Isla Mujeres – Update

Hello everyone,

Many people here in the little town and island of Isla Mujeres call it  a piece of paradise.

Although not quite as sophisticated or manicured as Hawaii or some of the other Mexican tourist destinations, little Isla Mujeres is not without its charms.

An interesting restaurant near the hotels at Playa Norte.

There are some larger, US styled hotels on the northern end of the island. The ‘downtown’ area on the northern tip has narrow, cobble stone streets lined with shops and restaurants and some smaller locally operated hotels.

A 'downtown' street with restaurants.

Typical small shops along the downtown streets.

The supposed grave of Pirate; Ferdinand Mundaca.

I am told that, since this is my first taste of Mexico, the vendors here are not as aggressive as they are elsewhere in Mexico – so you can usually walk down the narrow streets without too many shop owners clamoring on to you for your pesos.

The prices are reasonable for many things – a usual meal is between $8-15 US, and beer is 2 for $3.50. There is a little outdoor market where you can pick up some tacos or empanadas for less.

A beach restaurant between my marina and 'downtown'.

Bottled water can be expensive – I had to pay $15 US for a case of 24 medium size bottled water the other day. This would have been $2.50 $3.00 in the US. I went to a little store near the marina for this – it might have been cheaper if I went downtown.

Marina Paraiso is near the southern end of the little harbour at the upper end of the island (near the anchor on the map).

Marina Paraiso

It is a quiet little marina normally, but yesterday they began demolishing the pool area in preparation for a larger pool and taco bar.

The marina has washrooms, showers and laundry facilities – as well as an Agencia Consignataria who will look after all your papers for customs, health, etc when you arrive from the US.

On the way downtown from the marina - in our golf cart.

To get to the downtown area from the marina, it’s a 10 minute walk or a $2 taxi ride. Most people get around on little scooters or golf carts, but there are cars on the island as well.

There is a regular ferry service from Isla to Cancun every half hour ($7 US one way). There are also many diving/snorkeling tours available. The water here is beautiful and clear.

The rocky shore at Punta Sur.

An iguana - holding his ground.

Cancun in the distance.

The south end of the island – Punta Sur – has some rocky cliffs and some great snorkeling. Beware of the Iguanas – the place is crawling with them.

There’s a restaurant there – and some ruins – but they are expensive. We just did the poor-man’s tour, which was terrific.

… on the east side toward Punta Sur.

The road to Punta Sur.

A retreat for one of Antoni Gaudi's descendants perhaps?

Brightly painted homes in the south.

Some fancier hotels at Puta Sur.

A private floating island - made from recycled water bottles.

A bed and Breakfast near the sea at Punta Sur.

There are some rather nice residences along the coast as well – some interesting architecture as well. Here are a few photos we took when we rented a golf cart to go exploring…

The local residential area is located south of the marina in the middle of the island. I took a wander through there with my ‘guide’ Hector’.

Typical scene in the residential area.

Looking SW across the little lake toward more residences.

A Saturday morning baseball game.

An optometrist's office - flying a Canadian flag - opens at 4:00pm...

General impressions of the island is that it is gradually being developed for tourism and will not remain as quaint or laid back as it is for much longer. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m glad I saw it the way it is before it becomes something else.