GULF ANYONE?
Paradise found. No really, this place is blissful. We both lurve tropical splices and have been to some of the best (and worst) known, including Nha Trang in Vietnam, Koh Samui in Thailand, Hawaiian Islands, Fijian Islands, Vanuatu, Tahiti and Bora Bora… All of which have their own unique appeal whether it be exotic and exclusive, popular and pristine or underdeveloped and underrated. We have come to love both ends of the spectrum, but definitely starting to favor the latter and immersing ourselves into our surrounding locale. We arrived into Cancun airport and shot straight through; as Cancun is famous for its big, brash, resorts that offer all inclusive meal and drink plans so that you basically just stay at the resort and, well, just stay at the resort. Thanks but no thanks. We made our way directly to the ferry and ended up on Isla Mujeres – a chilled out and slow paced island in the Caribbean, just 14 kilometers off the coast of Mexico. We checked into our basic-a-mondo room at Cabana Maria Del Mar which was less than 20 paces to the crystal waters of the “north” beach. There’s not a whole lot of action and partying on this island which is exactly what had us sold in the first place. Our room was only 2 blocks or so to the main village area (ironically referred to as downtown which thankfully is nothing like a typical downtown) that had lots of little non-Americano eateries which had us salivating from the get go. We started chatting to one of the ‘restaurant’ owners, Jeffy, and got the feel goods so sat down and devoured some incredible feasts… And local lagers. Jeffy is an owner of Dopi’s Restaurant and the most appealing part for us was that all of their recipes and signature dishes were family traditions passed down from previous generations. Might we say, that Jeffy’s ancestors were onto a good thing back in the day! Our plates consisted of traditional Burritos – chocked with chicken, lime, coriander, black bean paste, rice and homemade salsa on a flour tortilla. But trumping this beauty was the Curried Shrimp Quaesedillas. Holy Dooly, this really got our motors running with freshly caught prawns (or shrimp) in local curry flavors, chili, lime; melted cheese on a toasted tortilla. This actually saw us return for the same dish on several occasions during our stay. In fact, we are just about to head over again for another hit as this is being written… And we’re excited. We adored this humble little paradise as it offered some of the best scenery of the Carribean as we scooted our way around the circumference of island… x 3. A beer at a cliff edge cafe shouldn’t go unmentioned, nor should the deliciously authentic street food we picked up along the way.
WIN:
Getting lost whilst darting between the narrow streets on our tough 50cc scooter and having a drink from a freshly husked coconut on the side of the road as we gathered our bearings.
FAIL:
Leaving the scooter in the sun whilst having our icy cold beer on the side of a cliff, only to return to a seat that was less appealing to sit on than a pool of lava.
NOTABLE NOTES:
Drink:
Well priced and nice tasting XX Lager goes for around $2 over the counter or $3.50 in restaurants
Eat:
Street food is authentic, delicious and very safe. Most common is soft tacos that are around $1.50 each and two should suffice. Also, Dopi’s Restaurant on Hildago which is the main restaurant strip. Curried Shrimp Quaesadillas are a MUST! Dinner for 2 approx $35 including beers.
Sleep:
Maria Del Mar – in our opinion has the best location on the entire island offering a stunning beachfront location. Basic double rooms with air con and private bathrooms around $40/night including continental breakfast on the beach.
Hot Tips:
– Rent a scooter for around $25/day and check out the southern end of the island offering Mayan ruins and cliff hugging mansions.
– The north-west area of Isla Mujeres is the most popular and offers incredible beaches with crystal clear water and sugary white sand. The southern and eastern coast of the island is rocky and often a bit windy but is more private and offers some amazing oceanfront villas for rent.
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