The late-afternoon "ah" factor

End of the day ritual 

It's become our end-of-the-day ritual, sipping a glass of wine and watching the sun set on another great day.  Ah!

The island has many great locations to watch the sunset.  Most of our favourite places are on the waterfront facing towards Cancun or Isla Blanca; locations where the brilliant colours of the setting sun are splashed on the ocean and echoed on nearby reflective surfaces.  

2002 at Villa Makax on westside of Isla

Our first trip to Isla Mujeres was in 2002. We stayed on the west side of the island at Villa Makax and the Rolandi Hotel.  

At that time golf cart rentals were not very common so we seldom left the neighbourhood.  I have very pleasant memories of standing barefoot in the surf with my glass of wine waiting for the sunset, and we all know good memories induce return visits.

We returned to Isla in 2005, after taking a trip to Bali, and then, as it turns out, one final vacation on the Pacific coast of Mexico.  We decided that Isla was better, much better!   

2005 Sunset Grill view 

On our second trip we explored more of the island, discovering other restaurants such as Sunset Grill at the north end of the island and Casa O's near the southern end of the island.  

2009 Lawrie at Casa O's Restaurante

Both restaurants were delightfully romantic places to spend a few hours savouring good food and beautiful sunsets.  

(The Casa O's property was sold a couple of years ago and has been converted to a lovely private home.) 

View near Brisas Grill and BallyHoo

Now that we are full-time islanders we have several other favourite places.  

A table on the beach at Brisas Grill on Rueda Medina is the perfect location to watch the sun ignite the sky with fiery pinks, oranges and reds before slowly extinguishing itself in the ocean.   





At Ballyhoo we usually try to grab the corner table to really appreciate the evening display.  

Besides the great show of the sun going down, there are usually boats coming and going, kids hanging out with friends, and fishermen bringing in their catch. There is always something to see, to photograph.

Sunset view from Soggy Peso dock

A little further south on the island are other good locations for sunset watching.  We are very partial to the Soggy Peso Bar & Grill, especially since the two large derelict boats that were blocking the great view have been towed away and turned into reusable scrap.  Sitting on the dock with a glass of wine is such a relaxing way to end the day - watching kayakers, and boaters enjoying a last bit of evening light. 

Jeff Current at Marina Paraiso

More recently Barlito's at Marina Paraiso has turned into another favourite sundowner hangout for us, especially on Friday nights when Jeff Current is belting out great beach tunes.  The location is spectacular. 

The jewel-toned lights hanging randomly from overhead tree branches creates a whimsical atmosphere.  The lights are far more romantic than the unfortunately standard florescent tube fixtures found in a number of local restaurants.  Recently Barlito's has added tall bistro-style tables and chairs tucked under tiny waterfront palapas, making the sunset viewing even better.  

My waiter sharing the rooftop view

We have one more favourite sunset location on the island.  It's private.  

Exclusive.  Our rooftop deck.  It's a great place for sunset viewing, for the late-afternoon "ah" factor, however, efficient bar service at this location is always a challenge.  The waiter grumbles when I ask for a refill.  He has to trek down thirty-eight stairs to the kitchen refrigerator, and back up thirty-eight stairs.  Sigh!


It's a good thing I know him quite well.



Cheers
Lynda & Lawrie

The Textures of Isla ...... continued

Goin' visiting

A giggling young boy runs bare-assed naked from his home to visit a friend, a few houses down the street. 

He zips down the middle of the road - passing a brightly painted house with a cat quizzically watching from a fence. 

A sign on a small store proclaims;  "Wonder" 








Mariachi Band on Hidalgo Avenue

 A group of Mariachis stroll Hidalgo Avenue strumming guitars, enticing restaurant guests to pay for a song or two.  "A little musica?"  the lead player asks, hope lifting his voice into a question mark.  

An eight-foot-tall Johnny Depp look alike struts on stilts hovering over groups of prospective customers.  "Come have dinner with us."  He implores, pressing a small advertisement  into friendly hands.

Neighbours out for dinner

Expats gather to share a dinner, a glass of wine or a cold beer - one last time before everyone scatters to their northern homes.  We prattle on in English, not struggling to communicate with a mixture of English and Spanish, laughing knowingly about a shared experience, a delay, a frustration, and the fun, oh so much fun.

It's all Isla.




Makax Cottage



We have now lived on Isla Mujeres full-time for nearly four years.  Our first experience was not as home owners, but as tourists in May of 2002. 

We rented a charming little cottage via the internet for one week on the west side of the island, at Villa Makax.  The after-dark taxi ride from "Centro" led along a bewildering series of dark streets, curving roads, and a potholed-almost-not-a-road, eventually arriving at the property.   The cottage was situated on a very private piece of land with a beautiful sandy beach and two congenial hosts - Steve and Lindell Leher - who have since become island friends.

Rolandi Hotel on west side of Isla

For the second week, we had not made any advance reservations and eventually settled on moving one block down the street to the small luxury hotel, the Villa Rolandi. 

The Villa Rolandi provided full-on pampering with gourmet dinners, an infinity-edge pool, and bar service anywhere on the property.  

Steve and Lindell on the other hand, well, we never quite got them properly trained to magically appear with a glass of wine, or a cold beer. Perhaps if we had stayed longer they would have been trainable?

A few years later we returned to Isla Mujeres, this time we were cat-sitting for family members while they returned back to Canada to deal with personal business.  We stayed at the house they had rented on the eastside of the island. There the breeze is constant, the waves are larger, the beach not so sandy, but the slightly cooler temperature were perfect for us. 



Our view on the east side of Isla Mujeres



Several years later we built on the windward side of the island for just that reason - cooler year around temperatures. 

We are still discovering and exploring. 

Two days ago we found a new lane, a undiscovered twisting sand-strewn road that lead us to a different view, a new layer, a different texture.    

Pretty!