Beautiful island off the east side of Mexico with beautiful beaches, views, and private piers. Way more fun and instagram-able than boring Cozumel, more developed infrastructure than Holbox. If you’re in the Quintana Roo area, Isla Mujeres is a can’t-miss destination. It has the perfect mix of hippy-Tulum zen vibes and party town Playa (Del Carmen) vibes. There’s something for everyone. And lucky for you, it’s easy to explore since it’s small and everything’s quickly accessible.
Where to stay:
- Nomads Hostel – young folks (40 and under)…if it’s your first time, you should probably stay at Nomads Hostel. You can stay in dorms or privates (depending on your group size and privacy needed). This place is super beautiful and one of the most Instagrammable spot ever. Secluded, has its own private pier, beautiful waterside outdoor lounge area with hammocks and couches. You can party, or you can zen off in your private space. Do yoga class in the morning right on the pier, or get drunk/high with friends and watch the stars at night. They usually have nightly events and every now and then, some celebrity yacht will dock on the private pier and join the party.
- Selina Hostel – the other great hostel option. Arguably the most beautiful Selina in Mexico, if not in the world. Big space, right on the beach, big outdoor yoga platform, bigger pool than Nomad’s, and right next to the fun part of time with restaurants and shops. If Nomad’s is booked, Selina is a very respectable backup option.
Things to do:
- Check into your hotel or hostel – then rent golf cart (if your group is at least 2 persons) and go to Playa Norte. Skip all the tourist crap by the ferry area.
- Playa Norte – known as the most beautiful beach in Mexico, although some may say Holbox beach is more beautiful (I still argue Playa Norte is consistently prettier). Then return back to Nomads for sunset on the pier. If you’re clever about Playa Norte, you park your golf cart more towards the northern back side and enter from that chill hippy area. But you could also park from the more touristy south side and then walk north along the beach past all the tourist restaurant stuff. You will realize it’s less walking if you park up north…but hey, maybe you DO want to walk.
- Busy street – on the north side of the island. I forgot what it’s called but go there for dinner and drinks. Some of you may prefer to just stay at Nomads or closer to the south area (there are nice restaurants)…you can’t go wrong with that either.
- Piers next to Nomads – there are some fancy restaurants with their own private piers next to Nomads pier. You can eat there and catch the sunset at dinner (nice photos). You may see people propose on that pier.
- Punta Sur – in the morning after breakfast (do Nomads breakfast with the beautiful morning view of the beach), you take the golf cart to Punta Sur. Beautiful photos along the way at the entrance Garrafon Park (you don’t have to go in). And then beautiful views of Punta Sur. Lizards running around the rocks up above crystal blue-green waters.
Restaurants, cafes, bars:
- Nomads – best breakfast. Probably only realistic to go if you’re staying here.
- Marbella Restaurant – fancy sunset dinner. It’s like 2 piers down from Nomads.
- Cafes – look around Selina Hostel.
- Donkey restaurant – close to Nomads, good for live music.
- Bars – go to town center.
- Vegan restaurants – go to town ceter.
Itinerary for Nomads people:
- 1st day – arrive and check-in at Nomads. Rent golf cart from there and go to Playa Norte. Eat lunch around there if you’re hungry or hold off and do it at Nomads. Return to Nomads before sunset, and enjoy sunset on Nomads pier. Once dark, can nap and rest, then change and go out to town center. You can also return to Nomads as they usually have events there at night. Enjoy the pier under the stars.
- 2nd day – enjoy delicious breakfast at Nomads. Then go to Punta Sur in the morning via golf cart, take nice photos along the way at Garrafan Park (you won’t miss it). Once done with Punta Sur, can drive along the back side of Isla Mujeres to Playa Norte. Also check out the back side of Playa Norte. Go return golf cart at Nomads and eat at the nice restaurant 2 piers down (Marbella Fish Market) on the sunset!
- Extra days – go to animal sanctuaries, tours, or eat at nice restaurants in town. The best restaurants and cafes (IMO) are right around the corner from Selina Hostel (look it up on GoogleMaps).
Traveling to Isla Mujeres:
- Fly into Cancun Airport
- Take ADO (big red coach bus) to Cancun Centro (city center) – I think it might also be called “Cancun Terminal”. You can purchase tickets from the booth inside the airport (when you get towards the exit) or walk out to where the buses are and buy right from there.
- Going from Cancun city bus terminal to Ultramar ferry (Puerto Juarez station) – you cross the street, to the middle divider where many buses are. These are called “colectivos”, you can ask them where the one for the Ultramar is. It might be on the divider, or it’s across the street again in front of the market. This is the cheapest way. Or you can just ask for a taxi.
- Once arrived at Ultramar – you buy a ticket to Isla Mujeres and jump on the big boat. They go like every 30 mins to 1 hr depending on the time. You should check the site if you’re arriving super early or super late, they start around 7am and end like 6pm or something like that…but don’t quote me.
Miscellaneous tips:
- Mosquitos – the mosquitos here are the most brutal I’ve had anywhere in Mexico. It was here that I literally couldn’t take it anymore and gave in to using bug spray.
- Golf cart rental – logistics might matter depending how long you stay and where to return the cart. If you’re staying one day, renting from the center makes sense as you can use that to get to your place (saving on taxi cost) and then just return it the next day when you leave. If you’re staying longer than a day, renting from your place or nearby your place makes sense as you can pick exactly the hours you need. 1-day rental can be enough to do Playa Norte and Punta Sur and also going into town at night. And then you use taxi for other days.