Isla Mujeres, which owes its name to the idols with female characteristics discovered by the Spanish explorer, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba in 1517, is an island situated 14 kilometers from Cancun, and which can be reached by ferry.
El Cayo is just 7 kilometers long and, at its widest part, measures 800 meters. A
lone highway follows the coast around the island and public transport
comes in the form of a taxi, carriage, motorbike or bicycle.
The islands attractions include the Garrafón Park, swimming with dolphins and a turtle farm.
A refuge for pirates during the 17th and 18th Centuries, Isla Mujeres remains a place without worries, calm and with a Caribbean flavor that is suspended in time.
When visiting the island we recommend a visit to Punta Norte, easily
accessible by bike, and offers a coral reef for snorkeling; a visit to
the turtle farm, a ride past the Hacienda Mundaca, constructed by the
pirate Fermín Mundaca in an attempt to gain the favors of one of the
local beauties, or a glass--bottomed boat trip to pass away a couple of
hours observing the schools of multi-colored fish that roam the seas.
There are two ferries that make the return crossing to Cancun: Caribbean
Cabaret and Caribbean Funday, in which, on the return voyage, you are
invited to join in on a marvelous party during which the tequila flows
throughout the whole trip.
Isla Mujeres offer a total of 837 hotel rooms distributed among 44 hotels,
ranging from luxury to the basic overnight stop off, the majority of
them being in the village itself. There are also restaurants, bars,
travel agencies, diving stores and a marina.
The island is connected to the mainland by ferry services which leave from Punta Sam and Punta Juárez.
If you enjoy it so much as to want to make it your home, or
holiday home, there are plots of land available from the Fidecaribe,
which places at your disposition a range of housing on this small
paradise island, as well as along the whole coast, to the south of
Cancun.
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