A warm breeze blows through the palm trees lining the white sandy beach. In the distance you can hear the calls of “Coco?” “Mango?” “Coco Frias?”. Spanish music plays from one of the beach bars nearby. You open your eyes enough to see the blue water of the beach, then go back to sunbaking under the palms. This is Isla Holbox, and it is one of the most relaxing, charming, tropical islands we’ve ever visited.
Why we chose to visit Isla Holbox:
Our visit to South and Central America was always going to be a whirlwind, so we wanted to finish our trip at a relaxing, tropical, beach destination. After some research, and mulling up other Mexican islands (e.g. Isla Mujeres), a few guides (like the one from Salt in our Hair) convinced us on Isla Holbox. Boasting generally good year round temperatures, beautiful beaches, excellent cuisine, lots of coffee shops, and enough to do.. we couldn’t wait to spend a week here! Our guide convers off a few of the things we loved on Isla Holbox, including where to get the best coffee and tacos on the island!
A few things you need to try and experience on Isla Holbox
The tacos!
Safe to say, we tried our fair share of tacos during our Holbox stay. With rose coloured memories from our previous visits to Mexico, we eagerly awaited the authentic food of Isla Holbox. We weren’t disappointed! For an island, the Mexican food was excellent, and the tacos we tried.. superb! These were ‘no frills’, authentic tacos on freshly made corn tortillas. And we at plenty of them! Over 60 tacos on our week stay alone! And you know we tried out all of the best little tacquerias. See a few of our recommendations below from places we think delivered excellent tacos on Isla Holbox.
- Maiztro: A little garden restaurant located 5 minutes from the main square, Maiztro takes our crown as the best authentic tacos on the island. For 45pesos per taco (~3USD, 4AUD), these tacos delivered in both flavour and price point!
- El Ma Camita: Want a serve of cheap tacos on the main street? This buzzy restaurant has you covered. With friendly staff, good vibes, and a special of 4 tacos for 100pesos.. it’s hard to say no!
- Tacqueria Mateo: Want 20peso tacos with the locals? We’ve got you covered. Head down a side street to this no frills eatery filled with locals. The tacos are tasty and extremely budget friendly. Another top pick!
We tried over 6-7 different tacquerias, so we feel like we got a good ‘handle’ on some of the best places in Holbox.. however, most of the restaurants sell tacos, and all of the ones we tried were pretty good.. so you won’t go hungry! Be prepared that some of the ‘fancier’ restaurants will often sell tacos for as much as 100-150 pesos per taco (7-10 USD / 10-15 AUD).
Where to get good coffee in Isla Holbox:
The café’s and coffee scene on Isla Holbox was a pleasant surprise! With décor and vibes reminiscent of Uluwatu in Bali, these cafe’s serve up an excellent coffee! Our routine included a pre-gym coffee, and then an afternoon relaxing coffee in one of the café’s lovely gardens. We have included some of our top café picks below.. but such is the excellent range of café’s, there’s more we didn’t get to try.
- Mr Happy: Our pick for the best coffee, and the best café aesthetic on Holbox. Head there for the excellent flat whites, and stay for their vibey playlist.
- Complemento: This main street café is popular, but for good reason. Excellent coffee and good brunch options. Another of our favourites.
- Copal Café: Located on the fringes of the main town, don’t let the 5-10 minute walk deter you. Serving great coffee and juices in their lovely garden, Copal became our afternoon go-to (they are open until 8pm!).
There are a plethora of excellent cafes not on our list, including Cold Brew Bar, Zonnerbloem, Another Clandestino and more!
Soak up the evening vibe in Isla Holbox’s main square!
The heart of Holbox’s little town is a basketball court and mini amphitheater (with a gorgeous mural). During the day you will find locals and tourists shooting hoops, and over the weekend there is a little market that pops up. However during the evening is when this square comes to life. On the weekdays, we witnessed the wholesome dance classes, run by a local, with locals (and some tourists) joining in the samba and Zumba style moves to pumping Spanish tunes. It’s definitely worth a look if you hear the music going. On other days you’ll find heated competition on the basketball courts, with people watching and shouting encouragement. Sitting in the square and soaking up the vibe was one of our favourite parts of the day on Isla Holbox.
Visiting the Punta Mosquito sandbar island:
The best beach experience on Isla Holbox would have to be at the Punta Mosquito sandbar island. Located at the far end of the beach (right side from the pier), this unique ‘island’ is made from bright white sand. The water is clearer, there are fewer people, and the vibe screams ‘tropical desktop background’. It is well worth the walk down and one of the best things to do on Isla Holbox. See our guide with a few tips on visiting Punta Mosquito here!
Drink a coconut and have some fresh fruit by the beach!
One of Isla Holbox’s main attractions is the pristine strip of pearly white sand. The stretches from the pier at the heart of the town, all the way down to Punta Mosquito over 1km away. Dotted along the beach are numerous beach bars, boutique hotels, and beach chairs you can hire!
Our favourite spot to relax was located around 300m to the right of the pier, where a gap in the beach clubs leaves a canopy of palm trees to relax under. Unused little blue boats provide photogenic additions to the area, with both locals and tourists relaxing together. Heed the call from the local vendors hawking their fresh coconuts and fruit.. it’s a tropical experience you won’t forget on Isla Holbox!
Join the island to watch the sunset from the main pier
There is something special about watching a sunset on a tropical island. While many of the rooftop and beach bars offer great views, the best spot to watch the sunset is from the main pier. Grab a drink from the supermarket nearby and arrive 20-30minutes before sunset (it get’s busy!). Soak up the atmosphere, the conversations in multiple languages, and enjoy the beautiful sunset. It’s a must do experience on Holbox.
FYI: if you want an alcoholic drink be prepared to buy them from the supermarket before 5pm. This is when the rules state that the supermarkets can no longer sell alcohol (possibly due to the licenses of the bars/restaurants etc).
Where to stay on Isla Holbox:
Isla Holbox is a large island, but the heart of the town is quite small and very walkable. There are 2 good options on where to stay on Isla Holbox, and 1 option we don’t recommend.
- Option 1: Stay in the heart of the town.. slightly closer to the main ferry port. This is the option we chose, staying at Casa Barbara on the edge of the main town. We were a 3-5 minute walk to most restaurants, the beach, and the ferry port. We also found this to be a cheaper option than staying on some of the fancy beach hotels (see below).
- Option 2: Stay by the beach in a gorgeous hotels. Located along the 1-2km stretch of beach between the pier and Punta Mosquito are numerous boutique and luxury hotels. These tropical themed accommodation options include restaurants, beach clubs and more! While we didn’t stay here, we sampled some of the restaurants, and walked past regularly.. they are nice! Be prepared to pay more to stay here.. and likely the more you pay the nicer your stay will be. The only downside of staying here is the walk into town which might be between 10-25 minutes depending on where you stay (or catch a golf-cart taxi). One of our recommendations for a beautiful beach hotel would be Villas Caracol.
- Avoid: Don’t stay near the Punta Cocos end of the island (left of the pier/town): While there are hotels and beach clubs, this area is a lot quieter (not in a good way), and getting to the town requires a taxi or a long 30-60 minute walk. If you want to avoid the main part of the town, choose to stay along the beautiful beach to the RIGHT of the pier in the direction of Punta Mosquito (option 2).
How to get to Isla Holbox:
They say good things take work.. with this the case on getting to Isla Holbox. While the journey is straightforward, it will take you a littlewhile. Step 1: fly into Cancun airport. Step 2. Catch a group shuttle (cost ~350-500 pesos) or private transfer (cost between 250-350 AUD / 150-250 USD) from Cancun airport to Chiquilla. Chiquilla is a small seaside town located 2 hours north of Cancun airport. There is a bus service that runs from Cancun, however you need to head into the town from the airport, increasing the journey distance. Step 3. After your 2-3 hour transfer, take the fast ferry from Chiquilla to Holbox. There are 2 ferry companies Isla Holbox Fast Ferry (which leaves on the half hour, e.g. 7:30, 8:30) and Holbox Ferry 9 Hermanos (which leaves on the hour e.g. 7:00, 8:00 etc). The journey is relatively affordable, and should take 25-30 minutes. We recommend buying tickets in advance, however they can be purchased at the ferry terminal. Step 4. Upon arriving at Isla Holbox, you will be only a short 5 minute walk into the heart of town. If you are staying a little out of town, catch one of the golf buggy taxis to your hotel.
Other things to do on Isla Holbox:
The primary focus of visiting Isla Holbox is often to relax, enjoy the beach, and soak up the tropical Mexican vibe. However, there’s a fair bit to do on the island. We’ve listed some of the great options below..
- Hire a bike/golf cart: Isla Holbox is a carless island, so getting around often happens via walking, or through hiring a golf cart of bike. Holbox is fun to explore, so this is a good option to check out the island.
- Snorkelling: While the Isla Holbox water isn’t a clear as some parts of the Yucatan (e.g. Isla Mujeras), you can still snorkel, and there are boat tours which take you to clearer locations.
- Boat tours: There are a multitude of boat tours to destinations like Puta Mosquito (and other islands), snorkelling, private boat hires and more.
- Long walks on the beach: Our personal favourite! The Isla Holbox beach is long, flat and picturesque.. perfect for a long stroll.
- Diving with whale sharks – seasonal: This is a highly recommended activity that we didn’t get to do.. it wasn’t the season. Whale sharks hang around between May-September, with tours giving you the option to dive with these gentle giants. It’s supposed to be amazing.
- Other great options include..
– Cooking classes
– Markets on the weekend
– Tours from the island to Mayan sites
– Other tours e.g. fishing, bioluminescence (?possibly a tourist trap)
So is a visit to Isla Holbox worth the effort? 100%!! We loved our stay so much and would definitely recommend it to anyone!
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