Frequently Asked Questions

1. How/why/where: money exchange?

Exchanging your USD (United States Dollar) to Mexican pesos will guarantee the most "bang for your buck" while you're in Mexico. Major credit cards are accepted at the hotels and a few of the restaurants. Some vendors may accept your American cash but you will most likely be paying more than if you were paying with pesos.

You will get the best exchange rate in the international airport you are flying out of. There is typically a money exchange center in the international terminal. You may also exchange your leftover pesos back to American money on your way home. There are ATM's on the island. Don't be alarmed, the ATM's are in Spanish and will show your bank balance and withdrawal in the amount of pesos. You will love your bank statement in pesos, by the way :). Contact your bank prior leaving the US to let them know you will be in Mexico. I repeat. Contact your bank prior leaving the US to let them know you will be Mexico.

My way of doing mental Mexico money exchange math has worked pretty good so far, even after a few cer vesas so listen closely. The peso symbol looks just like our dollar sign ----> $$$. So if something costs $100 MX pesos, I divide by ten and subtract a little. $100 MX pesos = $10 USD minus a little is about $7.75. When you're out shopping and you see a bottle of tequila for $250 pesos you will think "$250 pesos is a little less than $25 dollars at home." This isn't completely accurate but mark my word, it will help you that weekend.

Here is 2 very helpful Trip Advisor articles on money in Mexico:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g150768-s601/Mexico:Banks.And.Money.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g150768-c5116/Mexico:Atms.And.Credit.Cards.html

2. Where should we stay?

I cover the most recommended places to stay in a previous blog post. To keep it simple: any hotel on North Beach will put you within walking distance to all of the important places. For more luxury I recommend Privelege Aluxes. For more people I recommend Nautibeach Condos. For a tighter budget I recommend Posada del Mar. It's actually the only place I have stayed on Isla and for $65 USD/night you get a beach view, pool, bar and restauraunt. Perfecto.

3. Explain the ferry.

Gran Puerto. That's all you have to remember. Write it down on a piece of scratch paper, stick it in your pocket and hand it to the first taxi driver you see when you exit the CanCun airport. Gran Puerto. That is the name of the ferry terminal. The ferry departs CanCun every thirty minutes begining at 5 am until 1130 pm. It costs $70 pesos each way. Use the mental math I taught you!

Here is the schedule leaving CanCun and leaving Isla Mujeres.

Departs Gran Puerto for Isla Mujeres

5:00 AM	8:30 AM	12:00 PM	3:30 PM	7:00 PM
5:30 AM	9:00 AM	12:30 PM	4:00 PM	7:30 PM
6:00 AM	9:30 AM	1:00 PM	4:30 PM	8:00 PM
6:30 AM	10:00 AM	1:30 PM	5:00 PM	8:30 PM
7:00 AM	10:30 AM	2:00 PM	5:30 PM	9:30 PM
7:30 AM	11:00 AM	2:30 PM	6:00 PM	10:30 PM
8:00 AM	11:30 PM	3:00 PM	6:30 PM	11:30 PM

Departs Isla Mujeres for Gran Puerto

5:30 AM	9:00 AM	12:30 PM	4:00 PM	7:30 PM
6:00 AM	9:30 AM	1:00 PM	4:30 PM	8:00 PM
6:30 AM	10:00 AM	1:30 PM	5:00 PM	8:30 PM
7:00 AM	10:30 AM	2:00 PM	5:30 PM	9:00 PM
7:30 AM	11:00 AM	2:30 PM	6:00 PM	10:00 PM
8:00 AM	11:30 PM	3:00 PM	6:30 PM	11:00 PM
8:30 AM	12:00 PM	3:30 PM	7:00 PM	12:00 AM

4. Are there car rentals on the island?

No. If you are staying on Isla Mujeres, you will not need to rent a car. A fun thing to do while visiting Isla is to rent a golf cart for some sight seeing. Remember, if you are staying on North Beach on Isla Mujeres a golf cart isn't even necessary to attend the wedding or get to the major shopping and restauraunt area. But if you have some time to kill a trip around the island on a golf cart is a blast! I cannot find any online links to the golf cart rental locations but from what I've read, expect a golf cart rental to cost about $90 USD per day.

5. When are you and Craig flying in?

Craig, Harbor and I are flying in Thursday, November 6 around 2:00 pm. Lots of our friends and family members have also scheduled arrivals that day between noon and two. The more people we can have coming in at that time, the better! It's cheaper to travel to Gran Puerto in groups. We will stay in Isla Mujeres until the next Thursday, November 13. Please consider us off the grid after our wedding reception. If we want to hang out, we'll call you. :)

6. What is the dress code at your wedding?

I have to laugh every time somebody asks me this. This event is not formal. In my vision I see the male guests wearing khaki shorts or pants, comfy button down shirts and flops. I see the women in maxis, sundresses or linen pants. Honestly though, I am not putting it past any of my friends to show up in bikinis and board shorts. I'm going to advise against wearing heels and actually, don't even put a lot of thought into your shoes ladies because they will be off by the end of the night. Dancing in the sand is wildly uncomfortable in any kind of shoe. 

7. Gift registry.

If you are attending our wedding, you will not be buying Craig and I a gift.

Seriously. Having you attend our wedding abroad speaks volumes. Your prescence as we say our vows in Mexico is the most meaningful gift anybody could ever give us.

If somebody that isn't attending our wedding wants to buy us a gift we are registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

8. Do people speak English down there?

Mexicans love tourists. If you can't speak a word of Spanish, you will be ok. In fact, most of them love to practice speaking English with you. They are very accomodating and if you're caught in a situation with a langauge barrier, it won't take long to get the point across. Although not necessary, it is always easier to know a few of the basics ahead of time.

beach = la playa
beer = cer vesa
please = por favor
thank you = gracias
your welcome = de nada
bathroom = el baño
friend = amigo
good = bueno; bien
How much (does this cost)? = Cuanto cuesta
yes = si


  As always, please email me with anything at all kimberly.kahanek@yahoo.com. There's only 115 days left until we say "I do" ! ! !

Airfare Alert! Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has opened up their November schedule for flights into CanCun! The prices are the best I've seen so far. I have just booked our airfare for $350 a person round trip.  Check it out!

Also, we are not going with a group rate at Privilege Aluxes. It does seem to be the hotel of choice among guests who have booked so far though. So if you want to make things easy and join the party I highly recommend reserving your room there. It is very close to the wedding ceremony site.

Email me with any questions: kimberly.kahanek@yahoo.com

Why Isla Mujeres? (Por que Isla Mujeres?)

Besides just attending our wedding, I truly want you guys to indulge in Isla Mujeres and celebrate it's beauty. Mayan history, delicious food and the philosophy of the locals all make it a very special place. Maybe you'll fall in love with this 5 miles of paradise like I did.

First, here is a map to show you Isla Mujeres in relation to Mexico and Estados Unidos:

The island is just off the coast of Cancun. In it's early days, Isla Mujeres was used as a sanctuary for Mayan goddess Ixchel--goddess of fertility, happiness and the moon. There are still remains left of her temple and statues which you may want to add to your "To-do" list while you're visiting. Decades later, a Spanish expedition discovered the island with all of its female statues and tributes to this goddess thus naming it Isla Mujeres, translated to Island of the Women. For many many years the island remained uninhabited. Fishermen and pirates would occasionally drop their women and children off for "safekeeping" while offshore. Eventually the island evolved into a small fishermen's community. Because of it's location it was often referred to as Fishermen's Paradise. These days, it is still relatively untouched by major tourism. The atmosphere of Isla Mujeres is nothing like Cancun or Cabo San Lucas. In fact, the island pretty much shuts down by 10:00 pm.

Clearly, Isla Mujeres is gorgeous. White sand and blue water breaking over enormous rocks is easy on the eye. Add some amazing food to that and you have a damn good vacation. Authentic Italian, traditional Cuban, and, of course, the best Mexican food ever. You can "dress up" (ie. put on flip flops and clothes over your swimsuit) to take a stroll through the downtown area for a nice dinner or walk out over the water and eat the freshest seafood you could ever imagine. I'm kind of obsessed with pictures of food so here's some personal photos of my own dining experiences on Isla:
 

And since I mention breathtaking views of water breaking over cliffs:
 

Aside from all of this amazing-ness, my favorite part of Isla Mujeres is honestly the laid back atmosphere of the Mexican culture combined with island lifestyle. If you don't already know, my parents own a house in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico and spend a significant amount of time down there. What they've really taught me to appreciate is the slow pace, friendly demeanor and non-existent time constraint of the culture. You may read awful things about Mexico but in reality, the places I've explored are tremendously safer than living in Houston, Texas. I was once lying out on the beach in Isla when a man walked by selling hand-woven baskets and bags. I had my eye on one in particular and told myself if he came back by, I'd pursue it. Sure enough, he walked back a little later and I waved him over. I noticed the bag I originally saw was no longer with him. I mentioned it and he immediately responded with "Un momento, un momento senorita..." and took off running across the beach. He was gone for a long time. I started to doubt him but knowing the culture, I knew he wasn't bailing out on me so I waited. Finally, after about an hour, he returned with another bag like the one I had asked him about. I actually ended up buying a different bag from him which, in hindsight, sounds really rude. The lesson here though is that they will do absolutely anything to satisfy a visitor, especially if its going to earn them a few pesos. My parents and I joked later that he probably ran home to add embroidery to another basket just like the one I liked.
 

So, why Isla Mujeres? As I was touring wedding venues in and around Houston I thought they were all absolutely beautiful. The wedding business is insanely successful these days. They are spot on in creating this capturing image of a once-in-a-lifetime fairy tale day. They just couldn't capture me. I didn't want to get married in a city neither of us had any true ties to. I didn't want our day to be stressful, scheduled, full of vendors for this, vendors for that... is this person here? Is that set up? It's time for this. It's time to be here. That sounds absolutely repulsive. I envision waking up the morning of our wedding day and wondering what I'm even going to spend my morning doing. The answer will probably be "the beach". If there's any place for a stress-free, heck-of-a-good-time wedding it has got to be this place and I can't WAIT to see you there!

As always, remember you can email with any questions you may be having about the travel: Kimberly.kahanek@yahoo.com

Traveling from USA to CanCun (Airport Code: CUN)

In this post I will address the flights leaving from #1. NORTH CAROLINA - New Bern, NC as well as leaving from leaving from Wilmington, NC (ILM) and Raleigh, NC. I will also cover options flying from #2. TEXAS - including Dallas, Houston, and Austin. #3. HARRISBURG, PA and #4. FORT MYERS, FL

This gets you to the airport in Cancun (CUN) which is where you’ll want to fly into for further travel by taxi and ferry over to Isla Mujeres.

1. FROM NORTH CAROLINA

US Airways

• Service out of New Bern to Cancun via one stop in Charlotte, NC: At this writing RT fares were running about $725/person.

• Service from Wilmington (ILM) to CUN via one stop in Charlotte, NC: $684/person and the flight times were reasonable. This flight could be booked immediately and this sample fare was flying out on Thursday, 11/6 and with a return flight on Monday, 11/10.

BEST DEAL!!! However, just as an example I searched www.Expedia.com and put in leaving from New Bern, NC and going to Isla Mujeres, QR and found a package deal for 4 nights stay at the Nautibeach 2-bedroom condo for 4 people for $936/person. (11/6-11/10) That's a pretty good deal!!!

Leaving from Wilmington, NC package deals for 11/6-11/10 were $888/person at the Ixchel Beach Hotel and $951/person at Nautibeach through Expedia.com.

American Airlines

• Offers service from New Bern to Cancun but with no fewer than 2 stops along the way and a fare of $819. You can book immediately and this sample fare was leaving on Thursday, Nov. 6^th and returning on Monday, Nov. 10^th.

NOTE: American Airlines Vacations also offers package deals for airfare and several of the Playa Norte hotels where a Thursday to Monday trip costs $900-$1,000/person. 

United Airlines

• United offers flights from Raleigh/Durham that fly to CUN via a stop in Houston (IAH). This may be a possibility if there could be a family meet-up in Houston. Flights leave RDU early but get you into Cancun in the afternoon. The downside is the reasonably-priced fares put you back at RDU at 11PM. Fares start at $550/person though, and can be booked immediately.

AirTran/Southwest Airlines

• Services Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU) and flies to CUN via Atlanta or Baltimore. We have found AirTran/SWA to offer good prices and good service. Also, they allow you to book one-way or roundtrip without stiffing you for booking one-way like some airlines do. Mentioning this just in case you aren't sure how long you want to hang out down south (smile). The only caveat is that you can only book 6 months in advance so at this writing, they don't have posted fares/reservations service for November 2014 available yet. However, at this writing their posted fares for travel in August have a RT fare for $483.

JetBlue

• JetBlue travels from Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to CUN via Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. We haven’t ever traveled on JetBlue but we actually ran into a travel writer from NC that used JetBlue for his travel from NC and said they offered the best fares. When I visited their website it looked like JetBlue may only have seasonal flights to Cancun, and I couldn’t find a way to contact them directly but according to this traveler, it is certainly worth looking into.

2. FROM TEXAS

United Airlines

• United offers non-stop service from Houston Intercontinental (IAH) to Cancun and you can also get these non-stop flights along with your Playa Norte Hotel at www.expedia.com. Package deals from Thursday 11/6 thru Monday 11/10 are about $709/person and up.  Caution: When you visit www.expedia.com and put in your information the cheapest deals are NOT the United flights, rather they are longer flights on AeroMexico that take you thru Mexico City. Even though cheaper you’ll probably want to spring for direct flights on United. Also, if you book on Expedia, just make sure you book your hotel on Isla Mujeres and NOT Cancun.

AirTran

• AirTran/Southwest Airlines offers non-stop service from Austin (AUS) to Cancun (CUN), or you can leave out of Houston Hobby (HOU) and get to CUN by way of either Austin or Atlanta (ATL). Their fares are very reasonable. At this writing, they aren’t taking bookings for November, but I would check them out just because their fares are really good. A sample fare from AUS to CUN leaving out on a Thursday and returning on a Monday was $430/person.

• AirTran also offers non-stop service from San Antonio (SAT) to Cancun (CUN). Again, I couldn’t check prices for November yet, but a sample fare leaving out on a Thursday and returning on a Monday was $419 and the departure times leaving out and returning back were very good times..not too early and not too late.

American Airlines

• Offers non-stop service from DFW to CUN. A trip fare for leaving out on 11/6 Thursday and returning 11/10 Monday can be booked at good departure and return times for $493/person.

• Or, package deals can be booked through AA. As an example, RT airfare for 2 from DFW and 4 nights hotel at Cabanas Maria del Mar can be booked for $589/person, Posada del Mar for $572/person, or Ixchel Beach Hotel for $692/person.
•  

3. FROM HARRISBURG, PA

 

US Airways

• Offers service from Harrisburg to Cancun for $717/person round trip.

United

• Offers service for as low as $524/person round trip.

 

4. FROM FORT MYERS, FL

US Airways

• Offers service from Ft. Myers to Cancun for $623/person round trip.

United

• Offers service as low as $458/person round trip.

American Airlines

• Offers service as low as $465/person round trip.

 

 

Places to Stay on Isla Mujeres

There is always Expedia.com and Travelocity.com for booking package deals on your own. Both of them offer package deals to Isla Mujeres. Just a couple of words of caution--the lower-priced package deals that appear first sometimes book you on Aeromexico and you fly into Cancun via Mexico City. You probably don't want to take this long, and round about journey. Travelocity and Expedia offer other flights/airlines but just maybe not at the lowest prices you first see listed on the website. Secondly, even though you list Isla Mujeres as your final destination sometimes the list of available hotels includes hotels in Cancun. If you are planning on staying in Isla Mujeres, make sure you don't inadvertently book a hotel in Cancun and play close attention to the flights you are choosing.

North beach is where our wedding ceremony and reception will take place. It is the downtown (see map below) side of the island that puts you within walking distance of the beach, restaurants, shopping and bars. Any hotel you choose on North Beach (Playa Norte) will keep you from having to take a taxi or rent a golf cart to attend the wedding festivities.

Below is a list of hotels in the immediate North Beach area -

The following 3 properties are situated next to each other, and surround the actual wedding site.

Privilege Aluxes Isla Mujeres Hotel - www.privilegehotels.com - 4.5 rating on Trip Advisor. Directly on Playa Norte. Has rooms as well as rooms/kitchen facilities.

We are currently negotiating a group rate contract with Privilege Aluxes. It seems to be the most popular choice among guests. Check this hotel out first and if you'd like to book here email me at Kimberly.kahanek@yahoo.com .  

Ixchtel Beach Hotel - www.ixchelbeachhotel.com - 4.5 rating on Trip Advisor. Directly on Playa Norte. Has rooms as well as rooms/kitchen facilities.

Nautibeach condos - www.nautibeach.com - 4.5 rating on Trip Advisor. Directly on Playa Norte. These are individually owned condos and each is decorated differently. This is a good alternative for families. It is an older property but by no means shabby. NOTE: If you check into Nautibeach Condos, email "Felipe", the Wedding Planner and he will get a good deal for you. The wedding site is actually located next to these condos. You may have to email Felipe a couple of times because the internet service isn't always working. His email is director@sunsetgrill.com.mx. He speaks good English. Let him know you are part of the Kahanek Wedding/Nov. 8th.

The following 3 properties are also on Playa Norte but a few more steps away from the actual wedding.

Na Balam Beach Hotel - www.nabalam.com - 3.5 Trip Advisor rating. This hotel gets mixed reviews. The outside grounds are very pretty and jungly. They have a really nice beach lounge area. From what I read, the pictures of the rooms look better than the actual rooms themselves. If you don't plan on staying in your room a lot but want nice outside areas and a restaurant onsite, this may be a good choice.

Cabanas Maria del Mar - www.cabanasmariadelmar-islamujeres.com -  3.5 Trip Advisor rating. This is an older property and I would call it "quaint". If you like quirky and quaint this is not a bad choice. Just a suggestion, if you book here ask to see some of the rooms upon your arrival and pick the best one. There are different sections of the same hotel and some appear to be better than others. It has beautiful beach access and the grounds are nice and shaded. Rates are all less than $100/nt. for 2 including taxes.

Avalon Reef Club (recently changed name to MIA Reef Club) - www.avalonreefclub.com - 3.5 Trip Advisor Rating. This is a hotel and condo property. It is situated on the edge of Playa Norte on its own private little peninsula. It is not a very far walk from the wedding site, but you cross over a bridge to get to it. My parents have stayed here in the past and thought it was very nice.

____________________

Playa Norte isn't a private beach so you can stay anywhere and still have access to the beach. In fact, if you want to save a few pesos you can stay a few blocks away from North Beach and still be close to every thing. My parents are pretty economical travelers so this is what we have done in the past. You may or may not have a pool, may or may not have a beach view, but you are within easy walking distance.  They have stayed at these two places in the past, and were very happy.

Hotel Belmar - www.hotelbelmarisla.com - It is upstairs above a restaurant (Rolandi's) right in the middle of town. No pool or beach view, but very clean.  You get the whole "Mexican"feel with a darn good breakfast included in the room rates. Room rates are very reasonable. The restaurant is a good choice for lunch or dinner too.  There is inside seating or you can sit outside on the street.

Hotel Posada del Mar - www.posadadelmar.com - You can also book this hotel through Expedia. It is clean, has an onsite restaurant/bar, pool and is across the street from the beach area (but not directly on North Beach). I have stayed here and would definitely stay here again. It is a great price for what you get.

_____________________

We have never stayed at this place, but it is currently rated #1 on Trip Advisor for IM hotels. I would feel good suggesting it. It is just a short walk to North Beach.

Las Palmas - www.laspalmasonisla.com Check it out!

 PLEASE email me if you have any questions at all. If you are interested in a group rate discount, let me know and I will put you on the group rate list and get back with you on the details. Again my email is Kimberly.kahanek@yahoo.com

Next post: Flying into Cancun

Step 1: Obtaining A Passport

It takes 4-6 weeks to receive a passport via standard processing and delivery times.

The link below leads to a website that will tell you exactly what you will need when applying which is pretty simple--proof of US citizenship (such as a birth certificate), photo identification (driver's license) and a completed application that you may also print out there.

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON APPLYING FOR A PASSPORT

When I applied for my passport I did it all at a post office. They took the picture, accepted the application and everything. It was very quick and easy. Here is a link to USPS that allows you to search for a location near you that offers these services:

US POSTAL SERVICE PASSPORT SERVICES

Please be aware, while applying for Harbor's passport I chose a USPS location that was listed and said you did not need an appointment to apply. I called ahead and was again told I did not need an appointment. When I arrived, I actually did need an appointment. Craig has to be present to apply for Harbor's passport and working around his schedule is pretty tough so I was not happy. Please call ahead and ask about appointment times so you don't waste your time like I did.

Bienvenidos!

Hola friends and family! If you are reading this, it is because you have been cordially invited to our destination wedding in Isla Mujeres, MX in November 2014. First and foremost, we want to thank you for being so supportive of our family's journey. Craig, Harbor and I are elated to have you celebrate this exciting event with us.

The purpose of this blog is to educate our guests so that you may have a smooth planning and travel experience to ultimately join us on our special day, November 8, 2014. I will be posting information including:

• airfare travel information
• transportation to and from the island
• options on where to stay, for every budget
• Mexico currency/exchange rate
• good-to-know Spanish vocabulary

I encourage you all to subscribe to the blog using the "Follow by Email" option in the top right so that an email will be sent directly to you when I update. I will also be posting the updated posts on our Facebook accounts to provide an easy link. Please feel free to email at any time with questions: kimberly.kahanek@yahoo.com

We are so excited to share this day with you and I promise you all a tequila shot (or two) after our wedding vows on Playa Norte.