Isla Mujeres was a beautiful and relaxing vacation. I hope to use this blog post later to remind myself of the places to go and places to avoid when we visit again.
Transportation: organize transportation from the airport to the ferry prior to arrival. You can buy ferry tickets once there (600 pesos pp round trip). I may rent a golf cart prior to arrival on our next trip so we can have it once we arrive or just get one after we arrive. I'm haven't heard glowing reviews of one golf cart place over another.
Places to stay: we decided on an airbnb because of the cost of all inclusive hotels. We were so happy that we chose this option because 1. there were so many restaurants we wanted to try, 2. it was much more spacious and secluded. We were happy that we chose to spend our entire vacation on Isla Mujeres because we felt safe and felt like we weren't constantly fighting crowds. We chose an airbnb, Casa Mayaland, as the south end of the island (near Punta Sur). I would recommend any airbnbs in the south part of the island. So many new homes are currently going up-they are in a huge growth stage right now. I would not stay in on a beach front hotel in playa norte. It is a very pretty area but personally, I would rather avoid the crowds.
Restaurants: Fuego de Mar (best place in Isla Mujeres-skirt steak, octopus, tuna, lobster sorrentinos), Marbellos (amazing fresh seafood-ceviche), coconut icecream!, la barisas (pretty good seafood, fun live music), Kin Ha (great breakfast and desserts). The one restaurant we went to in playa norte was a great location and we were able to see the sunset, but the food was only ok.
Day activities: We spent two days in Kin Ha (for 450 pesos pp, 300 of which can be used for food and beverages). Snorkeling, kayaking, jumping off deck swing were all included in the price. It was a great place to lay by the sea on the deck or by the pool bar. One day was spent on playa norte (it was crowded and we laid on our towels due to the price of chair rentals) and walking around the shops. I walked to a home just down the main road (south part of the island but NE main road) to attend yoga at 9am for two days. This was taught by MaryAnn and it was a great way to start the morning (100 pesos per class).
Avoid: the north part of the island. It was fun to visit all the shops but the restaurants were not that great, playa norte was pretty and worth seeing but SO CROWDED. It seemed that most people on the beach were residents of the hotels located on the beach.
Golf Carts: we rented from a place across the street from the ferry, gomez golf carts? We were happy with the place and the golf cart until the very end when we were checking out. They said that the front license plate was missing, which was an indication that the police found us parked in an illegal spot. Apparently, they don't leave a ticket. Evidently, the police had taken the front license plate prior to our renting the golf cart, so we were not required to pay the 3000 PESOS (~$160) to release the driver's license we left as a deposit. This was not explained to us when we rented our golf cart. Therefore, ALWAYS check that there's a front license plate and ask when you are allowed to get gas each day (apparently this golf cart place only allowed refills in the morning).
