cancun food and fun
 

i'll be staying for a week on isla mujeres in early february. i'd like to take my wife to cancun one evening for a great meal at an excellent, beautiful restaurant followed by a fun bar or club for a few cocktails and maybe some good music (not big dancers). any recommendations?

Aha!

I have the perfect suggestion for you!

Go to La Habichuela for diner. It's in downtown Cancun. The taxis at the ferry dock can take you there.

It is the best restaurant - bar none - in Cancun. It is so romantic. Be sure to sit outside in the courtyard under the twinkling lights, order a good bottle of wine and the Cocobichuela for dinner.

It's a shrimp dish served inside a hollowed-out coconut, and is truly one of the best meals I've ever had.

Afterwards, determine whether you want rowdy, wild fun or elegant partying. For a wild time, go to one of the dance clubs like La Boom or Carlos and Charlies. We are a little - ahem - older, but we like to dance, so we go to La Boom.

If you want to feel like you are in a Miami Vice episode, you can go to Azucar, where they have great live Salsa bands and the crowd is a little older and well-dressed. It's also close to the ferry back to IM. (If you plan to ferry back that night, you'd better check shcedules.)
There's a new place called Glass that is very nice. For a quiet romantic time, go to the bar at the Ritz Carlton. They always have some kind of excellent live jazz bands, and the club is very elegant.

maytoad,
Just curious - my hubby & I are also staying a week on isla mujeres in early february. Can I ask where you're staying and when you'll be there and also if you've ever been there before? It will be our first time although we've been to Mexico many many times. We are there from Feb 3-12 staying at Playa Media Luna & Hotel NaBalam. I have read so many great things about the island that I find I'm more excited to go this time than ever before. I just hope it lives up to my expectations.
Pam

Message: Pam- we're in the same boat. Never been there but are very intrigued by what we have read here and elsewhere on line. We have five kids and only get away alone once evey year or two and the island sounds to us like a perfect blend of beauty, relaxation, food and fun- (lots of fun in nearby cancun- too much for us fortysomethings to endure for a whole week). My advice isn't worth much having never been there but we are staying for 5 nights at hotel secreto and three nights at villa rolandi.

Thanks Diana,

I've already booked dinner! Sounds perfect. Anyone else have any more to add to Diana's great nighlife ideas? We aren't big on dancing though we do like live music. This will be our one night off relatively sleepy Isla Mujeres so some wildness is desired. We'll have only a couple of hours after dinner before we have to get back to the puerto juarez docks.

Hi there Maytoad!

Sounds like you have a great trip planned! We were on isla last may and stayed at Na Balam. You have picked 2 of the nicest places to stay on isla, you will really enjoy both, I am sure.

On Isla, I would really recommend Casa O's for a very nice, romantic dinner. It is close to Villa Rolandi's. (then again, nothing is very far on Isla).

Your plan to leave isla for a night out is very ambitious! I have a feeling once you get there and settle in to the slow rythm of the island, you won't have the inclination to leave it even for a few hours to go back to the hustle and bustle of Cancun.

In my opinion, Cancun is at its best when you are seated on the terrace at Casa O's (or Villa Rolandi's), drink in hand, in the dark of the evening - from there, across the channel, the lights of cancun are quite pretty.

If you haven't already done so, you might want to check out the very active message board at www.isla-mujeres.net - lots of isla lovers there, multiple returnees, etc., with lots of great info.

Either way - enjoy your trip and make sure to post a trip report on your return.

gingele,
Just wondering how you liked the Hotel NaBalam-rooms, food, beach? Also, do you think we'd need reservations at Casa O's?
maytoad,
Sounds like you have your hands full and need a vacation! Luckily, our children are grown and we are foot loose and fancy free now. Love those grandkids though-five of them and counting. Have a great vacation!
Pam

Hi PamT!

Re: Casa O's - you can book a table thru the hotel, or drive by it when you rent a golf cart and walk in to book a table. You are going in high season (feb), otherwise I'd say not to worry.

Re NaBalam:
Rooms - We actually stayed in 2 different rooms at NaBalam. Due to a booking mix-up they did not have a standard room for us when we first arrived - so they upgraded us to a Suite with a Jacuzzi on the patio. (Note - this was not one of the rooms with a private plunge pool). The suite was very large - a big bedroom, a big living room, large bathroom and of course, the aforementioned patio with jacuzzi tub. All in all very nice, but frankly the jacuzzi tub was lost on us because the patio was not shaded at all, so we couldn't fathom sitting in the full-blown sun in a hot jacuzzi. Now, if they'd have come and filled it with ice...

Anyway, the second night and remainder of our stay was in the standard room. Room 7, facing the beach on the second floor. Frankly, for our money, this was a better bet. The room was still nice sized, with a seating area and a king sized bed. Ample room in the bath (standard toilet & shower - no tub). We had a very nice verandah facing the ocean (though all rooms in this section are set back from the beach itself). This verandah was nicely shaded with a hammock and two chairs - wonderful spot to sit and read or have a drink. a/c worked like a champ. We asked for - and received - a mini-fridge to hold the case of Sol we purchased at the distributor on the island. We brought a soft-sided cooler with us and each morning before heading down to the beach we'd load it up with the cold cerveza in our room, get the beach bar to pour ice over it - and we were set. Only once did we actually have the beach bar at NaBalam fill our cooler for us - $30US for maybe 14 beers. OUCH. Hence the trip to the distributor.

Anyway - I would definitely recommend Room #7, or any 2nd floor room in what they call the "old" section. Avoid the rooms across the street (around the pool).

Food at NaBalam- excellent. We ate lunch there almost every day. We'd be on the beach there and you can order from the beach bar. Great ceviche - our lunch of choice. We tried 'em all there - they were all yummy. We did not eat in the "formal" dining restaurant that is on site and open for dinner only. However, several of the guests there at the time had and they all said it was also excellent. We just didn't get to it - with all the choices up and down hildago, plus Casa O's and Villa Rolandi on Sac Bajo...we'd need alot more time than 7 days to try them all!

One thing you MUST try, though - on Sac Bajo is a place called Playa Lancheros. It is a large, open air restaurant on the beach, go there for lunch and get the Tix-n-Chix. It is the Yucatan style of grilling fish - you get a huge, whole fish right off the grill, rice, tortillas, lettuce, the works - great hot sauce - and it is plenty for 2. Get a couple of Sols and you are all set. a MUST.

Beach - The beach in front of NaBalam is hands down the nicest, widest, and quietest part of Playa Norte. No question about it. Wonderful place to park it for your stay in Isla.

One additional note - be sure to make your way down to Sergio's Playa Sol bar for sunset - it is a really fun place to be around that time. You can easily get ther by walking all the way down Playa Norte - away from NaBalam - until you can't go anymore. Follow that last corner of beach around to just past nautibeach condos - there is a small palapa bar - that's Sergio's Playa Sol.

Enjoy your trip!!!

Dinner has to be La Habichuela in the garden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gingele,
Thank you so much for all the information! I'm glad that the room at NaBalam that we reserved is on the ocean side and not on the pool side. Gleemed that info from the isla-mujeres.net website. I'll be sure to ask for a mini fridge when we arrive. Heard great things about Playa Media Luna also, so hopefully we'll be able to experience two great hotels. This is the first time (for Mexico) that I've booked everything independently so I'm hoping everything works out alright. We're using FF miles for airfare so we only have the hotels, taxis, food, and incidentals to worry about.
I've already purchased my soft sided cooler to bring for those cold cervasas:S-
We'll definitely check out some of the places you mentioned to eat at. We really enjoy sampling different restaurants which is why we don't care for the all inclusive resorts. Can't wait to try the tix-n-chix! Thanks again!
Pam