The privilege to be underwhelmed

Punta Sur, Isla Mujeres, Fab 2026

I’ll never complain about a week in the sun.

I’ll never complain about a week with family.

I’ll never complain about an uninterrupted week with my fiancé. In a plave where the water is so clear it looks fake.

But I’ll damn sure complain about shitty sheets, raw burgers and the most inattentive staff I’ve ever encountered.

Call me spoiled but when you go to guest services and show them a picture of a raw burger you expect…. Something to happen. I’m not saying mistakes don’t happen but. Like it was a raw ass burger.

The Location: We spent a week at the Privileges Aluxes in Isla Mujeres for a wedding last week. It’s a small all-inclusive (optional) resort. Google tells me it’s owned by individual investors and managed by Carribean Privilege Hotels and Resorts. It has 124 rooms, 3 restaurants, a spa, pools and few hot tubs. It’s an investment property on Playa Norte, considered one of the prettiest beaches on the island. It’s adults only, which is always a perk. You can choose between all-inclusive and a bed and breakfast option.

I can’t say enough good things about Isla in general. It was safe; I walked to yoga by myself in the mornings and never felt threatened. Its been the site of a Mexican Navy Base sine WWII, as it is the farthest East (and potentially South) location in the country.. It was peaceful and quiet and just what I needed. Ben and I walked about half of the island on our first full day and it was really pretty, the Island is so narrow in some spots you can see water on both sides.

Saturday morning we overloaded a taxi down to Punta Sur, which is the location of the Cliff of the Dawn, the first place in Mexico to see the sunrise and it was…. Overwhelming. I understand dedicating the island and considering it a holy location. The Mayan’s used the island as a sanctuary for the goddess Ixchel. Girls made the pilgrimage to the island as they transitions to womanhood. The sight of the sun rising over the Caribbean, the only sound the crashing waves and no land to see around, it feels like seeing the first and last sunrise ever. And frankly, who doesn’t love an island dedicated to women.

We walked to the local women’s bead co-op and purchased some locally made jewelry. The true gem there was finding a letter from RBG thanking the co-op for a necklace they gifted her.

Letter from RBG at the Women's Bead Co-op on Isla Mujeres.

The local food was delicious. It made up for the terrible food at the resort. In our walking we stumbled upon a small roof top restaurant that made everything from scratch and had delicious fresh coffee. On our last night we went to Isla Burger, that mixed their own ribeye and brisket combo to make burgers. They also make their own sauces and drink mixes in house. So it’s not that good quality food isn’t available on the island. It’s that they choose not to provide it at Privileges.

Dinner at Isla Burgers

The Highlights: we were upgraded upon arrival because the room we had booked wasn’t available, so we had a suite with a balcony overlooking the pool, and a small jacuzzi on the balcony. King sized bed, en-suite bathroom, Nespresso machine, coffee maker, blackout curtains, and a TV in the bedroom and living room.

I really liked the beach club. Eating with a view of the ocean is unmatched. There were fire dancers one night and live music on another. I love live performances. Dinner and a show count me in.

Room service made both lists: They had a pre-order breakfast option where you could fill out the menu, and hang it on your door before midnight. It had 30 minute time slots between six and ten AM. They called the room about five minutes before it arrived, it was hot and fresh. Eggs, bacon and sausage, nothing fancy but it was a great option. Especially if you know you wake up hungry and don't want to deal with getting dressed to get food. I like to start my mornings with journaling and coffee so having the option to keep that routine and have breakfast brought to me was lovely.

The Lowlights: We weren't given options in our room selection. We stayed at the resort for a wedding so we were able to explore a few other rooms. Ours overlooked the pool area, some of the rooms faced the other direction and overlooked the city. Frankly, the pool wasn't that impressive, I would have rather seen cobblestone streets and been able to watch the Carnaval parades as they went by.

The towel rack broke in the bathroom the first night and no one fixed it, until the last day. Housekeeping was in and out several times and no one escalated the issue so we just threw our wet towels on the floor and didn’t reuse them. We hung a few on doorknobs but it was just odd. The fix took about 5 minutes on our last full day.

The door: the locks need some sort of upgrade. The keys worked a solid 50% of the time. It took multiple swipes to get them to work each time. Not a be all end all. But still annoying.

The sheets: somehow both hot and cold. Idk. Like sleeping on plastic. Sweaty and cold. One night I called for a blanket to be sent up to the room and that just never happened. 🤷‍♀️

Room service: Raw ass burger. No notes.

The Verdict: I could be tempted to go back for the bed and breakfast option. The problem with all-inclusive is that we felt beholden to 'use up' the perks paid for. As someone who is sober, not drinking really cuts down on how much mileage you get from the all-inclusive. I would be more tempted to stay somewhere else on the island and feel more inclined to spend more money locally. There were lots of smaller hotels on the island that probably would have been more our speed. This is the second time we've been in the Winter, I would like to go in the summer because I would love to do some excursions (hello whale sharks). Overall, the island was lovely and the people were great, next time though, we'll do more research before committing to lodging. Remember y'all, be your own best friend!