I have already used the saying “everything old is new again” on this particular trip. Here is another version of how this saying is so true for me.

The first time that I came to Isla Mujeres was with my sisters in 2005. The next year I brought my husband along. Soon after that I returned with my entire family.

Now adays there are 14 of us but in those earlier times there were 5.

We were also accompanied by a sister, her husband, their 2 kids, a former boyfriend and the boyfriend’s Mom. Since our eldest daughter utilizes a wheelchair/scooter for daily life, we needed very special accommodation. After much research, I ended up contacting Gladys, who once had apartments in Centro. The kids were on the main floor and an acquaintance of Gladys made a ramp for my daughter to enter the suite from the street. We rented the apartment above the kids which was also Gladys’s.

That year we were there over New Years Eve and decided to hold a party on the common area space that was accessed from our second floor apartment. We met the girls staying in the apartment across from us so they were invited along. They ended up bringing a fellow from Scandinavia and another from Mexico City. With the girls from the US and us from Canada it was a party of United Nations.

The one challenge was getting my eldest up a flight of stairs and then up what you could only describe as a ladder to the rooftop. The task was easily accepted by the “boyfriend” who tossed her over his shoulder “fireman” style. It was a wonderful party which holds special memories for us to this day.

Many year’s later, when D and I were on the island together we spent some time with friends Jan and Bruce who had a Centro apartment next to Gladys. We loved the full kitchen, spacious living room and sequestered bedroom but most of all, we loved taking a wooden staircase leading us up to a 3^rd floor rooftop. The same rooftop where we held that New Years Eve party!

So now we are in present day and I get invited to stay and write about Candes Apartment Mar over top of the laundry on a Centro corner. Sure enough, it all came full circle. I was once again staying at J & B’s apartment and through another ground floor locked gate, I was able to access the 3^rd floor common area space once again.

The modernized apartment has everything you might wish or need for a long term stay.

The kitchen is spacious and well-equipped with beautiful Mexican glasses and bright yellow earthenware. There are lots of sharp knives, a corkscrew, pasta strainer AND a big bowl to hold popcorn. The full sized fridge and gas stove with an oven would be a delightful place to make full meals.

You could dine by the counter next to the kitchen window or on the wrap around balcony.

I spent hours on that balcony to catch the early morning sun with my coffee or a late night treat.

I also used the common area space in the afternoon to read or snooze in the loungers.

The bathroom had a hook for my toiletries bag, an outlet for my hair styler and lots of water pressure in the shower with plenty of hot water.

The bedroom had an gigantic closet to store everything and hide it away. There was an enormous (King?) sized bed and beautiful reading lamps adorning each side of the bed. The sheets and towels were of high quality and had that wonderful, clean, “isla” fragrance. Amazingly I didn’t hear any street sounds from the traffic below or the bustling little restaurant. The bedroom stayed cool and dark and made for blissful sleeps. There were two air conditioning units and ceiling fans in both the living room and bedroom.

I have loved Isla Mujeres for over twenty years with cherished memories of family and old friends. I look forward to making more memories with the new friends I have made over the years. Isla Mujeres was and is, an important part of my life and I am deeply blessed.

Kath’s quote: “The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the memories we’ve made along the way“.

Love never fails.

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