Isla Mujeres: Worth the trip?

[GM Cole]

We have been to Isla Mujeres and Cozumel each one time within the last 5 years and I would say the answer to your question depends on your vacation objectives and expectations.

Which has better diving (i.e. dive sites)? Cozumel, hands down no contest. BUT Isla Mujeres is not bad at all and whether you will be disappointed and wish you were back in Cozumel depends entirely on what else you want from your vacation. If you want more out of the surface interval and a friendlier, more laid-back atmosphere, the Isla Mujeres is definitely worth a try. Outside the very center of the tourist district, the restaurants are twice as good as those on Cozumel at about half the price. Do rent a golf cart (forget the car) and drive all over the place but get a hotel in the north end so you can walk to the grocery store, beach and dive shops. Very importantly, unlike Cozumel, the island is not a slave to the relentless rhythm of cruise ship arrivals and departure.

Re. the diving, I have to agree with Jungle Diver above. The reefs are beautiful, shallow and sunny. You could leave the strobes at home but do bring the wide angle. They are full of life in the extreme. There are many dives where the colorful reef fish are so dense that you *literally* can’t see the reef. The MUSEA is not great but it is fun and interesting to take in once. I don’t know if would really call it a tourist trap. Garrafon Park is a tourist trap. Stay away. Also, on Isla Mujeres you can actively participate in egg harvest as sea turtles lay their eggs and attend a hatchling release both for free.

For whalesharks, I would strongly recommend Capt Tony Garcia. For an immaculately cleaned and maintained hotel with a proactive, warm, attentive staff right on the beautiful north beach, I would strongly recommend Hotel Ixchel (hotel rooms and apartments with kitchens).

 

[JamesBon92007]

I thought the diving around IM was very interesting, especially the "sinkholes" with all the arches and swim-throughs. There were so many striped grunts in some places that I couldn't see the reef 4 or 5 feet away. We saw lots of lionfish and other fishes, lots of elkhorn coral, but nothing very large (not whale shark season when we went). I thought MUSA was worth looking at and plan to return in a few years to see how the coral is doing. We dove three different locations and they were somewhere between the island and the mainland. On a couple of dives the current was so strong that if anyone didn't enter the water at the exact same time they would have to skip the dive and get back on the boat. The boat I was on required that you remove your gear and while I was removing my weight belt I drifted so far they had to toss me a line. A T-shirt that might cost $3-$5 US on Cozumel could easily cost $35 on IM. We liked Cockteleria Picus quite a bit and ate there several times. The tables are on the sand so they don't mind if you bring your dive gear in with you. The seafood is right off the boats that you are sitting next to. It's mostly locals so some Spanish is helpful, and possibly even recommended judging from some reviews I've read. Given the choice I'd usually pick Cozumel but would enjoy diving there again sometime. I recommend the grouper tacos.