One Short Day on Isla Mujeras

Whether you’re staying in Cancún or the Riviera Maya, there are no shortage of day trips you can take, but my favorite island day trip has been Isla Mujeras. It was my first trip to Mexico, so I didn’t really know what to expect and I was completely overwhelmed by all the things I could and the places I could see! Unfortunately we were only staying 5 nights, so we didn’t want to spend too much time away from the resort. We wanted to pick one big day trip, which came down to Chichén Itzá or Isla Mujeras. We had been leaning toward Chichén Itzá, because but one of the concierges at our resort highly recommended taking to ferry to Isla Mujeras. We were down with that since Chichén Itzá was about a 2.5 hour drive from the resort, which if taking public transportation translates to about a five hour trip. That versus a 30 minute ferry ride- Isla Mujeras was a no brainer!

I’m a big fan of boats… except for major cruises… not those! I’ll get into the reasons for that one day. So taking the Ultramar ferry to Isla Mujeras was just an added bonus to the whole trip. We got up early, ate breakfast and were actually able to walk about half a mile down the beach to the ferry terminal! It was such a pleasant ride to island. Perfect weather, perfect crystal-blue-green waters, and best of all, tons of dolphin sightings! When we arrived at the dock on Isla Mujeras, we walked about one block down to a the nearest golf cart rental dealer. While not quite the golf cart paradise that Isla Holbox is, Isla Mujeras is still one of the best places to get around by golf cart, scooter, or other recreational vehicle. We in and out quickly with our golf cart and off we went to explore the island! With no map or idea of where we were or where we were going, we just drove… down a one way street…. in front of two of two police officers. They let us go with a warning honk and a wag of the finger, which was very nice of them!

Luckily, this little one way street business set us off course and led us straight to the most beautiful beach I have ever been on! Playa Norte was everything that I look for in a beach. Fluffy, tan sand! Calm, clear waters. Palm trees. Tons of cool, little beach bars! It was perfect! I only wish I had brought a swimsuit, because I wasn’t expecting to have another beach day, but there it was! We snatched a table at one of the cute beach bars and were accompanied the entire time by the friendliest cat. First of all, I’ve never seen a cat on a beach, and second of all, Barton is the biggest hater of cats. This cat adored Barton, and so all Barton could do was let the friendship happen!

After some refreshments, we were off again on our ride of the day. I kept seeing signs for a turtle sanctuary, so as a turtle lover, I just couldn’t resist. We found a small facility, Tortugranja, and I was immediately overjoyed by the abundance of baby turtles EVERYWHERE!! I mean tanks and swimming pools of turtles were everywhere and you could get close enough to touch them, although don’t touch them, please!

After exploring all of the dedicated turtle areas, we went outside to a small dock. This dock was scary. It seemed ordinary enough when we first went outside, but the dock had no protective guardrails or barriers… and right there in the shallow water were two MASSIVE sharks! There were also two sea turtles swimming in the same vicinity, and they were being ruthlessly attacked by birds. Not to mention, there were lots of people trying to walk on this dock at the same time, leaning closer to the water to get a good picture. It was a deadly last Instagram photo op waiting to happen, but who am I to lecture anyone about safety?

If you’re ever on Isla Mujeras, I still recommend visiting the Tortugranja, especially with the little ones. Just keep an eye out on that dock! My only regret about visiting Isla Mujeras is wishing I had had more time! A few hours or even one day just doesn’t seem like enough time to explore everything the island has to offer. I’ve heard that there is an underwater art museum for here for you scuba divers, and I’m bummed that I missed out on that! My next trip to Isla Mujeras will also include a visit to Punta Sur, ecological nature preserve offering great views, a beautiful rocky beach, and some very interesting sculptures.

The food options here are amazing. I got to have one delectable taco feast here, and it was unbelievably good! We saw so many fun, inviting spots to eat, shop, and hang out. We are definitely planning a real stay for a few nights the next time we visit Isla Mujeras. I do think it is a more relaxing, “slow” vacation than Cancún or the Riviera Maya are, but for me, that is a big plus!

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