A little Cancun secret "Isla Mujeres"

The island is fairly small, around 1/2 km wide by 7 km long and has a population of about 12,000. Tho this may seem fairly small, this place is jam packed with restaurants,bars and many more things that I will go into later. The general feel to the island is very relaxed and very chill. One person mentioned that if you go to Isla Mujeres you better do whatever it is your gonna do in the first couple of days, or you will go into "Isla mode". Pretty much this place is so tranquilizing all I want to do is lay, and sip my cervaza mode.

Tourism is the main economy for the Island. Hey although this place is one of the most chill axed places in Mexico, it is also right beside one of the most bustling places. Most people that come to the Island are day-trippers that come off the boats from Cancun. They can make the downtown core a bit congested at times, but luckily for you if your staying on the Island they come at 10 AM and are mostly all gone by 4PM.

For most of you, you will start your journey To I.M from Cancun international airport. Its basically the same regardless of were your starting out, you gotta take a ferry!. The goal is to get to Puerto Juarez which is 15 miles from the airport. When your just leaving the Cancun airport you will see a ticket booth on your left. This is were you will purchase your ground fare to Puerto Juarez. The cheapest bet is to take a shuddle (collectiva) through town. It cost 12 bucks a head and will take over an hour to get to Puerto Juarez. For the impatient person there are 4-person taxis that will cost you $42. Don't try to barter here since all the cabs leaving Cancun international are owned by one company. Just tell there person at the ticket booth were you want to go and how many are in your party. Don't pay any more than that unless you want to tip. There are also 9 person suburbans that are $72.

There we go -- now we are at the docks. A porter will help you with your bags and bring them to the end of the dock. Ferries usually run every 1/2 our and go from 10AM to 7PM.

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Here I will attempt to make a list of all the places to eat/get drunk:). There are so many, so this will take awhile. I may make a separate lens dedicated to eating. Ill start off with the best and work my way down.

Also, most of the restaurants are downtown in the main part of the Island. I will try to give the best descriptions I can and try to find a suitable map to help yea out.

Here goes!!!
Bistro Francais: is were you go if you can't decide were to go. You can't go wrong here. Prices are very low for the great food you get. Chicken Co Co Van is the house special and you gotta try the French onion soup. The owners are a Canadian (Diane) and her husband Victor. (Located on Hildago and Matamoros)

Miguals Moonlight cafe: Great prices and has happy hour drinks. You will probably end up here most nights for cocktails if your staying on the Island.

Amigos: Fairly expensive compared to most but with good reason. It gets fairly crowded, and you will usually need to wait a bit to be seated. The owner and top chef are trained in French Cuisine so the food is always superb (Located on Hildago)

Rolandis (Italian): This is the most popular restaurant on Isla and will start to get crowded after 6PM. If you have a large group this place will seat you nicely. All tho the food cant compare to Bistro's it is fairly well priced and descent. (Located on Hildalgo)

La Cazuela: An Awesome place for breakfast. You gotta try there only egg dish "cazuelas", can't go wrong here. (Located behind the church in the center square)

Pok Chuc: This is were you will probably find the best bang for you buck. It has a very large menu, and the prices are the some of the best on the Island.(Located on Juarez Av)

Playa Lancheros: This place has the best fish on the Island. It serves the famous Tik-N-Chick fish that you get when you go on the snorkeling tour. $9 for a great meal. Tiburon is close buy and is very similar and is also very good. These places are located away from downtown towards the southern tip of the Island. You will need a taxi or some other means of transport to get there. (Turn right at Hacienda Mundaca park coming from downtown and look for the sign.)

Alright, I'm gonna quit here for now and I will keep updating this section till I'm done. There are so many restaurants this is only a taste. For good seafood, look to the left as you coming off the main ferry dock. There will be 7 restaurants lined up there.

Map of the downtown area where most of the action is.


This is the link to maps of the whole Island.

DRINK WATER! DRINK WATER! DRINK WATER!
This is a must. Keep hydrated your entire stay or it will be over. Combination of the sun, the heat and Alcohol is deadly. Try to drink one bottle of water to a bottle of beer. The humidity is high, averaging around 90% and reaching 100%. It will be hot and wet and you will not notice the sweat poring off you. Cant overemphasize this.

-Don't flush the toilet paper down the toilet. The Island doesn't have a sewage system that mulches up paper like we do in the U.S and Canada. Just put it in the waist basket to the side.

-Exchange your money at the only bank on the Island(HSBC). Directly across from the main Ferry dock on Avenue Morelos.

-Take around $10 a day in $1 bills for tips. Leave your maid $1 a day since her base pay is around $7 per day.

-U.S dollars are exepted everywhere on the Island, but peso's are the norm.

-Crime is next to none on the Island but use common sense wherever you travel. Try not to walk any were alone at night, and stay in the light.

-If you are on a budget, you can probably get buy with $50-$60 per day. Buy your booze at the liquor store and get some ice from a restaurant and put it in a cooler. As this will be your biggest money sucker. Beer is around $-2.5 and cocktails or other drinks are around $3.5-5.00 at the bars and restaurants.

-Be prepared to see lots of topless women. The atmosphere is very relaxed here. Full nudity is a no no , and will get you in trouble.

Magana Ferry
Puerto Juarez to I.M- 35 pesaos each way every 30 minutes. 6AM to 9:30PM, and 11PM
I.M to Puerto Juarez- 35 pesos both ways every 30 minutes 5:30AM to 9PM, and 10PM

Ultramar Ferry docks at Gran Puerto which is a few blocks south of Puerto Juarez.
To I.M- 35 pesos both ways every 30 minutes. 5:30Am to 11:30PM
From I.M-35 pesos both ways every 30 minutes 6AM to Midnight

If you want to leave or are going to the Cancun hotel zone use the ferries from El Embarcadero or Playa Tortugas. These cost more and don't run as often.

Ultramar Ferry
Playa Tortugas to I.M $10 and $15 round trip. 9AM, 10AM, 11AM, 12PM, 1PM, and 10PM
I.M to Playa Totugas $10 and $15 round trip. 9:30Am, 10:30AM, 11:30AM, 12:30PM, 3:30PM, and 5:30MP.

There is also a car ferry from Punta Sam. A couple kilometers north of Puerto Juarez.

There are is no shortage of good beaches on Isla, with there very find cool white sand. And the best thing is that they are all public. You will have a unique experience here, mingling with the friendly locals and the down to earth gringos. If you have kids they will get a chance to meet local children and play. Language isn't a problem since kids usually just use body language to communicate.

Your best bet for beach time will probably be Nort beach on the north end of the Island. You can walk 35 meters out and be only hip deep. Although it has received some damage in the past from hurricanes and the sand has shifted a bit it is still very decent. There are some good bars with happy hours here (Sunset Grill, la Palapa, Za Zil Ha, Buhos and Chi Chi's). Happy hours usually run from noon till 7PM and you will get 2 for 1 drinks if your at the right bar. Nort beach is also were you will find the best snorkeling on the Island besides the snorkeling tours that bring you out to the larger reefs. When I snorkeled here there was a fast variety of aquatic life and one very curious barracuda that was checking me out. You can rent beach chairs and umbrellas for around $10, but I just lay under a palm tree, its free.

There are plenty of ways to get around the Island, one being walking since mostly everything is close. Your best bet if you find yourself unable to stay sober is to rent a taxi. They area reasonable price, and will run you around $15/hour. The second bet, and my favorite because it gives you unlimited freedom are golf carts. They can carrie 4 people and cost $41 for a full day and $50 for 24 hours, regardless of were you rent them. There are 16 outfits were you can rent them, but the most reliable is probably El Sol. It is located on the west end of Madero. You will need to leave your drivers license as a security deposit. If you are worried about this Iv never heard of any one ever having a problem unless they damaged something. You can rent mopeds for $23 per day and $32 for 24 hours. These can be a bit dangerous since the streets are tight and narrow. Unless you are confident on one I suggest other means of travel. Bicycles are also for rent at around $9.25 per day.

If you are arriving on the Island with luggage off the ferry there are three wheel luggage bikes. These are neat and make you feel like your on a real Island adventure. They run for about $4 to $6 depending on were you are staying. Taxis may be a bit cheaper but the bike boys will carry your luggage to your room, were the taxi dudes will not.

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