Mexico Recap Part 2: Isla Mujeres

Hello!

Usually on Fridays I link up with Andrea and Erika to share all my favorites from the week, but instead, I’m going continue sharing about our Mexico vacation because it’s certainly a recent favorite for us.

I shared part 1 of our trip yesterday, and today I’m diving in to part 2.

Before we left for our trip, we had a few people tell us that we should ferry to Isla Mujeres, rent a golf cart and tour the island. So, Travis asked the front desk for information, and they actually had that excursion available that could be booked through them. So, Travis went ahead and signed us up for Wednesday. We thought that would be a good activity to break up our pool and beach time. It was $100/person and at first, I wondered if we should just get a cab to the ferry, get a golf cart, and do our own thing. Well, by the end of the day Wednesday, I was glad we paid for the excursion because it was such an amazing experience.

Wednesday:

Since we were to be in the lobby by 8:30, we decided to keep breakfast simple and go to the buffet. After breakfast, we went back to the room to get packed up for the day. I almost put sunscreen, towels, etc. in our beach bag, but then we decided to use both of the kids’ backpacks. That ended up being a great decision because we were on the go so much that day that it was easier to have our belongings on our backs than carrying a beach bag.

I hate sitting around all wet, so I did pack us all an extra swim suit in case we wanted to change at some point during that day. Again, I was glad that I did that.

A van picked us up to take us to the port. There were two other families in the van with us. At the port, all the workers spoke multiple languages. We heard Spanish, English, French, Italian and more! It was so neat.

After we got checked in, we had to wait a bit for the boats to be ready and for everyone to arrive. We chatted with one of the families from our hotel. They were from Canada and were so nice. Their kids were 15 and 19, and we ended up sitting by them on the boat to and from.

I wondered if any of us were the seasick type. We’ve all been on boats on the lake, but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been on a boat in the ocean. Thankfully, we were all good!

Our boat’s name was Marathon which I thought was a fun name considering Travis and the kids like to run. I’d say there ended up being about six families on board (around 25 people) as well as the captain and four or five crew members.

The kids headed straight to the front of the boat. They were excited to see everything. Once we got moving and there was a breeze, I approved that decision. haha

After only about five minutes of sailing, it was time for the snorkeling. Travis didn’t really give me the details on this…but I put on my life jacket and snorkel and hopped right in the water. Seriously though, it all moved so quickly. The main tour guide told us to jump in and stay with the leader. One of the guys just swam holding a life preserver and we followed along…for probably a half a mile…we just kept swimming!

You didn’t have to snorkel, and some people did stay back on the boat.

I could tell the guide kept looking up to count and make sure he hadn’t lost any of the fifteen of us swimming. Hayden really took to the snorkeling, and if I ever needed to find him, I’d just look for the tour guide because he stuck close to him. We did see so many amazing fish and reefs. Also, towards the end, there was an “underwater museum” that had statues.

The boat had moved to pick us up after our 30 minutes of snorkeling.

Of course, there aren’t snorkeling photos but it was a great experience.

Once we got on the boat, we dried off, and got settled for the 45 minute ride to Isla Mujeres.

The water was stunning, and I probably have thirty photos on my phone that look just like this:

…and this…

The main tour guide was awesome. He was funny and knowledgeable. The other crew members continued to offer drinks and were just so kind and fun.

At one point, the tour guide told us to go stand at the front of the boat and he’d take our photo, and I couldn’t love this photo more.

….and then he told us to put our hands in the air! haha

Once we arrived at the Beach Club, the captain said he’d be back in two hours. Included in the ticket price was access to the beach club. We paid an extra $40 (or $50?) for the golf cart tour. So, those who weren’t doing the tour could hang out at the Beach Club, but otherwise, we followed one of the crew members who got us the golf carts and led the tour.

We drove for a few minutes to our first stop.

…which was stunning.

…another great photo op.

Then, we continued the drive and stopped about ten minutes later at Punta Sur. The tour guide told us we had about 15 minutes here.

So we snapped a few pics, and the kids got ice cream, and I got a coconut drink.

Then, we got back in the golf carts and drove around a bit more. Hadley and I were in the back of the golf cart, and had some of the best views as we continued the tour.

There were so many amazing houses with beautiful views of the ocean. We drove through a cemetery, and then ended the tour driving through parts of the town. We even saw some kids outside playing at school.

Then, we got back to the beach club and had about one hour to eat (the beach club buffet was included) and some beach time.

Hadley’s always up for a photo op!

The kids swam for about thirty minutes, and then it was time to get back on the boat.

Once we were settled on the boat, we had about a twenty minute drive to North Beach which apparently is the best part of the island. As we sailed there, the guide pointed out Ricky Martin’s house…or so he said!

We arrived at North Beach at 2:30, and had two hours at that stop. We all disembarked, and at first it was a bit hectic with all the people and shops. Our ticket included tequila tasting at the city center but we didn’t do that.

We walked a few blocks to a less crowded area of the beach. Again, the water was just so pretty and actually cool.

The water by our resort was warmer, and this Caribbean water was refreshing.

After about an hour in the water, we were hungry. Travis said he’d walk a bit to see if there was a good spot to get something quick to eat. Well, right in front of where we’d put our towels was the Playa Norte Beach Club. I laughed because only we would put our towels right in front of a beach club. #bouji

Anyway, we dried off and had about thirty minutes to get a drink and something to eat. Since we were on a time crunch, we just stuck with chips, salsa, and guac since that would be quick. It was so good.

Since we had to walk back to the boat and weren’t completely dry, Hadley and I changed our swimsuits, so I was glad I had the extra suit to wear under my cover up. Just more comfortable for the ride home.

We went back to the dock and boarded the boat for the ride back to port. It was about an hour, and it was so nice out. There were clouds, so we caught a break from the sun…and the kids even fell asleep!

We chatted with another family from Canada. They had two teenage girls, and were super nice. They told us they were staying at Planet Hollywood which was right next door to our resort. Travis had thought about taking the kids to another resort one day to do slides and other activities. They were so helpful with info about Planet Hollywood that Travis did end up taking the kids there on Friday.

Once we got back to the dock, we only had to wait a few minutes for our ride.

Once we got back, it was probably 6:00, and we took about an hour to cool off and swim in our pool and take turns showering.

We were tired but just kept chugging along. We were afraid if we napped, we’d never get up for dinner. haha

We decided to go to Beloved for dinner, and I couldn’t get over the sunset photos as we walked past the pools.

Then, as we arrived at the restaurant, this view stopped me in my tracks:

(and it’s now the screensaver on my phone!)

We got settled on the patio as the sun continued to set.

Hadley was excited to order the salmon (her fave) and I ordered the risotto. Both were so good. I can’t remember what Travis and Hayden ordered.

Unfortunately, while the view was pretty, for some reason, we were eaten alive and left with bug bites that lasted for days!

After dinner, we headed back to our room. It had been a wonderful but long day. We were ready for bed!

I’m so glad we took the trip to Isla Mujeres. I have a couple of friends who have said they stayed on the island on their trips to Mexico. If we ever get back, maybe we will have to look into that!

Weekly Recap:

I hope you have a great weekend. Next week, I’ll write one more post to wrap our trip. Thanks for following along!