Planning for Isla
What to bring to Isla for your vacation
Isla Mujeres is located in the Caribbean so there is very mild to hot weather year round. The chart below gives information on temperatures.
|
|
Average High |
Average Low |
Water Temperature |
days over 90° |
days over 80° |
|
Jan |
81° |
67° |
78 |
0 |
20 |
|
Feb |
82° |
68° |
78 |
0 |
21 |
|
Mar |
84° |
71° |
79 |
1 |
26 |
|
Apr |
85° |
73° |
80 |
3 |
29 |
|
May |
88° |
77° |
82 |
10 |
31 |
|
Jun |
89° |
78° |
84 |
17 |
30 |
|
Jul |
90° |
78° |
84 |
24 |
31 |
|
Aug |
90° |
77° |
84 |
25 |
31 |
|
Sept |
89° |
76° |
84 |
17 |
30 |
|
Oct |
87° |
74° |
84 |
7 |
30 |
|
Nov |
84° |
72° |
82 |
1 |
28 |
|
Dec |
82° |
69° |
80 |
0 |
23 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All |
86° |
74° |
81.6 |
105 |
330 |
There is no dress code for almost all restaurants except for the 5 star Villa Rolandi. If you do want to dress a little nicer for your evening meal downtown keep in mind what time of year it is and how warm it can be downtown.
During the winter months of December to February there are occasional Nortes. Which are storms that blow in with a north wind. Sometimes they have rain and sometimes not. It is usually much cooler if there is a norte. They also usually last a couple days, sometimes three. Always good in the winter to plan for a few dress options depending on the weather.
You will need to bring travel documents to Mexico. A passport is required for ALL family members traveling to Mexico. During your flight you will fill out an immigration form per person and a customs form per family. When you arrive at the Cancun airport you will proceed to immigration first. Your whole family can go up to the counter at once. Present your passport, immigration form and customs form. The agent will stamp your passport and form, and return part of the immigration form. It is very important to keep, you will present that form when checking in at your airline when leaving. If you lose it you will need to go to immigration and fill out special forms, and that is a bit of a hassle. The agent will also write in the number of days you are allowed to stay. If you are planning a lengthy trip make sure the days they write cover your planned stay. If you stay longer than your tourist visa states it can be a hassle too. After clearing immigration you will claims your luggage and proceed to customs. Put all your bags on the conveyor to be looked at. Gather them after and go to press the button that will show a red light or green light. 90 percent are green, and even if its red they perform a quick light search of your items.
There have been many comprehensive lists on many vacation sites of what to bring. For many years Isla Mujeres was fairly remote and not much in merchandise was available ON the island. With the new stores that have opened both ON the island and IN Cancun, you can get whatever you may have forgotten.
Another thing to remember for longer trips, there are dozens of lavenderia's on the island (laundry facilities) that are very inexpensive. This makes it easy to bring no more than a week or so of clothes and just clean them.
Snorkel, scuba, swim gear. Most snorkeling tours have decent equipment to choose from. Unless you have very specialize equipment or are an expert with all your own gear, about the only thing you would need (but don't have to bring) is your own mask and snorkel if you want to. They are also for sale at Chedraui, mid island. If you are staying at a place with a pool and want to float on something, many people bring something down and leave it for guests after them. Floating items are also available now on the island, whereas in years past they were not.
Internet and Telephones
Most people while on vacation to some extent stay in contact with home. While almost ALL cell phones will roam on Isla Mujeres now, the charges incurred may be more than you wish to pay. Incoming and outgoing calls start at 99c per minute. This does not include DATA charges that all smart phones will have, just having your email, and applications check stuff on the internet. Many people choose to bring a laptop down and use SKYPE to communicate with home. Others buy a plan BEFORE their trip with their service provider that includes Mexico.
The majority of hotels and rentals now have WIFI available. Some are fairly quick and others not so much. If you need WIFI double check your accommodations before arriving to ensure they provide the service. There are several internet cafes, and regular restaurants that also have WIFI now.