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

Looking for a low-key concert to close out your summer? Cumbancha artist Luisa Maita is on tour right now, criss-crossing the United States.  Maita’s easy style and smooth vocals won her the title of Best New Artist at the 2011 Brazilian Music Awards. Check out Maita’s mellow, sultry track “Lero-Lero” and the more up-tempo “Alento” below, and click here to download the album. If you like what you hear, click here to see a list of tour dates and enjoy!

Photo courtesy of Cumbancha; photographer Joao Wainer

Start the party with Rumba, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha and a mojito in hand. Cuba and Colombia figure heavily in the album, full of perky horns and hip-tickling drum beats. Fans of the classics will thrill to “Mambo #5” and “Cereza Rosa.” “Mambo #5,” originally composed in 1949, is performed this time by Colombian band leader Ernesto “Fruko” Estrada—a bit different from Lou Bega’s monster hit version. Angel Melendez and The 911 Mambo Orchestra take on “Cereza Rosa,” which was a number one pop hit in 1955. The track exudes every ounce of the original’s 1950s kitsch and swagger. “Esperanza” by Salsa Celtica is unusual, blending traditional Scottish music with Latin rhythms. Other fusion tracks include “E.L.S.” by the Internationals, a Belgian group that blends ska, Afrobeat and Latin grooves, and “Pa’ Mantener Tradicion” from Tres Muchachos & Companeros, a band that recalls the Cold War with its alliance of Russian and Cuban influences.

As the sun goes down, turn up the party’s sultry swing with Bossa Nova Around the World. This musical style is all about smooth, and the album is international easy listening. On “Esperanca de Mar Azul,” Nancy Vieira and Tito Paris bring the flavor of Cape Verde, a TravelTracks favorite. Amanda Martinez’s voice on “Hasta Que Pueda” is rich and mature and pairs perfectly with the track’s  languid strings. Serbian trumpter Dusko Goykovich brings joy and foot-tapping rhythm to “Menina Moca,” while Stacey Kent and Jim Tomlinson perform the classic “So Nice,” a tune that even music novices will likely recognize. Several tracks are sung in French, the romantic language a natural fit with bossa nova’s slinky sound; one of the loveliest of these is Tom & Joy’s “Meditation.” Among the more unusual languages used on the album: German (“Melancholisch Schon” from 2raumwohnung), Norwegian (“Vakker Natt (Corvocado)” by Hilde Hefte), and Korean (“Railroad” by Monla).

Stay hydrated while listening to these hot disks, and enjoy the rest of summer!