Isla Mujeres

Stop #1: Isla Mujeres

Our first stop was Isla Mujeres, a small touristy island off the coast of the peninsula. Many believe Isla Mujeres, which means the Island of Women, got its name from when pirates ran the oceans. They would leave their wives on this island as they went out to sea to pillage ships. Another theory is that the Mayans, who used the island as a religious center of worship for their Goddess Ixchel, named it. It wasn’t until 1847 that people really began settling onto the island and making it a habitable place.

Today, it is one of the most visited islands. You are transported to a whole new world, just a short hour ride on the Ferry from Cancun, you are transported to a whole new world. We were able to take our car onto the ferry and drive it off directly into the town. You are greeted by golf carts EVERYWHERE on the main road, it seems we didn’t get the memo. Here we are in our rental car trying to maneuver around the island behind these carts driving 5mph. If you ever find yourself on Isla Mujeres, take my advice and get a golf cart!!

To begin with, we rented an Airbnb outside of the main area. It was honestly refreshing since it was nice and quiet and away from all of the people (and golf carts). There are plenty of hotels and resorts you can book right by the beach as well. It’s such a small island that we only needed to spend three nights there to see what we wanted to see.

Lunch Spot

As soon as we got to the island, we went searching for a lunch spot. Venturing outside of the main busy streets we found a restaurant called Mininos II. It is a cute open-style restaurant filled with locals and live music. Instantly we knew we picked the right spot when a customer told us she recommended everything on the menu.

For starters, in every Mexican restaurant, you will receive pico de gallo with homemade tortilla chips. We learned this very quickly. When it was time to order, we asked for some guacamole because the waiter highly recommended it to us. (Disclaimer: I’ve never liked avocado or guacamole, but after a month in Mexico I finally understand the hype.) For the main dish, I recommend ordering the fried fish of the day. It was accompanied by bean paste, rice, and lettuce. As well, I also recommend a plate of ceviche. The medley of different sea fish was absolutely as fresh as could be. We ate it all without even talking, that’s how good it was.

Best Tacos in Town

For dinner, we found a local taco stand named Taqueria Erika. It was just a few minutes walk away from our Airbnb. They are only open in the evening from 6 pm-midnight. Firstly, it is a family-run stand right outside of their home so you know it’s about to BUSS. As soon as we got there, there was a line of people waiting to take their orders of tacos home. You can watch the chef cook your meat and make your tacos right before your very eyes. They move so fast! With countless options of meat to order, I recommend trying some al pastor tacos and a gringa taco coupled with arrachera con queso. Every bite was heavenly and filled with flavor. It was so good that we ended up going back there for dinner the next night too. This time I ordered four!!

Breakfast

This breakfast stop was a highly recommended stop called Mango Cafe. They offered menus in Spanish and English and spoke both languages as well. Their food was very delicious, and they had a line of people waiting to come inside. We ended up getting a breaded stuffed pepper with eggs and potatoes as well as an eggs benedict with a bowl of fresh fruits. The perfect way to start the morning.

Beachin’ it

Playa del Norte is the most famous and occupied beach on the island. It faces Cancun and is occupied by countless hotels, resorts, and restaurants. When we went the water was extremely calm. It felt very relaxing to just lay in the sun and watch the boats go by. It was the perfect spot to watch the sunset right over the water.

Activities

We made a reservation with Island Adventures Mexico to do a snorkeling trip! There are plenty of other companies you can choose from all around the beach. You will be offered a snorkeling trip at least 5 times while walking down the beach.

Island Adventures had plenty of activities to choose from fishing tours to scuba diving. We decided to do the Xtreme Snorkeling which cost $45. This included: brand new snorkels, some swimming flippers, lifejackets, a mask and a BBQ fish lunch. To clarify, it was my first time trying snorkeling so I was extremely nervous. They ensured me that it was safe and that I didn’t need to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with. To start, the Captain took us to some shallow waters so we could practice using the equipment. Once we were comfortable enough, we started the tour. During this time, I wish I had an underwater camera because everything I saw was just so amazing. We got to see an underwater museum, many different types of fish, and coral. It was a really amazing experience that I recommend completely.

Tortugranja

For only 30 pesos, you can visit the turtle farm or the tortugranja. It’s a nonprofit turtle species restoration organization protecting turtles and educating about them. They are located in a small building by the ocean, you are greeted with what felt like a mini aquarium. In the center of the building were open tanks that inhabited different species of turtles! Some baby turtles and some adult ones swam around aimlessly. Online they mentioned that we could feed the turtles, but we didn’t get that opportunity. Outside of the building, there were pools that had even bigger and older turtles swimming around. This turtle farm is doing great work in conserving and caring for these sea creatures.

Beautiful Views

There is one more spot you need to check out on the island and that is Punta Sur. At the most southern tip of the island, you can see the formation of the rocks and the ocean crashing against them. You are greeted at the entrance by the Goddess Ixchel. She was the first Mayan Goddess of water, fertility, abundance, the moon, love, and medicine. Here, she is seen holding a fish while wearing her traditional clothing. We planned to be there for sunset, but everything was closed. From the looks of it, they have a lot of food stands in the area and treats to eat. Although the sunset was on the other side of the island, it still had some pretty beautiful views of the clouds and the cliffside. There was even a newlywed couple taking photos! So it is definitely a must-see.

Isla Mujeres is small but memorable.