Holbox is perhaps the last destination on our Mexico RV trip that we’ve been looking forward to since the very start.
We’ve added a number of other places to that list along the way, but it’s also a sobering reminder that we might be arriving at the midpoint of our journey for now.
In the end, Isla Holbox certainly met or exceeded our expectations in a lot of ways, but was a very different experience than what we initially thought we might be in for.
Our Mexico-USA RV Journey 2024-25
A stop-over night in Valladolid before heading to the bus terminal the next morning. We’ll return to Valladolid in about a week for a few more days to explore this interesting-looking Pueblo Magico.
From Valladolid, we took a brand-new ADO bus to the tiny seaside village of Chiquila, where we will catch the ferry to Isla Holbox.
The day before, we got to ride the brand new Maya Train from the outskirts of Merida to Valladolid. At present, Valladolid is the closest train station to Holbox, yet we still have to take a 3.5 hour bus ride and 30-minute ferry to get to our destination.
We were a bit bummed that we couldn’t take the train farther, but we basically plied the same route for half the time, as the toll highway parallels the Maya Train tracks to Cancun.
The boys certainly didn’t complain. They were entertained the entire way with a Modern Family rerun and the movie Super Pets (en Español). Lori and I actually got to sit together and enjoy a quiet bus ride, which we haven’t done in years.
In Chiquila, ferries leave every 30 minutes or so to the island. The ferries were much larger and more modern than I expected. Ours was also packed. Here on a Tuesday, I hadn’t expected that either.
So, what’s the deal with Isla Holbox? After all, there are a number of beachy destinations we could have gone to on the Yucatan Peninsula instead.
Holbox’ funky island vibe and absence of all-inclusive and big-name resorts appealed to us. And honestly, we were under the impression it was a bit under the radar.
The latter ended up being very much not the case, but it’s much less commercial and developed than the Riviera Maya.
We’ve spent some time on the Riviera Maya and weren’t ready to go back yet, and Holbox was new to all of us. The big downside to Holbox was that it takes a bit more effort to get to, but we think it was worth it.
An afternoon shower rolled over the island during our final hour on the bus. When we arrived, we were greeted by a soupy muck that stained our sandals for the next week, making it challenging to get around town.
Fortunately, visitors don’t have to worry about driving through the muck, since only residents of Holbox are allowed to bring cars to the island.
It doesn’t take long to get around town on foot, but there are taxis to get you to various points on the island.
Not too long ago, the taxis on the island were distinctive yellow golf carts, but that has changed in the past few years. Now, they are all Polaris-style vehicles all-terrain vehicles. On a day like this, I’d say the conversion from golf carts was a smart move.
Even the Coke trucks in Holbox are beefy. This one even has a snorkel. Not sure I’d want to be around when that’s required, but I guess the people got to have their Coke.
These days, most buildings on Holbox are your typical concrete wall and metal roof affairs. But you can still see signs of Old Holbox if you know where to look.
Not far from the main dock on the north side, a few iconic wooden structures have survived the constant onslaught of powerful storms that whip through here.
One such storm just plowed through last October, and there are reminders across the island.
The north shore of the island is undoubtedly the most picturesque. This is where visitors come to get their selfies of white sand and turquoise water.
The sea is very shallow and we’ve been told it can be crystal clear in certain seasons. This time of year, however, the fine white sand gets churned up due to the currents. But it still looks like a postcard.
When the clouds roll in and the tide goes out, the seascape loses its luster a bit. But it’s still a nice place to bum around.
Because of the orientation of Holbox, there are only a handful of places on the north shore to catch the sunset. We hear the southwestern edge is the best place to go, but it’s a bit of a trek. We’ll check it out at some point.
Today, we’re settling for this tiny point jutting out into the ocean offering happy hour beers.
Holbox doesn’t really have drainage to speak of. So when it rains, many of the streets stay flooded for a while.
Hasn’t rained since yesterday morning, but some of the roads are still a soupy mess.
Others are not.
A gorgeous day, a full moon, and a very low tide.
A Horseshoe Crab.
This golf cart wasn’t so lucky.
Given the bright sunshine, we thought today would be a good day to make the trip down to the tip of the island to catch the sunset.
It was much more of an adventure than we expected from a taxi ride. But we should have known, given the kind of taxis these are.
We were surprised to find heaps of some sort of sargassum lining the entire shore of Playa Punta Cocos on the southwestern tip of the island. The tide was still out quite a ways, which didn’t help the aesthetic appeal of the area. And the the clouds were quickly moving in, threatening our sunset viewing.
We continued on to the mangroves and the undeveloped bioluminescence bay, which was far more picturesque at the moment.
The cool thing about this bioluminescent bay is that anyone can visit without a tour. But the viewing conditions were not optimal during our visit to make the trek down here at night (a full moon combined with very poor visibility).
You can literally walk across the entire bay here to the other side of the island (we saw a few people do just that). Given that the tide was coming in, we opted for heading back to one of the beach clubs and grabbing a drink instead.
It didn’t look like we were going to catch a sunset, so we thought we might save some money and do a leisurely walk back to town along the beach. That was before Noe got a pretty bad little gash on his toe from a piece of coral lurking under the muddy surface. Taxi it is.
There are a number of excellent cafes and coffee shops on Isla Holbox, but Another Clandestino quickly became our favorite.
Each day we spent at Holbox, the sand got drier and drier, the tide got higher and higher, and the water got clearer and clearer.
By Day 3, the conditions were just about perfect.
The boys got plenty of beach time in. And Lori and I got a good amount of beach lounging in as well, which we realized we definitely don’t do enough when we’re at the beach.
When we are forced to rent a couple of chairs for the day, we like to make the most of it.
After making ourselves comfortable at these chairs, we learned they were too rich for our blood. So, we made our way over to the picnic table behind the chairs, which we had for as long as we wanted for the price of a beer.
In addition to several trendy (and overpriced) restaurants, Holbox also has a few street food options as well. This block was our favorite. Tacos Al Pastor, Choripan, and Gringas all in a stone’s throw of each other.
The island also had its fair share of craft beer, but for a price. One place was charging 150 pesos (US$7.50) for a small can of beer from the other side of the country. Cronicas seemed to offer the best value for the money. Full pints of draft beer for the same price or much less.
We spent our nights on Holbox at La Casa del Pescador, which offers a handful of 1-bedroom apartments a block or two from the main plaza.
Noe really wanted to make it out to this sand bar island that everyone seems to visit at some point. On our last full day, we finally made it happen, despite the tides being against us. It involved a very long walk and wading through chest-high water, but it was worth the effort. And of course, Noe was very happy.
Nitro Cold Brew served right on the beach!
If you’re not staying at one of the beachfront resorts, there seem to be only a few places where you can rent loungers under a palapa.
One thing we were totally unprepared for was the sheer number of European tourists here.
Admittedly, it’s been nice having a different beach vibe for a change, but we do wonder why they all seem to gravitate to this place. It’s a heck of a long way to travel for an experience on par or below what Southern Spain or the Caribbean has to offer.
We’re certainly not complaining, but we’re also not here on an extended-weekend vacation.
The lively Ibiza-style vibe is a refreshing change from four years of Mariachi and Reggaeton. And it’s cool to see restaurant owners in a Mexican beach town actually doing something interesting with their waterfront besides the standard seafood tostada palapa thing.
Holbox is one hour ahead of the time zone we’ve been living in for the past nine months.
We made the most of it by visiting some bars and hostels on the island that we wouldn’t normally be able to visit due to the boys’ usual bedtime.
Noe can hang, but Riley can’t yet. 8:30 is just about his limit (which became 9:30 in Holbox).
A fun and relaxing five days on Holbox, but it’s time to move on. Tomorrow, we’ll hop a ferry and catch the bus inland back to Valladolid for four more days of sightseeing and poking around town.
