Escape to tiny Isla Holbox, Mexico

Heading to Mexico for spring break? If you’re looking for a quiet beach escape you might want to rethink Maya Riviera’s crowded coast between Cancun and Tulum— and veer off the mainland to tiny Isla Holbox instead!

 

What’s special about Isla Holbox?

First, its size. And casual vibe. Not jammed with tourists—yet! Located on the northern Yucatan Peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the warm Caribbean, Isla Holbox is a sandy oasis in a turquoise sea.

Only a fraction of this tiny isle is populated. Less than 3,000 people live on the western knuckle of this skinny isle that extends 26 miles long by one mile wide. The rest of the isle belongs to flamingos, turtles and other wildlife protected in the Yum Balam Biosphere Reserve.

 

 

Colorful Murals

The next thing you’ll notice as you pass through the island’s only town are the stunning murals. Vibrant art decorates the exterior of many buildings. From homes to shops like those selling boho clothing, mezcal and handicrafts that share space with open-air restaurants and juice bars on the narrow sandy streets.

Candy-colored buildings with fading paint lend a certain charm. But the murals make you linger.

Especially the portraits of local people.

It’s fun to walk around on an impromptu scavenger hunt– wandering down random streets searching for the most creative, expressive or realistic murals.

Makes you wonder, who painted all these?

Well, it turns out that the island hosted the first ever IPAF (International Public Art Festival) back in 2014. Founders of this charitable organization, based in Montreal, invited 40 international artists to Isla Holbox to spend time absorbing the essence of the island and its people before sharing their individual impressions in the form of contemporary murals.

Over 90 murals exist around town.And even along the coast.

But what really draws travelers to this island lies beyond town. Where natural beauty abounds…

Isla Holbox Beaches!!

Stretching for three miles along the northern coast, these beaches lie between the westernmost point of Punta Cocos (where bioluminescence thrive) to Hotel Nubes on the eastern end (edge of Yum Balam mangroves).

Tourists either love Isla Holbox beaches, or wonder what all the fuss is about.

The secret is knowing where to go!

And when.

I’m guessing the later group never ventured beyond Playa Holbox, the central beach closest to town. Unfortunately this area can be spoiled by noise, loud music, stench, unkempt seaweed, muck from bird poo, and lots of commotion in general…Some tourists complain that they hated it so much they left their vacay early. What a shame.

And of course it also depends on when you go. Torrential rains and tropical storms can hit hard resulting in whole island evacuations. Rainy season lasts May to November. Visit then and you’ll likely struggle with  flooded roads, spotty electricity, non-existent internet, damaged hotel properties being repaired, thick mosquitoes and piles of Sargasso seaweed littering the beach. Sad, I know. But better you know the truth.

This island is bursting with new construction as more tourists are flocking here hoping to find themselves in that same perfect hammock photo they spotted on Instagram promising a hidden paradise. What those posts don’t mention is that the island shows a completely different personality when its wet. And so will you.

For that reason, I’d personally avoid visiting in December too. Give the island time to dry out so you can get around! And let nature restore prettier beaches.

We spent six nights on Isla Holbox in early April, and had marvelous sunny weather– except for one rainy afternoon.

 

Best Beaches

If you want gorgeous, quiet beaches— travel to the furthest reaches of the island at either end. The widest, most remote beaches on the east begin about halfway down the coast until Hotel Villa Flamingos.

Here the firm white sand continues from shore straight into the ocean, forming an amazing shallow playground. Perfect for families with small children or non-swimmers afraid of water. You can wade out in incredibly shallow water for almost a quarter of a mile! Slowly the ankle deep water reaches your knees….and finally your waist once you reach deeper green hues.

Swimming here feels more like a protected bay than the wide-open sea. It’s so crystal clear that you can see ridges in the sand beneath your feet. No rocks or sharp shells. Nothing much to see snorkeling.

But keep looking and you might get lucky and spot baby manta rays. Or starfish!

The calm water makes it a easy place to float, kayak or paddleboard.  No fears of drowning if you fall off in this shallow water…

And if you wanted to do something more exciting, go kitesurfing. Prime conditions make Isla Holbox a popular place to try this sport. Classes are available year round at their kitesurfing school.

But the biggest adrenalin rush would be swimming with giant black & white spotted WHALE SHARKS!
Guided snorkel tours operate (in the rainy season) June – September.

(Personally, I don’t know if I’d be that brave. I have to admit that I had my own little adrenalin rush while standing in deeper waters of this beautiful beach one day. Experimenting with my GoPro to film a selfie, I was suddenly bombarded with flying white fish. And happened to catch it all on video! Embarrassing…but here’s the link if ya wanna watch. Only time I felt fish all week and the surprise freaked me out!)

 

These beaches are why we went

Trying to narrow down where to go in Mexico, my friend Donna and I came across pictures of Holbox—beautiful Caribbean beaches with hammocks set up over the turquoise water. Right-over-the-water. Those pics immediately drew us in.

What a place to unwind…

We decided then and there that Isla Holbox should be our first stop on our 2 week journey. Beach time would melt away work stress before we headed south to explore cenotes, Colonial Valladolid, Tulum ruins and Akumal Bay to snorkel with sea turtles. And we’re so glad we did.

Even though we never found those hammocks hanging over the sea. All were removed a few years ago apparently!!

 

Getting to Isla Holbox

After flying into Cancun, you’ll need to get to Chiquila, the ferry port 2 hours away. Options include hiring a private shuttle ($200 for 2 pax), reserving a shared shuttle (departs at 11am and 4pm), driving yourself, or riding the ADO bus ($22). The bus leaves from Cancun city center 3 times a day (not the airport) and takes around 4 hours.

We chose a private shuttle and were extremely pleased with the professional and friendly service of Holbox Adventures. They also offer tours, so were keen to please when we asked (far in advance) to customize our trip along the way. We spent a couple hours exploring and swimming in a cenote inside the eerie cave. Was such a fun day, and our driver enjoyed it too! Then he whisked us to Chiquila, bought our ferry tickets and escorted us to the pier. (Private shuttle service includes the ferry tickets & golf cart taxi to your Isla Holbox hotel.)

No cars are allowed on Isla Holbox anyway, so it made sense to skip a car rental.

Ferry

At the ferry port you’ll see two ferry companies. Buy your ticket for whichever catamaran leaves next.

Boats leave port every 30 minutes for the 15 minute trip. You can sit outdoors on the upper deck or the enclosed lower deck. Travel here was a breeze!

Getting Around the Island

Once on the island, a row of golf cart taxis or ATVs wait to take you to your hotel.

Golf carts, mopeds, bikes, and most recently ATVs, are the only way to zip around the sandy roads of Isla Holbox. You can either rent, hire one as a taxi, or simply walk between town and the beaches. Just remember that during rainy season (June to Nov) huge potholes fill with murky water that prove challenging, bumpy and very messy.

Puddles can pop up anytime, any season, after a rainstorm.

 

Where to stay on Isla Holbox

Once a backpacker’s haven, Isla Holbox now caters to a wider clientele. There are still budget options in town, but stunning holistic wellness retreats, eco-lodges and boutique hotels have sprouted up in recent years offering unique experiences for body and mind.

Several stylish inns in town (3 blocks from the beach) are surprisingly inexpensive, starting at $62 US. But most of the lodges line the northern coast, close to the sea. With so many choices, where should you stay?

After being there, I have a strong recommendation! Don’t be swayed into choosing a place online solely based on stunning rooms and inviting pools. What about their beach? Exactly where is it located on the island? Cuz wow, does it matter!

 

Main Lodging Locations

Central
A small concentration of hotels and beach clubs cluster around Playa Holbox between town and the coast. Noisy, lively, and packed with people who want to be seen, this area caters to a crowd who prefers quick access to restaurants, beach bars and clubs a short step away. A busy beach, it’s a good place to rent kayaks, paddleboards or book a tour from a number of vendors.

Slightly west of here is a fishing pier where birds perch, scouting for dinner. A bit beyond is a smattering of expensive hotels that line the shore, some touching the water’s edge. Which sounds romantic. But in reality, stinks. Literally. Bird poo creates sludge that litters the water, making the beach unappealing for swimming. A smelly murky mess that feels really gross on bare feet. (Trust me, we had to walk through it, at night, on a guided kayaking trip. Ewww.)

One morning we walked along this part of the coast, near town. After watching fishermen clean their fish, we continued west along a narrow boardwalk that separated a fancy hotel from the sea. Guests were trying to enjoy their breakfast outdoors–not sure how—as the stench from the fish and polluted water was strong. No appealing beach anywhere in sight. Just lounge chairs facing fishing boats anchored at sea.

 

West
The beaches improve the further west you go. Playa Punta Cocos at the far western end is the most remote. And boasts the best sunsets. You’ll find a couple of beach clubs and scattered hotels including the NÁAY Boutique Hotel Punta Coco. Another nature reserve exists at the very end, protecting birds and turtles.

East
The enticing beaches east of town are the widest, most expansive beaches on Isla Holbox ending at Hotel Villa Flamingos. Lodging options line the coast all the way out to Las Nubes Resort near the border of the Yum Balam Nature Reserve. Going to town for dinner will require golf cart/ATV taxis or bikes. Or a 20-30 minute walk. But really there’s no need to leave. You can chill on the beach and have food delivered to your lounge chair. Or wander into area hotel restaurants, as most are open to the public.

 

Where we stayed

We chose Blue Holbox Hotel for its location across from a wide section of the beach on the east end. Rates were affordable, around $130 US a night for a Junior Bungalow with 2 beds. Our thatched hut was rustic, not luxurious, but had comfortable mosquito netted beds, hot showers, and hardwood floors. The hotel stay included breakfast at their open-air restaurant where we could dine barefoot all day, a nice pool, and most importantly, close proximity to a gorgeous, quiet beach!

We never had to fight for a spot on this empty beach where day beds and lounge chairs shaded with thatched umbrellas waited for hotel guests.

This was our beach!

The hotel has food and drink service at beach. How nice to order at whim from our lounge chair and just add to our hotel tab. Lunch? Fresh guac and chips? Margaritas? Yes please.

Stress free. This was the perfect place to read, swim, float, laugh and catch up on our busy lives.

Sometimes vendors strolled across the beach selling fresh coconuts or mangoes.

But generally it was very quiet. And remarkably empty!

Relaxing, lazy days at the beach were just what we needed.

 

Our comfy room

and little deck.

Our stand-alone thatched bungalow faced this pretty pool–which no one really used. I spent one afternoon here shading my sunburn, watching iguanas play hide-n-seek around the rocks.

For dinner we never went to town. We either ate grilled fish at our hotel, or walked down the road to try other restaurants. Like Kukatch, a property with a striking turquoise door and grapevine daybeds. And great food.

 

What TO DO on Isla Holbox

            Other than lounge on the beaches…

Walk out on the sandbar

At low tide, a long white sandbar emerges off of the mainland on the eastern end in front of Hotel Las Nubes. It actually continues 4 miles all the way out to the northernmost point of the island, Punta Mosquito, where flamingos hang out. But that part is now closed to us humans to protect the turtles and birds.

You can still walk along the sandbar for quite awhile (1.2 mile) before you come to the No Trespassing sign for Yum Balam. Good chance of seeing hermit crabs out here.

To access the sandbar, walk behind Hotel Las Nubes and follow signs for Yum Balam Nature Reserve.

Keep walking toward the mangroves.

Then wade out into the water, waist deep. It’s a cool place to explore at low tide. Just don’t forget to check the tide schedule so you have time to get back to shore before the sand disappears. Especially if you’re bringing your camera! (Great place to bring a waterproof GoPro.)

One afternoon when I was there, a group of guys were playing soccer. Traveling independently from Brazil, Israel and US, they met at a hostel, discovered they all played soccer and arranged to meet at the sandbar.

 This talented bunch was really fun to watch

 

Go Kite Surfing

Just a little bit north of Las Nubes hotel is one Kite Surfing school, but there are others on the island. Surprisingly didn’t see anyone doing this all week.

 

Go Paddling in the Mangroves

Join a guided tour and kayak through the mysterious mangroves around Yum Balam Nature Reserve. Spy flamingos, osprey, ibis, herons on day trips. Or venture into the shallow waters at night, during low tide, to reach the famous sandbar where you can play with plankton bioluminescence.

My recommendation after being there is to book your trip with HolboxXtreme through their website directly. Or in person. Their shop is located beyond Las Nubes hotel. I stumbled across their shop when walking to the sandbar on my last day. One of the guides told me about their bioluminescence tour, which sounded impressive and bummed me out that we missed it.

Especially after our bad experience the night before…

Beware…There are several kayaking operators on the island. And even more third-party booking websites selling various Holbox tours. You might think that it’s easier to book all your tours from one website for convenience. But be forewarned that the descriptions they provide for specific tours don’t always match reality. For whatever reason–language barrier or disreputably sending business another way– you might be slotted for a different tour– completely! Which is what happened to us.

Our Kayaking Experience

The description for the tour I booked read: “Easy 30 min paddle from a deserted beach after a safety briefing. Opportunity to swim in the water from a sandbar, creating a trail of twinkling stars behind you in the wake. Located on the far east side of the island.”

Trusting this description on the third-party site we booked, we expected to paddle through shallow waters in the Yum Balam mangroves. (Which took some convincing, as Donna had never kayaked before). But instead, our tour sent us out into the open ocean. No easy paddle. No sandbar. Just a physically demanding, frightening experience on a moonless night!

Transportation was included. Their taxi golf cart picked us up on time and took us west to town– instead of east to the mangroves. This was the first red flag. Why were we starting so far away?

The whole experience was really maddening. After securing lifejackets from a rustic hut on the edge of town, we walked to shore where we’d watched fishermen earlier that day.

Following our guide and his light in the darkness, we walked barefoot through thick muck (yuk!) and waded out to deeper water with our one person kayaks. (Pics taken next day)

We paddled away from shore. NOT along the coast toward the mangroves in the east end.

Thirty-forty minutes later we were out in the open ocean. Lights from town were no longer visible. The guide gathered our kayaks in a circle to see if we could spot any bioluminescence. No, not really. Swirling his paddle around, he offered the opportunity to anyone who wanted to jump in and swim around to see if larger movements would produce the glow we were all expecting to see. A couple did jump in. But produced no visible light trail…

On the return trip, it became downright scary. We were so far from shore. In pitch blackness. The tide was changing. Wind was picking up. And waves were forming. I was doing my best to calm Donna that she would not tip over, but was secretly nervous for both of us. It was her first paddling experience (so sorry!) and she had good reason to be terrified.

Our arms were no match for the current that resisted each stroke and tried to send us back to sea. Utterly exhausting. We paddled with all our might to keep up with our guide, who was waaay ahead of us. The light beacon on his kayak– that we were supposed to follow– was becoming fainter by the minute. I think it took an hour, but we finally made it back to shore. Filthy, tired and eager to get back to our hotel, we inquired about our return taxi. “No drop off included,” he said nonchalantly as he hosed off the paddles. “Just walk.”

 

Join a Bioluminescence Tour

As described above there are kayak tours that go out at night–either to the mangroves or open sea. But the majority of tourists book land tours to the far western end of the island.

On land tours, a driver will pick you up at your hotel, drive to a quiet lagoon by Playa Coco and lead you to shore to see bioluminescence. If it’s visible. Conditions have to be right. You need a dark night to see these sea organisms that radiate light. In the right season, you can even see your footprints ‘glowing’ with plankton on the wet sand. (That would be amazing to see!)

We booked this tour on the darkest night of our stay to increase our odds of seeing this natural phenomenon. Our driver/guide swirled around the water, cupped some in his hands and agitated it back and forth. But they were barely visible on this particular night. No fault of his. Nature determines your light show!

After admiring the stars and wandering along the shore a bit, maybe 30 minutes tops, we rode back to our hotel. Apparently this was the season to see them. But nature can be fickle.

Bioluminescence is made by algae, and is always present but not always visible. It is brighter, and more active in warmer, shallower water. (So our deep ocean water excursion was cursed from the beginning!) Brightest in mid-summer, and dimmest between Dec and Feb. Good to know!

 

Go horseback riding

A local family operate horseback riding tours from their ranch, Los Potrillos, on the west end. The $50 tour lasts 1.5 hours, beginning at 4:30pm. It’s described as a ‘lazy stroll’ through mangroves and along a remote beach where riders can wade through the water on horseback. It sounded lovely, and we were impressed by the 5* reviews on Tripadvisor.

So we booked this tour in advance through the same third party site as our bioluminescence tours. The meeting point was near Blue Mystique hotel on the opposite side of the island from our hotel, and no transportation was included. Our taxi cost 80 pesos getting there and 120 pesos return. Five others shortly arrived to ride.

The horses looked healthy and well cared for. We watched the ranch hands saddle the horses and that’s when the rain began. It had been a beautiful day so I never thought to check the weather forecast.

The tour went on despite the rain. I left my camera back at the ranch as it was really coming down! Two guides led us around sandy paths through the mangroves. The horses were calm and steady. But the rain was hampering our fun. And pelting our vision. At times I just rode with my eyes closed. Thank goodness the horses were well-trained. Some riders were ‘done’ and wanted to go back. After some discussion between the guides about the weather and riders, one guide took 2 riders back while the rest of us took an alternate route past lots of new construction sites, but not along the beach.

I’d love to go again on a prettier day!

 

Take a Boat Tour

There are a variety of boat tours, from 6 hour fishing trips to sunset rides. And a 3.5 hour Three Island tour includes bird sightings and swimming at a cenote.

But the most popular boat tour (beginning mid-May), is the all day boating adventure that includes snorkeling with whale sharks that are up to 45 feet long! The tour also includes snorkeling at a reef near Cabo Catoche and swimming at Santa Paula.

 

Walk the Coast

Take a mellow walk along the 3 mile coast between the east and west end of the island. Any time of day!

Enjoy an early morning stroll before sunrise with the birds. Watch the fishermen clean their fish. Go out at low tide to see what waves brought in. Take a detour into town and find your favorite mural. Back on the coast, walk toward the other end. Stop in at a beach bar or treat yourself to a massage. Or wander out in the evening to admire the sunset.

 

             

Know before you GO

Bring cash! Exchange dollars into pesos at the airport. Many restaurants, shops and even tours don’t accept credit cards. The ATM on the island rarely works.

Check the weather for any recent tropical storms prior to your trip as it could impact your stay. If planning to visit in shoulder season and think you might cancel, check if your hotel has a 50% non-refundable fee.

Study a map & analyze the beach for hotel options you’re considering before you book.

Book lodging and tours directly through their websites to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Expect variable taxi rates as drivers may greatly inflate prices, ignoring standard rates per zone. It always cost more to return to our hotel, no matter what time of day.

Bring a GoPro–it’s designed for water.