Beach Clubs at Isla Mujeres

[amanven]

Exchanged into Westin Lagunamar for the second week of November. Would like to spend an afternoon at one of the beach clubs on Isla Mujeres. I have seen recommendations for Captain Dulche BC, the beach club at the Ixchel Hotel and the Zama Beach Club. Does anyone have any experience with these or other recommendations they have had previous experience with? Looking for something with quiet water, decent food and a couple of nice beach chairs under a palapa. Pool would be nice but not necessary.

What is the average cost per person for an afternoon. Better to go on a tour or just take the ferry over, rent a golf cart and find your own way to a club?

 

[cheech]

Zama and Green Demon are my favorites. Green Demon is on Playa Norte, Zama is a bit further down the coast but has an awesome pool and beach, however gets pretty crowded. No need to take a tour, take a Collectivo from Westin to one of many ferry docks (Playa Tortuga or El Embarcadero) and rent a golf cart, tour the island at your leisure, and stop in one of the many beach clubs. Doing it on your own can save some money for cervezas.

 

[amanven]

Zama and Green Demon are my favorites. Green Demon is on Playa Norte, Zama is a bit further down the coast but has an awesome pool and beach, however gets pretty crowded. No need to take a tour, take a Collectivo from Westin to one of many ferry docks (Playa Tortuga or El Embarcadero) and rent a golf cart, tour the island at your leisure, and stop in one of the many beach clubs. Doing it on your own can save some money for cervezas.

Thanks for the tip!...I like the golf cart idea. Can you give me any idea how much they cost for the day and are there any "catches" we should be aware of before renting one.

 

[dioxide45]

Thanks for the tip!...I like the golf cart idea. Can you give me any idea how much they cost for the day and are there any "catches" we should be aware of before renting one.

I think they were around $55 USD when we rented one a few years ago. THey may be a bit higher now. I would suggest paying in Pesos for the best price. They also hold on to your drivers license until you return the cart.

 

[dioxide45]

take a Collectivo from Westin to one of many ferry docks (Playa Tortuga or El Embarcadero)

I think you mean the bus that runs throughout the hotel zone? Not a collectivo. I am not sure that the Collectivos run through the hotel zone. To get one you need to take a bus in to downtown Cancun.

 

[easyrider]

Exchanged into Westin Lagunamar for the second week of November. Would like to spend an afternoon at one of the beach clubs on Isla Mujeres. I have seen recommendations for Captain Dulche BC, the beach club at the Ixchel Hotel and the Zama Beach Club. Does anyone have any experience with these or other recommendations they have had previous experience with? Looking for something with quiet water, decent food and a couple of nice beach chairs under a palapa. Pool would be nice but not necessary.

What is the average cost per person for an afternoon. Better to go on a tour or just take the ferry over, rent a golf cart and find your own way to a club?

Rent a golf cart at Indios and they will tell you what is going on regarding anything on the island. I think the carts are due back by 5 pm and the rent was $60 for 1/2 day. On the north end of the island is Tarzan. If you buy anything your welcome to hang out. They have internet , chairs, tables and a small beach restaurant. Gaferon Park is on the south end and the resorts sell all inclusive packages for this park. Most of the restaurants and stores are on the north end.

Its a small island so doing your own thing is a good thing, imo.

Bill

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Exchanged into Westin Lagunamar for the second week of November. Would like to spend an afternoon at one of the beach clubs on Isla Mujeres. I have seen recommendations for Captain Dulche BC, the beach club at the Ixchel Hotel

In Feb 2015 we went to Isla Mujeres on the Ultramar Ferry from Puerto Juarez . The terminal is very near Villa del Palmar TS Resort
We took the bus line that runs through the hotel zone to get there . The bus said Puerto Juarez on the windshield .

I think the ferry was 180 pesos round trip per person / which was about $13 USD at the time . ( jlp879 - says now $20 pp - April 2018 / next post in thread )
Playa Norte is not far from were that ferry docks on Isla M . We took a cab / but I think we walked back to the ferry terminal that evening .

FYI - there are various ferry's from various locations .

Playa Norte is free to use as it is a public beach .There are lots of places for snacks , ice cream etc within easy walking distance of the beach. It is a very nice beach with no real waves since it faces the mainland.
(I did see the beach club at Ixchel Hotel & it certainly looked nice if you want a pool & services )

We probably arrived about 1:30 pm and stayed on the beach until 5:30 . Then we walked around & explored until we settled on an Italian restaurant for diner . There are lots of good choices from buckets of beer & tacos to fine dining .

We took the ferry back about 9 pm .

The golf carts looked like a lot of fun - but are not necessary if you stay in the
Playa Norte area .

 

[jlp879]

We did the same thing on our trip last April. However, we didn't want to hire a golf cart for the day (about $60 US), so we walked from the ferry terminal to the beautiful beach at Playa Norte. We ended up at the Green Demon beach club and enjoyed lunch and drinks before poking around the rest of the area around Playa Norte. The cost was just lunch and drinks in the bar, which are touristy prices because you're right on the beach. We later walked into more of the town area and had an truly excellent dinner for very little at a hole in the wall place we found, La Lomita. It was one of our best meals of the trip.

Don't forget you have to factor the ferry cost. Ultramar ferry is about $20 USD per person from wherever you catch it. You'll need to take a bus from Lagunamar to one of the three Ultramar docks. Two are right in the hotel zone. We wanted to be adventurous and check out the Villa del Palmar Cancun so we bused it downtown, transferred to a collectivo to the Punta Sam car ferry dock, which is right next to Villa del Palmar, and walked on the car ferry. Total cost was probably $5 per person. We were glad we did this because I've often thought about exchanging into the Villa del Palmar Cancun.

If you are interested in the Zama beach club or Captain Dulche, you could easily take a cab from the ferry terminal to one of those clubs and back. I wouldn't rent a golf cart unless you plan on using it for exploring the entire island. We found the north end very pleasant to walk around.

 

[amanven]

(I did see the beach club at Ixchel Hotel & it certainly looked nice if you want a pool & services )

Is the beach club at the Ixchel Hotel for anyone or only for hotel guests?

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Is the beach club at the Ixchel Hotel for anyone or only for hotel guests?

I only walked by - on the beach ( as I recall) .
I would contact them ahead of your trip and ask the front desk .