Isla Mujeres was our last stop before heading home to Canada after a wonderful 5 1/2 months of enjoying Mexico. Most of this was spent in Progreso hiding from Covid. In the last month of our stay, we decided to leave the comforts of Progreso and play tourist. We had heard that Isla Mujeres was an amazing tourist destination, but we needed to do it on a budget since money was slowly running out. I like to think that we were somewhat successful in this endeavor Isla Mujeres on a budget.
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Why Visit Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres is known for its beautiful waters and beaches. Cindy had her heart set on visiting somewhere she could do some snorkeling. Isla Mujeres is what I would call a tourist destination, a place I try to stay away from. Locations like this are generally not very budget-friendly. After some research, we thought we could visit and make it so that the costs were still within our budget. We knew this would be the most expensive part of our trip, so there would be trade-offs. Sometimes you just need to go with the flow.
Isla Mujeres a Brief History
Isla Mujeres served as a sanctuary for the Mayan goddess Ixchel. Ixchel was known as the goddess of fertility, happiness, medicine, and the moon. Her temple, located at the south end of the island, was also used as a lighthouse. Spanish sailors discovered Isla Mujeres in 1517. Legend has it that the only inhabitants of the island were the priestess of Ixchel and her court of women. The Spaniards found female-shaped statues, so they named the island “Isla Mujeres,” which translates to the Island of Women.
Another fact is fishermen, along with pirates, would use Isla Mujeres as their home base. Leaving their wives/girlfriends on Isla Mujeres while traveling the high seas. Pirates are said to have used the sandy beaches as a place to hide their treasures.
Isla Mujeres has some of the best beaches known in the Caribbean with sparkling turquoise waters. These waters are the primary reason many people are drawn to Isla Mujeres today.
How to Get to Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres is a small island off the east coast, not far from Cancun. In actuality, Isla is a 30-minute ferry ride over from the Ultramar terminal. A short drive from ADO Cancun. You can also catch the Ultramar ferry from the hotel zone. A little more expensive but very convenient and still just a short 15-minute ferry ride across to Isla Mujeres. A great way to spend a day away from Cancun.
Our Trip From Valladolid To Isla Mujeres
Leaving Valladolid, we headed off to Isla Mujeres for three nights before heading back home to Canada. After a great winter in Mexico. We grabbed a taxi from our hotel in Valladolid to the ADO bus station. Catching the ADO bus around noon to Cancun. Once arriving in Cancun, we walked across the street from ADO. We read this was a cheaper way of getting a taxi as they don’t have a terminal surcharge before saying, “taxi, por favor,” we had our taxi. The cost was 80 pesos plus a tip for the ride, on the way back from Isla Mujeres, the ferry to our hotel, The Quetzel. Coincidently is near the ADO, we paid 200 pesos as we didn’t walk away from the Ultramar ferry terminal.
The Ultramar ferry roundtrip tickets cost 380 pesos per person. The pre-purchased ticket for the return trip can be beneficial as it saves you time on the return ferry.
On our first day on Isla Mujeres, we had no time to waste as we only had two full days, It was originally supposed to be 3 days, but after our departing flight date was moved up, we needed to change our plans. This also included Cancun, where we booked non-refundable, and that bit us in the ass.
5 Budget-Friendly Activities To Do On Isla Mujeres!
- Visiting Punta Sur
- Turtle Sanctuary
- Scuba diving or Snorkeling your choice
- Explore the beaches of Isla Mujeres
- Stroll and taste many of north beach streets restaurants
Visiting Punta Sur
Punta Sur is a must see when you go to Isla Mujeres. There are a few ways to get there. Our hotel (Hotel Posada del Mar) was near the west beach near the north end, so we needed to go all the way down to the southern tip. The most popular way to get south is by renting a golf cart for the day. Daily rental is USD 40 till 5 pm or USD 50 for 24 hours. Another option is to grab a taxi. I’m not sure about this cost. We decided on the most budget-friendly route, and that was the city bus. It stopped right outside our hotel heading south. We asked if it went to Punta Sur, and he said yes. The cost was 20 pesos each. It took about 15 minutes to get there, depending on stops.
The bus dropped us off about 200 meters from the entrance to the Punta Sur walkway. There was a small fee of 30 pesos each to enter. The Instagram views began immediately with sharp cliffs dropping off into the clear turquoise water. We could see the beautiful ocean every way we looked and could hear waves crashing upon the rocks. We walked around for approximately an hour and a half, taking plenty of pictures and soaking up the incredible views!
Here you find the temple dedicated to the Mayan goddess Ixchel. There are many paths that you can take that wind along the shoreline. You will find the views are truly unbelievable. Take your time to relax and enjoy the view.
Tortugranja (Turtle) Sanctuary
Tortugranja Sanctuary is 3.2 km and a 40-minute walk from Punta Sur (a sweltering walk). We read about their work rehabilitating the turtles, so we decided to check it out. We find turtles amazing ever since visiting a nursery in El Paredon, Guatemala. The cost to enter was 30 pesos each and another 30 pesos for some turtle food—a very affordable and enlightening experience. After paying, you enter a building that houses the smallest turtles from just hatched to approximately a year old. There are several pools, each with a different size of the turtle. Outside there are several other pools, with the turtles slowly getting more prominent as you walk from one collection to the next.
Scuba Diving Or Snorkeling Your Choice
Isla Mujeres was Cindy’s must-go-to spot. It wasn’t our usual laid-back fishing village-type getaway. Everything here was geared toward the tourist, so it was going to be more expensive. Our reason to visit Isla Mujeres was to snorkel the crystal clear waters. We intended to snorkel, but we decided on scuba diving after giving this some thought and weighing the pros and cons. The rules are if you snorkel at the sites, you must wear a life jacket. Wearing a life jacket would make it very difficult to get up and close to the MUSA museum figures, let alone get a good view of them.
After arriving and setting out to explore our surroundings, we found many hawkers selling excursions. They sold snorkels, diving, or anything for that matter that had something to do with enjoying the beautiful waters that caress the sands of Isla Mujeres. I would assume that all excursions are similar. We booked with Squalo Adventures and couldn’t have been happier with our choice. I would highly recommend their services.
Since I have my diving certificate and Cindy had done the discover scuba course before and enjoyed it, we felt this would be our best option. Diving is a bit more expensive, but one would be able to get up and personal with the MUSA museum displays as well as the fish life around the reef. I must say that this was my most enjoyable diving experience ever. Been diving only half a dozen times. I highly recommend trying it here. The last time we went scuba diving was in 2013 at Ko Tao, Thailand.
The MUSA underwater museum is only 8 meters deep, so we wanted to swim up close and see all the coral and sea life it has created. We booked our tour; my cost was 100 USD with a refresh course thrown in, and Cindy’s cost was USD 115 for a discovery diver as she is not certified. Snorkeling would have cost USD 35 each.
Quik Diving/Refresher Lesson And We Were Off
Our morning started early with paperwork and being set up with gear. It was a short walk to the beach with gear in the cart and our refresher/discover diving lesson. After our short but thorough lesson, we were headed to get fuel. This turned out to be easier said than done as the day before, a fire had broken out along the beach business, and one of these was our fuel stop. Not to worry, we quickly found fuel at another location. We were off in open waters by 8:30 am and headed to MUSA Museum. Our boat crew consisted of the captain, and two guides, one for scuba divers and the other for snorkeling.
There was a honeymooning couple from Texas snorkeling, and Cindy and I did scuba diving. Danny was our guide. We all choose to do the MUSA Museum first, and luck has it, our boat was the first to arrive. After a brief explanation of how to disembark the boat being geared up and what to expect at this dive site, including hand signals to communicate, we were overboard.
The Dive Experience
The water was incredible, warm, and we had good clear visibility. Our guide Danny was very good at his job and made us feel very comfortable in this amazing undersea world. We dove the museum for 35 minutes. There were lots of small colorful fish, coral growth on the statues, a couple of small stingrays, and a reasonably good-sized barracuda. On the second dive, the boat maneuvered over to Manchones Reef. We dove here for about 25 minutes and no deeper than 8 meters; the visibility was crystal clear. We saw large schools of colorful fish, a crab, and a giant pufferfish that sought shelter under a rock ledge. Time goes by so fast when you’re underwater exploring the depths.
This dive was the highlight and purpose of our trip to Isla Mujeres. We were exhausted after the two dives but thrilled with the experience. Our throats were very parched after breathing that dry air for the two dives, so cold drinking water really hit the spot. The other couple in the boat did the snorkel tour, and they thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.
Explore the beaches of Isla Mujeres
There are five beaches on the North end of Isla Mujeres and four on the island’s southern half. Most popular is Playa Norte. Playa Norte is in the northern part of Isla Mujeres. It is a large white sandy beach with umbrellas from the restaurants dotting the sand. Centro Beach is on the west side of the northern part of the island. This beach also boasts white sandy beaches but has fewer restaurants and people. This was right outside of our hotel, so we played at this one.
Stroll And Taste Many Of North Beach Streets Restaurants
There are many options for dining out in the north beach area. From seafood to pasta with many other choices, the prices can vary greatly, so if you are cost-conscious, it pays to walk around a bit for the best deal. Drinks are the same even during happy hour, be aware that a beer bottle can be 150 ml small size. In general, we found the flavors enjoyable but expensive.
Final Thoughts On Isla Mujeres
- We (even I) enjoyed our stay here in Isla Mujeres. The highlight of our stay was scuba diving as the waters here are crystal clear and make for an incredible experience. The beaches are great, the sand is an inviting white and the water is the temperature of a relaxing soak in a tub. Food is wonderful and varied even though on the expensive side if you look you can some deals. All in all, I would recommend visiting.
Our Positives
- The beaches and the water are outstanding, simply beautiful
- Scuba diving is fantastic and definitely worth paying that little extra for the experience
- Seafood, we enjoyed the fresh variety of seafood we had
- Turtle sanctuary is informative and enjoyable and very inexpensive to visit
- Punta Sur a beautiful spot, with nice walking paths, great views of the beautiful water, and affordable
Would have, Could have, Should have
- It would have been nice to spend on more nights (4) instead of the 3 we had booked. We had to do three as our flight home to Canada was changed.
Next Stop
Well, our next stop is back home to Canada. We have had a great stay in Mexico for the past 5 months. I was even able to get my Covid vaccine shoots in Progreso. Hoping next fall finds us with fewer restrictions with Covid and travel.
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Recommended Travel Essential
Cindy and I call ourselves nomadic so with this lifestyle, we use certain essentials to make this way of life easier and more comfortable. With this in mind, we have composed a list of what we feel are essentials and some tips you might use to plan or take your next travel adventure.
- Travel Packing Essentials to help organize and make this task less stressful
- Travel Safety Essentials to make your life on the road a little safer, giving you peace of mind
- Living Essentials to make life a little more comfortable, be this resting, working, or playing.
Accommodation Options While Traveling The World
- Booking.com is one of our go to’s when we are looking for a place to stay for a couple of days or longer
- Agoda.com we find is best to use when in Southeast Asia, but hey you never know what you might find
- Airbnb.com used to be our go-to but some of their cancelation policies are reasonable, give them a try as well
Travel Insurance
We always travel with some sort of travel Insurance be it just medical or complete trip coverage. We use Heymondo as we find their costs reasonable. Remember don’t travel and without coverage, the savings are not worth the possible costs.
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