




Hello there! Something amazing happened during our trip to Cancun – I took a ferry and visited the first island in my life. Isn’t it exciting? Isla Mujeres is a beautiful small island located just 8 miles off the coast of Cancún. All it takes is 15 minutes ferry ride to get there. To be honest, when I was doing the research, I found nothing but amazing reviews about Isla Mujeres. Besides, the pictures/videos were breathtaking, the island was not far from Cancun, and there were so many things to do there. Based on that my expectations were high. Truth be told, our experience was far from perfect. So, I decided to take time and share all the good things about Isla Mujeres along with everything I wish somebody wrote about so we would be prepared.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- we took the ferry from Gran Puerto port located in Puerto Juárez. It was one of the best decisions because there was less crowd than in Zona Hotelera;
- it cost us 300 pesos per person for a round trip ticket with Ultramar.
- The ferry is available every 30 minutes, so there is rush;
- if you have a car, the covered parking is available just outside the ticket office, which is very convenient. (you can pay with card or cash when you leave);
- you can bring your own drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and food. Some people even brought coolers.
THE GOOD:
- the atmosphere on the ferry is amazing – the view is beautiful, you can see sky-blue water while listening to the live performance of some of the most talented local singers;
- the port of arrival of located very close to the beaches and restaurants, so you don’t have to walk a lot (we stayed at Playa Norte). If you would like to explore the rest of the island, you can always rent a golf cart;
- we paid only 300 pesos per day for 2 chairs and umbrella;
- it is pretty safe there, we did not have any issues;
- the beach is beautiful, and the walk around the island is so worth it.
THE BAD
- due to a storm the day before we were not able to do any activities like visit the famous dog or swim with the sharks;
- the prices are way higher on the island than in Cancun. However, the closer to the port, the better and cheaper it is;
- the quality of food is relatively poor comparing to Cancun and Playa del Carmen. It’s just one of those “made for tourists” places.
- we did not expect to see that many drunk people riding the golf carts;
- it’s not as clean as we hoped it’d be. For example, I stepped on the glass as we were walking down the streets of Playa Mujeres.
- bartenders, salesmen and every person that offers you anything will make sure they take full advantage of you and try to overcharge you as much as they can. (we were speaking Spanish all the time, the prices go up when you speak English). Ask for a price in advance several times and make sure they tell you before you order. Otherwise, you may end up paying 300 pesos for the coconut that costs 50.
- I could live with everything I have just mentioned and I would visit Isla Mujeres again, BUT! It started raining badly, so we packed our staff and decided to come back to Cancun. When we walked to the port, the line for a ferry was so long, that it was hard to see where it started. We didn’t mind that, everyone was wet and cold and had to come back. We stayed in line for 30 minutes, then another 30. There was no ferry. It took 1.5 hours for the first one to arrive. Did I mention there were 2 lines – equally long “the priority” and regular one? The ferries that run between Cancun and Isla Mujeres are relatively small, so there was a limited amount of people it could take. Long story short, we spent 4 hours in line. Wet, cold and exhausted we arrived in Puerto Juárez and got sick the next day.
I hope your experience will be really good and you will avoid “the bad” part of this article. I just want you to be aware of the things I wish I knew before visiting Isla Mujeres.
XX,
Gena.
Thank you for your review over Isla Mujeres. It is nice to know different places for when I’m visiting. I’m sorry to hear your trip didn’t turn out as expected though. Maybe next time!
Thanks-Taylor . http://www.simpleandjoyful.com
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Sorry to hear your visit to Isla Mujeres did not go as expected. I am sure this will be helpful to someone who is planning a trip there. I would love to visit Cancun. It is so beautiful! I have been a on a ferry ride before (out in California) and ferry rides are beautiful. Glad you still saw some good things with your visit.
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I would love to take a ferry again though hahaha
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Sorry your experience was bad. I have been to this place and have had a very spiritual experience in 2008. I am glad you found some good things though!
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Thank you, Sneha! I exjoyed the island, but some thing really surprised me, so I wanted to share for others to be aware
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It looks like a beautiful place, Gena. I’m sorry that the experience wasn’t as dreamy as the place looks though.
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Thank you, Cristina! To be honest, I didn’t mind all the bad experience, I learnt from it. The island was beautiufl though 🙂
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I have never been there but definitely a nice place for me to visit it just that I need to check the weather first before going to that place.
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That’s so true! The weather changes really fast there, so it’s important to be aware!
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Thank you for sharing your experiences, I have not been to Cancun but hope to one day, but think I may miss out on this trip
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Thank you! I hope you’ll get a chance to visit!
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Thanks for helping to prepare me to visit a part of Mexico I haven’t been to yet!
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thank you, Brian! I am glad you liked the post 🙂
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Thank you for sharing the good and the bad experiences you had at the island. I have not been there yet, but would love to explore. I would take your advice about checking the weather forecast first. The beach looks really nice though.
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Thank you, Kristine!
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Sounds like it was a fun adventure. I know each trip like this has good and bad aspects, but honestly you can’t go wrong with a beautiful location and sunshine!
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You are so right, Amanda
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I have never been before but wow I would love to visit. I am going to pin this to my Travel board on Pinterest.
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Thank you 😉 I hope you’ll have a chance to go soon
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It is unfortunate that you didn’t have a great time at Isla Mujeres. But it seems like a beautiful place to enjoy the day!
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I actually did have a great time, but there were so many things I was not prepared for. That’s why I wrote pros and cons 🙂
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Thanks for sharing! I think the beach is calling my name
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Thanks, girl
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Thanks for sharing your trip! I’ve been to Mexico – for a couple of hours on a cruise – and I’d love to go back some time.
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Thank you, Marya
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I appreciate your honest review of the good and the bad, we love Cancun and tend to be creatures of habit. Smart to ask prices before to avoid up-charging!
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Thank you, Shahla.
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You had me at beautiful beach! Great stuff!
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hahaha thank you!
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