Isla Blanca- A Pirate's Refuge

Once again, yes, we went to the beach on Sunday. Now that we've got the car, we have soooo much freedom to explore Quintana Roo and get out and see some new things instead of the same old boring beaches (haha, like a beach could ever be boring). This week we decided to check out Isla Blanca, a small peninsula located about 25 minutes away from Cancun.

Driving past Puerto Juarez, you'll find yourself on a beautiful street lined on both sides by lush plants and flowers, great to see undisturbed nature only a couple of kilometers outside of downtown cement Cancun. For the first part of the trip it is a paved road. When you reach the entrance to Isla Blanca, you are in for some off-roading fun on a sand road full of potholes! We bounced around and got very dusty, wheeee! (Though on our return, we did get stuck and needed the assistance of four burly men to dig us out of the sand).

The Road Out of Puerto Juarez
(technically in an area called Playa Mujeres)

The Sandy Road of Isla Blanca

We drove for a few minutes in this luscious land until we saw the skull and crossbones, "Argh, ahoy matey's, this be the place for us". Ok, yep, I have a pirate thing. We had no plans about where to go, but this looked like as good a place as any to start. We pulled in the bumpy driveway and found ourselves in "El Refugio del Pirata Morgan" (Pirate Morgan's Refuge).

There was a small charge to enter (25 pesos per adult, 15 for kids) and that gave us use of the beach club facilities (bathrooms, shower, chairs and tables, loungers, etc..) There was a reasonably priced menu (the most expensive thing was ceviche for 80 pesos) and wait service on the beach. The service was slow, but we were in no rush. We could always have gone up to the beach bar if we felt pressed for time or were suffering unbearable thirst. There is a 150 peso charge to bring in a cooler or refreshments, they did check our cooler but let us go in with the milk and kid snacks for Max. They had kayaks, ATV's and jet skis for rent, though we didn't play so can't tell you much about that experience. There were a couple of groups of tourists there that had been brought from some all inclusive or another, doing a package deal. I overhead (um, listened in?) the owner telling them that their day included the ATV's, jet skis to a snorkeling spot and a full meal, though I don't know how much they paid for that.

The place also had ten little cabanas available for rent. These are your no-frills, palapa-roofed, no electricity, you get four walls and a bed kind of cabanas, but the location is great. Renting the cabana is 500 pesos per night. There were generators running for electric in the day, but I don't know how long they leave them on. They've also got an area designated for camping, so whip out your tents and get a spot for 60 pesos. Here's the view walking past the cabanas toward the beach.

The Cabanas viewed from the beach

The Beach Bar

(sodas 15 pesos, beer 20 pesos)

The View Down the Beach

(this is behind an abandoned hotel next door to El Refugio)

Mommy having fun with Max

(Er, Max running circles around Mommy)

The Karate Kid

We really enjoyed our day and will go back to El Refugio. Can't fight the pull of the pirates! It was great to get out of the hustle bustle of Cancun and find a relatively peaceful stretch of beach. I think at the busiest point of the day, there may have been 60 people there, pretty darned quiet indeed. I've decided that when we win the lottery (yes, I said "when", I'm using my powers of positivity to swing those numbers my way), I would like to buy a piece of land on Isla Blanca or in Puerto Juarez. I'm loving discovering new parts of Quintana Roo, I hope you are enjoying the ride with me!