Isla Mujeres means “Island of Women”. It was given the name by Francisco Hernandez Cordova, who discovered the island in 1517 and found many carved statues of women made by the Mayans to honor Ixchel, the goddess of childbirth and medicine. Although the island is only twelve miles from Cancun's Hotel Zone, it has a more laid-back, local vibe. We’d been to Isla Mujeres once before, on our first trip to Cancun in 2012. Since we were with a tour group, we didn’t have as much time to explore as we would have liked. This time, we thought we’d take the Ultramar ferry to the island so that we could set our own schedule and see some of the things we’d missed.
The first ferry from Playa Tortugas to Isla Mujeres was at 9:30, so we left our hotel, Secrets the Vine, at 8:30 to give ourselves plenty of time for the bus ride. As soon as we walked up to the bus stop, a bus pulled up and we were off. Traffic was surprisingly light and the bus driver drove like a maniac so we got to the ferry terminal in just 10 minutes! Our original plan was to rent a golf cart after we got to Isla Mujeres, but since we had so much time to wait for the ferry, we decided to go ahead and rent from the guys at the ferry terminal. That way, we could get the paperwork out of the way.
On the ferry, Ron and I sat on the upper deck enjoying the views of the stunningly blue water and listening to a saxophone player entertaining the passengers. When we got off at Isla Mujeres, we walked a few blocks through town to the golf cart rental shop, Gomar II, where we were assigned our golf cart. Wow, it was a wreck! Usually when you rent a vehicle in Mexico, it’s a good idea to take pictures of any dents or scratches before you leave the lot, but that would have taken all day. :-) Also, the steering was barely functional. I guess we should have waited until we got to the island to pick a better rental company. Live and learn…
Ron managed to navigate our cart down the narrow streets and onto the main road that led out of town. We knew to stay to the right so that cars and scooters could pass us, but that was easier said than done with Ron fighting the steering wheel the whole way. It didn’t help that I kept asking him to stop so I could take pictures of all the street art. There were murals and sculptures everywhere on Isla Mujeres! The median of one road was decorated with sculptures made from recycled materials. We found a rainbow-colored stairway with the Spanish words for justice, equality and cooperation painted on the sides of the steps. Everything was so colorful.
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| the rainbow stairs |
When we reached Punta Sur, the southern point of the island, we realized how popular Isla Mujeres had become in the last 12 years. The parking lot was jammed with golf carts. We squeezed ourselves into a spot, paid the small admission fee to the park and then walked through a sculpture garden with statues representing Mayan life. The remains of a temple to Ixchel sat on the edge of the limestone cliffs. We took the stone path down to the water, where we could see the hotels in Cancun glowing white against the turquoise backdrop of the Caribbean Sea. Gorgeous!
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| Punta Sur Lighthouse |
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| temple of Ixchel |
By the time we got back to the golf cart, we were hot and ready for lunch, so we drove on to The Joint, a Jamaican-themed bar and restaurant. We sat at the bar and cooled off with cervezas and a frozen mojito. Unfortunately, the bartender forgot to send our food order to the kitchen so we waited for over an hour before we finally got our quesadillas. A live band kept us occupied while we waited, playing songs by Sting, Pink Floyd and Coldplay – not exactly reggae but great music.
After lunch, we drove back to town, taking the east road that wound along the water and was lined with beautiful homes and a long pedestrian promenade. When we got to town, we realized that we didn’t know how to get back to the golf cart shop. All the streets were one-way! We had to circle a couple of times before we were finally going in the right direction on the right road. When we dropped off the golf cart, we ended up buying the souvenir picture they had taken of us so we would always remember our clunker. :-)
On our first trip to Isla Mujeres, we didn’t have the chance to spend any time at Playa Norte ("North Beach"), so we made that our last stop of the day. We found a couple of swing chairs at Las Hamacas, one of the many beach clubs and bars along the shore. There were hundreds of people sunning themselves on lounge chairs or standing in the calm, waist-deep water. Big pleasure boats were anchored just offshore. It actually reminded me a little of Clearwater Beach, with its calm, shallow water, but I decided I liked the wild waves of Cancun better.
Soon it was time to head back to the ferry terminal. We weaved through town, passing the Punta Norte lighthouse and food cart vendors selling street corn and mangos sprinkled with spicy Tajin. We had to dodge all the shopkeepers shouting, “I know you! I’m a waiter at your hotel!” Apparently, that’s the latest trick to lure people into the shops. :-) On the ferry ride back, we sat on the upper deck again. This time the musician was a guitarist singing “Over the Rainbow” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.
It was 6 o’clock when we got back to Playa Tortugas and we were tired, so we decided to take a taxi to the hotel instead of riding the bus. We made it back just in time to watch a beautiful sunset from our balcony. What a fun and memorable day!
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| Playa Norte |
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| Punta Norte Lighthouse |
Travel tips: If you purchase a round trip ferry ticket, don’t lose your ticket stub because you will need it for the return trip. Round trip ferry tickets can be used for any return ferry. Check the Ultramar website for the schedule. https://ultramarsales.ultramarferry.com/en/routes-and-departures.html
There are many golf cart companies within a few blocks of the ferry terminal. As we discovered, you’re probably better off waiting until you get to the island to choose a golf cart company. Don’t worry about getting lost. It's easy to find your way around the island. The hardest part is getting through downtown because of all the one-way streets.
Before your trip, consider purchasing the MapChick app, which has lots of information about attractions, restaurants and beaches clubs. There is even a golf cart tour with maps. https://www.mapchickapps.com
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