Isla Mujeres: Un-Discovered, Un-Forgettable, Un-Cancun!

Fishing boats at sunset

“This is my favourite part of Cancun,” the woman sitting beside me said.

Quickly, I swallowed my mouthful of wine to prevent it from being snorted out through my nose. Perplexed, I turned to look at her and noticed her all-inclusive resort wristband.

“Cancun?” I said, my eyebrows rising up, questioning.

Sand art on North Beach

“Yes, we are on a day trip from the hotel zone. This is my favourite part of Cancun.”

Lawrie just smiled and diplomatically said, “This isn't Cancun. This is Isla Mujeres. We're a separate community.”

“Oh!”

Same location - next day, are we in Cancun?

A few days later, when I was walking along the shore of North Beach, I noticed a sign that someone had built in the sand. It said: Dream Trip! Yep, good assessment. The next day, I passed the exact same sign, and someone had changed it to read: Cancun. 

Apparently, more than one tourist is confused about where Cancun is located.

Casa Sirena T-shirts 

As Steve Broin, proprietor of the delightful Casa Sirena Bed & Breakfast located in Centro, is fond of saying: Isla Mujeres is Un-Discovered, Un-Forgettable, Un-Cancun. Just a twenty-minute ferry ride from the mainland, Isla is a small island hamlet where people generally know a little bit about you, or sometimes a lot, and even occasionally too much. 

Street vendor

It's a friendly, open-hearted community where ex-pats and locals co-mingle. Many long-term expats tirelessly help out with local charities, animal rescue, and student educational programs. Visitors and residents can choose to be very involved or can maintain a lower profile. It's a personal preference.

Like Cancun, Isla does have four all-inclusive resorts: The Privileges Aluxes, The Mia Reef, The Isla Mujeres Palace, and now the Hotel Villa Rolandi has changed to an all-inclusive. However, most of the accommodations are located in condominiums, small quirky hotels, a large hostel, and private houses. The tourists who discover Isla usually have a more adventurous outlook on life, preferring to try something new rather than to ensconce themselves in an all-inclusive, this-could-be-any-beach-resort-in-the-world, atmosphere.

Golf carts are a favourite transportation

As soon as you step off the boat, you will realize this is very un-Cancun. The first clue is the number of golf carts on the road – about 800 are available for rent, and many more are privately owned. It's a fun and unusual way to explore the island. 

Then there are numerous tiny restaurants and bars scattered throughout the various neighbourhoods, augmented by street vendors with their mobile food carts. Another clue that this is not Cancun would be the dozens of small fishing boats pulled up above the tide line, festooned with nets, anchors, and bait buckets – ready and waiting. Or perhaps the coco frio vendors, who with the whack of a sharp machete will lop the top off a coco and hand you a cool, nutritious drink, all for around two dollars.

Nutritious coconut water 

Unlike Cancun, the island has a huge Naval base, just to the right of the passenger ferry docks. Several Navy ships, including the fast rescue boats, are often berthed in front of the base. There is a navy hospital, barracks for single personnel, and family housing as well. Frequently, the enlisted personnel can be seen exercising, practicing drills, or doing maintenance chores at the base. 

And the airport – well, that belongs to the Navy, but occasionally is used by visiting dignitaries or pilots who have connections. However, a word of advice: be discreet if you are taking photographs of the Navy base or the boats. For security reasons, photographers are not welcome.

Navy personnel

Isla is a tight-knit, family-oriented community. Many islanders have lived here all their lives, as have their parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents and so on.

Isla is not the anything-goes party-til-you-drop atmosphere of Cancun. 

Come visit. Enjoy. Be kind to our little island and you'll have a wonderful experience, one that will keep you coming back time and again.

Un-Cancun

And please, don't make me snort my wine through my nose by telling me this is your favourite part of Cancun. 

That's wrong, just so wrong.

Hasta luego,

Lawrie, Lynda, Sparky, and Thomas

(Thanks to Steve Broin for his great quote: Un-Discovered, Un-Forgettable, Un-Cancun!)

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky

Day-tripping around Isla Mujeres, Mexico

North Beach, Playa Norte, 

“Golf cart amiga? Carito de golf amigo?” the commission salesman asks as you exit the passenger ferry boats. “Take a tour of the island?”

You stop, chat, negotiate a price, and follow him to the rental company's office. What now? 

 The island is only seven kilometres long and less than a kilometre wide. (For our metric-challenged friends, that is 4.5 miles long and half a mile wide.) You could zip around the entire island in less than an hour and be back at the rental place before lunch. What fun is there in that?

Indio's Cart Rentals new colours

Let's take a tour of Isla in one of these jazzy, fun vehicles. Most of the dozen or so rental companies are located in the general vicinity of where the passenger ferries unload. A few that come to mind are Captain Azul, Cardena's, Caribe, Ciros, Coco's, Easy, el Sol, Fiesta, Gomar, Indios, Isla Mujeres, Islander, Joaquin, Luxury, and Prisma. The cost can vary, but is usually around 600 pesos per day, $50.00 US more or less.

Fun rentals from Ciro's

The golf carts come with a few basic instructions: forward, reverse, and it is illegal to let an underage child drive. Then off you go. 

What they forget to mention is that you do not have brake lights, turn signals, or windshield wipers. What you have is a low-power motor, four wheels and a steering wheel plus seating. Basic! 

Because golf carts are slow, be courteous and stay as far to the right as possible. Passing is a national sport in Mexico: passing on hills, passing on blind corners, and passing four across on a two-lane road. Golf carts are not made for passing – you are the tortoise in this race, not the hare. Relax, enjoy, and watch out for the other drivers. And yes, you can be fined for drinking while driving.

The Mia Reef at North Beach

Let's get started. The congested downtown area of Isla consists of one-way streets, streets that are not clearly marked. If you make the wrong choice, your first clue would be the frantic signals of other drivers, waving their arms: Stop! Not this way.  

Driving on the seawall or malecon is strictly prohibited. Hidalgo Avenue, where most of the restaurants are located, is a pedestrian-only street. Poke around downtown and get your bearings, then head north in the direction of the big hotel, the Mia Reef.

North Beach is, as the name suggests, at the northern tip of the island, with white sandy beaches made famous by the Corona commercials and TripAdvisor's surveys rating it one of the Top Ten Best Beaches in the World. 

North Beach is glorious on a sunny day, with numerous places to rent a beach lounger and be served good food and cold drinks. But hey, you have wheels, it's time to see the rest of the island.

North-western side of Isla Mujeres

To keep your bearings, always keep the ocean on the passenger's side of the vehicle. This trick will take you completely around the island and back to the beginning. As you drive south along Rueda Medina, there are several great places along this stretch to enjoy good food and live music later in the afternoon: Jax Grill, Velasquez, Mininos, Ballyhoo, Brisas Grill, and Picus. This is one of our favourite areas to settle in for sunset drinks and snacks. But for now, carry on – you can always walk back to this area after you have returned the golf cart.

Entrance to Barlito's at Marina Paraiso

Drive straight ahead at the intersection by the car ferry, keep going on Rueda Medina until you start to see the various bars and restaurants: Bahia Tortuga, Soggy Peso Bar & Grill, Barlito's @ Marina Paraiso. 

 

Any one of them has icy cold beverages and good food. This might be a good time for a quick stop for refreshments, but don't take too long; you still have the rest of the island to explore.

Back on the road again: turn right and continue on your adventure. Eventually, you'll pass the big orange grocery store – Chedraui. Follow the main stream of traffic, veering slightly to the right as you drive under the overhead warning lights for the pedestrian crosswalks and traffic congestion. If you notice a line-up of impatient drivers behind you, let them pass, or you might be startled by drivers overtaking you with little or no visibility on Devil's Corner. 

Remember what we said about passing being a national sport in Mexico?

The Joint at Punta Sur

Great colours at Punta Sur

At the roundabout across from the Isla Mujeres Palace Hotel, you have a choice: you can make a sharp right and visit Dolphin Discovery to swim with the dolphins for the balance of the day or keep driving south to see the rest of Isla Mujeres. 

 

Heading south, the next refreshment stop is at The Joint, a relaxing, shady spot hidden in a jungle of trees and flowers.

Then, a few feet further along, you will see a perfect “Ah!” location. It is a wide spot on the right side of the road where the gorgeous blues of the Caribbean are displayed for your visual enjoyment. 

It's a perfect location to stop for a photograph and a homemade ice cream cone purchased from the mobile vendor.

Yummy treats!

A little further on, at the extreme southern tip of the island, Punta Sur, is a small collection of stores and the stunning views from the Ancantilado restaurant. For a small entrance fee, you can wander the park, and depending on the time of year, you might see giant sea turtles mating in the surf.

Whew! You are halfway around the island now. 

 

Don't forget to use the baños before leaving this area! The perimeter road on the eastern side of the island is primarily private residences, not restaurants and bars.

Don't get distracted by the view!

When leaving Punta Sur, turn right, keeping the ocean on the passenger's side. On the eastern coastline are many beautiful homes. This road will lead you down a slight hill, past the smelly but unfortunately necessary garbage dump, the newer cemetery, and the settlement of Guadalupana. 

The beautiful ocean vistas have been known to distract drivers, leading to collisions with motorcycles, other golf carts and assorted vehicles. Be careful! Drivers doing U-turns in this area have been seriously injured and have injured other people.

Famous sign at Villa la Bella

Passing by the various neighbourhoods, you will eventually see a sign at Villa la Bella: “Beer so Cold it Will Make Your Teeth Hurt!” You might want to put that claim to the taste test, as this is pretty much the last stop for refreshments before heading back to Centro and returning your golf cart.

Remain on the perimeter road, passing the Colegio de Bachilleres (high school) and the airport for the Naval base. At the corner of the airport, if you turn left, then take the next right, driving in front of the Naval base, you will be back in the area where you first disembarked from the passenger ferries. Or if you drive straight ahead, behind the Naval base, you will arrive at the Palacio Municipal (City Hall), where a few more golf cart rental companies have their offices.

Friends Edie and Gary with their '57 Chevy cart

Well done! You made it – time for a sunset celebration. Don't forget to collect your identification at the golf cart office. 

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

Murder. Mayhem. Revenge. Romance.

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky

A Caribbean fairytale wedding, Isla Mujeres Mexico!

When an event starts off with a cruise in a flotilla of colourful boats bedecked with flowers and ribbons, you know you are in for an adventure.  Wow!  And what an experience it was.

Our new part-time neighbours on the island are a young couple from England, Carly Lancaster and Simon Davison. They kindly included a number of their island neighbours in the celebration of their wedding on April 14th, the night of the full moon, and of the lunar eclipse.

Gathering at the renamed Avalon Reef/Mia Reef Hotel at the north end of the island, eighty of the bride and groom's family members and close friends from England, Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands joined the dozen or so locals. Teetering along the wobbly fun-house style dock at the hotel, we made our way to the flotilla of decorated boats.  Simon wryly commented. "In England, this dock would have been condemned." I couldn't help but laugh. "It's a perfectly good dock - sort of," I said as the dock lurched sideways for several breath-stopping inches.

Clambering into the eight multi-hued boats, we cruised past the choppy water near North Beach into the calmer area of Makax Lagoon and south to the Zama's Beach Club dock.  

Some of the guests experienced the warm Caribbean water first-hand as the odd wave splashed over the low-riding sides.  Other than a few nervous giggles, everyone seemed to be enjoying the experience.


Arriving at the dock, we walked through a flower archway to the main entrance of Zama's, where the staff offered us yummy cool drinks and an invitation to pick a seat for the wedding ceremony. The Zama's Beach Club staff had done an amazing job.  The facility was decorated in whimsical hearts, candles, gauze-draped walkways, flowers, flowers and more flowers. 
It was enough to make even the crabbiest of curmudgeons feel romantic. 

Every guest was supplied with a bright pink umbrella to shelter from the hot afternoon sun, and a two-foot-long compressed air wedding Popper designed to shoot pieces of biodegradable paper into the sky at the culmination of the ceremony. The Poppers are the modern version of tossing confetti or rice.  
Carly looked like a fairytale princess as she made her way down the rose-petal strewn aisle on the arm of her very proud and emotional papa. It was a lovely, short ceremony involving the pouring of two types of sand into one vase to signify their union, the release of a live butterfly to invoke a Mayan blessing, and the traditional exchanging of marriage vows with a personal twist at the end.

Then the swirl of Scottish bagpipes could be heard as a fellow Canadian strode down the aisle playing Amazing Grace, on an instrument that only a person of Scottish heritage can truly love. Foreign to most people, the sound of the bagpipes always thrills us, sending chills up our spines and tingling the hair on our arms.  Simon is a Scot!  He gets it.  

The piper escorted the couple, followed by wedding guests, into the cocktail reception on the upper level at the beach club.  Here we were served beverages, tasty tidbits of food, and serenaded by a full mariachi band paying homage to the country where Simon and Carly have built a new home. Whew! At this point, anyone would have thought that it had been a very lovely event, and would not have been surprised if that was the end of the celebrations. 

But wait!  There's more!

Next, the mariachi group led everyone to the beach for group photographs and to enjoy the Caribbean sunset. Then we were asked to congregate in the dining area, paying particular attention to find our assigned seating.  

Aye carumba!  


Each place was set with three wine glasses, three forks, two knives, a pink rose, a heart-shaped name tag, a small box of candy, and a menu with two main course choices: Buttered Sirloin, or Tic in Xic Mexican style Grouper.  The centrepiece was a three-foot-tall crystal vase with an enormous cascade of flowers spilling overhead, but not obstructing the view of our fellow tablemates. While we waited for our main course to arrive, a magician visited each table, engaging the guests in various tricks.

When dinner was finished, the bride and groom asked their guests to join them on the beach for a demonstration of fire-dancing.  It was a spectacular show that ended with the two halves of a heart blazing together in unison. We could feel the heat from where we were standing. I can't imagine how hot it was for the performers twirling, juggling, and dancing with burning batons.  

And there was still more!

Back inside the dining area, the eight-piece band began their evening performance with an eclectic mix of modern, oldies, and Latin music.  

Simon and Carly had their traditional first dance as a married couple, followed by family members, and finally asked everyone to join in the fun.

Between the great music and the ever-attentive waiters topping up beverages, the dance floor was quickly packed with celebrants.  

Mingling with guests were performers on stilts, a spinning cage for disco dancers, and a werewolf holding a large picture frame, encouraging zany photos.  Dancers were given balloons, glow-in-the-dark glasses, carnival masks, and other party favours to increase their enjoyment.

Later in the evening, closer to midnight, I watched in amusement as five sturdy men struggled to carry in the wedding cake.  

It was huge!  A few minutes later, a beautiful slice of cake was set in front of me; four layers starting with red on the bottom layer, and ending with light pink on the top layer.  An amazing amount of detail went into creating this extravaganza.  

About midnight, we decided to head home.  As we were leaving, we discovered the dessert bar, covered in cookies, slices, brownies, and other good treats.  Darn! I was too tired and too full at that point.  

I asked other friends if they stayed until the end. No, they didn't, but the party carried on until 3:30 in the morning.   Carly and Simon have stamina.

The wedding day for Carly and Simon was a magical event, a nice mix of Mexican traditions and British customs.  It was a feast for our eyes, our ears, and our taste buds. We enjoyed every minute. We are so happy that these generous folks have moved into our neighbourhood and included us in their special day.

Hasta luego,
Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Thomas 

Murder. Mayhem. Revenge. Romance.

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky