Travellin’ to paradise, past and present

UltraMar docks at Puerto Juarez on the mainland

Living on an island in the Caribbean Sea, there is only one way to get there – by boat. Be it passenger vessel, car ferry or private yacht, we all have to cross the water. Okay, one or two lucky people have small private planes that are permitted to land in the seldom-used, almost-defunct airport. But the rest of us peasants cross by boat; big boats, little boats, private boats or commuter boats.

The Ultramar boats are getting bigger all the time.

Every couple of years we see a new addition to the fleet of passenger ferries bringing people to this little piece of paradise. 

The vessels are getting bigger and bigger to accommodate the increase in visitors. 

The newest multi-level arrival can transport 650 visitors to Isla Mujeres with each sailing.

Photo Credit unknown, posted on Recuerdos de Isla Mujeres!

Before the UltraMar started business the only passenger service to the island was provided by Ausencio Magaña and his family members. Their fleet included the La Carmita, a banana-shaped boat that rolled and wallowed in the seas creating havoc with the tender stomachs of landlubbers and tourists. The preferred place for locals to ride was in the stern, well away from any seasick travellers. 

2002 Caribbean Miss

The next Magaña ship was La Novia del Mar and then the popular La Sultana del Mar.  A fourth boat, La Dama Elegante, was equipped with a six foot (2 metres) by two foot (60 cm) glass insert for viewing the sea life. A sunken shrimp boat, the Blanca Beatriz was rescued from near Isla Contoy, and refurbished. Although that vessel was primarily reserved for circumnavigating the island with sightseers.  

In 2002 our first trip to Isla was on the Caribbean Miss owned by the Magaña family.  

This modest craft held maybe forty people and a bit of cargo. I have never been sea-sick, but the combined diesel fuel vapours and the slight rolling motion pushed my tolerance to the limit.  

2005 UltraMar passenger ferry

When we returned in 2005 the first UltraMar catamaran was in service with interior seating for fifty or sixty people.

2009 saw the arrival of a larger catamaran for UltraMar with upper deck seating and a capacity of about 200 passengers. 

Three larger boats holding up to 265 people arrived in 2011 with flashy blue underwater LEDS lighting up the nighttime crossings.

Flashy underwater LEDs on UltraMar boat

Still not enough to deal with the thousands visitors, UltraMar put a ship called the Bo Hengy into service for a short time. The company didn’t even have time to paint the new ship in the distinctive blue and yellow corporate colours before it was put to use.

Spring break for many schools in Canada, USA and Mexico is coming soon. The lineups will be huge, but with the new larger ships in service hopefully traveling back and forth to the mainland won’t be a problem.

Although, if you live on the island hiding out at home is the best solution during the crazy time of year.

When you have sand, sun, margaritas, and cold beer all within easy reach, there is need to leave home.

Hasta Luego

~

Murder and mayhem. 

Revenge and romance.

The Isla Mujeres Mystery novels.

Grab your copy today - Amazon for e-books and paperbacks, or if you are on the island you can purchase a paperback as a last minute gift for your Valentine. 

Nothing remains quite the same

It’s been ten years since we discovered Isla Mujeres.  Ten years!  That’s a mere slice of time compared to a number of our friends who stumbled upon this island paradise 20, 30 or 40 years ago.  We are relative newbies to this island.  Looking back through some of our many photos I thought it might be fun to share a few of the older ones. 


The first time we visited we crossed the strait between the mainland and Isla Mujeres on one of the Magaña boats, the dank and smelly Caribbean Miss spewing diesel fumes as it laboured across the water.  The after-sunset taxi ride from Centro led along a bewildering series of dark streets, curving roads, and a potholed-almost-not-a-road, eventually depositing us at our rental house at Villa Makax, Steve and Lindell Lehrer’s cute little casita.  

Our first view a few days later of the famed North Beach was stunningly beautiful – sugar white sand stretching across the top the island, with an unobstructed view all the way to the Avalon Hotel.  Before the IxChel One and IxChel Two condo developments, before the Privileges Aluxes Hotel the only other tall structure at the north end of Isla was the old lighthouse next to Jax Bar and Grill.  Smitten with the island we returned several times either visiting family, or introducing friends to Isla, finally purchasing our lot in June of 2006. 

The changes we notice most are funny little things, things that have personal meaning for us.  For instance, the palms trees at Casa Luna Turquesa that now almost obscure the house.  We and two Canadian friends bought the first two palms for that yard.  We purchased two little sticks, with a few feathery leaves poking out the tops at a garden centre on the island.  

We hustled the palms back to Casa Luna in two taxis - with drivers that were competing to see who could get their passengers back the quickest.  Big tip for the winning driver!

New UltraMar docks under construction 2006

Other changes that have affected us personally include a much better choice of grocery stores.  The first visit we could only see a choice of eating at restaurants, or shopping at the convenience store, Mirtita, in Centro.  

By the time we had built our home in 2007 a St. Francisco Super X-Press had located in Centro across from the municipal plaza and the church.  

Opening Day at Chedraui Super Store December 2011

A second Super X-Press opened in Colonia La Gloria in 2009 and the Chedraui Super Store with a great bakery department, decent produce section and a good selection of wine opened in December of 2011.  

We still venture off to Cancun at least once a month to get the other extras that are not stocked on the island.  This week when we were doing the Cancun run we ran into at least a dozen islanders in Home Depot and the same dozen people in Costco a few minutes later.  We all had a good laugh about doing the circuit of Cancun.

But for me, the best change is the choice in passenger ferry boats, or as we call them, water taxis.  

Instead of enduring the rolling, bobbing, smelly Caribbean Miss, we can ride in air conditioned comfort on the twin-hulled UltraMar jet boats, and make the crossing in fifteen minutes.  

Thank goodness nothing remains quite the same.