If the idea of planning one more excursion on your Cancun, Mexico trip feels exhausting (but you still want to do something special with your kids), let me introduce you to Isla Mujeres!! This little island is our go-to family escape when we want beautiful beaches, good food, and adventure without the chaos. From a ferry ride that feels like a party to cruising the island in a golf cart, seeing sea turtles, and swimming at one of the best shallow beaches I’ve ever been to, Isla Mujeres is easy, fun, and totally doable with kids (even lots of them).

Here’s exactly how we do it!

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Dreamy Isla Mujeres…

How to get there - The Ferry:

To get to Isla Mujeres from Cancun, the best way is to use the ferry. You are going to head over to Puerto Juarez (the port). and the ferry company is called Ultramar. You want a round trip ticket from Puerto Juarez to Isla Mujeres. The cost is about $15-20/person depending on the exchange rate and whether you are purchasing an adult or a child ticket.

We thing it’s best to head over there first thing in the morning (9-9:30 ish), so you can have as long as possible on the island.
For us the ferry is half the fun. You ride across the gorgeous turquoise waters with upbeat live music playing as you go. Every time we have taken the ferry, the music has been upbeat and fun on the way over to Isla Mujeres (to get you excited about your adventure), and the music is melancholy and slower on your way back to Cancun (so sad to leave-truly it hits the mood just right). Tell us if it ends up being the same for you!

You will use the same port for your way back.

First things First once you are on the Island:

You are going to want to rent a golf cart. It’s the easiest way to get around the island. The roads are really skinny, and the island is small enough that you can cover the whole thing in your golf cart. It makes it so easy when you want to pull over anytime you want a closer look at something.

You can reserve a golf cart online before you go, or you can purchase it there. Either way, we suggest bartering the price. Online you can do this via email with the shop owner, or you can just do it in person. We have done both and gotten much better deals doing this.

We used Gomar Rentals on one of our trips, but there are several to choose from.

Tortugranja- Turtle Sanctuary

Once you have your golf cart, you’re going to head southwest to this little aquarium that is a sanctuary for all colors, shapes and sizes of sea turtles. It costs about a dollar to get in. We spent about 30-45 minutes here looking at all the turtles.

Mayan Ruins & Punta Sur

From there, you keep heading south down to the very tip of the island to where you can see some small Mayan ruins and Punta Sur where there is a beautiful lookout over the rocky beaches. It’s a great picture spot. There are restrooms (bring some cash for toilet paper), and some shops. There are often carts set up with ice cream and other treats.

Cocos Frios & other fresh fruit

Head back up North, and have fun exploring! There are lots of beaches and the town is fun to drive through. When in Mexico, I always have to get a fresh coconut and fresh mangos. You will see fruit stands, and other fun souvenir stands all around the island.

Tasty lunch!!

At the North end of the island are a grouping of restaurants that we love to eat at. They have a pink canopy and they are so close together it’s hard to tell them apart at first. Our favorite is Loncheria San Martin (right next to Loncheria Alexia y Geovanny).

One of the Yucatan classics that you have to get are the panuchos. They are like little stuffed tostadas. There are many flavors to choose from, and a must eat when you are in the Cancun area of Mexico. And if you have picky eaters, our daughter was very happy with the American favorite: pancakes topped with strawberries.

The beach is only a block away, so if the island is crowded, you can leave your golf cart in this parking lot and walk to the beach.

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Our Favorite beach: Playa Norte

The sand is perfection and it’s a nice shallow beach if you have little ones. It’s near a lot of the hotels, so it’s easy to find.

Shopping

There is a lot of shopping all over the island, but is especially concentrated at the port. We like to do light shopping as we go and save the bulk of the shopping for the port at the end so we don’t have to carry our purchases all over the island.

Culture:

Whenever I go on a trip, I like to spend at least part of the trip immersed in the culture. If you are looking to spend a cultural day in the Cancun area, in a generally safe area, Isla Mujeres is my favorite place to hang out. Everything is slower paced, way less crowded, and it’s so easy to do whatever you feel like doing when you are cruising along in a golf cart.