Isla Mujeres

Only 13 kilometers offshore and easily accessible by ferry from Cancún, Isla Mujeres, just 8 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide, is a laid-back reprieve from Cancún’s conspicuously commercialized action. This is an island of white-sand beaches and turquoise waters, complemented by a town filled with Caribbean-colored clapboard houses and rustic, open-air restaurants specializing in the bounty of the sea. Most tourists come just for the day, but there are wonderful places to stay on this small island. So if you favor a quieter, slow and easy-going vacation pace, we recommend you stay here rather than in Cancún. Francisco Hernández de Córdoba gave the island its name, which means “island of the women,” when he landed here in 1517 and found figurines of partially-clad females along the shore. These are now believed to have been offerings to the Mayan goddess of fertility, Ixchel, and the presence of these figurines indicates that Isla Mujeres was sacred to the Maya. Next to the lighthouse on the southern tip of the island are the ruins (not much more than a pile of rocks) of a small pyramid, which was an observatory built to the moon and goddess Ixchel. While on the island, spend time at El Garrafón National Underwater Park, located at the southern tip of the island. This is an excellent spot for snorkeling. At the northern tip you find Playa Norte, the island’s best public swimming beach.You can take a take a ferry from Cancún’s Embarcadero Pier at Playa Linda to Isla Mujeres. You might need to ask where the pier is located, since it is hidden within a shopping arcade and, therefore, not easily visible. You can also take a ferry from the port of Punta Sam, just outside Puerto Juárez. This ferry is less expensive, but not nearly as convenient since the dock is north of town.