Holbox has been on our radar for a while, as we’d long heard it was one of the best spots to swim with whale sharks. (Ironically, we didn’t actually swim with them, as it wasn’t the right time of year. Next time!) So, when we were trying to find a beach spot for spring break this year, we dug a little deeper into this small, sleepy island town.
Turns out, when it comes to our preference for quieter, more remote, less developed beach spots with lots of local color, Holbox checks all of the boxes. That, coupled with the fact that we found really inexpensive tickets to Cancun, made it an easy choice.
Getting to Holbox isn’t exactly easy, though, but that’s one of the reasons why it is special. Here’s the thing: if a place is convenient for you, it is also convenient for lots of other people. Convenience isn’t in and of itself a bad thing, especially when traveling with kids, but we’ve often found that, if you’re willing to sacrifice a little convenience, the pay off will be worthwhile, and that was absolutely the case with Holbox. I’ve said it before on this blog, and I’ll say it again: pick a popular beach destination, like Cancun, and drive an hour or two away, and that’s where you’re going to find the sweet spot.
To get to Holbox, we took an Uber to the airport, a flight to Cancun, a 2.5 hour van ride to Chiquila (we had a private transfer with Miguel’s Holbox Transfer Service, and they were great), a 20 min. ferry ride to Holbox, and then a golf cart taxi ride to our rental house. To be honest, we’d underestimated the length of the travel day, mostly because the flight to Cancun seemed so quick and easy, compared to most of our flights, but the boys took it in stride, and they enjoyed checking off the various modes of transportation on a travel day to-do list they’d made.
We arrived in Holbox after 9PM, not having eaten dinner. Luckily, our AirBnB had an on-island concierge of sorts, and she was AMAZING. She helped arrange all of our transfers, had our rental golf cart waiting at the house when we arrived, had already ordered us pizzas, and was happy to show me how to get a few groceries from the market just 3 minutes down the road.
When I got back from getting the pizzas and some necessities, Sona had a look of horror on her face. “What?” I asked, worried. “We can’t stay here,” she said. Turns out, unbeknownst to us, each of the 3 bedrooms at our rental house had its own external entrance, meaning that the room the boys were sharing was basically it’s own little house, connected to our room by an external hallway. It certainly wasn’t ideal, especially with a pool in the back, and the AirBnB ad didn’t disclose this info, but we decided that, since the door locked from the outside, and since we’d brought the baby monitor with us, we would make do. (It ended up being fine, and we’d absolutely stay in that AirBnB again.)
I tell this story because it’s important to note that travel is often unpredictable, and when we go to places that aren’t as “easy,” there are almost always some sort of hiccups: bugs in the kitchen, external entrances for bedrooms, showers that don’t get hot, etc. At first, especially after long travel days, those things can seem overwhelming. By the end of the trip, they aren’t even blips on the radar.
Our days in Holbox were slow and wonderfully restful. We didn’t do any cooking at the house. So, each morning, we’d wake up, hop on our golf cart (no cars allowed on the island) and take the bumpy 10-minute ride along dirt roads into town for pastries or a quick breakfast at one of the many good restaurants. Inch for inch, Holbox has some of the best food of any island we’ve been on, btw.
We spent a few half-days at the beach near our house, Playa Cocos, which we really loved. We got there early, usually by 9:30AM, and we paid around $15 to rent beach chairs and umbrellas from the local vendor. Then, we’d spend several hours sipping mojitos, walking out to the sandbar in the water that seemed to never get more than knee-deep, and eating mango after mango from the couple who sell them from a cooler under one of the mangrove trees.
After we grew sun tired, we’d ride back to our house, each lunch by the pool, take long naps, and then head into town for dinner and exploring.
Although the island is small, we found plenty to do:
We explored a lot of the island’s beaches, of which there are many.
We “checked out” puppies from El Refugio animal shelter, taking them for walks around the beach. (Did this twice, actually, as the boys LOVED it.) If you want to do this, make sure to check the times they allow walking. When we were there, it was at 10AM and 5PM, and there were always people waiting at both times.
We paid like $2 to let the boys jump in the trampoline in the town square, which was TOTALLY questionable, but which they also loved. Did this several afternoons.
We booked a half-day AirBnB boating experience with Alonso, touring Bird Island, Paradise Island, and Mosquito Point. This CANNOT be missed, IMO. And, although there are many larger tour operations offering this same excursion, we really appreciated the intimacy and respect with which Alonso, a local, approached the tour. Punta Mosquito, in particular, had some of the most beautiful turquoise water we’ve ever seen. (You can walk to Punta Mosquito, but it takes about an hour each way, and requires wading through waist-deep water. All of the locals said they would NOT recommend doing this with kids.)
We ate LOTS of gelato, loads of fresh-cut fruit on the beach, marquesitas in the square each evening, and as many tacos as we could stand.
As much as we loved our time in Holbox, it’s not the kind of place you want to go to without having done your due diligence. Here are some things to know before you go, some of which we’d researched ourselves before going, and some of which we found out while there.
First, lots of people say you don’t need a golf cart for the full week, but we disagree, especially if you have kids. Our AirBnB ended up being about a 10-15 min golf cart ride outside of town, which would have been a 30-45 minute walk down dirt roads in fully exposed sun. I can’t imagine doing that trip several times a day with a whiny toddler, to be honest. I don’t even know if I’d want to do it myself. Bikes would be an option for older kids, but finding kid-sized bikes on the island is tough. There are also plenty of golf cart taxis, but we paid around $10 each way to get to and from town.
The golf carts are pricey. I think it was around $650 for the full week, but we used it CONSTANTLY. With it, we were able to explore much more of the island, and we were able to make multiple trips into town a day without feeling guilty about paying for a taxi. Plus, zooming around on the golf cart is just a blast. Both kids say it was their favorite part of the trip.
Next, as I’ve mentioned, all of the roads in Holbox are made of dirt. When it rains, many of those roads become literal streams–I’m talking knee-deep water that can be impassible with a golf cart. We saw one get stuck while we were there. We got really lucky, as it only rained on our last day, but I couldn’t believe how quickly the roads flooded.
In fact, not only did the roads flood, but halfway through nap, we awoke to the boys screaming bloody murder, and ran to their room to find that their bedroom was also flooding. The rain was no joke!
Honestly, we could barely get out of our driveway, and we couldn’t even return our golf cart before leaving because it was stuck. Sona and I both said that, had it rained our entire week, it likely would have ruined the trip for us.
BRING CASH. This was one thing I’d read before going, and we came to Holbox with a lot more cash (both dollars and pesos) than we’d ever traveled with before, but it still wasn’t enough. Very few places on the island take credit card, including the golf cart rental place, and there is only 1 ATM on the island that dispenses pesos, and it regularly runs out of money. Let’s just say that there were a few hours spent trying, anxiously, to get our hands on some cash.
Even with these–challenges?–we would go back to Holbox again in an instant. During another time of year, we could see whale sharks and flamingos and even a bio bay! If you’re family is the kind who needs non-stop excursions and amusement park-like activities to be entertained, then this probably isn’t the place for you. However, if you like to slow down, get your feet a little dusty, and have an adventure? I can’t recommend Holbox enough.
Not only were the people beyond kind, but we felt very, very safe on the island. Honestly, I felt safe in Holbox than on most of the Caribbean islands we’ve visited. And because the water is so calm and shallow at most of the beaches on the island, it makes for a great destination for the littles!
Holbox felt special, and it felt like a secret. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will be a secret much longer, and there’s talk of big resorts moving in. Alfonso, our boat guide, assured us that the island has laws protecting 80% of the land from development, and they don’t allow any structures higher than three floors. I hope they can continue to protect the beauty of that place, but I worry that it will be a completely different island in 10 years time.
All the more reason to go there now.
Our Holbox faves and recommendations:
- stay on the quieter side of the island, near Punta Cocos
- book a boat tour with Alonso through AirBnB
- walk puppies at El Refugio–and make a donation to help them continue their good work!
- watch sunset from Punta Cocos
- spend evenings in the town square, eating at the various food carts, and watching the locals
- eat dinners at La Tapatia (go when there’s a band playing), Roots Pizza (trampoline + live music), Barba Negra, and Viva Zapata (worth noting that there were many “nicer” restaurants we didn’t try, because kids)
- get cheap tacos al pastor at Tacoqueto
- eat breakfast/brunch at Tierra Mia, Painapol (go early!!!), and Restaurante Naranjas
- get gelato at El Mangle Blanco (I loved the maracuya)
- look for the lady selling tamales out of a cart on the street–fantastic!!
- eat your way through the locals’ food stalls just outside of town
- drive around and check out the abundance of really wonderful street art and murals
- if in season, snorkel with whale sharks, find the flamingos, and visit the bio bay at night
- find one of the many hammocks on the various beaches and plant yourself there for as long as you possibly can