The Beauty of a Day on Isla Mujeres, Mexico

By John Roberts

Cancun is a wonderful destination that serves as a hub of party activity, sunning, funning and launching point for exploring cultures and ancient ruins associated with the Yucatan Peninsula. We are hooked on the area for its wonderful weather, loads of activities and friendly people.

If you are spending any amount of time in Cancun, make sure you spend a day exploring Isla Mujeres. Off the mainland alongside Cancun, Isla Mujeres (Island of Women) is just over four miles long and less than a half mile wide.

Hop a ferry over to spend the day, and you are transported to another era. The pace of the island is much slower as soon as you leave the port area to explore the coasts and points south and north.

Life slows down on Isla Mujeres. Circling the island, you find tons of great views of the water as well as neat little alleyways filled with vendors selling all sorts of delights. We made sure to stop off for an ice cream before we left.

Here's how we spent our day on the island last year. We had so much fun, we'll be heading back again next month. 

A ferry ride across costs about $17 roundtrip. We headed to the Playa Tortuga terminal at the end of the hotel zone in Cancun to catch our ride. Arriving a bit early, we enjoyed a drink on the beach near the pier and jumped in for a quick snorkel.

The ferry ride is about 30 minutes. Upon arrival on Isla Mujeres, we set out to rent a golf cart. Golf carts and scooters are the main modes of transportation around the tiny island, and operators are everywhere, so you can negotiate a good deal. We paid about $75 for the day. You can also reserve the carts at your hotel or on the ferry ride over. 

From there, we set off exploring.

After an hour or so of sightseeing, we ended up at the south end of the island and found a hotel with a nice little beach and scenic restaurant: Garrafon de Castilla. We paid $5 each to use the facilities for the day and quickly settled into our chairs, made new iguana friends and jumped in for wonderful snorkeling.

We had a lunch with delicious tacos and drinks.

We saw interesting decor on the walls: Utensil Jesus!

We packed up and did more touring, and it was not long before we were lured into The Joint, partly because of its great guacamole and beers special . . .

With its beckoning swing (there also was a hammock!) . . .

A friendly pooch . . .

Visitors to the island also use it as a base to go dive or snorkel the curious Cancun Underwater Museum Aquaworld. We had fully intended to try this out, but we were having too much fun on our own that we decided against it. We have heard mixed reviews about the museum being a tourist trap. Perhaps we will give it a shot next time so I can give you a proper review of its value.

Thanks for reading.

Travel happy!

JR