Spring break is in full swing, and in spite of the U.S. travel advisory, some people are still traveling to Mexico on their Cancun vacations. When explorer Francisco Cordova stumbled upon a small island off the Yucatan coast in 1517, it was as if he’d landed upon some ancient and abandoned version of the Playboy Mansion. The island was rife with sexy statue idols, all paying homage to the female form.
In actuality, these idols represented the Mayan goddess Ixchel, ruler of female fertility and the moon, but the impression stuck, as did the name Isla Mujeres, which literally translates into “Island of Women.”
The anniversary of Cordova’s discovery deserves more than just the standard day-trip. Having stayed on the island overnight, I can tell you it’s a wonderful treat when the day crowds leave on the last ferry and you find a quiet stretch of beach on which to enjoy some chilled Kahlua and a view of the Cancun moon. It’s the kind of idyll that reminds you of the island’s humble fishing village roots, easy to overlook amid the fun-and-sun frenzy of daytime’s white-sand wonderland.
Isla Mujeres is worth the trip for these white-sand beaches alone. The sand is soft like sugar, the waters warm, and the palm trees are perfectly positioned for hammocks. Plus, the island’s small size makes it a pedestrian’s paradise, although if you need something zippier to get around in there are plenty of scooters, golf carts, taxis, and even tricycles to take you there.
There are some nice hotels to choose from if you do stay, and great Cancun hotel deals, too—nothing too fancy, but the point in a place like this is not to wallow inside. Plus, this being the easternmost point in Mexico, when day breaks, you can be among the first in the whole country to greet the sunrise, just as the Mayans did in ancient times.