During the pandemic, we missed traveling quite a bit. We started doing research on a trip to Mexico that we knew we wanted to take at some point. We have been to the Mayan Riviera several times, and we like to visit somewhere new each time. This time, Isla Holbox came up in our research, and after learning a lot about it, we went ahead and booked our trip for June 2021.

Check out my tips for visiting Isla Holbox here!

Getting there

To get to Isla Holbox, we flew to Cancun and rented a car from Avant Car Rental (also located in Cancun). We have rented from them three times and have had no difficulties whatsoever.

We drove from Cancun to Chiquila, which takes about 2.5 hours.

We did make a few stops along the way (including Chedraui for supplies and Arbol Milenario, a thousand year old tree located right along our route).

Once we arrived in Chiquila, there were several places to keep our car, as you have to take a ferry to Isla Holbox. There are NO cars on Isla Holbox – just golf carts. We left our car for almost a week, and it was safe in the paid parking lot.

There are plenty of parking lots, and ours was a quick walk to the ferry.

Our concern was making it to the last ferry, but that was not a concern as we made it in plenty of time (this photo is from the Isla Holbox side, but gives you an idea of ferry times).

There are quite a few ferries running during the day, and also different companies. We took 9 Hermanos (https://www.9hermanos.com/) and bought our tickets when we got to the ferry terminal.

The ferry ride is about 20-30 minutes, and then we took a golf cart to the hotel. Check out what it was like, since it had been rainy!

@anationofmoms

Getting to our hotel on Isla Holbox. No cars on this island! ##islaholbox ##mexico ##golfcarts

♬ La Llorona – Angela Aguilar

The golf carts hold a max of four people, so we took two separate carts with our luggage as well.

The hotel is located towards the southwest end of the island, and is walking distance to the beach and town (more on that later).

Checking in

When we arrived, it was probably about 4-5pm and we were informed that it was late.

It had been a long day and no way for us to arrive earlier, but fortunately the staff was able to get us set up in our room.

Our room

We chose a room with three beds – two for the kids and one for us. It was a large, spacious room with a bathroom and shower, as well as a balcony. When we originally looked at the hotel websites, I couldn’t tell how nice it would be, but it was nice.

You cannot flush toilet paper here, but that is typical of most places (other than resorts).

Our room had a nice view of the courtyard. I don’t think any of the rooms have a beach view, but I enjoyed our view, and we didn’t spend much time in our room anyway.

There were a few things I would improve about the room:
We would have loved to have some bottled water in our room.
There were not any washcloths available.
On the last night, the AC unit started sounding like a rock tumbler, and sure enough, chunks of ice started flying out! It did seem like the AC was struggling during our trip.

Breakfast

One of the nice things about the hotel was the daily breakfast included in our stay. I was happy to have a cup of hot coffee in the mornings, and usually got the fruit and granola platter.

We are usually pretty active during our vacations and it can be a challenge to have to figure out breakfast every day, so it is nice to have it right on site.

Pools and grounds

The courtyard and pools are quite nice at the hotel. They are landscaped, and we often saw iguanas, butterflies, and flowers.

There is a larger pool in the courtyard, and then a small pool up on the roof. We enjoyed a nice sunset swim at the pool one evening.

Beach

The hotel is not right on the beach; however, it is one block. It just takes a couple minutes to walk to the beach.

There is also a club on the beach where you can get food and drinks, which is convenient (although they did have limited hours).

The first night we arrived, we walked down to the beach to this beautiful sunset. There are lots of amazing sunsets at Isla Holbox. This photo has not been edited at all!

Location

We chose this hotel based on price, amenities (like the three beds), pool, included breakfast, proximity to the beach, and location. However, we did end up walking to town every day and that was at least a mile walk. I will say that the walk is enjoyable, along the beach, but it does get tiring in the hot sun and when you want something simple like bottled water or snacks. We generally walked 30 minutes to get to town for dinner or other foods. If you walk during the day, it is pretty hot in the sun.

Another thing to remember is that the roads do get muddy and flooded any time it rains.

If you are going to walk in the streets (versus the beach), it usually means puddles and mud. You can see where people have slipped in the mud – and yes, we had a couple of our own wipeouts too!

Additionally, we had the kids with us, so it became a little bit of a chore to walk to town. You can obviously rent golf carts, but that adds up quickly. And while the beach was nice, the beaches further up North are beautiful and amazing!

The view from the hotel roof, which gives you another view of the roads. The beach is the opposite direction, one block.

What to bring

Lots of sunscreen, and lots of bug spray
Comfortable shoes for walking
Swimwear for the beach and the pool
Small bills for tipping and golf cart rides
Headlamp for walking around in the evenings
Stock up on snacks and drinks once you go to town

Overall

This was a great place to stay in Isla Holbox. I would have liked water bottles in the rooms and wish this were a little closer to town, but it was a very enjoyable stay.

Marysa

About the Author: Marysa

Busy blogger and mom of two girls! We love traveling and the great outdoors, and are always looking for our next adventure!