This article is from the March 2002 The Mexico File newsletter.
Back to Articles List

Thirteen is a Lucky Number at Villa Rolandi

by Bob Klempa 

Bob Klempa lives outside of Annapolis, Maryland, and has been traveling to Mexico since 1979. He wrote an article “In Defense of Cancún” for MF in 1999.

I have enjoyed over twenty separate vacations in Cancún and I am always on the lookout for new restaurants and destinations in and around Cancún and the Yucatán Peninsula. This year I was pleased to find a recently opened restaurant and deluxe hotel on Isla Mujeres, about six miles off the coast from Cancún. This new location is called Villa Rolandi Gourmet and Beach Club, located on the western side of the island facing Cancún.  

The name lives up to the experience. Villa Rolandi is affiliated with Pizza Rolandi on both Isla Mujeres and Cancún, and Casa Rolandi (Cancún). The complex is an eye appealing oasis that features an open air restaurant and twenty hotel suites, complete with individual jacuzzis, private beach and pool, in the $250-$350 per day range. The complex is a jewel in the otherwise un-commercialized and rustic island. The restaurant sits high on the beach and offers Cancún as a backdrop to wonderful sunsets. The restaurant features the same menu items, cost and quality of food preparation that is offered at Casa Rolandi in Cancún, with a bonus! Villa Rolandi will provide a private party of eight to ten with a complimentary round trip boat ride from the Embarcadero in Cancún (i.e., Playa Linda, at the 4km marker) aboard a new 40-foot motorized catamaran, if you purchase a meal at the Villa Rolandi restaurant; otherwise, they have regular departures at noon, 2 p.m., and 8 p.m. You must call for reservations at (Isla Mujeres) 998-877-0500, or have your hotel concierge make the call for you. You can also contact them on the web at www.rolandi.com.  

One recommendation, if you go over as a private party, time your return to coincide with sunset, and don’t forget to bring a bathing suit to take advantage of the pool and/or private beach. Our party of thirteen plans to go back again next year for another enjoyable day at Villa Rolandi. One final delight was the trip through the yacht club behind Villa Rolandi with its display of ocean-going yachts, some hailing from ports as far away as Canada, Germany, and Australia. Bon Appetit!