properties, a used 386 IBM Think Pad laptop and a phone line we bought from another Akumal local for $1500 USD," laughs Kay of their humble beginnings. "Back then, people here bought and sold phone lines. Ours was one of the original phone lines in Akumal."

"We hand wrote the programming for the web site," adds Gary. "When we went to a Bank of America branch in Houston to get merchant accounts, they told us the banking industry would never be on the internet because it was not secure!" Things have sure changed since then.

The timing was perfect for their new venture. The Riviera Maya vacation market was about to explode and soon their new rental web site became bigger business for them than the cave diving classes.

A staff of eight agents, all of whom are currently living in, or have lived in the Riviera Maya now handle all the clients. In 2007, Loco Gringo merged with Akumal Vacations expanding on that which The Wall Street Journal has referred to as the "Top Choice for Travel to the Riviera Maya". In 2010, Loco Gringo was ranked #20 in the "Top 50 Social Media Influencers in the Travel Industry" and it's CEO crowned the "Leading Micro-blogger for the Riviera Maya."

"We got the name Loco Gringo from the common misconception that all cave divers are crazy, and in this case, gringos as well," ’It's been a wild ride so far” says Gary. "It seems the name appeals to people, bringing up a desire to break away from their day-to-day life and go on an adventure."

And LocoGringo is nothing if not for its followers. The LG Forums have been an integral part of the web site from the beginning. It's a place to go for vacation information, to ask questions and just have fun. It's always been a meeting point where friendships begin and good people work together to make life better. "Without the LG Forum members a lot of good things just would not happen. People love this place. They've had great times here and they want to give something back."

When Hurricanes Dean (2007) and Emily (2005) hit the coast, Loco Gringo spearheaded a relief effort through their forums that delivered thousands of dollars in food, clothing and building materials to the victims. In 2010 when the Haitian earthquake hit Loco Gringo got together with other concerned community businesses to organize a "Hope for Haiti" benefit concert in Akumal, Mexico. Ongoing community projects LG helps promote include the Akumal Toy Drive collecting toys at Christmas time for impoverished Mayan children http://www.akumaltoydrive.com/, VIDAS (International Veterinarians Dedicated to Animal Health) http://www.vidas.org/, Hekab Be Library in Akumal where local children are tutored and adults learn English to improve their job skills http://hekabbe.blogspot.com/, providing funds to Akumal's sports teams for uniforms and trophies, Coco's Cat Rescue in Playa del Carmen http://www.cocoscatrescue.org/, and recently Loco Gringo has teamed up with Destination:Peace, a group that organizes volunteer vacations for travelers wanting to make a difference in the places they visit http://www.destinationpeace.com/. Loco Gringo is also a supporter of The Taste of Playa, a culinary event promoting local restaurants. http://tasteofplayadelcarmen.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/sponsor-spotlight-locogringo-does-it-again/

Photos from the Hope for Haiti Benefit Concert - Turtle Bay Cafe's yearly Akumal Christmas party

Meet Our Staff

Katie Datica lived in Akumal for seven years, a quaint fishing village where she met and married her husband Joel. "I first discovered Akumal and the Riviera Maya in 1996 and immediately fell in love. There is something magical about the people and the area. Years later, I still feel the same sense of awe and appreciation for this enchanting place which is why I enjoy assisting people with their plans to come and experience this piece of paradise for themselves."

Natalia Schweitzer is originally from Chile but now lives and works in Playa del Carmen. She and her husband spend their time traveling and getting together with friends to share good Mexican food and a bottle of Chilean wine. "I love working for Loco Gringo because I get to visit beautiful resorts. Living in the Riviera Maya is like being on vacation all the time!"

Cindy Crow lives in Florida. She has been visiting the Riviera Maya for 20 years and 5 of those years she lived in Akumal. When she vacations on the coast she loves to scuba dive, shop 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen and drink margaritas. "Being in the Yucatan is like living in history instead of just reading about it. As a part of the Loco Gringo family I get to help ordinary people have extraordinary experiences on their vacation."

Amy Collora now lives in Austin,Texas but has vacationed and lived in the Riviera Maya for over 10 years. She enjoys live music, snorkeling and is passionate about authentic Mexican cuisine. "Working for Loco Gringo is a way of life rather than just a job because I spend my time reviewing properties, restaurants and activities on the coast. We are a family here at LG and we want people visiting the area to feel like family too by sharing with them the best of what the Riviera Maya has to offer."

Bart Guynes lives in Texas, but his roots are in the Riviera Maya. His parents were pioneers of the coast back in the 70s bringing Bart for his first visit in 1979. He spent many summers on the Riviera Maya coast while growing up. In the 80's he lived in Cancun and Akumal where he rented, managed, and sold properties. Bart founded Akumal Vacations rental agency in 1989. "I became a member of the LocoGringo team in 2006 and feel very fortunate to work with such a wonderful group of people. My favorite things about the Riviera Maya are the indigenous people and their history."

Scott Brown grew up in Akumal and it is where he and his wife have chosen to raise their son. Since making Mexico his permanent home in 1986, Scott has worked in many facets of tourism and advertising in the Riviera Maya. He enjoys scuba diving, yoga and and traveling with his family. "The Riviera Maya has been my home for 25 years. I love to share it with people new to the area, using my experience to guide them in making this their home away from home."

Jose Chan is a proud Mayan descendant living in Tulum. He enjoys playing basketball and spending time with his wife and two daughters. Jose was Loco Gringo's first employee, hired back in 1999. "Working for Loco Gringo all these years has been challenging and exciting. I get to meet lots of interesting people while they are vacationing here. I like connecting with people from different cultures."

Milka Tun is originally from Chetumal, the capital city of Quintana Roo, and currently lives in Akumal. Milka loves salsa dancing and going to the cinema to watch horror films with her amigas. "I like living in the Riviera Maya because there is always some place new to experience. It is a great place to entertain visiting friends and family."