Right across the pond from Cancun, you´ll find the wonderful paradise island of Isla Mujeres. Pirates used to drop off their wives there so they could plunder the mainland, that´s why they call it Isla Mujeres / Island of Women. Nowadays, not only the ladies enjoy the beautiful white beaches, the lush green palm trees, and yummy coconuts. Nowadays all walks of life come to Isla Mujeres to enjoy the good life!
Let us inspire you with this informative and jealousy-inducing ´Top 7 Things to Do on Isla Mujeres´, so that you soon will also be telling your friends and family that you´ve been in paradise!
Playa Norte
You´ll enter the crowded little harbor of Isla Mujeres within a 20-minute ride with the speedy ferry (about 10 dollars/190 pesos/15 euros for a one-way) from the harbor of Cancun. Then, after a 5-minute walk, you immediately are in the city center and very close to the two main beaches named Playa Centro and Playa Norte. The latter named beach has been crowned one of the best beaches in the world, and we now fully understand why.
The vibes and views here are just breathtaking. Just standing there, gawking at the palm trees, staring at all the sunlovers from all over the world, and admiring the beautiful beach and crisp blue water, is a gift from the gods. Soak it all in friends, you are in paradise!
Oh, and the biggest thing we loved about this beach, in comparison with all other beaches on our Yucatan road trip, is how lovely the water felt. There was little to no seaweed, not much sand in the waves, and the texture and temperature of the water were very pleasant!
Playa Centro
This might sound crazy, but we liked Playa Centro even more than Playa Norte. It´s on the left side of the city center, right next to Playa Norte on the left side (they practically are the same beach). We liked it more because the beach is way wider, thus bigger and more room for relaxation and fun.
You can get a couple of beds with parasol for the full day for about 20 dollars / 400 pesos / 16 euros, or even less if you haggle with them on a not-so-busy day. You can also get a good price for a bed if you come in late and only want to stay for 2-3 hours. Just relaxing here all day is a must-do. You will return back to your hotel tanned, relaxed, and happy!
Pro-tip: There are many options for massages, some quite expensive, but we found Frida on Playa Centro, and OMG… she is soooo good! For just 25 dollars / 500 pesos / 20 euros, she will give you a excellent massage for a full hour! This powerful little lady knows her way around. Thank me later for this tip!
Punta Sur
The island is divided into three clear stages. North, middle, and south. It´s a thin island with three distinct areas. The south is more rough and rugged. The coastline down south has no beaches, but it´s mostly the wild sea crashing into these rocks. Leave your bikini and ego at the hotel!
At the lowest point of the island, you will find the ruins of the goddess of fertility, Ixchel. The entrance is just 50 pesos / 2 dollars / 1.5 euros and very much worth it. The walk towards the ruins and the side routes along the rugged coastline are breathtaking. Try to go to Punta Sur an hour before sunset, because these wide views with Cancun in the far distance are very impressive!
Eat your belly full
On the north side of the island, Centro, is where you can find a couple of dozens of cafes, restaurants, bars, and street food carts (and of course many touristic shops filled with colorful clothes, refrigerator magnets, and many other pretty cool souvenirs).
You get to eat in any price range you will like and you will love it. From overpriced cocktails to delicious cheap quesadillas, and from healthy green lunches to greasy fat late-night snacks. Fill up that belly and enjoy life. Now is not the time to count calories. Reminder; you are in paradise amigo!
Our recommendations; Mango Cafe (great menu, try the taco´s with peanut sauce and mango salad!), Aroma (vegan and pretty good), and North Garden (little more expensive, but sooo good).
Skip: Ruben´s (boring burrito´s and they force tips too hard).
Cool beach clubs
Isla Mujeres has a couple of wonderful, cool, and hip beach clubs for you to hang out at. Here is where you drink too many cocktails, feast on delicious snacks, and just lay around like you own the place. These clubs are a bit posh, but if that´s your thing, you will feel right at home. For the not so posh people, it´s also a wonderful place to have a great day or at least to enjoy a trendy meal and drink.
We went to the Green Demon Beach Club on Playa Norte and stayed for a full day at Nomads Experience (in the center of the island, south side). We didn´t have to pay anything to stay in at this breathtaking place, but they do prefer if you would occasionally order some drinks and food. They weren´t expensive, so we had a very affordable day in paradise.
We really really loved our full day at the Nomads Experience (site). The views from here are amazing, the lounge chair and hammocks are delightful, and the pina coladas taste even better with this tropical ambiance.
Be sure to also check out our atmospheric Instagram Stories of Isla Mujeres!
Tortugranja
Have you ever seen baby turtles from up close? Well, you can at Tortugranja, a safe-haven for turtles in the heart of Isla Mujeres. In this little sanctuary, turtles are being monitored and helped with the process of putting more cute little baby turtles in the ocean.
In this little shack, you´ll find dozens of baby turtles, and fully grown turtles swimming around and doing their floppy little thing. You can even feed them for an extra buck. Tortugranja not the most exciting thing in the world, but in this hour you will have seen cute turtles from up close and personal. The kids (and wife) will love this visit.
p.s: the entrance fee is just 1 dollar, but they will ask for 30 pesos, but 3 dollars in US dollars. That´s triple the price. Not cool, so be sure to bring along some pesos.
Pro-tip; be sure to inform yourselves about when the turtles release their eggs. You can join the team at certain points of the year to help out.
MUSA
Divers and snorkelers are in for a treat because of the awesome underwater statue-museum called MUSA. You will find hundreds of artsy statues and sculptures in the water (by creator Jason deCaires Taylor) that are a must-see. If you dare though. We haven´t been in MUSA, because we have no experience with snorkeling or diving, and we kinda dislike shaky boats. There is an option for a boat that has a glass bottom so that you can see the art while floating past them. I question the visibility though.
According to divers and snorkelers, this unique place is a must. And don´t forget to bring an underwater camera with you.
Be sure to check out our cool Instagram Stories for more atmospheric videos and pictures!
Side note: noisy and quite poor
It´s not a perfect paradise. If you go beyond the touristic bubble in Centro and in the expensive resorts, you will find local inhabitants that are quite poor. The infrastructure, housing, and living conditions can be quite a culture shock. But surprisingly, these people were very friendly and welcoming, but get ready to be amazed at how some people (have) to live.
The second thing we need to mention is the noise at night. We tried three different hotels, one in the city center, one in the middle of the island, and one close to the south. But with all of them, we had a hard time getting some solid sleep in these 4 nights…
Don´t ever book a hotel in the center, because they blast loud music till 1 am. And try to book a room away from the streets. But that is a hard thing to do because all affordable hotels are next to streets because of how thin this island is. And expect to hear noises coming from all kinds of places. Golf carts, motorcycles, drunk tourists having too much fun, and very annoying street dogs. I love dogs, they are my favorite animals, but man… I would have loved to kick that little repetitive shit if ya know what I mean.
So.., be aware when booking a room. Our recommendations for a room away from the center and the roads: Luxury hotel – Hotel – Hostel – Airbnb >
At least 4 days
During Covid-times, some destinations were closed. The Garaffon fun park and beach-area is a must-visit when you are on Isla Mujeres. Also, we liked our quick stop for pictures at the Crayola House (a colorful house in the middle of the island) and the Guadalupe chapel (my god, that view from there is like being in heaven).
We recommend at least 3 nights and 4 full days on Isla Mujeres to see the most interesting and cool things and to enjoy the lovely beach life here. There isn´t that much to see and do on the island, but more than enough to have 4-7 amazing days in this tropical holiday location. Eat, drink, sunbathe, toast, laugh, party, and repeat.
The good life, you´ll find it on Isla Mujeres!
Did we inspire you? Well, great! Let´s check flight prices!
More travel inspiration: Travel Guide: The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
