While in Cancun, we decided to do a day-trip to Isla Mujeres. The island, which means ‘Island of the Women’ in Spanish, is a 20 minute ferry ride from Cancun. It is approximately 7km long and 650m wide. It would definitely be worth staying in for longer if you have time, but if not, it’s definitely worth going to for the day, especially if you are staying in downtown Cancun away from the hotel zone and the beaches. Isla Mujeres is certainly not cheap, in fact it’s probably one of the most expensive places we visited in Mexico, but if you’re going there for the day here’s some tips on how to do it on a budget.
If you are planning to stay in Isla Mujeres, I recommend using booking.com to get more flexibility with no deposits and free cancellations.
Getting to Isla Mujeres
The nearest airport to Isla Mujeres is Cancun. I recommend using KIWI.COM to check out the cheapest flight prices.
If coming straight from the airport, your best option is to get an ADO bus (98 pesos or €4) to the city centre, and then a taxi to Puerto Juarez, which should cost about 100-150 pesos.
TAXI/UBER TO PUERTO JUAREZ
So if you’re staying downtown rather than in the Zona Hotelera, your best option is to take a taxi or Uber to Puerto Juarez.
FERRY TO ISLA MUJERES
From Puerto Juarez, there are a few options for the Ferry. The cheapest ferry is Naveganto, which does return tickets for 350 pesos (€15). However, the ferrys are not as frequent, and the last one returns to Cancun at 5:30pm. (Naveganto Schedule here.)
We decided to go for the Ultramar ferry instead, as even though it was 450 pesos (€19), the ferrys come every half an hour and run until midnight. The reason we went for this was because we wanted to see the sunset. (Ultramar Schedule here.)
The Ultramar ferry also had a man performing on electric guitar which was so much fun and made for a great atmosphere.
Getting around Isla Mujeres
WALKING AROUND ISLA MUJERES
Being on a budget, walking around the island was the best option for us.
The island is not that small, but we stayed in the north part which has everything you need for a day trip and was very easy to walk around.
GOLF CART IN ISLA MUJERES
If you were looking to explore, you can rent golf carts to ride around for about 200 pesos (€8.8) an hour. They’re super popular and a bit of a novelty.
MOPED IN ISLA MUJERES
You can also rent mopeds on Isla Mujeres for about 600 pesos/€26 a day. Not the most budget friendly option but if you’re in a couple might be worth it.
Where to Eat in Isla Mujeres on a Budget
MOGAGUA CAFE: Because we were only in Isla Mujeres for a day, we didn’t get to try out that many restaurants. We stopped in Mogagua Cafe because it came up when I searched for veggie friendly food. The food was absolutely delicious and came in HUGE portions. It wasn’t the cheapest, but compared with other restaurants nearby it was half the price, and because of the size of the portions it did us until dinner! I got the veggie breakfast burrito which was 150 pesos (€6.5) and came with potato wedges, and a mango smoothie the size of my head for 80 pesos (€3.4). They also had delicious looking iced coffees for 70 pesos (€3).
Where to Drink in Isla Mujeres on a Budget
EL PATIO CASA DE LA MUSICA: Once again, we were only in Isla Mujeres for a day so didn’t get to try out many bars! I did some research as to places with the best Happy Hours and came across El Patio and it did not disappoint.
Happy Hour is at 4:30-6:30pm and it was 30 pesos for a beer (€1.2), 20 pesos for draught beer (€0.86) and 60 pesos for margaritas, mojitos and wine (€2.5).
There was also amazing live music on the rooftop with covers of the Beatles, Radiohead, Oasis and more.
Things to do in Isla Mujeres on a Budget
I felt like maybe I didn’t do enough in Isla Mujeres to write a blog post about it, but then I realised that is the reality of traveling on a budget. If you are trying to stay away long-term, sometimes you have to turn down doing every activity and just be happy chilling on the beach and reading a book for the day. So that’s pretty much all we did and it was pretty magical.
GO TO PLAYA NORTE
Playa Norte (North Beach) is home to the same white sand and crystal blue seas that the Caribbean coast is famous for. Bring a towel and some swimming gear and set up on the sand for the day with a picnic and a book.
WATCH THE SUNSET AT PLAYA NORTE
We decided to stay for sunset as we’d heard it was supposed to be lovely and it did not disappoint. Because of Playa Norte’s positioning, it is one of the few places along the coast where you can get a really good view of the sun setting. I recommend going to Oxxo (the cheapest shop) and getting some beers or seltzers and setting up on a towel after happy hour to watch the sun set.
EXPLORE THE COLOURFUL STREETS
The streets are so colourful and beautiful in Isla Mujeres, and all the houses are painted fun colours so it’s gorgeous to explore. The most famous of these is the Crayola House, which is privately owned but people like to go and get a picture for the gram there.
GOLF CART TO PUNTA SUR
If you’re not much of a beach lounger, it’s probably worth paying for a golf-cart for a few hours to explore. Head down south of the Island to Punta Sur where you can visit the Pre-Colombian Mayan Ruins of Ixchel, or just admire the views from the viewpoint.
Taking a Trip around Quintana Roo?
Check out more of my budget Travel Guides Here –
Tulum Budget Travel Guide
Bacalar Budget Travel Guide
Holbox Budget Travel Guide
Check out my Instagram Post about Isla Mujeres here :
