We were looking for something a little different than our norm and of course, it had to be somewhere warm. Holbox seemed right up our alley, sand streets, hard to get to, and quiet. It checked all the boxes. I have to admit I was a little nervous about a remote destination in Mexico, but I was up for the adventure, as long as the adventure didn’t include hostage negotiations.

Isla Holbox is an island north of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, in Quintana Roo State. (Pronounced: ole-bosh). It’s part of the Yum Balam Nature Reserve and separated from the mainland by the Yalahau Lagoon. Located between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Accessible only by boat, the car-free island, has a laid back Caribbean feel.

Getting to Holbox:

Our flight from Atlanta to Cancun was uneventful. We arrived and quickly caught the prearranged shuttle, by Meet Playa. The shuttle was very nice and very clean. I was pleasantly surprised to find it had wifi and air-conditioning. The driver was very friendly and spoke decent English. They had cold drinks and snacks waiting for our 2-hour ride. The roads to the ferry were not too bad, but the last 30 minutes were a little bumpy on a very narrow, two-lane road. We went through a few small towns with dusty dogs and bicycle taxi’s, but between Cancun and Chiquilá (where you catch the ferry to Holbox ) there was a whole bunch of nothing. Just trees, and the occasional Mexican cow ranch, like what you have seen in old western movies. I will say, driving in Mexico is a little wild! Passing was kind of unnerving for me, especially when it meant choosing between taking out the Mango Man on his bike or a box truck, going 75mph or should I say 120 kilometers per hour.

Getting our ticket for the ferry was easy and there is a ferry every 30 minutes, so there was hardly any wait time. Once we were on the island there were yellow golf carts (Holbox taxi’s) ready and waiting to take us to our hotel.

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Villas HM Palapas Del Mar

The first few nights we opted to stay at Villas HM Palapas Del Mar. It was a very beautiful, well-maintained property. It had a great private pool steps from our door, and an amazing hammock to relax.

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Casa Las Tortugas

The rest of the week we stayed at Casa Las Tortugas. It is a small boutique resort with only 20 rooms available. Our room was a beautiful beachfront bungalow with a loft for Cole. The pool was gorgeous and the gardens were green and lush.

Holbox Art

In 2014, the first edition of Mexico’s International Public Art Festival (IPAF) called Holbox home and the island’s bright and inviting murals were created. Holbox has to be the most colorful place I have ever been to. The city is full of color and full of life. There’s amazing street art at every turn.

Kite Boarding

Holbox is a great place to try kite surfing. We had a great time giving it a try, Steve and Cole loved it. Kathy at Holbox Kite Boarding School was amazing and patient with Cole….and me. I gave it a go the first day, and it was fun, but I knew I was nowhere near being able to stand up on a board, so I opted to not “eat a bunch of saltwater” the next day. I hitched a ride on the boat though and I had a great day sitting on an amazing stretch of beach, taking pictures, and watching some awesome kiteboarders. They make it look so easy. Steve and Cole gave it their best shot, but they still need quite a bit of practice. Knowing Steve and Cole, I am sure there will be some kiteboarding gear showing up on the front porch in the near future.

Island Animals

Dogs were everywhere in Holbox, I’m not talking about sad homeless dogs. I’m talking about, roll in the sand, swim in the ocean, free, happy dogs. Its a dogs life the way it should be in Holbox, no leash, no rules, just free. I did see one cat, lots of birds, a few iguanas, and a raccoon. The raccoon was way too fast to get a picture.

The video is a nice overview of the week, we rode bikes, rented a golf cart, watched the sunset and took in the culture. All in all our first trip to Mexico was awesome. We will definitely return one day, hopefully with some better kiteboarding skills.

I couldn’t resist adding these last two pictures. I was getting the weird feeling that Holbox was trying to tell me something?

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