Oct 15, 2008 5:49 PM

Getting settled on Isla Mujeres

Arriving on Isla Mujeres was a great experience! Although arriving at Cancùn airport was somewhat frightening because our luggage was not on the same plane as us, but after an hour or so waiting, it finally arrived!

We were dumb enough to pay for one of the airplane taxis and had to pay close to 560 pesos just to travel directly to Gran Puerto Cancùn or Puerto Juarez. I guess we were too much in a hurry to notice the buses that cost 200 pesos but took a while longer... Even this is expensive, as there should be both taxis and buses just outside the airport that can drive you wherever you want.. (although taking more time, and being without aircon, this is a matter of choice) for a lower price.

The express ferry that goes to Isla Mujeres costs the tourist 70 pesos for a roundtrip ticket, and 50 pesos if you`re an inhabitant of the island. Not expensive at all, as I`ve heard people pay up to 400 pesos just to be on a "guided" trip to Isla Mujeres.. Just think for yourselves, and most of the stuff in Cancùn could be a lot cheaper!

Anyway.. The first thing we see when taking the ferry is the beautiful ocean surrounding it, most of the bottom is covered with sand, and the ocean is a beautiful turquoise color!
The port is full of fishing boats, charterboats and once in a while a pirate ship or superyacht.(Bill Gates from Microsoft visits Isla Mujeres frequently, but sadly he mostly stays on his yacht.)

Once you get past the exit of the port and the annoying golf car, scooter rental, snorkelling, vendors, etc. you are in the middle of "El Centro" de Isla Mujeres!
If you walk straight across the road from the port, you will walk up one of the tourist streets where all the vendors are, be prepared to be invited in, they really know how to work the tourists there. 2 blocks up and you will see the Town Square, go left and you can follow the shopping street down, and it ends with lots of fantastic restaurants!

Our first thought was to get rid of all our bags, so we got help from one of the maleteros (luggage handlers) to get all our bags to Pocna, where we booked a single room for a couple of days.. Pocna is a great place for backpackers and people ready for a good night out! They have a beautiful beachbar that opens at 23.00 every night, and it`s usually packed with people! There are seats (logs) and hammocks placed around the bar where you can relax with your cerveza, and enjoy the beautiful view of the stars, ocean and palmtrees. Definetly worth visiting even if you`re not staying at Pocna.

I had read quite a bit about Isla Mujeres, and tried using google and youtube for all it was worth, just to get some knowledge about the island.. But what I mostly got were silly videos of tourists in golfcars driving everywhere. Not exactly what I was after.. I only found a few blogs about how life was actually like on Isla Mujeres.. And that`s what inspired me to start writing something I could share, and maybe with a little help from Isla`s other inhabitants and visitors we could make this the ultimate Isla Mujeres blog! After a few days on Isla Mujeres, we decided it was such a beautiful place, and needed somewhere to stay long term.. The search for an apartment didn`t take long, we took a walk behind the Marine base, and found a house with a note that said "For rent".. After knocking on the door we met this friendly guy that explained it was not this particular house, but one in el centro..Just where we wanted!

It was a little bit small, but we had our own kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom :)
We could probably survive a couple of months there, the rent was ok (4000 pesos a month) and now we finally had a place we could relax and pack our huge bags out.. I swear those things are getting heavier and heavier every time I see them!


We could finally explore Isla Mujeres and find out what all the fuss was about..


As it seems, there was a WHOLE LOT to do!

Dolphins, sharks, turtles, beaches, restaurants, diving, snorkelling, and sooo many other things..

Keep on reading, more on what to do later..


3 Comments On "Getting settled on Isla Mujeres"

Islagringo Says:
November 12, 2008 at 8:36 AM

So you started a blog and didn't tell me! I've read all your entries now. I find your innocence and take on things interesting. Kind of refreshing to "see" the island again as I once did. Keep it up!

Daniel Says:
November 12, 2008 at 4:04 PM

Thanks!
Well.. I don`t want to give Isla a bad rep, there are probably some stories on Isla that should be forgotten, but there is so much good as well.. Better to focus on the positive :)

Jeremy Says:
April 17, 2012 at 10:02 PM

I'm looking to move down there for a couple of months next winter. Where is the place that you stayed? $350USD a month is around what I'm looking to pay. Thanks for posting and your insight.

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