Overall Beach Vibe
8.5.
These beaches are awesome. The sand and beach are beautiful. I give the entire experience an 8.5/9 out of 10. The beach is a 10 minute walk from most hotels and airbnbs on the island. If you are staying on the South side of the island, then it is 20 mins by golf cart. Playa Centro and Playa Norte are really the same beach and they are 5 mins walk from each other. The sand is white, the water is calm, there are no dangerous currents within the buoys and as you can see from the video, this beach is beautiful. If you and your family want an intimate beach, then this one fits the bill.
Small Issues:
There are multiple vendors walking past you on the beach selling all manner of things. None are pushy, which is different than other places, but after a while it detracts from the calm. You have to rent benches rather than having them provided for free.
Pluses:
Your things are safe and Isla Mujeres is almost Japan-level safe. There are always people approaching you offering drinks and food and if you stay there all day, that is a plus. There are bathrooms very close and- notable for Mexico- use of the bathrooms is free. You don't have to buy anything; you don't have to speak Spanish but it helps; and you can still enjoy this beach. The buoys really are helpful especially if you are traveling with kids. If you want to swim laps, you can simply parallel the buoys.
Final Verdict:
Playa Centro and Playa Norte are worth the flight. These beaches are fully fledged Caribbean beaches with all of the attendant beauty you would expect. The beauty of the sand and surf is on par with that of Antigua, Barbados, and Grenada. I am a Trini and I love Trinidad but the transparency of the water is far and away above anything in Trinidad, Tobago, or "down the islands." There is something of a "wow factor" missing from this beach that is present in Antigua and definitely Providenciales and compared those islands, Isla Mujeres as a whole is just beneath. However, these two beaches are the Fourth best I have seen in Mexico and top tier in the world. If I had not visited Antigua, Grenada, or Turks, I would have given this beach a 9.5. However.... Nonetheless, these beaches are beautiful and well worth the trip to Isla Mujeres. 8.5.
If you enjoy beaches in general, Isla Mujeres provides a better experience than Cozumel. It is a very small island so unless you stay on the South end of the island, you are never more than 10 minutes from a
Size of beach: Approximately 1 mile of shoreline. 200 meters from the sand to the water. Hotels and restaurants have set up chairs, tables, and benches on which visitors can rest.
Sand Type: White
Water Appearance: Aquamarine/ blue
Cleanliness: Very clean. Although restaurants are selling food and drinks, staff is always patrolling the beach cleaning it
Shade Availability: The restaurants provide large parasols under which you can sit but you have to rent them. About $5 or $100 pesos for 3 hours.
Safety: Very safe. Lifeguards around. There are two levels of precautions for swimmers. Around 20 yards into the water there are buoys roped together warning swimmers to go past at their own risk. Then around 50 yards further into the ocean, there is a large, floating buoy warning swimmers not to pass at all.
Activities: Relaxing only. No jet skis, etc. This is a calm beach without surf. People are selling alcohol and food regularly. No one is playing sports on the sand but there is ample opportunity to do so.
Level of Calm: It depends. If Playa Norte is rough, Playa Centro will be calm as it would be on the leeward side of the island and vice-versa.
Animals: Pelicans diving for fish and seagulls. NO pests.
Plant Life: The hotels or the government itself have roped off the beginning of where seaweed begins. For the first 20 yards, there is no seaweed growing at all and the water is a beautiful aquamarine/ sky blue. Then the water becomes darker: reflecting what looks to be a mini-kelp forest extending into the deeper sea. It is actually fun to swim through the kelp forest because there are numerous fish hanging out and eating the growing seaweed.
Access availability: Extremely easy. Getting to Isla Mujeres from Cancun requires taking the ferry; however, if you stay anywhere near the ferry, all of the most beautiful beaches are a 10 minute walk from your hotel.
Price: Free. Isla Mujeres does this correctly. The beach is free but the restaurants and hotels set up chairs and benches for you to rent and you should do so. The first reason is that it makes your experience way more comfortable and gives you the option of lazing around. The second, is that the hotels are paying to maintain the beach and it only costs $5 to have benches and a parasol all day.
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