It's been several weeks now since I was in Isla Mujeres. I was so excited about the trip that I posted before-hand. This perfect little island off the coast of Cancun had the best beach I've ever been to--and I've been to beaches all over the world from India to St. Martin to Baja. Granted, there are many many more I haven't been to, but the Isla Mujeres beaches are number 1 for me at least for now. The beach at our hotel had such clear, blue water, but the most amazing part was how far out into the ocean you could walk and the water rarely got above mid-chest level. You could just go and go and go until you were basically standing in the middle of the ocean.
Isla Mujeres is the anti-Cancun and that's the way I like it. As soon as we got off the ferry, I was reminded a little of India with its laid-back feel, low, colorful buildings, and people on bikes carrying 10x their weight. We hoofed it to our home for the week, the lovely Ixchel Beach Hotel. My family was sharing an ocean-facing suite with a huge wraparound deck. As is customary on our family trips, we immediately went to the local grocery store to buy water, fruit, and juice (in Mexico, we especially love the juice/soy milk beverages) and get the lay of the land.
We spent the bulk of our trip chilling on the beach, swimming, playing cards, drinking tequila, and 
eating a lot. As a true foodie family, we will not go on a trip unless we think the food will be excellent. We weren't disappointed. And because Isla, like the rest of the Mexican Riviera, has a large number of transplants from Europe, there is a wonderful mix of cuisine.
We found the best fish tacos, ceviche, and garlic conch and octopus (pulpo) to be at an open-air seafood restaurant called Cockteleria Justica Social (Social Justice). Social Justice is on the water on the same side as the ferry but up the street quite a bit--the opposite direction from the more touristy restaurants (and Picus, which I had heard good things about but hated). I like that it's removed, but I'm also concerned that it is a bit hard to find. I don't want it going out of business before we make it back!
We also had outstanding local grilled bbq fish called tikin-xic, amberjack marinated in lime and coated with achiote paste and grilled until bright red. Our favorite was at Playa Lancheros which is about mid-island on the water. This was one of the biggest fish I've ever eaten. It looked strangely like ribs as you can see in this picture and the meat was almost more like chicken than fish. Delicious though.
My favorite hangout was Manana, a bookstore and restaurant run by an Israeli couple. Don't miss their various coffee concoctions, smoothies and snacks. We also had an amazing breakfast there on our last day that included a Moroccan-inspired dish of spicy tomatoes and over-easy eggs.
For a healthy, European-flavored meal, check out Elements of the Island which has homemade preserves and interesting dishes from Switzerland (as well as rooms for rent and pilates and yoga classes!). The pizza at Rolandi's was quite good, especially the ones with seafood and huitalacoche (corn funghi which is a delicacy in Mexico...it tastes like a smoky type of mushroom, basically). If you want to have fun on a Sun night, go to the basketball courts in the center of town and enjoy homemade tacos and sweets with the locals for church dinner. My favorite meal though was at the newly opened Olivia's, a Mediterranean restaurant with a beautiful setting and a delectable mix of cuisine from Greece to Turkey to Morocco. Last, but not least, once we found the gelateria, Cool, we went there for dessert *every night*. The best flavors--cinnamon, nutella, and kahlua coffee with tons of ground up coffee bean right in the cream. mmmmmmmm
The best way to see the entire island which is only 5 miles long and less than a 
half mile wide is by moped or golf cart. The southern part of the island is gorgeous and where most of the locals live, so don't miss doing this. Among other things, we saw the baseball field, a local k-mart(!), a house shaped like a seashell, and of course, amazing views.
My aunt loves reggae, so one night we went to a club called Caribe and my dad bought us Cuban cigars. Now, I am a novice cigar-smoker and I couldn't light my cigar to my family's amusement.
There was an older guy at the bar smoking a cigar, so my dad says, "I bet he knows how to do it. Go ask him." So I trot up there and he helps me out. My mom comes up to us and takes a picture. He totally freaks and then my mom makes it so much better by saying, "No, it's fine, I'm her mom!"
My dad had heard that Captain Tony was the only guy we could trust for a 
boat trip and because the weather can be a bit unpredictable (and Captain Tony won't go out if it's at all rough), the best thing to do is to go to his house first thing in the morning and check in with him to see if he'll be making a run or not. It took us a couple of tries, but we eventually made it on a trip to a nature preserve called Contoy Island.
The boat was not large, but with the help of a calm sea and a couple Dramamine, I was fine on the way out. On the way back, however, the wind unexpectedly began to kick up and in addition to basically being in a continuous shower for 2 hours straight (with the occasional water gun squirt to the face), the waves were so high we almost turned over. The 20 of us on the boat thought this was pretty funny and in between wiping our faces from the constant soaking we were getting, we were squealing from our stomachs dropping over and over, and even singing the theme to Gilligan's Island. Captain Tony otoh was amazing the way he handled it all. I am sure we were a distraction. :) Even after all that, he stopped to let us do some mid-ocean snorkeling. The current was so strong, I felt like I almost got pulled out to sea a couple of times, but it was worth it. I hung onto the rope and was rewarded. I've never seen such huge fish in my life. And I mean HUGE...barracuda and other giant colorful fish with big teeth. What a way to top off the day which had some of the clearest water and most beautiful beach I'd ever seen and stingrays that swam with you at Contoy. I touched one and it was so weird feeling--slimy but firm. One in particular liked me and followed me around. I named him Joe. (If you are wondering where the picture is of me touching Joe, my mom flubbed it--lol.)
If you are thinking of going to Isla Mujeres, be sure to visit IslaMujeres.net and especially MyIslaMujeres.com, home of the Map Chick. Her map was invaluable btw.
Find out more about my trip and check out all of my Isla Mujeres trip photos!
Haven't gotten enough? Visit the Big Sweet Tooth blog for more from another Isla Mujeres-lover.
