How to spend a long weekend on Isla Mujeres without breaking the bank
Three reasons I decided to spend my January birthday weekend in Isla Mujeres: I craved authentic Mexican tacos, missed watching the sun set over the ocean, and I could do it on the cheap.
Mexico is one of my fave places on Earth. I’ve had the chance to travel through most of the country, but my last trip to Isla Mujeres was more than 20 years ago. I was a bit nervous that this island off the coast of Cancun had changed so much since then I might not love it now. (See: Tulum.) A friend who vacations there every winter convinced me it was still a laidback, affordable place and I’m delighted to say that she was right. I spent a fantastic birthday chilling on the Caribbean for three days without breaking the bank.
If you are also seeking a getaway that’s warm, relaxing and yummy and have around $1000, I want to share how you too can visit Isla Mujeres on a budget.
This post covers how to get to Isla Mujeres from Cancun, where to stay on the island, free things to do and where to save money while still enjoying the best of what the island has to offer.
What and where is Isla Mujeres?
Getting There Without Overspending
Affordable Eats: Tacos, Markets & Street Food
Sample Budget & Final Reflections
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What and where is Isla Mujeres?
Isla Mujeres (translation: Island of Women) is an island about 13 km and a short ferry ride away from Cancun on the Yucatán Peninsula. It’s one of the smallest islands in the Caribbean, seven km long and just 650 metres across – with the sea on one side and the city skyline on the other. You can visit on a day trip from Cancun, and many do. But you can also just go straight there and stay there.
It has a much more Mexican small-town vibe than Cancun’s party and resort environment. There’s a noticeable population of Americans and Canadians who have retired here, but I did not find it took away from the local culture.
I’ve heard a few different origin stories for the name Island of Women. Most point to Mayan archeological remains on the tip of the island honouring Ixchel – goddess of fertility and childbirth, and the Spaniards who landed here. You can visit the crumbling remains and you will notice statues and murals of Ixchel around the island.
Getting There Without Overspending
I found my ticket stub for a ferry to Isla Mujeres more than 20 years ago. It was about $2 Canadian. No surprise that the price has gone up quite a bit since then! But it’s not too bad.
The public ferries to Isla Mujeres are operated by Ultramar, and they leave from three points in Cancun – two on the “hotel zone” but I went from the main downtown port, Puerto Juarez. They run at least once an hour and you can check the Ultramar schedule here. There are some more expensive private water taxis but honestly no need unless you must get on/off the island between 11pm and 5am when the ferries stop running.
The cost for ferry from Cancun to Isla Mujeres is 290 MX / $21 CDN one way or 580 MX / $43 CDN return. You can buy in advance online, but it’s non-refundable and I just got mine from the ticket booth at the dock, they had lots of staff to assist.
If you’re arriving from the Cancun Airport, the cheapest way to Puerto Juarez is local bus. ADO runs a bus from the airport to the downtown bus station for around $10 CDN. Then you need to take a taxi to the ferry dock, another $10 CDN at least
On a short trip like a weekend, I felt my money was well spent on an airport transfer. CARM Transfer came recommended and I got good service. I paid $45 USD for a private van waiting for me at the airport that took me directly to the ferry dock. It’s the same price for one or two people in this vehicle so for a couple it’s not much more than the local transport option and way more convenient. Small discount for return at $79 USD. Check their prices and reserve here.
The ferry ride itself is 20-30 minutes and very pleasant. Porters will take your luggage. Snacks and cold drinks are available. And there’s entertainment. On my way over to the island I got freestyle rappers and on the way back the ubiquitous Indigenous pan flute.
Where to Stay on the Cheap
To visit Isla Mujeres on a budget, stay on the north end of the island so you can walk to almost everything, including the ferry dock, perfect beaches and lots of restaurants and bars. Here you’ll find many locally owned 2 to 3-star hotels that are clean, comfortable and safe. Depending on the time of year you visit, you can score a spot here for less than $100 CDN per night.
In recent years, there are more upscale hotels on the island, including all-inclusives like Mia Reef and the new luxury Almare by Marriott. Definitely not budget options.
There are also plenty of Airbnbs that may suit a group or family but as I outline in this post for solo travel I always recommend a hotel.
On this trip, I stayed at the Hotel Sol Caribe. It was less than five-minutes’ walk from the ferry dock and offered a basic room with A/C and kitchen for around $140 CDN per night. There was a small space to sit outside my room and a rooftop deck and while this is not an Instagrammable cute place I found it perfectly fine for a short budget trip. No pool, but that’s what the beach is for! If you want a (small) pool, I quite liked the look of Hotel Caracol Isla Mujeres, also central and in budget range.
Affordable Eats: Tacos, Markets & Street Food
Isla Mujeres is a fishing town, so expect lots of fresh seafood. To cater to North Americans there are also Italian dinners, vegan brunches, and the like. These are clustered on strips – you’ll recognize the gauntlet of staff waving their menus at you while you walk by.
To eat on Isla Mujeres on a budget though stick with Mexican. There are so many choices!
I found Mexican breakfast underwhelming at the two places I tried, sadly. Next time I’d go for healthy breakfast at Aroma Isla (around $11-$16 CDN for a smoothie, avocado toast, etc.) or just get fruit and yogurt at the grocery store or juice at the market.
Cheap lunches can be found right beside the main Municipal Market on Calle Vincent Guerrero at simple loncherias with pretty extensive menus where a plate of authentic Mexican will cost around 150 MX/$10 CDN.
Happy Hours are very popular at all the pubs and bars in the early evening with deals on drinks and food. I had a good time at the appropriately named El Patio Casa de La Muscia, a colourful bar which had quality live music on the roof patio and happy hour deals like Mojitos or Nachos for $4 CDN. Around this time, you may also see street vendors offering corn and tacos, especially near the beach.
A 5 to 10-minute walk away from the main drag on the Malecon my friends took me to their fave place for cheap beers (like $3 CDN) at Tiny Gecko, which felt like a bit of a local secret. (There was a frankly terrible cover band playing rock but we enjoyed it anyway.)
I think you can still keep to your Isla Mujeres budget and have a nice dinner. The best meal of my trip was at Suenos de Marfil, also right on the Malecon near the Tiny Gecko. I had a delicious chile relleno for about $20 CDN and everything else I had there from apps to desert and mocktails was delicious. The whole bill was still a 1/3 of what I’d pay for similar in Canada and it came with the sound of ocean surf and stars shining overhead. Really a perfect night
Budget-Friendly Things to Do
The best thing to do on Isla Mujeres is free. Hit the beach. The gorgeous turquoise beach. You can spend money on a Day Pass to a resort to use all their facilities. Or find a lounge chair at a bar with a minimum spend. But you can also take your towel and find a piece of paradise for absolutely nothing. There are a few different beaches so just wander and find your fave.
Also free? Sensational sunrise and sunset. The island is so small you can easily catch both in the same day.
In the early morning, join the locals walking along the Malecon on the East side to watch the sun come out. And don’t miss the sunset from the North Beach. Sometimes we paid for drinks at Tuturreque which is right on the point with perfect views. Sometimes we brought our own drinks from the store and perched ourselves on rocks. We could see the Sunset Cruises go out and that might be your thing but you really don’t need to spend that money to get the glorious sunset.
During the day it’s hot and not much going on away from the beach. Souvenir shops are sleepy, and overpriced anyway. We rented bikes for about $15 CDN and headed south. The bikes were….absolutely awful. Like, the worst bikes I’ve ever ridden! But we made it to the major supermarket which has a fantastic bakery and stopped to wander the seaside cemetery before heading back. There’s also a cemetery near the North beach. You know me I love a good cemetery and not just because they are free.
If you don’t want to try the terrible bikes, and you’re not a rush, a local bus will take you from the ferry dock area into the centre of the island, and onwards to the South Point where there’s a popular Sculpture Garden for about 7$ CDN. The “Isleno Bus” is a comfortable coach with AC that offers an all day “hop on hop off” ticket for around $7 USD. Ask locals to show you the stop near the ferry, or just wave it down when you see it on the main street. Cash only.
At night, there’s a lot of free entertainment at bars and restaurants. I caught a mesmerizing singer in full Catarina Day of the Dead garb doing traditional Mexican ballads while eating dinner and she was great. I also enjoyed looking at the many colourful murals and sculptures around the central town.
If you have $50-$100 or so to spend on an activity, there are many, many tours in Isla Mujeres to take you snorkelling (including to an underwater museum) or out on a glass bottom boat.
More Money-Saving Tips
Most visitors seem to rent golf carts for their time on the island. If you are taking my advice and staying on the north, I see no real need for this on a short trip.
Bring your essentials like SPF, flip-flops, swimsuits etc., with you because the shops on Isla Mujeres charge top dollar for these conveniences.
Pay in pesos. That’s just general travel courtesy but will also save you money in unfavourable exchange rates from retailers.
Sample Isla Mujeres on a Budget
All told, my solo trip to Isla Mujeres on budget cost me about $750 CDN for three nights/days, including accommodation, transportation, and food. I was very happy just reading lazily by the water or wandering at night without adding any tours or activities. If you are two people splitting a room obviously this cuts the cost down quite a bit and you can add more things.
I ate well every day for under $50 CDN; I don’t drink alcohol though so adjust your budget accordingly if you do.
My flight was an additional $600 on Air Transat from Toronto to Cancun. (I wrote about the experience with the Air Transat Option Plus upgrade here.) If you are flexible with dates and travel with just a backpack, Flair Airlines often has deals for under $300. Read how to score cheap Flair fares in this honest review.
I do realize that some travellers would prefer to take that $1000 on a cheap all-inclusive to Cuba or the Dominican for a week. That’s not so cheap when you’re solo (thanks, single supplements!) and I really love Mexico. So for me, this was an excellent birthday getaway and now I know I can go to Isla Mujeres on a budget and come back feeling like a million.
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