I only had one day in Cancun and I didn’t stay there, I went to Isla Mujeres and it was the best thing I did. Cancun needs more time and more money.
Isla Mujeres is a city on an island in the Caribbean Sea, close to Cancun, but with very different characteristics from its neighbor. It’s a small resort, the beaches are not surrounded by buildings and hotels, you can enjoy them on foot.
During my trip to Mexico, I only had 4 days for Cancun and Riviera Maya. As there was little time, I prioritized other places, leaving Cancun only as an entrance to the region as it has an airport.
From Cancun I organized my itinerary. 1 day to Isla Mujeres, 1 day in Playa del Carmen and 2 days in Tulum.
You can stay in the region for several days because there are good options besides the beaches. But with the little time I had, I prioritized the beaches, some cenotes and the Tulun ruin. I didn’t have much luck with the beaches due to the sargassum.
Sargasso It is a type of seaweed with a bad and strong smell that is carried by the current to the beach. Sargassum is common in the Cancun and Riviera Maya region, but when I went in April/2019 there was an invasion. It is an action of nature and can occur at any time. You can follow the situation here.
I arrived in Cancun at night and the next morning I left for Isla Mujeres. So I thought of the most practical and cheapest way to go, return and then continue on my journey.
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I stayed close to the ADO bus terminal. in the city center. Because that way I could go from the airport to the bus terminal and the next day it was easy to go by bus to Playa del Carmen.
- There it was closer to the Puerto Juarezone of the embarkation points for the island with more time options and closer to the island, reducing navigation time.
Crossing to Isla Mujeres
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| Puerto Juarez |
The next morning I left my luggage at the hostel and took the shuttle bus to Puerto Juarez to make the crossing. It was easy and quick to go by bus and the ticket is cheap (about 12 pesos).
For those in the center, the best crossing option is Puerto Juarez, but the Ultramar company that provides the service have other pick-up points in the Cancun hotel zone.
>> See all my posts about Mexico.
In Puerto Juarez they have more timetable options, it is widely used by residents, payment can be made with pesos, and the crossing is shorter, 20 minutes. Locations close to hotels are more used by tourists, they are charged in dollars and the crossing takes longer.
I woke up later than I should have and arrived at the boarding point after 10am. There were a lot of people, I couldn’t leave on the catamaran at 10:30am and arrived after 11am. Should have woken up early.
The catamaran is good, the crossing was peaceful with musical performances. Arrival is in the city center with shops and people offering services such as golf cart rental, which is widely used to travel around the island.
Already on the Island
I left the pier and, ignoring everything and everyone, I turned left to get closer to the beach with that color of water that I hadn’t yet seen.
And as I like to do when I travel, I went walking. I followed the sea, passed bars and beach clubs, hotels and ended up arriving at the end of the northern beach where the Mia Reef resort is located.
The beach is public there and you don’t necessarily have to pay to use a sun lounger at the bar, as there is plenty of space on the sand. And there the sea was even more beautiful, I chose my place and stayed.
I went with tips on what to do on the island and was even going to rent a golf cart, but I abandoned the idea to enjoy the beach. The day was beautiful with strong sun and no sargassum, it was my best day at the beach. You could even see fish and small turtles. See Fabio’s tips on the cinematic travel blog.
From there I just went for lunch in the center, which is close by and has cheaper options, and then went back to the beach.
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| Isla Mujeres Center |
And it was great to have taken the day off to the beach, because I had come from Mexico City with four days of cultural programming, I wanted to relax. And after Isla Mujeres I didn’t enjoy the Caribbean Sea anymore due to the amount of sargassum on the beaches and the weather that didn’t cooperate.
Later in the afternoon, I became curious and left on the opposite side that I arrived at and followed the sea, passing other beaches, less touristy areas and when I saw it I was back in the center. I ended up getting to know a little more about Isla Mujeres.
I enjoyed my lazy day in Isla Mujeres, but considering the movement and what I saw in the center, I would also like to do more than just a day trip and stay at least one night. Not to mention that they have tours that leave from there to other islands.
But I needed to return to Cancun and there were a lot of people to cross and it could take a while. I didn’t want to arrive late as I still needed to collect my luggage from the hostel, buy a ticket and go to Playa del Carmen.
Where to stay
In Cancun I stayed at Hotel inn Cancun, which is actually a Hostel. I only stayed one night, but I liked it. It seemed new to me, it has a good location, service, coffee, structure and price. It’s a building, but it has an elevator. I still booked here in Brazil.
>> See all my posts from Mexico.
