DAY 1 . . . . . .Isle Mujeres, Mexico
Getting to the island. . .
Flying into Cancun is quite easy. Clearing customs in Mexico even easier. Once you pass through immigration you basically push a button, if it's green you pass, if it's red, you get your bags checked. This time I let my husband push since I am notorious for pushing and getting the RED light. Wouldn't you know, he pushes "GREEN." We are one step closer.
As we exit the airport in Cancun we are bombarded by tour operators, taxis, shuttles, time share reps, etc. etc. etc. Since this trip was basically planned less than 12 hours prior we really didn't have the time to sort out our tranfers to the ferry dock (If we would have had a little more time we could have saved a little money,) but it is what it is. We pay for and proceed to the waiting area for our shared shuttle.
As we are in the shuttle leaving the airport I notice a huge billboard for "Walmart" and instantly thankful that we are not staying anywhere close to Cancun. The only good thing about this place are it's beaches, and close proximity to some amazing destinations such as Tulum, Cozumel (although I only recommend if you scuba dive), Holbox, and of course Isle Mujeres. As we are driving through the hotel zone which is nothing short of South Beach on steriods, I actually become a little bitter at the destruction of what could be such a beautiful place. When I travel to a foreign destination the last thing I want is to feel like I never left home. After passing shopping mall after shopping mall, and seeing nothing but chain restaurant after chain restaurant the only clear way that I know I'm in Mexico at this point is the stamp in my passport. Where is the authenticity of this place?
As we finally pull into the dock my bitterness quickly fades and my excitement returns. It won't be long now. My husband buys the ferry tickets, and since we have about a half hour to kill decide to pass the time with an ice cold "cerveza". The weather is hot, the waters insanely beautiful, I suddenly realize that 4 days here are not long enough.
After 4 cervezas, guacamole & chips, and a short 20 minute ferry ride we finally are here. We are staying at the same place we stayed last year (Cabanas Maria Del Mar. www.cabanasdelmar.com) Although it's only a $ 3.00 cab ride to the hotel, we decide to walk which takes about 15 minutes. We have one thing on our minds at this point. . .BEACH! Check-in is fast, we rush to our room, and are on the beach in a matter of minutes. Our hotel is located on the North Beach which is without a doubt the best beach on the entire island, and I must add with the best beach bar BUHOS. (Buhos is one of the best beach bars we've come across anywhere)
The beach was amazing. The water even better. This is paradise!
Although coming here to sit on the beach and relax would have been enough, our main purpose of this trip was to "Swim with Whale Sharks." So after dinner and checking out a few dive shops we made our reservations for 0800 the next morning. I felt like a child on Christmas Eve, tomorrow morning seemed so far away. Being so filled with adrenline to even think about sleeping, we headed back to Buhos Beach Bar for a night cap and watch the sunset. All I'm thinking at this point is " It is great to be back!"
There are 2 docks to catch a ferry to Isle Mujeres. The most popular " PUERTO JUAREZ" is also the furthest from the airport. The newest dock is "GRAN PUERTO" . They both cost about 35 pesos each way to cross, operate every half hour all day, and the ride is about 20 minutes. For more information on the ferries as well as Isle Mujeres check out www.islemujeres.info
Getting to the island. . .
Flying into Cancun is quite easy. Clearing customs in Mexico even easier. Once you pass through immigration you basically push a button, if it's green you pass, if it's red, you get your bags checked. This time I let my husband push since I am notorious for pushing and getting the RED light. Wouldn't you know, he pushes "GREEN." We are one step closer.
As we exit the airport in Cancun we are bombarded by tour operators, taxis, shuttles, time share reps, etc. etc. etc. Since this trip was basically planned less than 12 hours prior we really didn't have the time to sort out our tranfers to the ferry dock (If we would have had a little more time we could have saved a little money,) but it is what it is. We pay for and proceed to the waiting area for our shared shuttle.
As we are in the shuttle leaving the airport I notice a huge billboard for "Walmart" and instantly thankful that we are not staying anywhere close to Cancun. The only good thing about this place are it's beaches, and close proximity to some amazing destinations such as Tulum, Cozumel (although I only recommend if you scuba dive), Holbox, and of course Isle Mujeres. As we are driving through the hotel zone which is nothing short of South Beach on steriods, I actually become a little bitter at the destruction of what could be such a beautiful place. When I travel to a foreign destination the last thing I want is to feel like I never left home. After passing shopping mall after shopping mall, and seeing nothing but chain restaurant after chain restaurant the only clear way that I know I'm in Mexico at this point is the stamp in my passport. Where is the authenticity of this place?
As we finally pull into the dock my bitterness quickly fades and my excitement returns. It won't be long now. My husband buys the ferry tickets, and since we have about a half hour to kill decide to pass the time with an ice cold "cerveza". The weather is hot, the waters insanely beautiful, I suddenly realize that 4 days here are not long enough.
After 4 cervezas, guacamole & chips, and a short 20 minute ferry ride we finally are here. We are staying at the same place we stayed last year (Cabanas Maria Del Mar. www.cabanasdelmar.com) Although it's only a $ 3.00 cab ride to the hotel, we decide to walk which takes about 15 minutes. We have one thing on our minds at this point. . .BEACH! Check-in is fast, we rush to our room, and are on the beach in a matter of minutes. Our hotel is located on the North Beach which is without a doubt the best beach on the entire island, and I must add with the best beach bar BUHOS. (Buhos is one of the best beach bars we've come across anywhere)
The beach was amazing. The water even better. This is paradise!
Although coming here to sit on the beach and relax would have been enough, our main purpose of this trip was to "Swim with Whale Sharks." So after dinner and checking out a few dive shops we made our reservations for 0800 the next morning. I felt like a child on Christmas Eve, tomorrow morning seemed so far away. Being so filled with adrenline to even think about sleeping, we headed back to Buhos Beach Bar for a night cap and watch the sunset. All I'm thinking at this point is " It is great to be back!"
There are 2 docks to catch a ferry to Isle Mujeres. The most popular " PUERTO JUAREZ" is also the furthest from the airport. The newest dock is "GRAN PUERTO" . They both cost about 35 pesos each way to cross, operate every half hour all day, and the ride is about 20 minutes. For more information on the ferries as well as Isle Mujeres check out www.islemujeres.info
No comments:
Post a Comment