Isla Mujeres is a small coral island off the coast of Cancun in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 4 miles long and only a stone’s-throw wide. The eastern coast is rocky and rough, opening directly onto the waves of the ocean. However, the western side is completely calm, with gorgeous clear and blue water and bright sandy beaches. Several enterprising individuals have built beach clubs on this side of the island, and one of them is quite large and relatively quiet, making it a perfect venue for beachside weddings.
The property includes a long pier for incoming boats (mainly day-trippers from Cancun), a lovely strand of sand, an incredibly large grass yard, a beautiful wooden bar area that features an enormous ship, and also a large dining palapa behind the yard. All in all, this location can hold events up to 500 guests, but it still works great for small destination wedding groups, with many options where to put your event activities. We personally prefer using either the beach or the pier for your ceremony and then the bar area for the cocktail reception and banquet. The dining palapa could work for event as a Plan B in case of rainy or stormy weather.
The sunsets from this beach are incredibly gorgeous (Please remember that on the east coast of Mexico, the sun normally sets behind you as you face the ocean, so the western sides of these off-coast islands are some of the only options for sunset weddings in this region) and the far-off skyline of Cancun’s hotel zone is visible.
There is no lodging offered here, but there are several hotels very nearby, almost within walking distance, and transportation is very easy on this small island. Speaking of, we really like Isla Mujeres as a destination in general (please see our blog article on the island), and it makes an easy and contained space for your guests to really enjoy, aside from your wedding activities.
INTERESTED? Here are more details:
LOGISTICS: Arriving to this beach club on Isla Mujeres really does mean getting away from it all—it requires no fewer than FOUR means of transportation to get there!
AIR: For all of Isla Mujeres, it’s best to use Cancun International Airport. See our recent blog post on nonstop flights to Cancun from major US and Canadian cities.
LAND: Once you land in Cancun you’ll need to either arrange a private transfer to the Puerto Juarez port at the north end of Cancun or you can take a combination of buses to arrive there (Autobuses del Oriente regular service every 30 minutes from the airport to downtown Cancun and then a taxi or city bus –Routes 1 or 10).
SEA: Once at Puerto Juarez, you can buy tickets on the Ultramar catamaran ferry mentioned above that runs every 30 minutes during daylight hours for the quick 20-minute jaunt over to the island. Round-trip tickets currently cost $300 Mexican pesos, or a little more than $16 US dollars.
ISLAND: Upon arrival, you can hail a taxi just to the left as you exit the ferry terminal. Most people get around the island in gasoline-powered golf carts, so don’t worry too much about renting a car. It’s approximately 4 miles long by only ½ mile wide, so it’s never very far from one place to another. Your hotel will rent you a golf cart for whenever you’d want one.
OTHER LODGING NEARBY: There are several lodging options nearby, including an all-inclusive hotel, a small boutique hotel, a private villa with six bedrooms and another set of apartments just down the street. We can certainly help you arrange any such options for your guests.
RENTAL and EVENT OPTIONS: This beach club is rentable for events at $5000 US dollars in winter high season and $3000 in summer low season. While they can cater events themselves, we highly recommend using a private caterer, whom we can easily recommend.
[Photography by Jagoda Sondej]