Back to La Isla

The whole island waited for the to open because everybody knows Lori and Polo are great cooks, catering to yachts, weddings and millionaires.

And now they're there in a cute little building right at the first corner when you bomb your little golf cart or scooter along the windward shore. Some go inside because it's really cute, some sit at the sidewalk tables, some grab a box lunch to munch as they tour the rest of Isla.

This is fresh, wholesome, natural food with exotic spices from their own Caribe-wide collection. The brunches from 8:30 to 2:30 Thurs-Sunday are very popular with locals and whatever visitors putt by,

An exciting menu ranging from Peanut Butter/Jelly Empadadas (who else has THAT?) to Gapacho and Yougrut and skilletpotatos with chorizo. Or how about a plain taco? Sorry, no plain tacos here: would you like West Indies Chicken in peanut sauce, Tempura fried Fish with Pear Salsa, Coxacan Mole with Chihuahua cheese, or something more exotic?

But the real event is the Monday night Tropical Barbecue, with the big canister fired up and fragrantly smoking outside.
A different menu every week at a flat price: Tequila glazed mango chicken, Jamaican Jerk Pork, Coconut Pineapple Kabobs, Brazilian Ancho Chile Roast.

And to drink? Organic Oaxaxa Coffee, Coconut Chai, Jamaican Ginger Beer, or fruit ades made from anything from lemon to watermelon.

This is not the cheapest chow on Isla, but it's about the same price as mediocre restaurants and the food is better than many of the expensive ones.

Last night I dreamed of La Isla.... Madonna

I'll watch the sun go down and hear the sea roll in
I'll be thinking of you and how it might have been
Hear the night birds cry and watch the sunset die
I hope you understand I just had to go back to the Island

Leon Russell

Eight years ago I moved off La Isla. Must have been out of
my mind.

I came back dreading what I've seen in so many charming little coasts in
Mexico and my fears seemed realized as I walked off the ferry. To the right, a
new 7-11--he only one I've ever seen in Mexico. To the left, worse, a Señor
Frogs-- about as omnipresent imperialism of gringo gear force-feeding
imaginable. There are a couple of five story hotels now, and more seasonal
homes along the water. A lot more cars in a place where there is absolutely no
reason to have one.

But that was in town, and that was about it. I got my old apartment again
and standing on my roof I couldn’t seen anything that had changed in the old
‘hood. It’s still a little town isolated from the main hurly-burly by a ferry
ride, enriched by tourism but not overwhelmed. Still miles of gorgeous
underwater terrain where nobody goes. Still a place where you can walk--or
dine--in the streets. Still a very sweet, mellow, innocent little place.

Glad to be back. Now, about you.
If you like the Hotel Zone in Cancun, chain bars and stores, high-power
shopping, streets rattling with abrasive American music, walls of glass above
beaches crowded with vendors...this place is not for you. You belong in Cancun
or Playa Carmen and should stay there for everybody's benefit.

If your idea of a holiday is wading hundreds of yards through calm still
waters, dining on streets without rushing cars, sleeping with the sound of the
surf, spending a day under a palapa by turquoise sea sipping beer, maybe
hearing an acoustic trio or oldies group in the evening, snorkling without the
need of tour guides and motorboats...then come on over. It's still here.

Quick Tips:

The quickie?
Turn left off the ferry and walk along the street full of little shops and tourist trap nuttiness until you hit the beach. Take off your shoes and go on the sand. There are bars with chairs on the beach, you might not get any further.
Walk around the north tip to the bridge. This is a beautiful beach and EXCELLENT for children. Also some beginner snorkling areas.
Walk back through town along the windward side or along Hidalgo, where all the restaurants and nicer shops are.

If you want to buzz around, note the section below. (Go up the lighthouse at South Point for some cool pics)

Best Way To Get Around:

It's five miles long. The downtown, with several beaches is like four blocks square.
You don't need anything but your feet.

But they rent bikes by the ferry. And mopeds. And the island's characteristic transport...golf carts. So you take a spin around.
DON'T drive around the downtown like a typical tourist idiot. There's no need, no parking, no room. Okay?
Drive to the South Point. The windward side has great pulloffs on cliffs over the waves, the leeward side has mansions and weirdness and several nice beachfront restaurant/playgrounds.

It's hard to figure out just what Sancocho's is. Sometimes it looks like a sports bar. Especially during playoffs, world cup, etc. If you want to be around a bunch of North American fans talking trash, placing bets and howling over calls during the SuperBowl, Final Four, or Grey Cup, this is your place. With two big screens and a half dozen smaller sets. They show two NFL games during the season: viewers of the second game get special earphones so they can hear their action and not what's on the big screen. If you have a party of rabid fans, reserve tables in advance to guarantee it's your game they watch.

This is the best place for sports watching on the island, and located in the Hidalgo street "Restaurant Row".

Or is it "fine dining". Lots of people, including Europeans, just go there for the food... even tolerate NFL fans for the experience. This isn't going to come up as "best food in town" topic. And it's not super cheap. But it's a really good value. You can get Chicken Cordon Blue here (with mushrooms if you want) for 80 pesos. Well that's a bit more than a roast chicken down the block, but the same thing would cost you 150 pesos down at Rolandi's (which DOES get mentioned as "best food in town", but mostly because the overcharge and their service sucks). And Sancochos turns out a damn good Blue Ribbon Chicken.

They also have specials of the day, and for games on Sunday. Good deals on selected lunches ranging from five buck chilli dog plates to six or seven for seafood platters. A few other extras: it's one of the few places you can buy the Miami Herald's Mexico edition and the waitresses are the sweetest, friendliest, helpfullest bunch of little cuties in the area. Also, nice bathrooms in a downtown in which 80% of the restaurants don't have restrooms at all.


Team that up with sports (in season) and a light, "Hell This Is Mexico" attitude and good bar and what you've got is a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon. Or have a tasty dinner. Or just have a few beers and catch ESPN.

If you are going to a Caribbean island in Mexico you might have a certain type of fantasy. And it's nothing to be ashamed of.

You sit above a turquoise sea, white building visible in the distance past fishing boats and wheeling gulls. You are shaded by an umbrella of palm thatch, comfortable in a teak chair on a stone floor with bamboo railings. You feel a breeze of the still sea, perhaps there's a yacht moored at the end of the long pier. Waves loll gently, the air smells of blossoms. It's warm, it's quiet except for soft music and tinkle of crystal.

Attentive, affable waiters in white shirts, whose names all end in "O" bring you rum drinks and dark local beer. The owners are friendly and fun: the sit at a roundtable of pleasant conversation and laughter.

There is food, of course, wonderful food. Lobster, coconut shrimp, catch of the day. You eat and drink in luxuriant relaxation, drenched with romance. Your dining companion is enthralled by the spell of the place. The sunsets in Latin splendor, the moon shines on the water, lights come on across the shore. The warm night moves in around you. Then they tell you about the deserts.

Brandied ice cream. Key lime. French custards. Chocolate overdose. Rich, sinful flan. And why not? Here you are. Another cup of the excellent coffee, please. Time is cheap here in paradise.

There actually is such a place. It's called Casa O's. If you don't have a graceful ketch or powerful motor launch, don't worry. Nobody will hold it against you. There are taxis from town. There's a ferry back to the real world. But there's no rush...

CASA O'S

There are a lot of people on Isla who will take you out snorkeling or SCUBA diving. These guys are among the best. And they have the best location.

A block from the bridge to Avalon Reef...the prettiest swimming hole on Isla, they can have you in a boat quick and take you straight out over gorgeous shallows. Good divers, good seamen, good guys. English spoken.

But more important, they rent gear. If you were dum enough to come here without a mask and snorkle, Seahawk can rent you an outfit cheap...or even sell you a setup for a price that is very good for Mexico. So you can take it with you as you move around the region.

They also teach courses in all that SCUBA malarky for people who can't swim underwater without artificial breathing junk.

They'll take you fishing with rod and line.

And they have a little pop stand next door.

They rent ROOMS at good rates right upstairs.

But it's worth going by this place on your way down to Bohos or Playa Norte just to see their sea turtle skulls. I swear they have one as big as my head. An awesome sight.

See more details, rates, contact and address on THEIR WEBSITE

Your bopping around the tropics, you need some ice cream. QED. But it doesn't have to be just a matter of need, like that. Let's discuss it like connoisseurs. Boulevardiers. Appreciators of the finer things life offers. And a great dish of home-made ice cream is a good place to start. Seven years ago a buddy of mine had the only quality icecream place on Isla. Now there are three. This is the upside of the "getting built up and touristy" thing that people (especially tourists) always bitch about all over the world: the appearance of Quality and Options.

The whole thing about Location, Location, Location has a fatal flaw: a good location is good for the businessman, but that might not be in the best interests of the customer. The best locations in the United States are all 7-11's and Starbucks, if you take my point. Which is: don't go thundering into the gellato place on the main drag. Sure, there it is, and they have flavors, and there are seats. But they are also flakes with no idea of customer service--and their icecream is far from the best on the island. In fact, there are two much better places within a block. Go to either of the next corners of Hidalgo, turn west and in the middle of the block on your leftt will be a great hand-crafted ice cream place with cool owners and some handy sidelines. That's right, there are two of them. Try them both. Compare and contrast in 500 words or less. Pig out. You're on vacation, why the hell wouldn't you pamper yourself to mush?

On one of those cross streets, right across from the EVIL ISLA CONDO office, is a fairly quaint little building housing Gelateria Monte Biancho. All three of these places make Italian ice cream and variations, but the sweet people who work here are actually Italian. Cute accents and all. (They speak Italian and Spanish, little English, but what little they have is all about flavors.) And they have some flavors, by cracky. Baccio is hazelnut chocolate and the also have weird words for their raspberry and strawberry and vanilla and chocolate. But why concern yourself with crash Italogelato acquisition when the hot set-ups are clearly the tiramisu (which has no English translation other than "yum") and the coffee, which is pretty obvious from the chocolate covered espresso beans on top of it. And the CHERRY. God, this stuff is great. A white cream supporting whole black cherries in a special Italian sauce. Incredismo! Prices range from 20 pesos for a small cup to fifty for a sort of lovers's cup for two. AND they have coffee. All the usual fancy Italian coffee stuff, don't worry. But what I like is that they've also got a plain old cup of Am
ericano coffee for ten pesos: cheapest on the island and tastes fine without all the steam and cream and extream. Furthermore, the signora is an excellent baker, so if you hurry you might get some of her flaky pastries or apple pie. Then you can sit at a little table, or the bench out front and sip and deliciate.
OR you can take your cuppa over to the internet machines. A different owner, but right there handy for ya. You can also hook up for diving excursions, but you probably can't have coffee while you're diving.

Up at the other place, with the appropriate name of Cool Ice Cream, there are also extras. The owner, a cute and charming Peruvian woman, is also an artist and they feature her custom jewelry and oils and prints by several Isla painters. No coffee or internet, but you can get both right across the street. And long distance telephone calls on either side.

But WHO CARES? This place has the greatest ice cream on this or any given island! She's an artist in cream, also, is what I'm saying. She makes it at home from all natural ingredients (and rolls her own sugar cones) and isn't afraid to experiment. They have, for instance, cinnamon ice cream. Also mango, banana, coconut, blackberry, as well as the usual Big Three. Forget them: they have two flavors you won't find elsewhere and they will kick your butt. They don't just make coffee kahlua icecream. They make kahlua icecream, then sift a thin layer of ground espresso beans over the entire surface. When it's spooned out, the pure coffee marbles through it for a tickle, bite and buzz. Yow!
But my fave, and nominee for top cream on the Mayan Riviera and most of the rest of the world, is the nutella, a flavor probably found only here. Again,they make a creamy vanilla, then cut slabs of the Australian hazelnut/chocolate syrup right into it like a caramel marble. Where it hardens into a chewy strata of inexpressible goodness, well-being and light. I'm totally gone on this stuff. Same prices as the other place: 20 pesos and up, depending on size and whether you want a cone. (You do.)

COOL Website and map to the goodies

COOL has a NEW LOCATION this year. Or rather an additional location: perfect, right on Hidalgo (restaurant row) between Bambu and Sancochos. Sidewalk tables and live music next door... and BANANA SPLITS!!!!!! YOW!

So Cool wins out as best ice cream on Isla, edging out Monte Biancho by a nutella-smeared nose. If you sample only a single ice cream here, that's the hot spot to which to trot. But come on? ONE lousy ice cream? Don't you think you should try at least two, come to your own verdict on a vital subject like this one? I do, and I think you do, too.

There are lots more expensive hotels on Isla. Like Na Balam across the street, for instance, where you can shell out $300 a night. Or spas in the South End that swaddle you in serenity and ectasy. But if price was no object for me, I'd stay at the Villa Kin. If I had little kids, I'd be that much more inclined.

The big reason: location, location, location. Let me explain the layout a little. Right off the north beach of Isla is a tiny sub-island connected by a bridge and sporting a high rise hotel complex. This creates a small lagoon, about the size of a football field. A coral reef that keeps big waves out of the lagoon, but allows fresh water to flow through. This little lagoon is so shallow you can usually just walk actross it. No motorboats enter. To the north, you can wade or walk on the sand to North Beach...or swim out to the reef. To the east you can see the Caribbean waves. It's about a quarter mile to the center of town. Out by the reef are tidepools and rocks that offer fun snorkeling or exploration. On the other side is a gentle white sand beach that drops off very slowly. And that beach is where Villa Kin is located.

The Villa has been there a long time, by Mayan Riviera standards, and it's not very modern or fancy or the height of luxury. It doesn't need to be. What it is, it's the perfect blend of Isla's laid back beachcomber atmosphere and contemporary conveniences like good plumbing, electricity and service. It's not "funky" or "rustic"...it's what you might think of when you hear the words "beach cottage". Rooms are nice, with tables and chairs on verandas looking out at the lagoon and Caribe. Or you can wander down to the hammocks hanging between the palms, or hang out in any number of public patios and nooks. Or step through the gate and be on the beach. No lobby, no elevator...just barefoot access.

The beach has been described as one of the world's greatest waterholes for kids, and it lives up to it. The gentle shallows are safe and welcoming enough for babes in arms, hazard free for toddlers and frolicking grade-schoolers. Older kids can swim across to do some real snorkeling, never in more than five feet of water. Past the bridge is a sand shelf that extends the azure shallows a hundred yards out into open sea.

This is no protected tourist preserve, though. It's a favorite with locals: attracting family groups, not young hotdogs and boozers. On Sundays, the beach is full of Mexican families and their cute little kiddos. Some expatriates pack folding chairs down and pass the day there. It's a spot that appeals to young Japanese tourists. It's lowkey and serene, but also an international community. If you want to experience what Isla life is like, this is the place and no doubt about it.

But how about your lifestyle while there? To give an idea of the Villa Kin concept or a relaxing personal hotel, they have no restaurant or bar. Not a problem to find either close by, but you see the point. And how it fits with having two kitchens so you can do some light cooking if you want. They serve a free light breakfast of breads, yoghurt, fruit and coffee/tea each morning, as well. In the "Diego Rivera Room", which is an eclecticly decorated space full of Mexican art and books about local and regional subjects.
And hey, NO phones and NO TV.

And there's no need to part with $300 a day to hang out here, either. In fact, it's one of the major bargains on the island. The rooms are all different, and in several categories. Rates range from $49 USD for rooms with 2 double beds in low season to $180 in high season for ocean view rooms with king sized beds.

It's a few blocks to the market, around the corner to snorkle gear rental (in case you were dumb enough to come here without a mask and snorkle) three blocks to the restaurant row downtown...and a few sandy steps to the water.

Information and location at
THEIR WEBSITE