The ferries between the mainland and Isla Mujeres are operated by Ultramar, who run very modern ships for the short journey. The lower deck consists of an enclosed climate controlled cabin, along with a restroom, while the upper deck is open air. After a day of travelling inside airplanes, we opted for the fresh air.


Puerto Juárez


Open air deck, along with a live musician who did covers of mainly English songs, eg Santana or The Eagles


Looking back at the mainland. The structure that looks like a lighthouse is the ferry terminal


Lower deck

Upon arrival, I walked over to pick up the golf cart that I rented from Golf Cart Indios, which seemed to have good reviews online. Since we were staying on the southern part of the island away from the commercial hub, it seemed like a good idea to have a golf cart to allow us to get around easily. However, when I got to the location that they indicated on their website, the storefront was gone and there were certainly no golf carts. Not wanting to deal with any of this stuff at this moment, I walked back towards the ferry terminal and met up with the family for a meal before we caught a taxi to our hotel.


View from the restaurant, Muelle Azul. The dock to the left is the ferry terminal's dock


First ceviche on Isla Mujeres


Fish tacos

The food was alright and like all the food we had on the island, it was geared towards tourists like us. It turned out to be a wise choice to eat in town before heading to our hotel as there wasn't much near the hotel.

For the hotel, we booked a stay via hotels.com for Casa Azul Maya, a small boutique hotel on the much quieter south side of the island. Our room was marketed as a suite but it was just one long room with a kitchenette, along with a hallway where the closet, sink and bathroom was located. At the time of booking, their website didn't offer a lot of information but it has been greatly improved since then.


Twin King Bed Suite


Dining area and kitchenette


Shower


Sink


Hallway

I really liked the hotel and would definitely stay there on a future visit. The only downside was that during our last night, thunderstorms in the area caused the wifi to go out for long stretches in our room. It was not the biggest deal but it seems worth mentioning.