Bee Travel
Isla Mujeres
CHRISTINE HICKS- USTA Travel

"...formerly belonging to the great Maya federation... has many archaeological remains." If that isn't enough of a pedigree, there's more to this spit of an island in Quintana Roo (a provincial name I always associate as a relative of Kanga - which is what happens when you're brought up on A.A. Milne) than its 1.3 square miles might portend. It's not obscure, unheard of, or an unreachable quasi-new destination.

Isla Mujeres is at once a day trip from Cancun and an island destination all its own. I was speaking electronically with an antique colleague of mine (and I mean to be clear: we're both antiques) on the merits of Isla Mujeres. I asked him who this island is not for, and the answer is not so clear. It has something for everyone.

The Maya who reside here are a naturally hospitable people. Maybe they have to be, since this is a small place inaccessible by car. Downtown is small, too - four blocks by five blocks, with everything you could need. Post office? Apothecary? Hospital? ATM? Internet Café? Got 'em.

This home-like atmosphere attracts "Islaholics" who return annually or even more frequently. Admittedly, the night life isn't its strongest suit. Here's what people are drawn to:

The Turtle Farm on San Bajo...naturalists gather 40,000 turtle eggs here each year, and these eggs are protected during incubation. When the turtles have hatched, the island's children release them into the water.

Playas, playas, playas...The North Beach (playa), for example, is a favorite, long, white and recently featured in Corona "cerveza" advertising. This is the best and most popular beach on the island.

Snorkeling...Whether it's at the Playa Garrafon, Manchones Reef or Bahia Mujeres, schools of colorful fish await discovery. Dolphins? Swim with them at Dolphin Discovery, the island's aqua center.

Isla Contoy...Just a 45-minute boat ride away is this nature preserve, aflutter with pelicans, flamingos, cormorants, and frigates, coexisting with iguanas and a thousand other peaceful creatures on this island speck.

Mayan ruins...while there are ruins on Isla Mujeres, it's also just a day trip from here to Chichen Itza and Tulum, major centers of ancient Maya culture.

Sights alone, though, don't attract repeat visitors. One-on-one experiences make that happen. Enjoy a Corona moment at the Palapa Terrace of the Hotel Posada del Mar. This inexpensive, small, beachside, family hotel exemplifies Isla Mujeres. Just ask the family whose child was near a meltdown because there was no chocolate milk...when it magically appeared, thanks to a quick-thinking waiter who hopped on his moped to get some from a local shop. It's in those candlelit beachside dinners for the romantically inclined, sunset peering through entangled fingers, over plates of Tik n Xic, the local barbecue fish dish. It's in the jaunty juxtaposition of brightly painted fishing boats amid sleek, glitzy yachts, both at home here. Laid back, casual, unpretentious...

When I asked my friend Jack, who knows Mexico better than most, he said he hopes Isla Mujeres stays well behind the likes of Cancun. "Isla" isn't a big footprint, carbon or other, in the tourist world. It's perhaps just that that makes it so - well - "Isla."

For more information, see www.posadadelmar.com, or www. mexhotels. com.

(Christine Hicks-Usta has enjoyed more than 30 years of globe-trotting as a member of the travel industry in various capacities. Direct questions to her at Bee Group Newspapers, P.O. Box 150, Buffalo, NY 14231-0150.)