Of course, I couldn’t leave Mexico or even Cancun without visiting Isla Mujeres first – the very island I was advised to abandon Cancun for the minute I arrived. So, as soon as I came back from Havana I joined hundreds (maybe thousands) of other daytrippers and took a 13-kilometer long ferry ride to the island.

Half an hour later (plus at least half an hour of queuing to board the ferry) I found myself in a “promised land” with a great potential of being IT.

And? Was it? Is it?

As much as I enjoyed my day on the island and as much as I liked the island itself I am not so sure the island qualifies as my dream retirement paradise. At least, I don’t think so. The island is ideal, however, for a shorter vacation. Especially if you are younger (but it is not necessary) and like to party Isla Mujeres is definitely your place. 

Why not?

Because I am dreaming of pristine, miles long white sand beaches and crystal clear warm waters. Isla Mujeres has neither. The largest beach, Playa Norte, only five minutes away from the ferry is not large enough to even host hotel guests and daytrippers. There are so many people, packed as sardines, that you need to cruise between the sunbeds just to get from A to B getting bruised in the process.  Other beaches, “hidden” between private residences, are teeny tiny stretches of sand that do not take more than a few minutes to walk… if you take your time and walk slowly. I imagine this is where the expats live. 

I loved the little town (next to Playa Norte) full of small cozy restaurants and I loved the vibe. Isla Mujeres is definitely a place where I’d love to spend my vacation. A week. Maybe two. But to retire? Not so sure. It isn’t a “yes” but it isn’t a “no” either even though the island isn’t exactly what I am looking for. The potential is still there. It depends (to an extent) on who occupies those residences where the other beaches are hiding. For there are no beaches in the world worth more than the great company of like-minded “occupants”.

Puerto Morales

While I am “at it” I’d also like to mention another well know place I visited – Puerto Morales. It is a small port/beach town, a fishing village really, on Riviera Maya between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. 

Puerto Morales is best known for its National Reef Park with many offshore dive sites, the turtles that breed on the local beaches, freshwater sinkholes and a tilted lighthouse that has now become the town’s trademark. The lighthouse was destroyed by Hurricane Beulah in 1967 but then never knocked down. Instead, a new one was built few meters away. 

The town itself is small and very laid back. Two “major” streets and maybe a 15-minute walk from one end to the other. The bikes are preferred means of transportation. In addition to a couple of boutique hotels, condominiums, tourist shops, restaurants there are quite a few gated communities nearby attracting Western expats and locals alike. More gated communities are being built = the town is expanding.

Anything for me? Puerto Morales has definitely some possibilities. I find it a bit too small though for my very personal taste.  If I had to choose I’d rather stay at Playa del Carmen which has so much more to offer.  

But then. of course, there is Tulum – which I still haven’t visited

Isla Mujeres – slideshow

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Cancun is one of the weirdest vacation projects (?) I have ever visited. To me, it is nothing more than a weekend getaway. Beyond that? A vacation factory.

Just look at the map to the right.  Looks great, doesn’t it? Long, about 15 mile-long, sandbar connected to the mainland by causeways on either end and separated from the city by a lagoon – the Nichupte Lagoon. How appealing. What a perfect location. The promise of a perfect scenery. Pristine beaches? Crystal clear water? Sunsets? Paradise? 

Hmmm. Neither. None of the above. Not even sunsets. (They are on the other side). On the beachfront strip along the Caribbean Sea, there are tons of high-rise all-inclusive hotels lined up. On the lagoon side, there are some four-five outdoor malls every few kilometers and pretty much nothing between them. This 20 kilometers long and a two-four hundred meters wide sandbar (which btw is a part of the world’s second-longest coral reef) called Zona Hotelera is what Cancun is all about.

Today, Cancun is all about Zona Hotelera.

Zona Hotelera

Just one road runs along Zona Hotelera, Kukulkan Boulevard. However, even though the sandbar is very narrow, and the road runs between the sea and the lagoon the ride isn’t as scenic as it could have been. Unfortunately, the sea (and most of the hotels) is hidden behind the trees thus not visible from the road. The views aren’t all that great on the lagoon side either.

Trees, trees, and more trees – although not as many as on the seaside.

I walked many kilometers on that road and there is absolutely nothing to do/see in between the malls. Well, with an exception of crocodiles. The Nichupte Lagoon is their natural habitat. Thus, if you are unlucky (or lucky) you may run into some of them during your stroll. There are many warning signs along the road alerting of danger. So watch out as the road is not fenced off. The crocodiles may be lurking only a few centimeters away as in some parts there is no vegetation separating the road from the lagoon. If you like to take a closer look at the crocodiles in a more secure environment you can do so by Plaza La Fiesta Mall where the fence keeps the reptiles at bay. 

The Beach

Playa Tortugas

An uninterrupted sandy (though not pristine) beach runs along the entire sandbar and beyond. I don’t know how many hotels are located on that narrow piece of land but they come one after another – most of them are all-inclusive. As the hotels are all-inclusive, there are NO bars or restaurants on the beach itself. Not even a tiny little kiosk where one can buy a bottle of water. Nothing. Nada. This alone is for me a deal breaker. In my retirement paradise or even during a beach vacation, I like to have my refreshments and meals right on the beach listening to the sound of the waves. The last thing I want is being stranded in a hotel 100 meters away separated from the beach and the sea by a concrete wall.

The only beach bar in Cancun?

Well, (truth be told) there are two places I found: 

1. There is this tiny public beach very popular with locals, Playa Tortugas, which is one long table. I didn’t like that place. Small, overpriced and very crowded.

2. There is this tiny little bar right next to Hard Rock Cafe, which I liked very much but it closes at 7 p.m.

   Note: Hard Rock Cafe has some tables on the beach.

I walked the beach (part of it) a couple of times and found four major drawbacks (at least for me):

• 

  Blue Flag beach entrance/exit

  As mentioned before, lack of bars/restaurants. Hence, the beach is not really a place where people socialize and hang out. The hotels and the outdoor hotel bars are. 

• The beach is not easily accessible: the beach is public, however, the chain of hotels along it makes the access rather difficult… if you are not a hotel guest. There are some five-six public beaches with public entrances, so-called Blue Flags, but you must know where they are. (Or tell a bus driver to stop by one of them. e.g Delfin Beach)

• 

  The first beach, Playa Las Perlas, facing the bay could be walkable but is not due to the mangrove full of mosquitoes

  The beach is not easily walkable: such a lovely, long sandy beach yet walking it is rather difficult as it faces the open and rough sea. You need to walk on the sand as walking in the water, no matter how shallow, can be somewhat hazardous especially when you carry a camera with you.

  Also, before you start waking, make sure there is an exit somewhere not too far as you may end up walking much further than you have bargained for. You may not exit/enter through hotels.

• Not only is the sea rough, it is also cold. Not many people swim in it. Hotel pools seem to be a better choice. What a shame.

  There was one thing I absolutely loved and that was the color of the Caribbean Sea. Countless shades of blue. Really amazing. 

Downtown

Dance in the park

Ever since the hotels in Zona Hotelera became all-inclusive the once vibrant downtown of Cancun, full of small restaurants and shops, is on a decline. Tourist infrastructure, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife are today all concentrated on the sandbar. Tourists no longer visit downtown but stay in hotels to drink, eat and party. In short, to get their money’s worth. The town is almost empty of visitors. The few that come, come to parks to “people watch”.

There are few parks frequented by locals that are quite interesting to visit to get a glimpse of “how the locals live”. By law, every neighborhood must have its own park. The parks are a social hub for locals offering many activities for both children and adults. 

Other than that? Same, same, wherever you look. The downtown seems to have been stripped off of its soul. Quite forgettable. Really.

Summa Summarum

I am glad I didn’t leave Cancun right away but instead stayed for a good few weeks. Mind you, I stayed not for the sea or beaches but for a home base that I happened to find downtown that worked for me… for a while. However, as I don’t mind spending some time downtown or even partying for a couple of days at the Zona Hotelera, Cancun is definitely not a retirement paradise I am looking for. 

Cancun in Pictures – The Beach

Cancun – Downtown

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It is the purest, the softest, the whitest sand washed ashore by warm turquoise waters of the ocean that makes that miles and miles long coastline so special and puts its famous beach resorts on a bucket list of every respectable beach lover. For who hasn’t dreamt of beach jewels like sophisticated Playa del Carmen, laid-back Puerto Morelos, bohemian Tulum, or the most famous of them all, hyped Cancun (officially not part of Riviera Maya)?  

The beaches of Riviera Maya have been my home for the past few weeks. Except for Tulum, I visited them all. Sadly (for me), it is also the missed Tulum that (supposedly) offers the best beaches of entire Riviera Maya as well as a lifestyle I might have enjoyed the most. (Oh well, next time?)

Beach life at La Playa

Of all places I visited so far, I like Playa del Carmen, a.k.a. Playa, the most.

Once a small village, the Playa is undergoing today rapid development to house the ever-increasing number of visitors. But for now, it still is small enough to be cozy and walkable with a perfect mix of beach vibe, laid-back lifestyle, well-balanced public/private social life in a lovely environment – right in the city center.

The City Center

The city center is divided into two parts:

• the downtown area (and beach) popular with visitors, a rectangle shaped area between the beach, street 1, Avenida 35, and street 35-40 North. If your accommodation is within this rectangle (and even adjacent blocks) you can easily walk everywhere you like including both bus terminals and ferry terminal which, btw, are conveniently right in the center of town.
• Playacar, the residential area (and beach) popular with locals and expats starting at Street 1 (ferry terminal) and continuing South along the beach away from downtown. (More about Playacar below.)

The hottest place in town and Playa del Carmen’s most famous hangout is Avenida 5 (Fifth Avenue).

Avenida 5 is a 1.5-mile long pedestrian street where most of the activities take place. This is where restaurants, bars, nightclubs, art galleries, (tourist) boutiques, souvenir shops, vendors, and even a couple of malls are located. Fifth Avenue is an urban ‘boardwalk, the place “to be”, to meet up and hang out, especially in the evening.

Not only social life of tourists but also the economy of the city revolves around Avenida 5 making the street (not surprisingly) the most expensive street in town. Only a few steps away, on Avenida 10, the prices drop considerably… and the food tastes the same. I tasted.

Note: the numbering of Avenues in Playa del Carmen is not continuous but increases by five. Avenida 5 is next to the beach, then comes Avenida 10, followed by Avenida 15, then comes Avenida 20 and so on. Thus, Avenida 20 (for example) is not 20 streets away from the beach but only 4.

The City Feel

The city itself is cozy yet sophisticated and European chick niche oriented. Its nightlife is long and vibrant and Western-style supermarkets plentiful. Boutiques, just as Seminyak boutiques in Bali, offer unique yet high fashion clothing.

Many buildings are undergoing total refurbishing and both interiors and exteriors are tastefully painted in a rainbow of colors contributing to the city’s charm and beauty (besides all the fantastic colors).

On almost every corner of Avenida 5, there are four policemen/women with loaded machine guns patrolling the area. Not sure how secure other parts of the city are but the downtown area is pretty secure at all hours. 

…and then, of course, there is Frida. Everywhere. On the street, in restaurants, in souvenir shops, and in art galleries. 

After all these years, Fridamania still keeps a firm hold on Mexico.

The beaches

Divided by ferry terminal, there are two distinctive beach areas in Playa del Carmen’s center which I call; downtown beach and Playacar beach. But if you continue walking, in any direction, new beach names (and beaches) will be popping up…  one after another.

The ‘downtown beach’ is a crowdy and vivacious place full of sunbathers, beach games, onlookers and people in general as well as restaurants, bars, happy hours and very happy holidaymakers. Beach launchers are included in cocktail prices. 

In the evening (just before sunset) many visitors gather on the main square, next to ferry terminal, to watch performances of Maya acrobats and dancers wearing colorful outfits, the same outfits their ancestors wore, and to take advantage of unique photo opportunities with indigenous people of Mexico. Visitors’ interaction is always welcome as are any questions they may have regarding Maya tribes and their life in today’s Mexico. According to locals, there are still many Maya tribes, only 1.5 hours from Playa del Carmen, living exactly the same way as they always have. And they don’t even speak Spanish.

The contrast between downtown and Playacar beaches couldn’t be more diverse. While the narrow downtown beach is a social hub perfect for parties, families, friends’ gatherings, and ‘fun in the sun’ where people, sun beds, music, as well as food and drinks, are part of the scene, the much wider and much longer Playacar beach is more secluded thus solitude perfect for long walks and romance is part of that scene.

Depending on your mood of the day you can pick “the beach of the day” to match the two.

Playacar Beach

There are not many people on Playacar beaches and no restaurants/bars/vendors either. Not a single one. The all-inclusive hotels along the way have their own bars (where you are not welcome) and the guests are hardly visible as the beach is wide and hotels are far in.

Playacar beach is not only much wider from the downtown beach but also much, much, much longer. There are no interruptions or ‘roadblocks’ along the way, e.g. rocks or no beach. I walked for at least an hour before turning back but could have easily walked much further should I chose to do so. One hour further? Two? More? I don’t know, but the beach continued all the way up to the horizon and beyond.

Living in Playacar

Playacar is an upscale, secure gated community in Playa del Carmen housing all-inclusive beach hotels, private villas, and condominiums built around a golf course. For locals and expats, this is the most desirable place to live. For tourists like myself, not so much. I absolutely hated living there. 

Playacar is huge. Bigger than downtown.  But unlike downtown, there are no restaurants, bars, shops, supermarkets, service of any sort. With an exception of cars passing by, bikes almost crashing into you, other pedestrians and paddles, there is nothing along the neverending boring road you must take each time you have a desire to get to/from your accommodation. Nada. It takes at least an hour and a half to round the area. And as it is gated area it takes half of that time to get out of there if you happen to live at the wrong end – too far from the gate.Then it takes additional 10-30 minutes to get to/from the beach, restaurants, ATM, grocery shops, social life or wherever else you need to go. In short, it may take up to an hour to get anywhere at all. And then up to an hour to get back. 

What a waste of energy, time and money

Wherever I needed to go, whatever I needed to do I had to reach the gate first. It took 30 minutes and then, after a few hours of walking in town, another 30 agonizing minutes to get back. As only “rich people” live there the taxi drivers took upon themselves to breaking the local laws by overcharging 3-4 times for a ride to/from Playacar.

So, not only getting out (or in) of there takes the unacceptably long time it also costs a lot of money. 

The fun doesn’t end there. The community, at least the residential part, suffers from water shortages. Apparently, the all-inclusive hotels waste so much water that there is hardly any left for residents thus the water is being rationed. Few buckets a day. Hardly enough for a family to shower and definitely not enough to start a washing machine.

As the hotels pay big money for the water the city officials don’t care (dare?) to solve the problem.

Living in a condominium is not fun either. All apartments face inwards, towards staircases and small courtyards leaving the residents with either no privacy or no daylight. In addition, the walls are paper thin… and the kids love playing just outside your window until late at night.

There is no doubt in my mind Playacar is a great place to live if you are a motorized resident of Playa del Carmen and live in a villa. But as a tourist, you must either stay very close to the gate or have a bike to get to/from the gate reasonably quick otherwise enjoying an isolated life of this upscale secure community might be all you’ll be enjoying.  

Summa summarum

Once I moved out of Playacar my miserable time turned instantly into fun time. Even my two minute walks to supermarket felt like a fun treat so I used to go there few times a day, just because I could. Of course, it wasn’t only the supermarket I was enjoying.  The whole town was right at my door, and I wasn’t shy to take advantage of it. 

Even though the town still has got a vibe of an easy-going small community there is no denying it is becoming increasingly touristy. Not in an alarming way. Not yet, but I am afraid it is only a matter of time before Playa del Carmen becomes another Cancun. 

Could Playa del Carmen be my retirement paradise? Definitely… but for a few months only.

Playa del Carmen in Pictures

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Ferry terminal and Immigration in San Pedro, Belize

As usual, the ferry to Chetumal departed right on time. One hour late. Conveniently, all immigration procedures (exit stamp, currency exchange) were conducted in the terminal. Disappointingly, this was the most expensive border crossing in Central America (or perhaps the world?).

To exit Belize costs 20 USD paid in either Belizean or US dollars. However, to entry Mexico costs 30 USD which must be paid cash in Mexican pesos. So make sure you exchange enough Belizean or US dollars for pesos while exiting Belize. There is a lady at immigration counter exchanging money making sure everyone has the cash for Mexican entry. (No entry cash or Belizean exit stamp you’d have to swim back to Belize). She will also exchange all your leftover Belizean dollars for Mexican pesos.

Ferry terminal and Immigration in Chetumal, Mexico

The ferry fare is 55 USD. (You can take a bus from Belize City for much less). All in all 105 USD. It is cheaper to fly, just make sure the fare includes all taxes.

NOTE for travelers coming from Caye Caulker: Regardless of which ferry operator you take (there are two operating alternative days), you need to transport yourself and your luggage from water taxi terminal in San Pedro to ferry terminal located on the other side of the island. A walk between the two takes about 15 minutes.

Two hours later I arrived in a sunny Mexican border town Chetumal. After having all bags incl hand luggage sniffed by a dog several times, receiving an entry stamp and paying the whopping 30 USD in pesos for entry stamp I left the terminal and took a stroll to my hotel…

…Through a ghost town. No people, no traffic, no cars at all, many shops closed. In the middle of the day. “Where are all the people?“, “160 000 of them?“, “Why there are so many shops closed?”. This is (supposedly) an upcoming town, but it felt on the way down, deserted, almost spooky. Perhaps not as spooky as the ghost town of Myanmar, but not by much. Besides, Naypyidaw was a cool and fascinating spooky town, Chetumal is not. 

Straight, flat, wide, town-length long streets – and empty. Good visibility but strange vibe. Something didn’t feel right. Almost every street looks the same. Few restaurants. Little to see and even less to do. The Caribbean vibe I was to feel was nowhere to be felt. The widely spoken English language was nowhere to be heard. Dull. No charm. No color. Grey, grey and more grey. The most unattractive and boring town in the world?

My (not so friendly) hotel

The only tourists that pass Chetumal are people traveling from Belize, like myself, on the way North. They, however, take a cab directly from the ferry to the bus terminal and continue to Cancun or Playa del Carmen. Alternatively, people traveling the other way, catching a 3 p.m. ferry to Belize. Should they, however, miss it… bad luck … they may have to spend the night in town. I cannot imagine anyone stays here more than one night. Anyone… but me. I spent FIVE nights and days in Chetumal – most of the time in my hotel. I must be the only tourist to ever have spent that many nights in town.

Why? Because I needed to take a break from traveling. I needed to do some writing. I needed to rest my still soring toe after hitting a stone three months prior. And a boring place with no action seemed a perfect place for all that. No attractions, no action, no temptations, no disturbance, no distraction. Dull and perfect. 

Don’t know why but the town (or rather whatever is open) shuts down already at about 6 p.m. Even my (and everybody else’s) favorite restaurant, El Taco Loco, closes at 6 p.m. (go figure). The streets that are almost empty during the day become completely deserted.  Not in suburban areas but the town center. Main street.

The few people still on the move go down to the waterfront, which is the only place in town relatively lively, at least for a couple of evening hours. Some come to watch the sunset, some come for the street food, kids come to ride electric cars. Tourists come for a stroll. The waterfront is the most attractive (the only attractive) part of town and a place where you can meet “the town”. Only in the evening though, there is no one, not a soul, at the waterfront during the day. 

If you ever get stranded here for the night don’t expect to find a restaurant just around the corner from your hotel. There are only a few restaurants and far between so you better know where you’re going. Find one on the internet and make sure it is open before you leave the hotel. Otherwise, your best bet is waterfront and street food. There are two, three restaurants and bars further up the waterfront  (away from the ferry terminal) which are open in the evening. This is it. 

Not sure if Chetumal suffers from general depression due to closed businesses and deserted streets or if the town is under some other spell, but whatever it is, it is having an influence on people living there.  They seem to be living in their own world, suspicious of others and untrusting. Not that they are unfriendly, but they are not friendly. Even at my hotel, the staff was more “businesslike” than they needed to be creating unnecessarily rather unfriendly and unpleasant atmosphere, even hostile (making me lose my cool once). 

Still, it was neither the deserted streets nor the not so friendly inhabitants that made my stay in Chetumal less perfect than it could have been but the fresh water (at least fresher) or rather lack of it. Smelly water, poisoned by all sort of strong smelling chemicals dripping from hardly functional showerhead proved to be more of a challenge than I expected or was willing to accept.

I was in a desperate need of a proper shower. 

Chetumal in Pictures

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