Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico: Casa El Pio Boutique Hotel

Isla Mujeres was never really on my radar until I met the former innkeeper of Casa El Pio while visiting a mutual friend in Portland, Maine. Her sister and brother-in-law had fallen in love with the island years prior, purchased a dilapidated building, and gutted it for renovation. What they did was create a boutique hotel that could reside just about anywhere.

A lovely view of the Caribbean Sea from the doorway of our room.

Collection of shells outside our room.

It’s conveniently located just off the town square and within walking distance to the island’s best beaches, shopping, and a plethora of restaurants. Staying here puts you just steps away from all of the action, but keeps you isolated enough to enjoy peaceful slumber.

The furniture was made by a local artisan and our room was the perfect escape from the blazing midday sun. We spent many afternoons in this sitting area after a siesta, planning our evenings.

Casa El Pio offers four beautifully designed rooms, each with a sitting area. Since we were staying for six nights, we really settled in. There was plenty of closet space (including hangers) for me to unpack and store my belongings. I set up a tiny pair of speakers (that I purchased during my last trip to Mexico in 1997) on my nightstand so we could plug in our phones and listen to music. When we opened the small fridge in our room (which came in very handy, especially for storing my daily dose of octopus ceviche) we discovered two beers and two tiny bottles of tequila, both complementary.

In the small courtyard area of the hotel there is a soaking pool and an endless supply of filtered water for guests to use as needed. It had been a while since I’d been in a country where I couldn’t even brush my teeth with the water. Having been ill once after a visit to Russia, I used the filtered water religiously at Casa El Pio and didn’t get sick. Plus, the risk of dehydration is so high, it’s a thoughtful move to offer filtered water to guests 24/7.

The sunset reflected in our window.

The rooms also come with a safe to lock your valuables in, as well as a beach bag containing beach towels, which we found very useful. With two fans and an air conditioning unit, we were always able to cool off if we got overheated while exploring the island. On several evenings we would sit just outside our door, where there were two chairs and a table, to enjoy a glass of wine, the amazing breeze, and stunning sunset. I just adore this place and feel like it was the perfect fit for us.

Blissed-out at Playa Norte on the island of Isla Mujeres.

Related links: Isla Mujeres: How To Avoid Heat Exhaustion In Mexico

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The first couple of days on Isla Mujeres felt like a vacation on the face of the sun. I finally figured out how to arrange our day so we could maximize our enjoyment instead of ending each day near hallucination. The siesta is there for a reason. Just before noon the sun starts to melt your mind.

We began to wake up earlier and got out into the world around 7am, instead of sleeping in until 9am, like we did the first three days. On our way to breakfast, we had the normally tourist-filled streets all to ourselves and made some feline friends.

Hidalgo Avenue at 7am

On our way to breakfast for the remainder of our stay in El Centro, we got a chance to see the village come alive each day. Shop owners would pull up the doors to their shops on Hidalgo Avenue and restaurants would start setting up tables outside.

After a leisurely breakfast we stayed outdoors until just before noon. I suggest visiting Punta Sur in the early morning hours. We made it there after a 30+ minute golf cart ride and had some moments alone at the Temple of Ixchel before groups of tourists started showing up. If you stay on the island, you have a jump on everyone. Use it to your advantage and do all outdoor activities that are popular before 10am.

We also went to the beach early. After trying another area on Playa Norte days earlier, we finally found our oasis just outside a hotel called Na Balam. Beds with umbrellas are available for their guests, but if there is a bed unreserved, outsiders are able to rent this goodness for 200 pesos.

Our bed on the edge of the Caribbean Sea.

Around  11am, we began to look for a place to eat lunch. In between we would snack on fresh coconut water and chaya smoothies from Elements of the Island, who also had great breakfast and lunch options. We drank lots of water. Lots and lots of water. You have to drink water all day.

After ducking under cover for lunch, we would head back to our air conditioned room. Most days, we would cool off with a shower and pass out for a couple of hours. This is when we would reapply our sunscreen as well. You must wear sunscreen.

Around 4pm we started to make a plan for the evening. An hour or so later we’d go for a snack, usually octopus ceviche and a mojito (with Cuban rum) for me.

After sunset the shops are still open on Hidalgo Avenue and we found that to be the best time to go shopping. The day trippers have usually gone back to Cancun and the streets aren’t packed. It cools off a bit at night, but I wasn’t cold unless we were on the beach. I needed a poncho after sunset on the beach.

My poncho. (Wish I’d taken it off the bed and taken the same photograph.)

We ended our days with dinner and walked around until midnight enjoying the breezes, picking up sorbetto for dessert, and savoring our respite from the heat.

Related links: Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico: Traveling By Golf Cart & Safety In Mexico

Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico: Bohemian Gourmet Bed & Breakfast In The Middle Of An Island

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Traveling by golf cart is a really fun way to explore Isla Mujeres, Mexico. You can also take taxis, or for the skilled, rent a motorbike. We rented a golf cart for two days and started with a sunset drive to Punta Sur. After having been on the island for four days, it was the perfect time to take a break from El Centro. We neglected to find out how far the cart would go before we needed to refuel. We got a bit of a scare on our evening drive, puttering along at barely 15 mph, when the gas light flashed on for a moment. We were near the end of the world as far as we were concerned, and it was dark. Plus, we only knew of two gas stations on the island and we had passed both long ago.

(photo credit: Carlos Jackson)

Not sure if you can see us in the mirror, but there we are, watching the locals professionals work their mode of transport.

We pulled over and turned off the engine after I noticed the gas tank light flash on and off. Carlos wanted to proceed because we were mere minutes away from the Temple of Ixchel at the southernmost point on the island. I wanted to turn around for fear of being stranded in the dark on this small island where we would have to rely on a passerby and our limited language skills.

That is the most afraid I was during our eight day adventure. Even in our transportation experiences to and from Cancun we felt safe. People seem to be surprised by this. My husband does know enough Spanish to communicate basic needs, so that is a big plus. We just should have asked about the gas tank capacity and how far it would take us! We felt safe throughout our stay and explored the entire island with our golf cart.

We continued on and made it without the gas tank light bothering us again. It was peaceful at Punta Sur with only a few other couples wandering about. Ixchel is the goddess of fertility, midwifery, and medicine (amongst other things). Plus, it was just a few days after the full moon. The energy was supercharged. Of course we went back in the morning and took photos of the temple, but it was so nice to almost have it to ourselves and enjoy the strong breezes of the sea just after sunset.

Lighthouse at Punta Sur

If you are wondering how far the golf cart would have taken us, well we stopped by the rental place the next morning. They checked our tank and it was fine, they weren’t sure why the light flashed on like that. The carts are filled with enough fuel for three or four days of exploring the island! There were several rental places in town, all with different prices. We went with Joaquin because they let us rent a cart the latest in the day (just after 6pm). Go for the 24 hour rental ($55). The evening drive down the island brought a new spontaneous energy to our experience there and our original plan of a 24 hour rental turned into 48.

Related links: Bohemian Gourmet Bed & Breakfast In The Middle Of An Island

Isla Mujeres: How To Avoid Heat Exhaustion In Mexico

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