An Essential Guide To Isla Mujeres

Get off the beaten track a little and relax on Isla Mujeres – one of the quieter and lesser known beach locations on the Yucatan Peninsula, but also one of the most beautiful. It’s all palm trees, cocktails, guacamole and golf carts to get you around – is there any more perfect type of island life?

Where is Isla Mujeres?

Isla Mujeres is located along the Riviera Maya, and is an island off the coast of Mexico. It follows the Eastern Standard Time UTC -5.

Getting to Isla Mujeres

The closest airport to Isla Mujeres is Cancun International Airport (CUN). From Cancun airport you will need to get a taxi, shuttle or private transfer to the Gran Puerto Cancun ferry dock, about 25 minutes away from the airport.

The Ultramar ferry is the easiest way to get to the island, the direct service only takes about 20 minutes to arrive on Isla Mujeres. For the easiest way to get to the ferry I would definitely recommend a private transfer.

Not only is it the most direct, but it also means you won’t have to drop other travellers off at their hotel on the way to the ferry. To find the best deals on private transfers check out Cancun Airport Transfers and organise your transfer before you arrive to save you time.

Check out the best flight deals to Isla Mujeres

Language in Mexico

The main language spoken in Mexico and on Isla Mujeres is Spanish. People working in hotels or the tourism industry will often be able to speak some English, but don’t expect it in smaller stores, cafes and restaurants.

Climate on Isla Mujeres

Isla Mujeres has the ultimate climate, with sunny warm weather all year round and amazing temperatures. There’s no bad time of the year to plan a trip to this little island, it’s just perfect whenever you choose to visit. It’s generally a few degrees cooler than the close by mainland city of Cancun, but you probably wouldn’t even notice. 

Getting Around Isla Mujeres

There are very few motor vehicles to be found on Isla Mujeres – the only few we saw were taxis or construction trucks.

The most popular and most fun way to get around the island is with a golf cart. There are only 500 golf carts on the island, so make sure you either make a reservation the day before, or get up early to secure one!

If you’re staying around the main town and area of Isla Mujeres you might not need anything to get around at all, with everything you need within walking distance of your hotel, including beaches, shopping and food options.

Currency & Money on Isla Mujeres

Currency is Mexican Pesos $. USD are also widely accessible and accepted.

To be honest, our hotel was all inclusive so we didn’t need to spend too much money on the island. We got some cash out from the ATM at the Ultramar ferry dock before we arrived on the island, so we pretty much just used cash and didn’t need another ATM while we were there.

Being prepared made things super easy on the island, and it’s a good idea to get some cash out before you arrive to avoid hassles on the island.

Internet Access on Isla Mujeres

Our hotel had an excellent wifi connection, as did a few of the restaurants and beach clubs found along the main beach.

Most of the restaurants and cafes around the streets are quite small and authentic, so you can’t always rely on them to have a stable connection. If you really need to be connected during your visit it might be a good idea to reach out to your hotel before you arrive and find out what their situation is.

The Main Streets of Isla Mujeres

The island of Isla Mujeres is incredibly small, with the whole island feeling like one little town and few conventional main streets.

Av Rueda Medina is where you will find the ferry wharf to get to and from the mainland, as well as some general souvenir and gift shops along the way.

Av Juárez and Av Guerrero and the street crossing over them is where you can find the best food and shopping options.

And then head to Carlos Lazo for the best beach access.

Best time to go to Isla Mujeres

As is the case with most of the Riviera Maya coastline, there is really no bad time to visit, with sunny days and warm weather on offer all year round on Isla Mujeres.

For a more peaceful stay try to book your trip around the USA and Mexico school holidays, as crowds will be a little smaller, but it also is one of the smaller and lesser known islands around Cancun, so the crowds are never very big anyway! 

Can’t Miss Experiences on Isla Mujeres

+ Just sitting on the beach and doing absolutely nothing, what else is an island for?!
+ Kick back and relax at Playa Norte Beach
+ Go snorkelling, paddle boarding or kayaking around the calm lagoon that circles Mia Reef Resort
+ Rent a golf cart to explore the island at your own pace
+ Head to the opposite side of the island to visit Acantilado del Amanecer – the garden of sculptures
+ Check out the views from Garrafon Natural Reef Park and the epic blue water
+ Learn more about how important turtle conservation is at Tortugranja Turtle Farm
Check out Travel Yucatan for a complete list of everything you need to see in this beautiful region, including day trips you can take from the island.

Good to know for your visit to Isla Mujeres

Book accommodation in the Centro Supmza, 001 zone as this is where you will find the best resorts, beaches, shopping and dining options.

The rest of the island is largely a residential zone. It’s awesome to go down a check out during the day, but definitely doesn’t have as many options for food and shopping within walking distance.

Explore more of our adventures around Mexico

This post was sponsored by Travel Yucatan. Make sure you visit https://travelyucatan.com/ to find out everything you need to know about your trip to the Mexican Coast!

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Happy travels,



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