Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres Tour with Snorkeling from Cancun

Posted By : Roytravel1
What great expectations we had for the day.

Pick up from hotel On Time 06.45:) Unfortunately B/Fast is at 07.00. So organised with Chef Night before, to grab Danish and a bit of fruit at 06.35, no such luck. Waiter insistent on B/Fast is 07.00 and NOT before, after 5 mins of back and forth left empty handed and relied on "All Night Bar" fridge (got 2 rather soft and partially soggy cheese and ham rolls and 2 rather sad bananas). Needless to say Waiter reported on return and Day did Not start well.

Travel to Cancum disrupted by Large Lorry overturning and spilling load of Rock and Stones, Delay 35 mins. At least we had a giggle at motorbikes/scooters that had squeezed through returning (The wrong way) 10 mins later:) even the Mexican driver had a smile although its normal.
Damien, our Guide for the day. was Brilliant from the outset. Hers French, married to a Mexican lady who is the spitting image of Cher (When she was 30) living and working in Cancum, Dive Master, Photographer, general all Round " Bon Oeuf". Loads of Info and safety brief to take in, Basically NO SUN Products at all during visit to Contoy (its an Eco Park) & Life Vest MUST be worn on the boat. Can give Chat in 6 Languages fluently:)

Arrived at Marina for refreshments (Coffee, Tea, cake, water or juice) and a ciggy as this last opportunity for a smoke for 5Hrs (Not a prob). Boat left with us all wearing our Vests:). Intro to Boat crew. and we sped off with 4 Very large outboard engines at the back making it an exciting trip out:) Saw several Sea Turtles on way to Contay and overtook numerous "Lesser" crafts.

Contoy is Beautiful, dominated by a rather tall Guard/Watch Tower. Beach is pristine, water clear and marine life abundant (if u don't like smaller shoal of fish swimming around you - DONT go in the water) :).
Dont Pick up, |Touch or remove anything u will get Told Off.
Lunch was simple but very tasty (Cooked by Crew) : fresh fish, Chicken, salad, rice and Taco Chips LOTS of it with Juice/water or Beer. Watched by local wild life.

Back on the boat and onwards to Coral reef for snorkelling, Yay:) Warned about possible strong currents, so if not a strong swimmer don't do it, I'm PADI Trained and have done a LOT of snorkelling in my time.
Arrived at Barrier Reef with Waves rolling over them and boat swaying in the current, issued life vest snorkels and masked, Dropped into Choppy waters, turned and followed our guide as instructed, Got 25 yds and had to turn back, the current was seriously strong :( during our stay on Reef 4 others turned back. On the return of Damien and the stalwarts who "saw it through", it was reported "There was not a lot to see, because of the strong winds and currents crashing around the reef" Only last week it was like a Mill Pond soooo Calm and an abundance of things to see, REALLY!!!!

Onwards to Mujeres, Fast 15 min trip from Reef. Arrived at Jetty, told to remember which Jetty as there are 50 identical ones, Remember "The Black Pearl" Bar and u wont have a problem. The bar is 25yds wide and has 2 Jetties???? Hey Ho.

Off to first bar for a deserved drink NO SUCH LUCK as it was "Election Day" and drinks only served if you Order food, We had just eaten an hour ago and were stuffed. So off to find another venue that did serve you, the Local Pharmacy which Not only Provides Cold drinks but also a variety of "UK Prescription Drugs" so i was informed by the helpful lady:)
The place was Rammed and you could hardly move, so we found a shady area on the main street and watched the endless "Anti Terrorist" 4 x 4's Vehs, heavily armed with 5 up in back and 3 in front doing their patrols, 1 Hr of my life i will not be getting back.
On return to "TBP" we are offered jetty 2 or 3:) We choose 2 and actually our boat which had gone to refuel came in on jetty 3, typically. There is an exit and and entry to Jetty 3, (NOT Marked i may add). we got to the boat and we are asked to go back along jetty for 5 mins as crew not ready, of course we comply and head back along the jetty The wrong way and are ushered off the jetty by some Officious bureaucrat with loads of gesticulations so we exited and re-entered jetty the correct way and 5 mins later were on our boat heading home.

Disembark from Boat, quick Ciggy and toilet Break then on to Bus. Trip Back to hotel was shortened by Stories and Mobile Phone Photos from Damien, He has a great life on the Mexican Caribbean coast, as he says he could be elsewhere earning more money but have so much more stress. All the best for the future.

That was it Left at 06.45 got back 17.30 Sadly only 1/3rd of the trip delivered, NOT due to anything Damien or crew did wrong but just down to Bad timing and weather conditions. At least it was hot and Lunch was really nice :)
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Posted On : 2024-06-06 03:01:07

Posted By : Stephanie_H
Very friendly and professional ....we weren't served breakfast, but that's ok....I already ate 😋 perfect day!
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Posted On : 2024-06-01 11:52:55

Posted By : 386magalik
Excellent service, very fun and good attention and they speak all languages, very delicious food and ideal time on the beach
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Posted On : 2024-03-15 12:07:02

Posted By : Jbro1186
The tour of Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres was amazing! Isla Mujeres was a beautiful shopping island which I wish I could have spent more than 1 hour at. It was my first time snorkeling, so when we went snorkeling in the Ixlache Reef, I didn’t really like it. I couldn’t see many fish and the reef wasn’t as colorful as I imagined. Once we got to Isla Contoy, I was amazed. We ate a wonderful Mexican buffet and then had many hours of free time to relax at the beach and then do an optional hike of the island that was accessible to visitors. The water was the clearest water I had ever seen in my life. It was amazing and the water was very warm when I went in February. The sand on the beach wasn’t the best since there was a lot of seaweed, but the sand was soft nonetheless. The beach was closed off on two ends with a dock in the middle for the boats that arrive. There are little hermit crabs along with frigate birds everywhere on the island, it is so cool. For the hike, my guide showed us one of the lakes and brought us to the highest point on the island and the other shore of the island. Overall, my guides were amazing and I am so happy I did this tour!
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Posted On : 2024-03-08 23:28:06

Posted By : Andy_C
The "uninhabited" Island of Contoy was a magical experience....the windy conditions meant that there was no snorkelling available for those who wished it, but the fish and turtle sightings, together with the frigate birds, brown pelicans, iguanas and "monster" hermit crabs, made it a memorable experience.... you could almost imagine you were "Robinson Crusoe"!
We were well looked after every step of the way.....both on Contoy and also on Mujeres
Thanks to all concerned!!
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Posted On : 2024-02-03 06:07:08

Posted By : Laura_J
Perhaps insignificant but numerous discrepancies between the online description and our personal experience left us disappointed and uncomfortable.

Start time advertised as 8:30 am but we got notified late the night before we'd be picked up at 7:30 am.

The continental breakfast was a selection of yogurt, bananas, or a slice of bundt cake.

The overview describes a "day (of) snorkeling along Isla Contoy's thriving coral reef" but the only snorkeling was a half hour excursion in the middle of the ocean during the boat trip between the two islands with low visibility, strong currents, and minimal sightings of any aquatic life. Snorkeling equipment was not made available while at either island.

The itinerary was reversed. The what to expect section had detailed Isla Contoy first, with time to snorkel there, before the buffet lunch with an open bar, and then a final stop at Isla Mujeres.

We went straight to Isla Mujeres where we had less than an hour to explore. Stopped between the two islands to snorkel in the middle of the ocean. Then were stuck for several hours at Isla Contoy while the boat crew made lunch, served with lemonade and water, and then lead a walking tour that had every participant covered in welts from mosquito bites.

Considering sunscreen is not allowed at Isla Contoy, we would have preferred arriving there earlier in the day. And given mosquitos are abundant, there are no utilities, and minimal shade we would have greatly appreciated less time on Contoy and stopping at Mujeres afterwards where we would have had the opportunity to reapply sunscreen, purchase food more to our liking, and walk around without getting eaten alive.

The 8 hour excursion took 12 hours door to door.

We returned exhausted, famished, and uncomfortably itchy. While the islands were beautiful it just wasn't what we'd hoped for.
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Posted On : 2023-10-12 18:07:06

Posted By : Caio_Baron
It was a wonderful experience to be in one of the most beautiful places in the Mexican Caribbean. Being able to enjoy the calm of the beautiful ocean and coexist with the fauna and flora of Isla Contoy is something unmatched. If you are looking for snorkeling experiences, it is more recommended that you go for the tours on the Island of Cozumel, since the corals and reefs in this place are literally parallel universes to ours. We will surely return!
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Posted On : 2023-10-10 12:23:49

Posted By : Jack_T
Most amazing trip to the islands. The staff were unbelievable who made this trip and coming back from Contoy with drinks and music was the best experience! Staff really make this trip. Would recommend to anyone
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Posted On : 2023-06-17 17:17:04

Posted By : Kyle_L
Fantastic experience! The guides were super helpful, knowledgeable and kept the drinks flowing. They made the entire experience very fun 😁Would highly recommend and already want to come back!
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Posted On : 2023-06-10 11:00:06

Posted By : Brady69
TUI said this was a 4-8 hour trip but we were out nearly 14 hours! 5-6 hours on a coach. Would not do this if in or south of Playa Del Carmen.

An hour on Isla Mujures is pointless.

The snorkelling was good but there’s much better.

The highlight was the 3 hours on the totally unspoilt and uninhabited Isla Contoy.. this is just paradise.

Denis, Carlos and the crew were amazing.

Would do this again but only if staying in Cancun and ideally if it missed out Isla Mujures or more time allocated to this.

Poor advice from TUI.
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Posted On : 2022-08-14 09:04:41