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Isla Mujeres, Mexico Trip Report
Isla Mujeres, Mexico Trip Report
For the trip report junkies out there:
http://clevernomad.blogspot.com/
http://clevernomad.blogspot.com/
Nice report. We were on IM for a short "sun-seeking" trip last year. I think our pros/cons match fairly well. One thing we really enjoyed was that we could ride bikes up and down the relatively flat island. Bikes and foot were our only mode of transportation, and we really enjoyed it. We all know that that's nearly impossible on STJ.
It's not a replacement for STJ, but it sounds like you had a good vacation.
It's not a replacement for STJ, but it sounds like you had a good vacation.
Great report! I agree about the ease and pleasure of taking kids to Mexico. You are right, it doesn't compare to STJ but has other positive points.
We did a family trip with the grandparents to Xcaret and we socialized with many multi-generational groups of Mexicans at the resort. Definately a pro-family culture.
We also used the same transfer service from Cancun. It was actually cheaper than a taxi and I agree, very professional.
My mother and her husband love Cozumel and we will likely do another family trip there either this fall or next.
We did a family trip with the grandparents to Xcaret and we socialized with many multi-generational groups of Mexicans at the resort. Definately a pro-family culture.
We also used the same transfer service from Cancun. It was actually cheaper than a taxi and I agree, very professional.
My mother and her husband love Cozumel and we will likely do another family trip there either this fall or next.
Nice report. However, our newspaper headlines this week read of 47 dismembered bodies were left on a main road for all to veiw in Mexico by a drug cartel war that is out of control. I have seen all of Mexico that I care to see. Will never go there again. As much as you believe that it is safe...it is not. We had a friend shot down on a Texas border lake a year ago...the body was never recovered, according to Mexican government.
Mexico IS beautiful and used to be cheap, back in the day. We've been to Cozumel, Cancun, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Ensanada, and border towns. We loved all of them in the 80's and early 90's. But they have reverted back to the old way of handling business and that is killing people to prove a point. It's gotten so backward that they are ruining their tourist business again for a long time. They are idiots for taking their largest business away from themselves. Just when they got peoples confidence back to travel there, they ruined it again. It is very sad for such a beautiful country.
Terry - that most recent incident of violence happened in a city closer to the Texas border - over 1,600 miles from where we visited. I'm not naive, I live in a very large city and have worked as a prosecutor in an county with a huge Mexican population. We have big cartel problems in Atlanta too.
I understand your point, but the violence has not reached the main tourist areas of Quintana Roo/Yucatan. Hopefully it never will. We thought long and hard about going and taking our children. It wasn't a decision we took lightly, but in the end there simply wasn't any evidence that the area we were visiting was any more dangerous than Miami - or perhaps even our own county, where there have been quite a few murders of Mexican men, some quite gruesome. The only "evidence" we saw of anything were two extremely nice yachts full of 20-somethings speaking Spanish - bought with cartel money perhaps?
At any rate, I don't believe the tourist business in the Yucatan has been hurt all that much. The flights down to Cancun were packed, and the immigration lines were long. Frankly, absent any events happening in that specific area, I'd go again.
But, that's a decision every person has to make for themselves. It sounds as if your friend was the young man in the news who was jet-skiing with his wife? Sorry for her loss - that was a horrible event. I will say there are parts of Mexico I wouldn't visit for $100 million, like Cuidad Juarez. A lot of the border towns are the worst for the violence.
I understand your point, but the violence has not reached the main tourist areas of Quintana Roo/Yucatan. Hopefully it never will. We thought long and hard about going and taking our children. It wasn't a decision we took lightly, but in the end there simply wasn't any evidence that the area we were visiting was any more dangerous than Miami - or perhaps even our own county, where there have been quite a few murders of Mexican men, some quite gruesome. The only "evidence" we saw of anything were two extremely nice yachts full of 20-somethings speaking Spanish - bought with cartel money perhaps?
At any rate, I don't believe the tourist business in the Yucatan has been hurt all that much. The flights down to Cancun were packed, and the immigration lines were long. Frankly, absent any events happening in that specific area, I'd go again.
But, that's a decision every person has to make for themselves. It sounds as if your friend was the young man in the news who was jet-skiing with his wife? Sorry for her loss - that was a horrible event. I will say there are parts of Mexico I wouldn't visit for $100 million, like Cuidad Juarez. A lot of the border towns are the worst for the violence.
I'll add to alw1977's post.
The drug violence is horrific, no doubt about that. My cousin worked for border patrol (on the Mexican border) since 2001 (he recently transfered) but Mexico is a huge country.
My mother and her husband has been travelling to Mexico for a number of years. They have made friends (both American Expats and Mexicans) in Xcaret and Cozumel.
They invited us on a trip and my husband was like "no way in hell are we going to Mexico" So I contacted some people that live down there and talked to them. The general message was, as horrible as the reports are, their daily lives are not at all impacted by drug activity. Granted, these are people that can afford to live in areas where the cartels aren't running drugs up and down their streets. We decided to go.
Once there, we talked to many Mexicans (people on vacation, not industry types that would be all sunshine and rainbows) and all had the same attitude, that the drug violence is specific to the drug industry and the American border area.
We were told by my mom's Mexican friends not to attempt to buy drugs or engage a prostitute. Ok, NOT a problem for us but apparently there is big (and tragic) trouble in the tourist areas with these activities.
The drug violence is horrific, no doubt about that. My cousin worked for border patrol (on the Mexican border) since 2001 (he recently transfered) but Mexico is a huge country.
My mother and her husband has been travelling to Mexico for a number of years. They have made friends (both American Expats and Mexicans) in Xcaret and Cozumel.
They invited us on a trip and my husband was like "no way in hell are we going to Mexico" So I contacted some people that live down there and talked to them. The general message was, as horrible as the reports are, their daily lives are not at all impacted by drug activity. Granted, these are people that can afford to live in areas where the cartels aren't running drugs up and down their streets. We decided to go.
Once there, we talked to many Mexicans (people on vacation, not industry types that would be all sunshine and rainbows) and all had the same attitude, that the drug violence is specific to the drug industry and the American border area.
We were told by my mom's Mexican friends not to attempt to buy drugs or engage a prostitute. Ok, NOT a problem for us but apparently there is big (and tragic) trouble in the tourist areas with these activities.
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paulandtracie
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:45 am
- Location: Michigan
We also love Isla Mujeres and Akumal and I agree that it is sad and frightening that the drug violence has escalated. I realize that the earlier poster is correct in saying that Mexico is a big country and the violence is thousands of miles away, we live about 2 hours from Detroit, and I would venture that violence is a problem in so many American cities as well, yet we still visit them. People are gunned down in D.C. and L.A. every day. But, I do understand the concern, it is unfortunate that the government can't do anything to keep it from getting worse. We still go and I still feel safe in our small Mexican towns, but I am not sure for how long. 
I do find it ironic that people consistently start threads worrying about crime and violence in St. John. I think to myself, "Really?"
I do find it ironic that people consistently start threads worrying about crime and violence in St. John. I think to myself, "Really?"
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Teddy Salad
- Posts: 205
- Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:05 am
- Location: Colorado
alw- Thanks for the great report. IM is one of the places we would like to go someday. I agree that there are parts of Mexico I wouldn't go to and hopefully the violence will not reach the Yucatan.
Terry (and others who refuse to go to Mexico) I am not going to try to convince you to go as that is certainly your choice. We have gone to Akumal on the Yucatan the last four years because it's a great place and easy to get to for us. paulandtracie I'm sure would agree that people feel safe there day or night. We are through with Cozumel because we feel it has been ruined by cruise ships and overdevelopment, not because we didn't feel safe there.
Terry, I also live in Denver (actually in the Denver city limits, not in the suburbs) and I'm sure you would agree that there are areas of this city, and pretty much every other city, that you just don't go to. I am sorry about your friend. Things like that shouldn't happen anywhere.
My wife and I both grew up in tiny towns in the northwestern part of Colorado and when we tell people there that we live in Denver they look at us like we just told them we only have a month to live. You see, they watch the Denver news and the news (local, national, world, you name it) reports the very worst things that happen out of the millions and billions of things that happen every day. So people over there think that we are dodging bullets all the time. I've lived in Denver for almost 33 years now and have never had to dodge even one bullet.
A funny story: My brother-in-law who still lives in the little town he grew up in was visiting us in Denver about 10 years ago. We were having lunch in a restaurant on Wadsworth Blvd. We were sitting in a booth by the window and he kept looking around and hunching down. I asked him if he was OK. He asked me "don't you worry about being shot at from one of those cars going by?" and he was dead serious. Those are the kinds of things the media puts into our minds.
Terry (and others who refuse to go to Mexico) I am not going to try to convince you to go as that is certainly your choice. We have gone to Akumal on the Yucatan the last four years because it's a great place and easy to get to for us. paulandtracie I'm sure would agree that people feel safe there day or night. We are through with Cozumel because we feel it has been ruined by cruise ships and overdevelopment, not because we didn't feel safe there.
Terry, I also live in Denver (actually in the Denver city limits, not in the suburbs) and I'm sure you would agree that there are areas of this city, and pretty much every other city, that you just don't go to. I am sorry about your friend. Things like that shouldn't happen anywhere.
My wife and I both grew up in tiny towns in the northwestern part of Colorado and when we tell people there that we live in Denver they look at us like we just told them we only have a month to live. You see, they watch the Denver news and the news (local, national, world, you name it) reports the very worst things that happen out of the millions and billions of things that happen every day. So people over there think that we are dodging bullets all the time. I've lived in Denver for almost 33 years now and have never had to dodge even one bullet.
A funny story: My brother-in-law who still lives in the little town he grew up in was visiting us in Denver about 10 years ago. We were having lunch in a restaurant on Wadsworth Blvd. We were sitting in a booth by the window and he kept looking around and hunching down. I asked him if he was OK. He asked me "don't you worry about being shot at from one of those cars going by?" and he was dead serious. Those are the kinds of things the media puts into our minds.
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paulandtracie
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:45 am
- Location: Michigan
Teddy,
Great post and insightful observations...it is sad how we can have such misperceptions that may cost us wonderful experiences.
We LOVE Akumal, started going there about ten years ago when Playa del Carmen started growing. Hard to believe but we used to visit Playa when it was one main street--5th Ave. wasn't even paved! We started off staying in the little bungalows at the Club Akumal Caribe Hotel but the last few years we have stayed in homes or condos because we travel with a larger group. The kids love it there because they swim with the turtles in the protected bay all day and they can drive the golf cart around town.
I love the quiet and have always felt completely safe there. The happy hour at Buena Vida sitting on the beach in those swing chairs is the best! We also love sitting at the counter in town, and eating in the courtyard at Que Onda. Amazing Italian food in a one horse town. I love that the only 'street' is sand and you can walk barefoot everywhere. It is truly a special place.
We live about 2 hours north of Detroit and believe me, the bad city reputation rules here. We love Denver though and have friends in Littleton!
Great post and insightful observations...it is sad how we can have such misperceptions that may cost us wonderful experiences.
We LOVE Akumal, started going there about ten years ago when Playa del Carmen started growing. Hard to believe but we used to visit Playa when it was one main street--5th Ave. wasn't even paved! We started off staying in the little bungalows at the Club Akumal Caribe Hotel but the last few years we have stayed in homes or condos because we travel with a larger group. The kids love it there because they swim with the turtles in the protected bay all day and they can drive the golf cart around town.
I love the quiet and have always felt completely safe there. The happy hour at Buena Vida sitting on the beach in those swing chairs is the best! We also love sitting at the counter in town, and eating in the courtyard at Que Onda. Amazing Italian food in a one horse town. I love that the only 'street' is sand and you can walk barefoot everywhere. It is truly a special place. We live about 2 hours north of Detroit and believe me, the bad city reputation rules here. We love Denver though and have friends in Littleton!
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Teddy Salad
- Posts: 205
- Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:05 am
- Location: Colorado
Well, paulandtracie, I hate to break this to you but Que Onda is no longer a restaurant. They turned it into an artist's retreat. No more Viva Mexico pasta, dang! We were sad about that. However, we have decided that it is impossible to get a bad meal anywhere in that town.
We stayed in Half Moon Bay all 4 times, the first 3 times in the La Iguana condos (the tallest building in Akumal at the far end of the bay). The last time we stayed in Casa Maya, a one bedroom house a little closer to town.
Akumal, St. John, and Kauai are our 3 favorite places. We hope the Bush-Romero family doesn't let Akumal get to be like PDC, Cancun, or Cozumel.
We stayed in Half Moon Bay all 4 times, the first 3 times in the La Iguana condos (the tallest building in Akumal at the far end of the bay). The last time we stayed in Casa Maya, a one bedroom house a little closer to town.
Akumal, St. John, and Kauai are our 3 favorite places. We hope the Bush-Romero family doesn't let Akumal get to be like PDC, Cancun, or Cozumel.
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Teresa_Rae
- Posts: 2053
- Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:44 pm
- Location: Downstate IL
Alissa, where did your husband get that awesome Book It shirt? Wow did that take me back to the 80s. My husband has always been a big book worm (he first read the Lord of the Rings series when he was 7 or 8, for example), and he would love that shirt.
Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
- Mark Twain
- Mark Twain
When I was a travel agent I sold Akumal to lots of clients through Caribbean Fantasy in Loveland CO. They were great to work with. I loved that area of Mexico. However the drive down from Cancun became very dangerous and is still today. I talked to a friend that hired a driver to take them to their condo from Cancun recently and he was packing and went into the grocery store with them and didn't let them out of his site. Don't let your guard down.
I grew up near Detroit. The riots were something else. Scarey!
I grew up near Detroit. The riots were something else. Scarey!