Isla Mujeres in October? Uh, hurricane season is over in November and rates are lowest through December 15. This year could be worse than most for tropical storms. It is laid back precisely because you must take a local ferry to get there, and for ebing so close to Cancún, is much less commercial than the growing-faster-than-Vegas so-called "Riviera Maya."

Mérida is the capital of the STATE of Yucatán (sorry, no provinces in México,) and nice to visit - but damnably hot April - summer. Idea is to visit and include a weekend, as "Domingo en Mérida" is very pleasant - main streets naer the plaza ("zocalo") are closed and it is a family day. Ad hoc antique markets, music venues, you name it... and a meal at Los Almendros, authentic Yucatec food - picture menus with English for conveneince, and when I visited with American friends, they gave us menus and a cookbook to take with us.