5 Days in Isla Mujeres: Sunrise, Seafood & Slowing Down
I just got back from Isla Mujeres and honestly? This trip was exactly what I needed. Stunning daily sunrises, fresh ceviche on repeat, and just enough activity to keep things interesting without overdoing it. If you’re heading there, here’s what worked, what didn’t, and what I’d do again in a heartbeat.
5 things you must do in Ilsa Mujeres
Dinner at Tolok - when I tell you we could not get enough of this restaurant. Do breakfast, do lunch, do dinner. This was the best views, best service and best views we got all trip. We couldn’t stop coming back here and it would be the first stop I would make when returning to Isla Mujeres
Pily’s Massage - great price, incredibly professional. The 90 min massage was $1100 pesos and truly was one of the best massages I’ve ever had.
Yoga at the Treehouse - what an insanely beautiful spot and great vibes. I’m a vacation yogi - don’t do it at home but happy to throw in a class when I’m traveling. The Treehouse was such a perfect fit for this - the breeze from the water as well as the excellent yoga instruction had me seeing if I could extend my trip.
Beachin’ Burritos on the beach - purchase them from the stand and then walk around to a quiet part of the beach. These burritos were unbelievable (I’m stilling thinking about them) and eating them on the beach really was a highlight
Hire a Golf Cart - we used Good Mexican after doing a lot of research into reviews and these guys were great. Our hot prink buggy served us well and we had so much fun driving around the island. For us, 24hrs was more than enough - I would really take a look at the island and see what you want to drive to. Taxi’s are so easy and affordable, a day of driving around, a lot of walking and some taxi’s was a great balance - we didn’t feel like we needed the golf cart the whole time but had a blast driving around the loop.
Here’s our Full 5 Day Itinerary:
Day 1: Travel + Tolok Perfection
🚆7 AM – Early start. Took the LIRR to JFK, because why did I not know about the LIRR sooner?
✈️ 10 AM – Easy 4-hour flight into Cancun. Straight from the airport to the ferry (shoutout to Happy Transfers for making it seamless).
🚖 5 PM – Quick taxi to the hotel. At this point we were starving so dumped the bags and immediately headed out for food. You can easily hail taxi’s across the island and they’re waiting for you when you get off the boat.
🥂 6:30 PM – Dinner at Tolok (we thought this was directly across the road but turns out there’s an airstrips in between us and the restaurant so after a 25 minute walk we made it). This place was SO good—fresh guac, ceviche, fish/shrimp tacos. A perfect first meal. 10/10.
Day 2: Sunrises & Spontaneity
6 AM – Up for coffee and sunrise. No regrets. One of the best sunrises I’ve ever seen.
10 AM – Reformer Pilates. Not the best, enough of a taste for us to cancel the rest of our sessions we’d booked but good to try out.
11 AM – Brunch at Polo’s Mango Café. I gave it an 8/10, my mom went for a 9/10. Solid meal either way, vibes were great.
12 PM – Wandered around the island, found a great coffee spot.
7 PM – Planned to try Mahi Mahi Tacos, but it was permanently closed. Ended up at El Varadero instead—Cuban food, chaotic energy, but insanely good. 9/10. This worked out well! We left exhausted (it took about 30 mins to hail someone down to pay this check) but right as we left the restaurant and were mapping our 45 min walk an open cab drove right past and we jumped in.
Day 3: Golf Carts & Getting Stuck in Carneval
6 AM – Another sunrise, another perfect start.
8 AM – Private yoga with Tatiana @tatiana.yoga.soundhealing. A gorgeous experience on the beach. It was hot (direct sun) but such a great start tot he day.
9 AM – Rented a Good Mexican Golf Cart ($110 cash) and spent the day exploring every corner of the island. Pre-booking here was key.
Breakfast: Cafe Magoua – Simple, solid.
Punta Sur + Sculpture Gardens – Beautiful views, minimal ruins, paid entry. Worth it? I wouldn’t pay but I would drive up and see the free section.
Lunch: La Palapa del Capitan (6/10) – Accidentally ordered lemonade instead of water, which honestly sums up my Spanish skills. Felt more local but wasn’t our favorite food. Good to experience!
4 PM – Scenic island loop—except we got stuck in Carneval traffic. Made the best of it with street churros + fresh mango, so no complaints.
5 PM – Swam in the hotel pool, then caught the sunset on another island loop.
Dinner: Pirate Pizza – A last-minute pick for mum. This worked out well.
Day 4: Beach Clubs, Massages & Movie Night
6 AM – Sunrise + coffee. As the morning of my 30th birthday, I love starting my years with the sunrise nomatter where I am.
9 AM – Drove out to Laconda Coffee Bus—great coffee and such a cool spot. They parked a VW in a garden and then surrounded it with seating, feels like a garden party, 9/10.
10 AM – Spent the day at ZAMA Beach Club (absolutely book ahead). Perfect setup, great food, and delicious calamari.
2 PM – Coffee stop at El Palma for air conditioning and reset.
2:30 PM – Pily’s Massage (10/10, 90 min, $1100 pesos). If you go to Isla Mujeres and don’t get this massage, you’re doing it wrong.
Dinner: Lola Valentina via delivery (4/10) – Probably should’ve just eaten out but fun to try the delivery service. Not sure what to say about Lola Valentina, the flavors caught us off guard and we threw out a lot of the food. We’re not picky eaters but this one threw us.
Ended the night watching Soul – because 30th Birthday also means reflective Pixar movies in bed.
Day 5: Slowing Down & A Perfect Last Meal
6 AM – Sunrise + journaling. Time to reset before heading home.
8 AM – Scenic morning walk.
8:45 AM – Coffee at a cute beachside café—except I forgot the name, and it was truly horrible coffee, so maybe it’s for the best.
9 AM – Yoga in the treehouse, because having my mornings free is such a treat and I really wanted to experience this class. The class ended up being one of the best yoga classes I’ve taken. Between Tatiana and this one, I left feeling fantastic.
11 AM – Walked around near Mia Hotel, found shade, and chilled on the beach.
Lunch: Shrimp Burrito from Beachin’ Burritos (10/10) – My mom grabbed it for us, and I will be thinking about this burrito forever.
Souvenir Shopping – After a week of looking at the colorful pop-poms they had everywhere I was committed to buy a few for my apartment. We found a spot with a particularly good selection but honestly this vendor ended up being a bit of a creep insisting on hugs, calling us rich and begging for money. Prices kept changing (from $5 to $25 and between USD and pesos) it was hard to bargain a little and not get ripped off. We paid $20 USD for 3 tassels which was probably $5 too much but it just wasn’t worth it to keep talking to this guy.
Banana Smoothie at a vegan café – Solid refresh.
4 PM: Mid-island bakery + fresh tortillas – The bakery only opens at 4 PM, and we were curious. The stars ended up being the conche pastry and a hard custard powder base biscuit.
Swim at the hotel – Catching the sunset one last time.
Dinner: Back to Tolok – Met the chef, had an even better meal than the first night. Sunset, ceviche, perfection. 11/10.
Day 6: Heading Home
6 AM – Last sunrise, last deep breath.
8 AM – Ferry back to Cancun, straight to the airport. Large haul at Maison Kayser (rip NYC Maison Kayser), had to stock up.
12:15 PM – Flight to NYC. We hit a lot of turbulence on this one and we did applaud on landing. In 2025 I do think we should bring back the applause.
6 PM – Home, unpacked, and ready for the week
Final Thoughts
This trip was exactly what I wanted—slow mornings, fresh seafood, and just enough movement to balance the lounging. Isla Mujeres is easy, beautiful, and low-stress. If you go, don’t over-plan, but absolutely book a golf cart, prioritize sunrise, and eat at Tolok as many times as possible.
It’s not a cheap trip as it has such a strong tourism market and they lift the prices to match this but you will eat very very well and it’s a nice balance of the tourist infrastructure with the opportunity to explore and see more local life (vs staying in the hotel in Cancun).