Bitch of the Day, Isla Mujeres Mexico

Playa Norte early in the morning

Darn auto correct!  

It’s supposed to be Beach of the Day!

For those of you enjoying the minus whatever temperatures in other parts of the world, here's a quick tour of our world of sun, sand, and fun.  

On our little 7 km long island in the Caribbean, we are fortunate to have a variety of wonderful beaches to choose from, depending on the day of the week or your mood.  

So pull on your bathing suit, sandals, and sunglasses. Add a t-shirt or tropical wrap, and let’s get started:

Fenix Lounge on Sunday Funday 

On Sunday mid-afternoon, the crowd starts to gather at Fenix Lounge to enjoy live salsa music with La Barby and the guys.  

Located on the north-eastern side of the island near Na Balaam Hotel and the renovated Mia Hotel, you can dance your socks off to the Cuban beats.

Monday - a good day to just chill on the beach

Monday, you’re probably moving a little slower after Sunday Funday, and it’s time to relax.

Rent a beach lounger, tuck under a palm tree, and nap the morning away on Playa Norte with turquoise water gently lapping against soft white sand.  Several restaurants and beach bars will be happy to deliver food and more drinks to your sun lounger.  

Designated as a world-class Blue Flag Beach, Playa Norte is one of the best in all of Mexico.

Sunset on Playa Centro - Playa Posada

Tuesday, just slide around the corner of Playa Norte, on the western side, and enjoy Playa Centro, another Blue Flag-designated beach.  

More sand, turquoise water, food, and drinks!  It’s a great place to hang out and people-watch.  

Life is tough.

Killer Margarita at Soggy Peso

Wednesday, it’s time to get a bit more active and hit the Soggy Peso Bar & Grill on Rueda Medina, about a third of the way along on the western side of the island.  A small private beach, with three or four loungers, is located on the ocean side below the main part of the bar.  

It’s a relaxing place to chill for an hour or two while you enjoy one of their killer margaritas.  If you intend to walk out of the Soggy Peso without falling in their large swimming pool, limit yourself to a maximum of three Margaritas.  "Don’t Step on the Blue.”  You’ve been warned!

Playa Tiberon great place to chill

Thursday is a good day to explore the various beach clubs along Sac Bajo: Playa Tiberon, Zamas, or the Ice Bar at Playa Mexico, where you can freeze your tushy off in below-freezing temperatures while enjoying a beverage.  

These are private beach clubs where you pay a small entry fee or consume a certain amount of drinks and food to use the beach and facilities. Oh darn, eating and drinking at the beach, again. 

Friday it is on to Playa Lancheros, near the Royal Palace all-inclusive hotel at the roundabout where you turn north towards Sac Bajo, or south towards Punta Sur. Playa Lancheros is famous for its traditional Mayan Tikinxik grilled-fish lunch, cold beer, and a nice beach.  

Little further south at Capitán Dulché Restaurante and Museum is a huge restaurant and funky bar. The owner loves old marine artifacts.  He purchased a battered 1930s sailboat that, years ago, had been sailed single-handedly from South Africa. He has had it restored, and it is the centerpiece for the bar.

Garrafon de Castilla - Isla Mujeres Info

Saturday, Garrafon de Castilla great place for simple, old-time fun with easy beach food, and super snorkeling.  It costs much less than the bigger all-inclusive park next door, Garrafon Natural Reef Park. 

Garrafon de Castilla is a great place to recharge your batteries, because you know, the next day is Sunday! And you can start all over again!

Just another week in paradise.

Lawrie, Lynda, Thomas, and Sparky

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Can you get from here to there? Isla Mujeres Mexico

Playa Norte

Reading TripAdvisor can be a trip (old 1970s hippie saying, in case you are too young to remember). 

On the website, there are dozens of questions from people who are first-time travellers to Isla Mujeres. 

Recently, somebody asked: Can I walk all the way around the island on the waterfront?

Well, yes, and no ….. You can walk all the way around on fairly decent sidewalks that were upgraded or newly built in 2009, but the waterfront is another thing entirely. 

Playa Posada L Lock Photo

The waterfront in Mexico is considered federal property, and in theory, you are allowed to cross it, but in some locations, it is just not possible.

If you start at the easy part, the sugar-white sandy beach at the north end, Playa Norte and head south on the west side of the island, you can walk a good distance past restaurants, bars, marinas, and the two passenger ferry docks. 

West side - lots of restaurants, bars and boats

Assuming you can actually pass the bars without stopping at each establishment to check out the degree of coldness for their beer, you could walk for at least twenty minutes before you start running into bigger man-made obstacles.

Your trek will consist of smooth sandy beaches interspersed with mooring lines for the numerous fishing pangas. A lot of high-stepping, rope-hopping is required. 

Zigging and zagging around the fishermen and boats

It's great exercise for the glutes, I'm told. 

When you reach the area in front of the Naval base – that's the large white fenced compound on Medina Avenue – you will have to detour around this restricted area, and use the sidewalks. 

On the south side of the car ferry terminal, there are more fishing-boat lines to hop over and guard dogs to avoid, three fun bars where you can cool off, a handful of restaurants, and several marinas. 

Makax Lagoon - marinas & boats, not pedestrian-friendly

 In the area between Playita Isla Mujeres (formerly Chuuk Kay Restaurante) and the all-inclusive Palace Royale Resort, you will have to use the sidewalks. The properties on this stretch of waterfront face onto the marshy Makax Lagoon. Unless you happen to be wielding a sharp machete, this area is not pedestrian-friendly. Plus, the dense mangrove jungle is home to millions of mosquitoes and other unpleasant critters. So hit the concrete and continue walking south.

Capitan Dulce Restaurante & Museum

You might want to re-hydrate with another cold beverage at Playa Lancheros, or a little further along at Capitan Dulce Restaurante and Museum. In this area, on the western side of Isla Mujeres, there are many large tracts of private land owned by beach clubs and small hotels. A number of these properties have all-inclusive entrance fees and have made it difficult to access the beach.

Garrafon Natural Reef Park, private walkway

At Garrafon Natural Reef Park, you will definitely have to use the sidewalks. The private concrete pathway beneath the rugged cliffs is only accessible by paying the park entrance fee. This pathway connects with Punta Sur, the southernmost part of the island, and coincidentally, the most eastern part of Mexico. The entrance fee for Punta Sur is only about $2.00 USD and is well worth the cost.

Punta Sur walking path. Keep back from the cliff edge!

The most scenic path along this part of the island is a well-worn track that starts at Punta Sur. It skirts the friable edge of the cliffs, ambles in front of private homes, and rejoins the main road near the waste transfer station. (Yes, unfortunately, a place to collect refuse is a necessary evil, even on an island in paradise.) 

Beach along eastern side - near Guadalupana

The pathway slowly descends until once again the beach front is accessible. Built several years ago, there is a nice sidewalk that continues on past the newer cemetery, the Guadalupaňa settlement, Isla 33 Condos, Villa la Bella B&B, and a cluster of tasty restaurants: Caribbean Brisas, Bahama Mama, and Mango Café. If you have experienced what the island sidewalks can look like after a big storm or a hurricane, you will appreciate that this one is smooth and relatively stumble-proof.

Beautiful glass wall looks out over the ocean

Then starting at the beautiful glass-fronted Catholic church across the street from the Mango Café, waterfront hiking becomes more interesting. 

It is possible to clamber over rocks and around obstacles, eventually coming out at the new skateboard park near Casa Ixchel Hotel.

Behind the AguaKan pumping station

From the skateboard park all the way to the Naval airport, the oceanfront is relatively easy to traverse. Part sand, part round pieces of coral, interspersed with rocky outcroppings, the beach meanders past private homes, with a few municipal exits/access points where you can leave the beach and use sidewalks if you choose.

Malécon seawall walkway 

Past the naval base, make a turn towards the sea, and behind the AguaKan pumping station is a wonderfully wide malécon, a walkway, perfect for strolling and enjoying the view of turquoise water. This is our favourite place to walk and check out what's happening in the neighbourhoods. The malécon will take you all the way to Playa Media Luna, and a few steps away from the start of your journey at Playa Norte, where once again you can re-hydrate with a cold beverage.

Playa Media Luna 

If this trek sounds too exhausting, you might want to consider a shorter excursion, a Sea Glass Adventure Hike with our friend Daryl Adler. The hike takes anywhere from one to two hours, depending on your level of fitness or your interest in hunting sea glass. 

 Perhaps you'll find a piece of glass, discarded by the pirates who visited Isla Mujeres many years ago.

Vintage Sea Marble ring - Daryl Adler

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Daryl moved to Isla about three and a half years ago. When the Artist Fair is on, from November to April, you will find Daryl and his display of water colours, or beautifully handcrafted sterling silver jewelry featuring unique sea marbles and one-of-a-kind pieces of sea glass.

So, you see, you actually can get from here to there, but I'm worn out writing about all of this activity. I think I will join my sweetie on the patio for a cold glass of wine and watch the sunset. Ah!

Hasta luego, Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Thomas the Cat

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The textures of Isla Mujeres, Mexico!

A Canadian friend recently mentioned that Isla has textures, many textures - layers within layers.  He's right.

El Varadero Cocina Criolla the inner harbour

We have had similar discussions with friends while sampling food at restaurants, or relaxing with a cool drink at various locations on the island.  Conversations that start out with: "This is amazing!  You wouldn't even know we were on Isla." 

We might have been sitting at the Cuban restaurante El Varadero Cocina Criolla, hanging out over the water in a scene reminiscent of the 1951 movie African Queen starring Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, waiting for the famed boat to putt-putt past.



Bar centre piece at Captain Dulche

Or perhaps we were sitting at the Captain Dulché Museum and Restaurante on the sand-swept west side of the island. This location, with its marine artifacts, metal sculptures from Cuba, numerous Maya antiques, huge palapa restaurant, and rotating bar, is so over-the-top-beautiful it could be in any 5-star resort in the world. 

The view towards the Cancún skyline is gorgeous any time of the day, and the sunsets can be downright spectacular.

Today we had a terrific lunch at Zazil-Ha on the north end of the island, tucked inside the Nabalam Hotel complex. We gazed out onto Playa Norte, famous for its blindingly-white sandy beaches featured in the Corona beer commercials. 

Lawrie tempted the beer gods at lunch. 
He ordered a Sol beer instead of a Corona. Oh, oh!

Sol beer on a Corona beach!

A few million dollars in bad-boy yachts were anchored in the shallow waters of North Beach, allowing guests to swim in the shallow, turquoise water. Playa Norte is the beach that most of the tourist sun-worshipers prefer, with rentable beach chairs or loungers, restaurants, bars and beach vendors all looking to sell their wares. 

It's also a nearby location where topless sunbathing is grudgingly accepted, as the locals are quite conservative. 

The women and girls frequently swim fully dressed in shorts, t-shirts, and underwear, while the men will remove their t-shirts and swim in their shorts.

Family enjoying North Beach

A little further around the corner on the northwestern side of the island are the public beaches where most of the domestic tourists and their families gather to enjoy the deliciously warm Caribbean Sea. 

Across from this beach is Jax Bar & Grill. Their second-floor patio one of our favourite places to hang out and watch the action. 

The entertainment can include watching the locals playing a pick-up volleyball game, or savouring the smells wafting up from the street vendors' food carts, or listening to the families enjoying their beach, their island, their country.

Just play!  Don't speak to me!

Sometimes we loaf around at Cocteleria Minino's, discussing the beauty of the island with our toes dug into the soft sand, watching the two eighty-something brothers play the marimbas.  They are still angry, not speaking to each other after a fight several years ago.  Awkward. 

On the beach, between Cocteleria Minino's and the PeMex gas station is a worn, wooden booth where the fishermen clean and sell the day's catch. Good sounds, good smells.



Birds looking for treats at fish cleaning station

There are many, many more layers of Isla to discover.  We are taking our time, enjoying, savouring every minute.  Waiter, another Sol, please.   
 
Señor, otro Sol, por favor.

Hasta pronto

Lynda & Lawrie
    _______________________

Walking, camera in hand, is one of our favourite things to do early in the morning or early evening, snapping photos of the various areas of the island. In sorting through our more than 7000 digital photos of Isla, it is a chore to decide between photographs. This photo or that one? Have we overused that particular photo? Does this one show the flavours, textures, layers better?  To be continued .......

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