Translated this is the island of the woman. We hadn’t heard much about the island itself, but being backpackers we start to get itchy feet after too long in a single location. Thus we said goodbye to Cancun and embarked on a treacherous journey across seas to Isla Mujeres. We are being highly dramatic.getting to the island was the easiest thing ever, purchase a ticket then take a boat and in 20 minutes you will arrive to a small paradise off the coast of Cancun. Our hotel ‘Gomar’ was visible from the second our feet touched the pier, ideal when you’re lugging around 20kg of your belongings on your back. We did have a treacherous journey up four flights of stairs once we arrived though. The beach was calling us-and the bar! The warm smog like air was not fresh as we had hoped, we can only compare to how you would feel sitting inside an airing cupboard. We reached the beach and the sea breeze struck us. It felt like we had inhaled for the first time since being on the island, our lungs expanding with joy at what felt like fresh air.

Evidently the island was much warmer than Cancun. We didn’t have to walk far until there were lots of inviting sunbeds, with umbrellas offering much needed shade. The deal here was spend 200 Mexican pesos at their bar and we could relax on the sunbeds for as long as we like. Bargain! A cocktail each in hand and a plate of nachos later, we were very happy in Isla Mujeres.

The sun turning our skin golden, waves crashing into the shore, it was pure bliss. We ventured into the sea, waves lapsing against our skin was a satisfying cool off. Eventually the sun began to rest, lowering itself towards the ocean. We both drifted in and out of consciousness, peacefully dozing until dusk arrived.

We had heard good things from the Cancun locals about fish on the island, so based our restaurant choice around this. Seated on the seafront, with fairy lights hanging above us and candle lights on the table, the place we chose was cute and quirky. Red Snapper is a white fish, local to the seas of Mexico and absolutely delicious. It arrived chargrilled, lightly seasoned accompanied by rice and fresh vegetables. Mouth watering. Hands down some of the best fish our tastebuds have had the pleasure of meeting. It was melt in the mouth good.

We’ll stop harping on about it now….*wiping the drool off our chins*….

The next day we eagerly arose, excited to explore the island further. Although in honesty we were more excited about our mode of transportation. The most popular way to get around on the very small island is to rent a golf buggy! We knew this would cause much entertainment throughout our day ahead. Jonny braved the steering wheel first, taking to the main strip of the island but heading out towards the turtle farm he was destined to see. Quick note for those who don’t know Jonny, he’s a turtle fanatic, with one tattooed on his leg. The speed of our golf buggy greeted us with a cool breeze, as we headed for the turtles. Jonny’s foot to the floor, he was like a child on Christmas Eve who just can’t wait until the morning. The turtle farm itself was fantastic, costing just 30 pesos, in Jonny’s mind the best money spent so far. We were able to see baby turtles that were just one day old, and even Hayley couldn’t deny their cuteness, squealing with delight as they scrambled around in their pool. The urge to touch them was desperate, they were utterly adorable. To summarise we were able to view turtles of various ages and species, whilst learning about the fantastic work the farm commits.

When we left it was like taking a child out of a toy store for Hayley, as Jonny continually found excuses to stay longer and announced he wanted to seek employment here. Seriously. The big grin on his face soon turned to concern as it was Hayley’s turn behind the wheel of our golf buggy. Suddenly wishing seat belts were installed, Jonny explained thoroughly how to drive the golf cart. He placed it in gear ready, demonstrated the simplicity of the break and accelerator, then shut his eyes and held his breath as Hayley began to draw away from the curb.

Much to Jonny’s surprise she was confident and controlled (to an extent), so his heart palpating slowly stabilised.

We continued our exploration of the island, stopping off at stunning viewpoints at the edge of cliffs to further absorb the beautiful scenery.

We were having a blast, but it was blistering hot and took to a roadside bar for a beverage. Hayley was struggling with the impact of the heat, a cold flannel pressed to her head, she gulped water. Although we hadn’t been directly under the sun too much, it should be said the heat itself is enough to overwhelm your body into exhaustion as Hayley unfortunately experienced. Further down we stopped at the intriguing ‘café mambo’, where we both endured Caribbean style eggs Benedict. It was a great find with a unique menu and tasty food , although Hayley was still unwell and unable to fully appreciate it. We headed back, it was late afternoon and we’d had a great day, but it was time for a lie down. As you may have noticed from photos, Hayley is traditionally British, and her Caucasian skin, light hair and blue eyes find it tricky to adapt to heat. Please be warned though travellers, whatever ethnicity you declare yourself as there are heat stroke warning signs located around the island. It is significantly hotter than Cancun.

A few hours nap and Hayley slowly feeling more herself, we headed to a restaurant we had previously spotted with a pizza oven. Carbing up would hopefully assist in Hayley’s recovery. Our stomachs full, we stumbled across a bar called ‘El Patio’, which lead us upstairs onto the roof where we could enjoy live acoustic music whilst Jonny drank beer and Hayley continued to sip water, slowly feeling better. Leaving the bar our beds were not far from mind. We called it a day and headed back to the hotel.

Our visit to Isla Mujeres had been brief, but we loved it, even Hayley despite her ill strike. If you are in Cancun we would highly advise you to reserve a few days of your trip and designate them to Isla Mujeres-boats are every 30 minutes and run until midnight, so you can even visit for just a day to experience first hand what this beautiful island has to offer.

Our next post will feature Tulum, so if you enjoyed reading this then their will be a follow up on our travels shortly!

Jonny & Hayley

🙂