Isla Mujeres - relax and enjoy

There are many very good restaurants in the small downtown area at the north end of the island, along Hidalgo Street and the waterfront as well. Loved Amigos, El Balcon, El Sol Dorado, Playa Sol, Poc Chuc, Cafe Cito, the Sunset Grille, and many others. There are many shops in the downtown area as well as street food vendors that are well worth the few pesos for a taste of Mexico that is much more native than the restaurants in the Cancun Hotel Zone. Walk the town streets and enjoy. There are beach palapa bars/restaurants on almost every beach. There is snorkeling available by boat rental, or at Garrafon Park or Hotel on the south end of the island.

We stayed at Playa Media Luna hotel - small on the caribbean side, and I would recommend it. They have a great staff and location on an almost private beach. Nice rooms and great ocean view from the balcony/hammocks provided. Nice small pool and breakfast.

There are iguanas all over the island, and although they look prehistoric scary, they are more scared of you than you are of them, and they seem to like mangoes, which you could buy from the street vendors. We liked them too - both the iguanas and the mangoes (try them with chili seasoning - the mangoes, not the iguanas!).

Quick Tips:

Eat at the local restaurants.
Try the food vendors in the Zocalo, the town square.
Walk North Beach and enjoy.
Enjoy a hammock and a cerveza at Playa Sol (beach palapa bar/restaurant with good food as well).
Snorkel at the Garrafon Hotel or park.
Take a trip to Isla Contoy, an island nature habitat day trip from Isla Mujeres.
Eat Tic N Xix (mayan fish dish) at Playa Lancheros mid-island.
Take the tour of the turtle farm/habitat.
Don't miss the sunset on North Beach.
Good local band music at Isla Tequila.

We had good experiences with friendly locals everywhere we went. FYI there are internet cafes all over downtown if you must check your e-mails and taunt, uh, I mean "touch" base with those not fortunate enough to be on the beach as well.

Best Way To Get Around:

From the Cancun airport, it is a 30 - 40 minute taxi or shuttle van trip to Puerto Juarez, where a 20 minute ferry ride will take you to Isla Mujeres, about five miles off the coast.

For more than a day stay, spend one day at least just walking the north beach and the streets of downtown. Rent a cart or moped and explore the south end and the carribean side of the island (easy to do, the island is only about five miles long and less than a mile wide).

Bus transportation around the island is also easy and inexpensive. The south end and the Caribbean side offer beautiful views and crashing waves, while the north beach offers beautiful sand and quieter waters for swimming and snorkeling.

Also drive through the Colonia - the mid-island area where most of the locals live. It's a great experience/slice of non-touristy Mexico.

Rate above was for the low season.

The property is a bit off the beaten path from downtown, but it''s right on the Caribbean side beach. It was quiet, and while very close to everything downtown, it was also somewhat secluded. Only 18 rooms on three floors, but we saw that as a plus from a service and noise perspective.

The rooms had small refrigerators, very helpful to keep a snack and some cold beverages in the room. There was a nice size bath, shower only, and the hot water did take a while to warm up – a minor annoyance when you are in paradise. The rooms were good sized, and the AC worked great. The floors were tile and the décor was light with accents of greens and blues. Each room had a balcony or patio with a breathtaking ocean view and was provided with a hammock and chairs to enjoy the waves and the breeze. There is also a safe in each room for valuables and a shelf and an open "closet" for clothes and storage. There was a large water cooler available to refill water bottles with, and we always drank bottled water, even used it for brushing our teeth to be on the safe side.

The property was very clean and well taken care of. It is a fairly new property, built in the last 3 or 4 years. The small dining room off the lobby served a free/included light breakfast of fruit and toast or pastries each morning. Coffee and orange juice was also available gratis. This room also had a television usually tuned to CNN in English; there was also a small selection of paperbacks left by previous visitors if you needed a beach book.

The pool has a beautiful view of the Caribbean, and there are plenty of beach chairs that can be used on the beach just behind the pool. There was a palapa bar at the pool, but during our stay it was not open. It was not a problem to us however in that we didn’t spend a lot of time at the pool. The beach behind the hotel provides a beautiful view of the Caribbean with semi-private beach, beach lounge chairs, and a nice pool. The sound of the waves crashing on the rocks and beach was an added ambience that helped create a very relaxed atmosphere. Very helpful staff (Wizzer?? sp?? pronounced wheezer was very helpful and speaks good English). It''s a short walk to the north beach and downtown with many restaurants/shops.

We stayed on the beach behind the hotel one day and saw maybe ten people walk by all afternoon, so it is very quiet and private. I would recommend it for those not looking for a Cancun style resort but a quiet getaway with restaurants and entertainment nearby.

You can see more of the Media Luna at this website.

Although we did not stay here, we toured the property. This is a "sister" property to the Media Luna, where we did stay. This new hotel (opened 2002) is next to the Media Luna, is owned by the same family, and shares a common/connecting wall. The staff was friendly and was helpful in showing the property and amenities.

It is an absolutely beautiful property. All white with accents and art to add brilliant and contrasting colors. Each room has a balcony with an ocean view. There is an outdoor living room/patio that is elegant and overlooks the pool. A continental breakfast is offered. You can see the property at this website.

Best Things Nearby:
The beach is great, with many restaurants nearby

Best Things About the Resort:
Brand new/renovated and nicely done. It is in a great location on the northeast corner of the island. . . near everything (of course that''s pretty much the case anywhere on Isla given that it''s only 5 miles long). There are a couple of nice restaurant/bars on site. . . great pool. . . and a beautiful view of Playa Norte and the ocean.

Resort Experience:
This property was an absolutely stunning and beautiful resort that is an all inclusive with every ammenity you can imagine. You can choose how much or how little you want to be pampered. We toured the property for the show and tell. The property has two parts: the villas, which include studios, one- and two-bedroom units and the tower which has penthouses and hotel rooms for rentals. It is on a beautiful smaller "island" connected to Isla proper by a small bridge. The resort also has its own catamaran for guest transportation. They will make all arrangements for tours, snorkeling, etc. If you like an all-inclusive deal, this could be the place for you. Although we did not stay at the property, we have heard nothing but good reports so far. If you are used to more of a Cancun style vacation, this would be more along the lines of what you are accustomed to.

• Unit Type: Other
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Good

Great atmosphere and great food. It's also known as the bunny restaurant. They have a rabbit hutch in the courtyard which was a bonus for Holly, an animal lover.

Great fish stew with octopi, very good nachos, and chicken fajitas. Their fresh guacomole was excellent - it might have been the best we had on the island and we tried it everywhere. Not to say the guac wasn't good elsewhere, but here it was exceptional. We also had lobster another night and enjoyed the food, and the wait staff (Ariel) was very accommodating and fun - tequila slammers all around!!!! UNO MAS!!!!

The nice, quiet courtyard in the back was romantic. The entrance/bar area has chairs which are actually semi-hobby horse and chair combos with saddles you can truly "saddle up" to the bar and enjoy - very neat. There is also a big screen and pool table up front at the bar for a sports fan. The courtyard in the back is removed from this and is very nice with traditional Mexican decor.

Playa Lancheros is a great open air Palapa Restaurant and beach area to visit and enjoy. The restaurant caters to a mix of locals and tourists.

We missed the day-trippers from Cancun, but I understand they make frequent stops here.

The specialty is the tic n xix (spelling??), a kind of Mayan spicy/bbq fish dish that is grilled on a large open grille near the dining Palapa. It is served with a salad, rice and beans, and a single order for $5 - $6 was enough for two - very good. We also had grande bottles of Montejo cerveza - muy barato (cheap).

The day we stopped in for a late lunch there were a couple of friendly musicians playing traditional mexican tunes on their guitars. It was a great addition to the already enjoyable atmosphere.

There is a beach stretching out in front of the palapa, so you could turn this into an all day beach and dining day if you wanted.

Playa Lancheros is located on the west coast of the island, you pass it on the main west side road heading to the south end of the island from donwtown. It's a short taxi or cart ride from downtown.

Jax is a great place for a burger and a beer. Big burgers and good burritos.

This place is so laid back that in the middle of the night you can literally get up in your pj's and walk to Jax and watch a World Cup Soccer game....and that's exactly what we did. We watched a US-Mexico World Cup soccer game from here in the middle of the night. . . of course the whole island was up to watch the game! Soccer is so much bigger there. . . it was like a Super Bowl game atmosphere. . . very fun! And no one said a word about my pajamas. So, if you are looking for a place to catch a game, this is a good choice.

A very fun place--lots of personality. The female bartender (Rosio) keeps the place hoppin' and the chips and salsa coming. Half the bar opens to the street, so you don't have to "go in," you can just have a bar seat and enjoy the view and a cold beverage. Never a dull moment on the island anywhere you go you will always meet someone from another country. That night we met several people from New Zealand. That's what makes Isla such a unique and wonderful place. You never know who you'll meet next!

This was our favorite beach hang out.

Playa Sol is at the NW corner of the island, right on the edge of Playa Norte. It has a great beach to hang out on, hammocks, beach chairs, and service from the bar/kitchen to the beach. The chairs are no charge as long as you are eating or having a beverage.

Listed under dining because they do serve food, and the offerings are very good, but the menu is limited. They do offer a great buffet of tic n xix (a mayan spicy/bbq fish dish) with salad, rice, and beans that was about $7 US at lunch, but not every day. This is served under one of the open air tents with a great view. They have very good ceviche on the menu, and the lime soup was also excellent. We had chicken nachos one day as well that were good, though not as good as the other offerings.

This is more of a place to spend your day as a beach anchor. You can get your chairs, your beverages (great banana and melon daquiris - cold cervesa) and a snack or a complete meal if you like. The kitchen does close down early so it doesn't offer much in the way of dinner. The atmosphere, the friendly staff, and the clean beach and sparkling water is what makes this place special. This is also one of, if not the, best places to watch the sunset on Isla, which can be a spectacular setting over the water while enjoying the daily two for one happy hour.

Check out their website here.

YUMM!!!!

This was a great choice for breakfast. Try the Mexican eggs. This could be the best egg/breakfast dish I have ever had! We also had waffles that were good (not as good as the Mexican eggs, but good). They also offered fresh squeezed OJ. All in all, a very good breakfast.

Cafe Cito is also well-decorated with big windows for people watching and interesting glass-topped tables with sand and shells diplayed under the glass. This place is run by Donna, a recent transplant from Atlanta and Ziggy, the reason for Donna's move. The service was quick and friendly. I don't remember much about the lunch or dinner menu, but if the breakfast is any indication, it should be good as well.

This was a great place to hang out and listen to some local music. We went two different nights and heard a local band that was very talented and entertaining. They did covers from the blues to Santana, and also more traditional hispanic songs. There is an ample food menu and tables outside on the street as well as inside, and on a busy night, the place is hoppin' until late. The food was ok - not bad, but not what we had elsewhere on the island. I will say the chicken burrito was the LARGEST I had ever seen. MUY GRANDE!

It seems more of a gathering place for music and mixing of both locals and tourists than a destination for the food. We met people from all over here while enjoing the music and the ten peso Montejos. If you are looking for a good place to enjoy music and have a cold one and maybe a snack, this would be a good choice.

The south end of Isla Mujeres includes an area that includes Garrafon Park and the Garrafon Hotel. They are side by side and offer opposite extremes in snorkeling on the south end of the island.

On the simple side, the Hotel Garrafon was $2 for entry to the snorkeling area which had beach chairs, a small restaurant, a shark tank, and a nice though small area to snorkel. The reef is not lively, but there are lots of fish to see. They rent all the equipment you need as well. The menu was limited, but the food was good, the service friendly, and the beverages were cold... what more could you really want?

Here's their website.

Next door is Garrafon Park, which is a more of an activity park with snuba, a zip line, a larger snorkeling area, larger restaurant, a pool, kayaks, gift shop, etc. It is very nice, though busy and of course expensive. It was about $20 each if I remember for the all-inclusive, which did however include all food and beverages. Since we had biked from the north end of the island we were hungry and thirsty, so that was a good deal. It makes sense if you are going to make a day of it as far as food and drink. The food was good and the service friendly. We stayed for several hours and had a good time, beautiful views, and a very nice facility.

There is also a beautiful walkway along the ocean that will take you to Punta Sur, the very south point of the island. Plus a pair of resident parrots that seem to enjoy all the attention they get.

Here's their website.

Depending on budget, kids (there's more to do at the Park), and personal preference, either would be a good choice for a good time.

If you're not into snorkeling, a trip to Punta Sur for the small ruins and the beautiful walkways is a good way to spend some time. Punta Sur is just past the entrance to Garrafon Park.

This is a clean, fine white-sand beach with beautiful clear blue/green warm water. It gets shallow further out, so it''s easy to swim and wade in. It''s also just a short walk from the downtown area. Several small hotels are on the beach and several others are just a short walk away. We had heard that there was a topless beach on the island, but we just were not aware that it was the main beach until we rounded the corner and oops! Not that we were offended in any way, it''s just that if we had been in the presence of children we might have been caught off guard without warning. Just be aware of that when making your plans if they include children or those who find Victoria''s Secret catalogs offensive. Or for some, this could be a "double-bonus."

One of the best times of each day was just walking along the beach and stopping to enjoy a cold cerveza along the walk as we made our way to our favorite Playa Norte palapa beach bar/restaurant--Sergio''s Playa Sol to sun ourselves or for happy hour, a snack, and absolutely one of the most stunning sunsets you could ever imagine.

For those of us not used to travel by boat, even the ferry ride was a fun experience.

From the Cancun airport you can either take a taxi or shuttle van to Puerto Juarez, just north of Cancun proper for the ferry ride to Isla Mujeres. There are many "helpers/porters" at the drop off that will gladly help you with your luggage from the taxi to the dock for a tip. You should be prepared after getting off the plane in Cancun with plenty of tip pesos or dollars.

There are a couple of options. The new ferry runs all day long on a regular schedule, and is just over $3 for one way fare. It is enclosed and a fast 15 minute trip over to Isla. The slower ferry has an open deck (sigh, I can feel the breeze now) and takes about 30 minutes to cross.

Once you get off in Isla, there again are bicycle carriers/porters that will help you with luggage to your hotel, or you can take a taxi. We enjoyed the walk through town with one of the bike guys who was friendly and had plenty of storage with the bike trailer.

A bonus to the ferry dock at Isla Mujeres is the woman who sells banana leaf wrapped tamales that are excellent (the red sauce and chili powder is a great addition if you like it hot). We tried these on our second trip and were glad we did.

The downtown area of Isla Mujeres, located on the north end of the island, is the center for shopping, dining, and lodging. There are dozens of shops and restaurants in an area roughly four blocks by six blocks. Everything downtown is within walking distance, and that is what we did - walked and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the various shops, restaurants, and businesses in the downtown area.

The merchants are friendly and certainly encouraging, but we didn't find any of them overbearing in their pitches. Persistent, yes, but rude, no. It was a lot of fun just strolling the streets and sampling from some of the street vendors - fresh fruit, juice, and churros in the town square. We didn't have anything we didn't enjoy from any of the street vendors. Hidalgo is the main drag and is full of restaurants and shops, some with tacky souvenirs, some with some interesting art and pottery not to mention lots of silver.

Some of our most enjoyable time was spent just wandering aimlessly through the downtown and town square area. At night the downtown square fills with various food vendors and turns into a local gathering spot. It's a great place to enjoy a bite and people watch.