Isla Mujeres – Best Digital Nomad Destination in Mexico
Isla Mujeres is a small island in front of Cancun and one of the best digital nomad destinations in Mexico. On this island you will find dreamy beaches with turquoise blue water, authentic Mexican restaurants, stunning coastlines and much more. Isla Mujeres still has this small island vibe that is different to the towns on the mainland. The north of Isla Mujeres is the most touristy and therefore busiest part of the island. It’s also where you will find one of the most popular beaches: Playa Norte.
The more you drive south, the more locals you will find. On Isla Mujeres everybody drives around in golf carts and scooters, because the island is very small. It’s about 4.3 miles (7 km) long and has a maximum width of about 0.4 miles (650 m) at its widest point. In this guide I am showing you the best things to do and to see on Isla Mujeres, combined with some secret spots recommended by locals. You will find everything you need to know before traveling to Isla Mujeres.
„Island days are the best kind of days.”
– Unknown
How to get here
The best way to get to Isla Mujeres is by ferry. The Gran Puerto ferry dock is the most popular spot to take the ferry, only a few minutes from downtown Cancun. The ferries leave every half hour from 5:00am until 9:30pm and take about 15 minutes until they arrive on Isla Mujeres. There are also ferry docks in the hotel zone of Cancun: Playa Tortugas, EL Embarcadero and Playa Caracol. Which one is the best for you depends on where you are located and where you want to go. There is only one ferry terminal on Isla Mujeres. I took the ferry from Puerto Juárez to Isla Mujeres, because I stayed in the city center for a night and took the ferry back to Zona Hotelera to get to my accommodation at the hotel zone in Cancun. The ferry should cost about 16 USD round trip (320 MXN).
Where to stay
If you are looking for the best hostel on the island, you should stay at Selina. This hostel has modern rooms with air conditioner, a big kitchen, a coworking space (for an additional fee), a pool, a restaurant & bar and a travel agency where you can book tours. From all of the hostels I stayed at during my travels this is my favorite. There are events every single night and a workout class every single morning. Especially if you’re a digital nomad, looking for a hostel where you can meet other travelers, as well as getting some work done, then this hostel is perfect for you.
There is free coffee in the coworking space, air conditioner and there is no music. Even though there is always music playing outside by the bar you won’t hear much noise from inside the coworking office. If you decide to book the coworking space you can save a lot of money if you book for a week or for a month. This booking can be used for all Selina hostels. If you are traveling through Mexico you can stay at different Selinas and use their coworking space. There are two Selinas in Cancun & Tulum, one in Oaxaca, one in Puerto Escondido, Mexico City, the list goes on.
Another great alternative is the Nomads Hostel in the south of the island. They have their own little beach where you can relax and go for a swim and a bar where you can order drinks and food. It’s a super beautiful hostel in boho style with a pool by the beach. The only thing that you could miss if you’re a nomad is a coworking space. If you decide to stay here you will need a scooter to get around, because it’s a bit far from the north.
Best time to travel
The best time to travel to Isla Mujeres is from October to November and from February to April. December and January are the busiest months in Mexico, so there will be a lot more tourists. May is still a good time to travel, but you will begin to see seaweed at the beaches. From June to September is the summer season, which means high humidity, heavy rainfalls and hot temperatures.
Things to do on Isla Mujeres
Relax at Playa Norte
Playa Norte is the most popular beach on isla mujeres with white sand and turquoise blue water. It’s the type of beach you have in mind when thinking about beaches in the Caribbean. Here you will also find most hotels and restaurants on the island. There are a few hotels located by Playa Norte and some beach bears right by the water. It’s the largest beach on the island and the best place to relax in the sun.
I love the fact that most people get around by driving golf carts on this island. It makes a lot of sense, because the island is so small and many streets are very narrow. If you’re traveling with a rental car I would recommend you to leave it on the mainland, because you won’t need it on the island. There are many rental places that have similar prices. We went to Isla Mujeres Golf Carts Joaquin, because the day rental included more hours, which meant that we could bring it back much later than at other places. With your golf cart you can literally explore the whole island in a day (or a few hours) and it’s so much fun!
Explore Punta Sur
Punta Sur is the southernmost point of Isla Mujeres. To get to the very end you will have to pay a small fee (10 MXN = 0.50 ct) but it’s really worth it. There are walkways around the cliffs from where you have an amazing view on the ocean and on Cancun. You will also see a statue of a giant iguana that is right in front of the ocean. They just put some new statues there that show the history of the island. At Punta Sur Maya women used to make offerings to the goddess Ixchel, the goddess of love, adbudane and fertility. Maya women prayed to her for fertility when they wanted to start a family.
Have Lunch at the Joint restaurant
The Joint Reggae Bar & Grill is located in the south of the island. This restaurant has tables outside and there are often bands playing reggae music. The food is absolutely delicious and the margaritas are very good here.
Go Snorkeling
The best spot on the island to go snorkeling is at the Club De Playa At Garrafon De Castilla. You have to pay a small entrance fee and you can rent goggles and fins here to go snorkeling. What I personally really liked is that you can buy little bags of fish food and once you spread it in the water you will be surrounded by yellow fishes. They also have beach chairs and a restaurant, which makes this a great place to spend some time. By the way, the nachos with guacamole are super delicious here!
Swim at our Secret Beach
When my friend asked the locals where the best beach is on Isla Mujeres, they recommended one that is right next to Playita La Joya. You just park next to the Hotel La Joya Isla Mujeres and then you walk down the little steps to Playita La Joya. From here you can walk on the sand to the right side, where you will find our secret beach. There are usually no people here and the water is crystal clear. It’s different to Playa Norte, because the water there is turquoise blue, but not as clear and here you can literally see everything that’s underwater. If you like to escape the busy beach in the north then you will love this spot, because most people don’t know about this beach.
Eat Sushi at Samura
Samura is a Japanese restaurant in the south of Isla Mujeres. The whole restaurant is outside and the sushi is absolutely delicious. The best time to eat here is in the evening, because the garden looks so beautiful with all of the lights. The cocktails are also really good here.
Spend a Day in the Garrafon Park
The Garrafon Natural Reef Park has lots of fun activities you can do. You can go zip lining, snorkeling, stand up paddling, kayaking, swim in the pools, eat at their buffet and order drinks at the bar. There are different types of day passes with different things included. With all of the things they are offering it’s easy to spend the whole day here. The only thing I didn’t enjoy as much was the snorkeling, because they had a line you had to follow and you couldn’t see many fishes. Everything else was super fun, especially the zip lining over the ocean.
Have Dinner at Mamma Rosa
Mamma Rosa is an Italian restaurant, located on the north side of the island. This restaurant has typical Italian food and the service is amazing. We went there in a big group, ordered many different starters and meals to share and everybody was happy.
See it on YouTube
Watch my video about Isla Mujeres:
Overall Isla Mujeres is a great place to enjoy some of the best beaches in Mexico. As mentioned before, Isla Mujeres still has this small island vibe that is different to places like Cancun. What I really enjoyed is that everything is within walking distance if you’re staying on the north side of the island. It’s a great place to be, no matter if you’re on vacation or if you’re working remotely. I hope this guide will help you to have a fantastic time on this island!
