Isla Mujeres Daily Journal

DAY 1 SUNDAY JULY 9, 2023

The time had finally come to say goodbye to our fur babies (which was the hardest part of the vacation) and head to the airport! Our flight wasn't until 1pm; though Aeromexico allowed us to check in online even though it was an international flight. We decided to leave around 10am so we would have about 2 1/2 hours at the airport. Worse comes to worst, we would get a chance to relax and eat some food!

Well, it is a good thing we did because Garrett left his phone in the Uber! It felt like disaster had struck and the trip had barely begun. Luckily. Uber has a way of recovering lost items. After a couple minutes, we were able to convince our Uber driver to return to the airport and return the phone!

Note: Uber will charge you $20 for your driver to come back and return a forgotten possession. I understand it’s for safety, but it is a bummer that you are unable to contact your Uber driver directly in any way.
LUCKILY, we were able to track Garrett’s phone and see where our driver was. We weren’t completely in the dark to it’s location. 30 minutes later, we were back on track!

We flew through airport security, found our gate and hunkered down. We boarded our flight to Mexico City on time. We then sat on the tarmac for almost an hour….in the Vegas heat… with no AC. The other passengers were not happy. I was stressed because of our connecting flights and getting through immigration on time. One good thing: The plane had a large media section so we were able to be entertained.

After landing in Mexico City, we RUSHED off the plane towards immigration. We ended up being one of the only planes to arrive at that time, so we were through within 15 minutes. The lady was nice, but it was the first sign of a language barrier.

We flew through airport security again (Garrett had to chug my water to get it through security) and ran over tot he board to see which gate we were at. We realized our tickets didn’t correctly indicate the time change so despite our landing 1 hour late, we still had 2 hours left of our layover! What luck! I decided it was a good time to test out my credit card (it worked!)

After a quick little dinner, we boarded our next flight, which also sat on the tarmac for about an hour. Two hours later and we had made it to CANCUN! It was about 1am when we landed at terminal 4. Our hotel was at terminal 2 so we had to do the 30 minute walk. We could have waited for a bus or taken a taxi, but at 1am, it was just easier to walk. The trek was our first experience with the humid gulf of Mexico.

We felt very safe on that walk at 1am! Checking in was an absolute breeze at the Hilton Garden Inn. The room was exactly what we needed after a long day of travel. We showered and climbed into bed, THANKFUL that we would get to sleep in!

DAY 2 MONDAY JULY 10, 2023

After sleeping in, taking advantage of the Wifi, and sipping on coffee, we slowly repacked everything and checked out of the hotel at 11. We didn’t necessarily feel in a rush since our Airbnb check in time was 3pm and we would have all our luggage with us. Our shuttle was right on time and took us to the Ultramar Ferry.

The shuttle ride to the ferry took about 25 minutes. I enjoyed looking out the window and seeing more of the “real” Cancun. I don’t know much about Cancun, but it appeared somewhat run down, though there were many BEAUTIFUL murals everywhere.

The ferry had a drop off zone that was mostly occupied by taxis and shuttles. There are ATMs for both Mexican Pesos (MXN) and USD, a ticket booth, a bar, a coffee shop, and a small grocery shop. We decided to stock up on snacks and water before hopping in line. The ferry runs every 30 minutes so we didn’t have to wait long.

The ferry was SO NICE! There was indoor seating, covered outdoor seating, and uncovered outdoors seating. We opted for the covered outdoor seating. All the Ultramar Ferry’s have live music which is a nice touch! We had a DJ and saxophone player. They also serve non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. Once we got away from the harbor, the water was so BLUE (as blue as my hair!) and crystal clear. Seeing the turquoise ocean was the first sign that we were in for a great vacation!

A view from the ferry! Live music and beautiful views!

Once we arrived at Isla Mujeres, it was beach vibes all that way! Live music, street vendors, white sand beaches, and HUMIDITY! There was surprisingly no real ocean breeze!

On Isla Mujeres, you can only rent golf carts and scooters. There are TONS of places to rent golf carts, so I didn’t do much research. Most rental places are the same price, so we just walked to the first golf cart place we found.

We hadn’t decided before getting to the island if we would rent on a day by day basis, or for the whole stay.

Once we arrived, we decided renting for our entire trip would be worth it. At Rentadora Caribe, 24 hour rental was **$1150 MEX** which is about **$68** **USD** a day.

While waiting for our Airbnb to become available , we cruised around the island and took in the views! First, we drove to the southern part to get away from the crowds before then heading up towards the more popular Playa Norte and Playa Centra.

Towards the afternoon, it started to get VERY hot. Garrett was already sunburned. I was dehydrated! So we headed to the Soggy Peso (our Airbnb) to check into our room. The Soggy Peso is, first and foremost, a bar and grill. Prior to arriving, they informed us would our room would be under renovation and we would be upgrading us to the Penthouse for free! (SCORE!)

Upon arrival, there is a small gravel parking lots (for golf carts). You enter in through a little alleyway that opens up to a pool and very unique bar! I was able to retrieve our key from a lock box, and after walking up some flights of stairs, I saw our Penthouse!

The AC hadn’t been running so it was HOT HOT HOT in there! But my gosh…..it was breathtaking! The decor was nice with a dining table, king sized bed, and a MASSIVE shower. The view was what really did it. You could see the ocean from both sides! And to think, we were only spending **$130 USD** a night! Obviously, we got lucky with this free upgrade. I am not sure how much the penthouse costs typically! We immediately made ourselves at home, cranked the AC, and tried to decide what to do for the day.

I am not gonna lie, at this point, the heat of Isla Mujeres was getting to me. Garrett was very brave, even though his lily- white pale skin was bright red and he pours out sweat when it is over 70 degrees. But he was a trooper. It was in the low 90’s and would not be cooling down much at night. Most beach places I had been had a breeze. Isla Mujeres did NOT. It was very stagnate air.

Once we cooled down a bit (laying on the floor under a fan and AC), it was time to venture out!

We made our way to Playa Centro which was right in the “center” of the ferry/ tourist area. We stopped and picked up some sunscreen (for Garrett’s poor, sun beaten, alabaster skin), picked up water, and went and found a spot on the beach.
To be honest, I only lasted for about 10 minutes. I got in the water, but was sweaty and sticky by the time I made it back to Garrett, sleeping on the lovely beach towel I had bought him from Amazon. I was hungry. I was AGITATED.
After I threw a minor hissy fit, we decided it was time for FOOD! But more importantly, a margarita. Garrett said goodbye forever to that beach towel (he forgot it) and we went to a cute little open air bar (that had fans) right down the street.

At Cocos Snack and Beach bar, I cooled down with a glass of water and a very TASTY strawberry margarita (or two)! I had some delicious chicken tacos and Garrett had chicken Carbonara. Both of us were very happy with our meals.

For dinner, we decided to take things easy and get pizza. We saw signs EVERYWHERE for Pizza Mikes and decided to give it a try. We drove there and placed our order. (Get the garlic knots!)

The wait would be about 40 minutes. So we decided to go and explore a near by beach we had passed early that day and enjoy the peaceful sounds of the ocean! We found a very cute beach called Playa Mascotas (The Pet’s Beach). We enjoyed the sunset, playing in the water, and taking some photos.

Once the pizza was ready, we found a large grocery store, Chedraui, and did some shopping. We went back to the Airbnb, ate our food and tucked in for the night!

DAY 3 TUESDAY JULY 11, 2023

When planning, I decided it would be best to have our first dive in the afternoon. That way our first morning would be nice and relaxed. This would be Garrett’s first ocean dive, so I wanted him stress free!

We slept in and enjoyed the AC for little bit and waking up to a great view! After Garrett tried on his brand new BIG hat, and I drank my coffee, we started to get ready for the day.

We arrived at Aqua Adventures…or better, I arrived at Aqua Adventures because Garrett had to go back and get his dive certificate! Our dive was at 12:45. For anyone who dives, TYPICALLY, the “dive time” is when the boat is leaving, so you have to get there earlier to get ready and signed in. This was not the case here.

We didn’t end up leaving the dive shop until about 1:15. I felt bad sending Garrett back to get his cert when they didn’t even check them!
The shop is two streets over from the Marina. So at 1:15, we all walked over as a group. It was HOT! So we were excited to get on the boat!

Our first dive was to the MUSA museum which is a protected area off the southern tip of Isla Mujeres. Artists have dropped sculptures in about 25 feet of water to become artificial coral reefs. For the first time, we did a backwards roll off the boat and into the 82 degree water we went. It was gorgeous! There was a pretty strong current, but overall, an easy dive!

For our second dive, it was a reef/ drift dive at Manchones I. Right before the dive, Garrett got a little seasick (darn pineapple!), but “feeding the fishes” a little, he rallied! The reefs look beautiful and healthy. We were able to see tons of colorful fish, some rays, and a turtle!

After our dive, we visited the famous Playa Norte. Playa Norte has been named the most beautiful beach in Mexico. In all honesty, we didn’t quite understand where the title came from. It was a beautiful beach, but it was mostly surrounded by bars, and beach clubs, with little to no shade. And because it was after 5pm, you could no longer rent chairs. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a beautiful beach! We stayed for about an hour, had a margarita and a rum and coke before heading back to the air Bnb!

As I mentioned, our Airbnb functions as a bar during the day. Luckily it closes down at 8pm. Which is great for peace and quiet in the evening. We arrived just in time to get our two free Margaritas! We went up stairs and chilled out for a little bit.

Once the bar had shut down, we discovered there was a little beach with a pier! We had the entire Airbnb, beach and pier to ourselves. We sat out at the edge of the pier, drank our margaritas, and enjoyed watching the sunset!

Honestly, we got so lucky with this place.
After our drinks, we decided to take a dip in the pool before calling it a night.

DAY 4 WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2023

Today was our BUSY dive day! We had to wake up early to make it to the dive shop by 7:25am. The dive shop was hectic, but eventually, we were on our way to the boat. The dive boat was small, cramped, and loud which Garrett and I both found frustrating. So we were very excited to finally get in the water. The first dive was a wreck with a strong drift. We dove on the C58 Minesweeper. We saw a couple lionfish, a turtle, and plenty of brightly colored fish.

The second dive was a reef drift dive. Garrett was absolutely amazed by all the coral and fish! It was a nice and easy dive.

After we finished our morning dive, we decided it was best to find some food and relax before our twilight/night dive dive at 4:45. So naturally, we had two free margaritas at our Airbnb, ate some delicious wings, and I passed out for 2 hours.

By some MIRACLE, we woke up and made it to our night dive. I am so happy we did! It was only us and one other girl on the boat. It was such a peaceful one hour dive. (It was supposed to be a 2 tank dive, but it had to be changed to a single tank dive). We saw tons of pufferfish and watching the light change as the sun went down was a great end to a full day of diving.

After the dive, Playa Centra had completely emptied. We noticed the island was pretty quiet after 5pm since Isla Mujeres is mostly a day trip spot. We took that opportunity to take some photos on very cute swings in the ocean.

We finished off the night by getting Garrett some DELICIOUS churros, we went back to our Airbnb, sat on the pier with some drinks, and then took a dip in the pool before calling it a night.

DAY 5 THURSDAY JULY 13, 2023

Today, we decided to ditch our dive reservations! After the somewhat exhausting dive experiences we had, we thought it would be best to cancel the afternoon dive we had booked. Instead we made a list of all the places we wanted to see and spent the last full day exploring the island without any excursions or interruptions. I am so happy we did!

It worked out perfectly to do a loop around the island.

For the first time since our trip started, we were finally able to go somewhere for breakfast! When researching Isla Mujeres, I read multiple times that the Mango Café was a must for delicious food. It is an open area, breakfast/lunch, cash only spot.

Garrett ordered watermelon juice, which was so nice he got it twice (and wants to make it at home) while I order watermelon juice with champagne, aka a mimosa! Yum! I got chicken enchiladas and Garrett got empanadas. It was more so brunch (my favorite).

Next, we drove down to the southern tip of Isla Mujeres, Punta Sur. Punta Sur is a park with a small entrance fee. We walked along the winding paths, admiring the sculptures depicting the Mayan Gods. While we were there, the sculptures were being restored. It was interesting to watch the workers re-painting and re-plastering everything in the heat. At the point of Punta Sur, there is a small Mayan ruin we walked around. There were also iguanas everywhere!

There was little to no shade in this area and, again, no wind! It was a breathtaking place to be, but I was getting overheated fast! I wish I could have walked around for hours, but I decided to seek shade and let Garrett walk a little longer by himself.

I took the time to write in my journal and take in the views while cooling down for a bit. I had a great view of the ocean and the sculptures on a hill overlooking Punta Sur. Garrett wasn’t too hard to spot when he started making his way back to me because of that bill ‘ole hat.

After Punta Sur, it was time to cool off! I had read about Garrafon de Castilla (not to be confused with Garrafon Park) and we decided to give the beach club a try. For **$150 MXN** per person, we were able to use the showers, restrooms, beach chairs, and umbrellas at this little resort. This location is a protective cove good for snorkeling!
I was finally able to relax and read my book for a little bit in the shade before taking a dip and swimming with the pretty fish!

The beach club also had servers coming around! We ordered drinks (food was also available) and relaxed! I got my go to margarita and Garrett had a jack and coke which he very much enjoyed!
Having the showers available was SOOOO nice! Most of the beaches do not have showers, bathrooms, or anything of that sort.

We spent a couple hours at Garrafon de Castilla before heading back to our Airbnb to shower off and get ready for the evening. I also stopped by the bar to get our free margaritas for our pool time later that evening.

We then headed back to the north end of Isla Mujeres. Our goal was to try some elotes (corn), a famous Mexican street food, find Garrett the ONE souvenir he wanted (a silly shirt), and get dinner.

We got some elotes from a street vendor near the pier. We both opted for the cup version, mine plain, Garrett’s spicy. Both of us found it just alright. I enjoyed it until I was about halfway done, then it was meh.
**Note: Elotes is corn, mexican cream, chili powder, and cotija cheese**.
We walked around afterwards until we found Garrett the perfect shirt before making our way back to Coco’s, the same restaurant we ate at on the first day. The food and drinks were so good, we just decided to go again!

To end our final evening on Isla Mujeres, we decided to watch the sunset at Playa Mascotes again. We really enjoyed this beach since it was mostly empty and had more chill vibes.

We took some fun pictures, played in the sand, made friends with a Dalmatian puppy and said goodbye to our last sunset on Isla Mujeres.

DAY 6 FRIDAY JULY 14, 2023

Today was the big big DAY! The whole reason for coming to Isla Mujeres! It was WHALE SHARK DAY! I was so excited! Our tour was at 7:30 with Sea Hawk Divers. They provided a light breakfast and coffee at the shop before we all hopped into the truck and drove to the dock.

For our tour, we got VERY lucky. Most tours have twenty people crammed on a tiny boat. Sea Hawk Divers only allows ten people. On our tour, three people cancelled that morning! There were only seven of us; Garrett, myself, and a fun family from Argentina who didn’t speak English (except their son).

Raul, our guide, was extremely friendly and VERY passionate about whale sharks (which I really appreciated). After seeing Garrett and I brought our own snorkeling gear, he gave us streamlined life jackets (life jackets are required) instead of the bulky orange ones. We would move faster in the water and have a better time with the sharks.

Once we got going, Raul explained how they find the whale sharks by simply scanning the ocean for fins and water disturbance. Whale Sharks are filter feeders right below the water and have gills so the don’t come up for air. He also explained how this season, due to the “sargasm” (excess seaweed), they were seeing less and less sharks, so fingers crossed, we would find them. It took about an hour on the bumpy boat before we got to the “whale shark area”.

The search for them was very exciting and very boring at the same time. We saw a dolphin, got a little sunburned, and tried to hold onto hope. After about an hour of searching, our captain heard on the radio another boat found one! All the boats in the area high tailed! Our captain put on his reggae music and speed to the area. (our boat was the fastest hehe!)

Raul did a fantastic job briefing us on how the jump would work. We should wait for the shark to come to us, not swim to it. Once it was close, you turn, and swim along side it (no touching) and ride the shark’s current in the sweet spot by the gills and fin. He said most people make the mistake of swimming towards the shark, then it passes them and is gone. Or not swimming fast enough in general.

When it was our boat’s turn (only one boat of jumpers is allowed at a time. It is all very diplomatic and regulated for the whale’s safety), our captain got us in the sweet spot with the Whale Shark coming straight for us! We jumped and I was on cloud 9.

Whale Sharks were the high on my bucket list! This beautiful lady was about the size of a school bus and she was moving fast! It was so peaceful swimming along side her though. I found myself right in the sweet spot and rode the current with Garrett beside me filming.

I felt like I was swimming for so long, I had to keep checking to see if Raul was calling us back. I could have swam with that shark forever.

*I was so happy to be swimming along a whale shark in my matching leggings! My usual dive outfit is a full whale shark (or tiger shark) wetsuit from Waterlust.

Once our time was done, we got back on the boat. I was SO HAPPY I could have cried. Everyone was grinning on the boat. Raul was ecstatic and said we all performed beautifully! A huge line had formed for this whale shark, so rather than waiting, our captain took us to another radioed location close by.

This whale shark wasn’t feeding on the surface like that last one and was becoming difficult to find. It kept coming up and going down, coming up and going down. Usually all the boats line up and take turns, but this, was a free for all! Our boat captain was incredible though and was able to anticipate where this shark was going and get away from the crowd a bit. All of us prepared to jump as Raul dove into the water. He floated on the surface and indicated the shark was moving towards us and diving down. But all of a sudden, he indicated the shark was moving up and waved at us to JUMP!

As I looked down, I could see the whale shark started to come to the surface! It was just as amazing as the first one. This shark was a male. Our whole boat swam with him for what seemed like forever until he had enough and dove back down into the depths. Again, Raul was SO happy and proud of everyone.

Two jumps was plenty for everyone (and all that was allowed)! It was time to cruise and enjoy the rest of the trip. We were taken to an area for snorkeling by an uninhabited island that was a National Park. Garrett and I had already done plenty of snorkeling/ diving on the trip, so we just putzs around behind everyone and took it easy. Once the snorkeling was over, the captain served us fresh ceviche, guacamole, chips, and beer for our return to Isla Mujeres.

The Whale Shark adventure got us back around 3pm. Lucky for us, our AMAZING Airbnb host, Colleen, let us stay past the check out time so we could get a chance to shower off before making our way to Cancun. We came back to the Soggy Peso one last time, showered, packed, took in all the views one last time, and headed back to the dock to return our beloved, speedy golf cart.

We returned our golf cart (with a $1150 MXN late fee) and hopped straight onto the Ultramar Ferry back to Cancun. The ride was hot and in the sun, but we got to wave goodbye to that gorgeous island as it slowly disappeared over the crystal clear ocean.

Once we arrived in Puerto Juarez, we realized Uber was available in Mexico! For only $35 USD, an Uber picked us up in 15 minutes and took us to our Airbnb. Checking in at Cancun Airbnb, which was a condominium in the hotel zone, was a bit of a pain (high security), but once we got in, the place was nice! And that view!

We played around with idea of seeing Cirque du Soleil JOYA. But instead, we decided to take it easy since it had been a LONG day and we were in for a long day tomorrow. We wanted to have a nice meal together. Within walking distance from the hotel was a restaurant name Navios. The menu looked great so we decided to give it a try.

This place ended up being so cute! It was on the water and completely outside! There was live music, and for once, a breeze.

It was facing the ocean with the sunset in view. It was a nice touch to a lovely but long day day.
The meal was fancy and delicious! I got Saffron Alfredo with Salmon. Garrett ordered a steak he had to cook himself on a hot plate. I had some wine and Garrett tried his first Mojito! He became and instant fan.

After our delicious meal, we went back to our hotel and prepare for a tomorrow’s long day of excursions!

DAY 7 SATURDAY JULY 15, 2023

It was our last full day in Mexico!! We decided to spend the day seeing Tulum and cenotes. I booked us a tour through Cancun Adventures. at 7am, the driver picked us up in a 12 passenger van (with AC!) at our hotel, which was very convenient. There were lots of snacks and water! The drive to Tulum would be about 2 hours. On our way to Tulum, we also picked up our tour guide, Marc who was from the Netherlands! Once we got there, I was very confused. The front was a HUGE gift shop with street vendors. I thought this was an archeological site?! However, after further explanation, we realized we would be walking the rest of the way. The driver gave us umbrellas and we followed Marc to Tulum.

It was about a 10 minute walk and once we were through the entrance, Marc found what shade he could and gave us a quick history lesson of what we were looking at (for more info on Tulum and the other Mayan ruins you can visit, hop over to Researching Isla Mujeres). What makes Tulum unique and beautiful is being on a cliff edge overlooking the ocean instead of in the jungle.

Tulum was HOT HOT HOT! We were happy to have the umbrellas and water supplied by the tour! We were given an hour to wander around ourselves before meeting back at the shops. Tulum was very peaceful and quiet. There is tons to look at and read on signs posted in front of the old buildings. But it was “heat exhaustion” hot, so Garrett and I lasted about 30 minutes before making the ten minute trek back to the shops.

Once everyone was gathered, we were given more water and a briefing on the Cenote we were heading to!

I was very excited about the cenote! However, I found this tour cenote….interesting. This cenote is “owned” by Cancun Adventures. No outsiders are allowed in except their fleet of tour buses. That was… fine except we weren’t allowed to take pictures for “liability” reasons. But…..of course….you could buy photos from their photographer.

These are photos from their website and google

We were required to rinse off any sunscreen and lotions to “preserve” the cenote and put on a life jacket before climbing down into the cenote. (I found this weird given the life jackets branded with “Cancun Adventures” had mold on them and the cenote had lights, and electricity running all through it). But once I got past the commercialization, it was pretty breathtaking with all the stalactites and stalagmites. There were also bats everywhere! The water was so cold! Which felt great after sweating and getting sunburn in Tulum. Marc gave us a tour around the caverns while I attempted to drench my sunburn in the healing waters. (I actually do think it helped!) We swam in the cenote for almost an hour.

After this cenote, we drove to the next cenote, Yal-ku (passing Nicholas Cage’s vacation house as we did). We would be allowed to snorkel and take photos at this venue. Yal-ku is a lagoon cenote where fresh water and salt water mix. This means while snorkeling, you can see ocean fish! We snorkeled for about an hour.

After a full day of sun, swimming, and getting on and off the bus, it was finally time for LUNCH! Originally, I was not excited about going to the Cancun Adventures “beach club”. But it ended up being AMAZING! Marc took our order earlier in the day, so when we arrived, it was all ready for us. The lunch was extremely awkward since no one on the tour bus really talked to each other (haha!) So we all ate our delicious food (Chicken and beef tacos for Garrett and I) in silence before splitting off.

I was excited because I finally got to go to a SWING BAR! I researched them before our trip. I saw them while we were in Isla Mujeres, but it was just too HOT!

But this swing bar was perfect with a great view of the beach and a lovely breeze. I had a margarita and Garrett had his new favorite, a mojito.
We had about 45 minutes of free time at the beach club before it was time to head back to the hotel!

After the tour, we were hungry and tired. We walked to a different place across the street from our hotel. It was……not good. The food was good. The drinks were good. The service was BAD. We got our food to go and went back to our hotel.

Garrett and I packed everything up and enjoyed some drinks and our dinner on the porch listening to the ocean! We made a plan to wake up and watch the sunrise on our last day!

DAY 8 SUNDAY JULY 16, 2023

It’s was our last day! We woke up early in order to watch the sunrise. I am so happy we did! It was worth it, listening to the ocean, watching the sunrise one more time in Mexico!

Once the sun was up, we went back to bed for a couple more hours. Our check out time from the Airbnb was 11am, so we order a shuttle to pick us up and take us to the airport around then. Our flight wasn’t until 3:30pm, but we might as well head to the airport early. What else were we going to do with our bags once we had to leave the Airbnb?

We got to the airport and through security (with all our souvenirs and goodies!) pretty quick. The Cancun airport was like a vacation club itself. There were souvenir shops everywhere, fancy places to eat, “street” vendors, etc.. We decided to post up in a Margaritaville (why not?) and wait until it was time to board our flights.

Our flight with Aeromexico to Mexico City was easy and quick. Once in Mexico City, we had a 2 hour layover. We used up the rest of our pesos to buy mini sombreros for the cats (yes….I know) before getting our on our flight home!

The flight home went off without a hitch. we even got to see the (famous I guess?) Las Vegas Sphere lit up like the moon as we flew in. It was pretty cool! We got through US customs in less than 5 minutes (they didn’t even check our bags or anything!). Within 30 minutes, we were in an Uber and on our way home to put little hats on our cats!