The alarm woke me up at 630 which I had planned (believe it or not). I had joined a group of Malecon walkers so that I could kick off my day and enjoy the sunrise while in motion. It also made my first cup of coffee taste that much better. It was tempting to plop back into the hammock but the sun was peaking onto the edge of our balcony so I set up my chair in the sun

and Donna and Sue kept me company. Our landlord was coming to collect the rent and when we couldn’t agree on an exchange rate, she insisted on pesos. So I headed to the money exchange to collect some. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take my passport, so I had to repeat the trip. I owe my husband Doug an apology about not obtaining pesos in the first place.

Anyhow, with all this back and forth, I was hungry. So I fixed myself my favourite Isla sandwich of cucumber, cilantro and lime mayo. Once I was re-energized, it was to “work” -writing an Isla Restaurant Feature from the evening before. I had no end of technical hassles.

In the midst of this I bought a cookie to have with tea and a delicious piece of carrot cake for dessert. I guess you can tell that I am a stress eater. Both were scrumptious but didn’t fix the source of my stress. I walked to Hidalgo and paid a visit to Kelly and Lorraine to pick up a frozen pizza that they had purchased for my supper, as our prearranged restaurant visits for the day hadn’t panned out.

I was kinda frustrated with all of this, so I made myself take a “timeout” in the hammock.

After supper I felt much better so Donna and I walked to the beach to take in a cloudy sunset. Kelly and Lorraine joined us for our evening walk up and down Hidalgo. I have to remember…walking helps me cope, eating doesn’t.

Kath’s quote: “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” —Jon Kabat-Zinn

Love never fails.

The other day I had the pleasure of spending a leisurely afternoon with Memo and Yadi of Xaman (pronounced shaa.muhn) a fascinating restaurant mid island located above Caribbean Brisas. I visited last year and enjoyed the restaurants nod to traditional indigenous culture in both the food and surroundings. The restaurant was temporarily closed for a while but is open again and better than ever. 

Restaurants, like people, sometimes need to change and evolve. And just like owners Memo and Yadi, Xaman has been on a journey and all have emerged refocused. “We wanted to be true to ourselves, and live a more sustainable life, and that needed to be reflected in our restaurant”, Memo shared. He believes that recent changes to their personal and professional lifestyle have helped clear their minds and deepen their spirituality and now they want to share that energy with the wider community. 

As a result Xaman has gone from being a bar and restaurant, with most activity in the evening, to an alcohol-free, vegetarian restaurant open Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.  

Xaman is a communal place that hosts a wide variety of events, from song circles to intuitive practice circles. It is a great place to book for a private event or group retreat. Join their Facebook page to stay informed of upcoming events. There you will also see their Croissants for a Cause, a monthly 99 peso special with all proceeds going to support cats on the island.  Seventeen of whom were rescued by the couple. 

Xaman has a very welcoming vibe. While my friend and I enjoyed our lunch there was a woman who came in to order a grab and go meal and enjoy a beverage. A young man spent an hour in a comfortable corner with head phones enjoying coffee, earlier a group had been in for breakfast which turned into a friendly game of rumi.  There are games and books available for the individual and groups alike. 

So on to what we tried. As a bit of a tea-totaler, I am always thrilled to see a good selection of non-alcoholic beverages and fancy moch tails. One of the only alcohol beverages I still indulge in is my annual summer gin and tonic at the cabin. I love the taste of gin. So I was delighted to see a pink gin and tonic on the drink menu. Made with a zero proof spirit where the taste of the juniper berry comes through loud and clear. The tonic was crisp and refreshing. I was a very happy girl. My friend enjoyed an elderberry lemonade, one of their 25 cold beverage options. They also offer 13 ways to enjoy a hot or cold coffee. Their coffee is a combination of beans from Tabasco, Chiapas, and Veracruz. Memo blends his special ratio and grinds it fresh for each cup. 

While Memo is the master of the beverages and front of house hospitality, Yadi is the hard working woman responsible for the beautiful food. 

The menu offers breakfast and lunch selections. Egg dishes, fruit bowls, croissants, salad, toasts, hamburgers and baguettes. There is something for everyone. Vegans, vegetarians, and those who are neither.  

After much consideration we ordered the caprese pesto baguette. The flavour combination has long been a favourite of mine. The sweetness of the cherry tomatoes, caramelized onion, and tangy balsamic reduction are in perfect balance with the herby pesto and melted mozzarella. All presented in a crunchy in-house baked baguette. Yadi also bakes the brioche buns they use for their burgers. 

We also ordered the “traditional” croissant. Filled with scrambled eggs, plant based ham, onion, garlic and cheese, it is served on a delicate sourdough croissant. I can honestly say that if I was craving a breakfast croissant, this is the one that would come to my mind. 

I recalled from a previous visit that I enjoyed the truffle fries and they were as I remembered them. Skinny crispy fries with a touch of truffle oil and Parmesan. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food and wonderful hospitality. Do yourself a favour and make your way to Xaman for a great way to start your day or gather with a group of friends.  

Kath’s quote: “It is one world. And it’s in our care. For the first time in the history of humanity, for the first time in 500 million years, one species has the future in the palm of its hands.”— David Attenborough

Love never fails.

Dulzara Argenta had been open for two years when we first visited them in 2019. That first time, we didn’t know that we had arrived at it, until we were right on their doorstep. There is a main floor sign but you have to walk up a flight of stairs to truly find them.

Dulzura means sweetness and tenderness and although that describes this female duo’s business, it also describes themselves. They embraced and kissed my cheek when we, total strangers went upstairs to visit their bakery, that first year.

I noticed then that it had a small inside eating area with beautiful open windows that make you feel a part of the community and a charming and colourful upstairs patio.

Over the years that business has experienced ebbs and flows, through Covid of course but also when one of the pair was injured and couldn’t do her share of the baking due to pain and the need for therapy. But these hardy Argentian women, survided all of it and more.

At one time, armed with their manual pasta maker that they hauled all the way from Argentina,  they lovingly prapred ravioli and fettucine that they ladled their light and delicious tomato sauce over. That proved to be too problematic and is no longer the case. I must admit that I miss those days.

But I am happy to say that they are still open for a delicious and economical breakfasts!

But for the moment let’s go back to their primary offerings-pastries! We have tasted everything over the years from luscious lemon pies, raspberry cheesecake

and special birthday cakes for my twin brother and sister’s monumental birthday, that we celebrated together on the island. I have missed tasting their quince pie, that I understand is very Argentinean. 

Over the years we continually enjoy the tastes of two kinds of “Alfajor”, another traditional Argentian confection. In both cases, two cookies are sandwiched together with a filling. In the case of the chocolate one it was a luxurious dulce de leche. Each pastry was sealed with either a dip in chocolate or a role in coconut.

When I visited this year to buy D his welcome pecan tart, they told me that they were out but would bake that very afternoon to accommodate my traditional welcome to the island gift for D.

Both women obviously love their business, the island, the islanders and all the visitors that have found them over the years. But their greatest joy comes from making and serving their traditional food. They say with glee “we cook what and how our Mommas cooked! ”

Kath’s quote: “I compare a pastrycook who makes good colifets to a distinquished fashion designer, endowed with perfect taste, who can make charming things with vey little material. In the same way, out of almost insignificant scraps of pastry, we have to create pleasing and graceful things that also tempt the appetite”.–Antonin Careme (Marie-Antoine Careme) (1783-1833)

Love never fails.

I had given myself permission to sleep in, but my Isla alarm clock woke me in time for sunrise.

I came home to make my coffee in my little kitchen that I was initially pleased with. I nipped over to Super Aki for some staples. When I got back to enjoy my mango and sliced banana yoghurt, I realized that there were no bowls. So I had to gulp my coffee and eat my yoghurt from my coffee cup! The view from my kitchen window makes up for what my kitchen lacks.

Next stop was the wine store. I love a glass of wine at Happy Hour but I am also very frugal, so I took a chance on a Mexican wine that came in a 4 L box. (There was also an American wine but if you are a fellow Canadian, you know why I didn’t buy that). I had some cheese leftover from the flight down, so I had a nibble and a sip and thought it had a little edge, but was quite palatable (especially after the cheese).

I rarely buy fresh produce at the grocery stores, so my next stop was the market. I bought a tangerine juice in case I decided to sweeten the wine up a titch but also mangoes, apples and cucumber.

I didn’t realize until much later that when my favourite market guy and I posed for a pic, that he forgot to give me the cilantro that I purchased.

I was hoping Hortencia (my Mayan sister) was at her dress shop but I enjoyed the next best thing-I was hugged and kissed by my Mayan niece Sara!

As I rounded the corner from the market, I smelled the most delicious smell, that made me very hungry.

I stopped at “home” for a leftover lunch of Jax’s spaghetti! It was so good!

My next stop was the beach to catch up with brother Kelly and his wife Lorraine. As I made my way there, I captured many of my favourite Centro places.

I went home for a shower and hammock time as I was into another very good book. I took that cheese and wine down to Centro Beach for sunset with Kelly & Lorraine and then we were off to El Patio for dinner where my neighbour Cheryl joined us.

Please follow the link for all of the delicious details. https://foodmusings.ca/isla-mujeres/isla-mujeres-2025-restaurant-features-el-patio-de-musica/

We enjoyed the live music at El Patio and at one point Kelly said: “Isn’t that our friend Javi singing?” Sure enough he made a guest appearance. Many embraces were shared all around. We took our first of many strolls down Hidalgo that evening. A wonderful first day.

Kath’s quote: “Where there is love, there is life.” —Mahatma Gandhi

Love never fails.

As I write this, it is my first morning “home”. Home being a relative term because, even though this is my permanent address, we will be moving to another house in three sleeps. Doug and I love our life, nomadic as it is. But to the first of my Isla Mujeres Trip Reports.

I was out of bed at 430 am that morning even though I had been awake since 4. I was uber efficient that morning as I had everything ready for that moment for weeks. But as efficient as I am, Doug is even more so: he warmed up the car, loaded our luggage and made the 7 minute drive to the airport. What luxury. Thank you D, I will miss you so much.

The flight was uneventful and the 4 1/2 hours went by in a breeze as I finished a good book. Sil Lorraine Kapilik , Brother Kelly and Sister Sue met us at the ferry dock. What a blessing it was to have Kel take over as my sherpa. My back was sore after the cramped plane seating and standing for an hour for our luggage to arrive at our carousel. Gone are the days when you could zip through Cancun airport.

We (being Donna and I) dropped off our bags and walked over to Jax just before the sun was setting. Check out our blog post for all the delicious details. Isla Mujeres 2025 Restaurant Features-Jax by Sister Sue | Winnipeg food blog We were welcomed back to the island by our dear friend Jackie and a sudden rain and hour-long power outage. We had to light our food photos with our phone’s flashlights. Afterwards, when we walked back to the apartment, I stayed up and got my suite organized. Then of course I had to get into a new book so I read for an hour before I closed my kobo for the night at midnight. Ahh. I was home.

Kath’s quote: “Home is not a thing. It is a feeling.”-Authour unknown

Love never fails.