Why you should ditch Tulum and go to Holbox?

I am also sharing the complete itinerary from my entire trip to Mexico which includes Merida and Izamal and some of the recommendations from those two towns.

Holbox- My favorite place in Mexico (if not in the world)

I am going to be honest here, while I am very excited to write this blog about Holbox, the other half of me does not want to write this blog. The sole reason being I do not want Holbox to be popular since it is currently a hidden gem of Mexico, unlike Tulum. I don’t want everybody to know about it, and make it the next Tulum. I mean I love Tulum too, don’t get me wrong, but like Tulum, Holbox is not popular yet. Holbox offers everything if not better if compared to Tulum, and since a lot of people (Instagrammers) do not know about it just yet, it is truly the hidden gem of Mexico.

Before our recent trip to Holbox, I didn’t even know about it and that it will become my favorite place in Mexico (if not in the World). I did not expect much of it, because there are not many pictures that do justice to the island. It is a true paradise.

Holbox is a small island situated in the north of Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula:

It is about 2 hours away from Cancun. It has no paved white sand roads and beaches. The island has no cars, no internet access (don’t roll your eyes, I found that to be quite nice actually). All you can find on the island are golf carts, bikes and taxis (which are like golf carts too). I loved chilling at the beach shacks, eating tacos, having some delicious margaritas and mojitos.

I loved the island so much that I decided to share with you a list of things to do, places to eat and stay at.

Why you should visit Holbox:

1. The island is very budget friendly:

If you know and have been to Tulum, you know that it is expensive because it is an Instagrammers paradise. Holbox is not expensive when compared to other islands.  You can be in your budget but still stay in beautiful villas and eat all that your heart desires without breaking the bank.

2. It gives you the vibe of Tulum, Bali, Bora Bora etc..

 The island has a boho chic vibe. Everywhere you will get to see some pretty cool dream catchers, hammocks and swings.  Again, the island has everything you will want on your beach vacation from beach shacks, to good food and drinks, cute places, name it and you will find it.

3. It is not too far from Cancun:

Holbox is only 1 and half hours away from Cancun, so you can party all you want in Cancun and then head over to Holbox for some relaxation and beach chilling. If you like to hangout with the friendly locals listening to good music while watching a beautiful sunset, this is the place for you.

4. It is a picture paradise:

For all of my instagrammers out there, i gotchu! You will love Holbox. It is an instagram paradise. So many cute beach bars, hammocks, pretty hotels, beach side shacks, and white sandy beaches. Trust me, being an instagrammer myself,  there was not a single place where I did not want to take that perfect instagram shot. So grab your pretty dresses, hats and head over to Holbox.

Let’s talk about few of my favorite places to eat on the island along with my favorite hotels to stay:

EAT :

The Notorious Cocktail:

This is a beach side shack/bar with great vegetarian tacos as well as some delicious cocktails. My favorite was the Mango Mojito. They also have live music sometimes. Notorious Cocktail is right at the beach and the vibe of this place is very bohemian. For all of you seafood lovers out there my friends also loved the Shrimp tacos.

Barba Negra:

They have delicious Cauliflower tacos. Even if you are not a fan of cauliflower, do try these tacos, you won’t regret. They had three options for vegetarians, I tried and loved all of them. They were indeed the best tacos I have ever had. This is not a beach side place, but it is near the main center, so I would suggest to go there after sunset or in the morning. Oh, and they also have amazing margaritas and mojitos. I tried their mexican cilantro Mojito and loved it.  

Las EMPA:

Omg! These were the best empanadas I have ever had. They have lot of veggie options as well as their chicken empanadas are famous. The coolest thing about this shop is, they have a guy who sells empanadas on the beach. So while you are just chilling at the beach with your drinks, you can grab beachside empanadas. Where else will you find that? We loved having some empanadas by the beach side watching a beautiful sunset.

Roadside Mangoes:

Do not miss this. These mangoes were delicious. You will find these food stalls on the island, where they serve you some fresh cut mangoes with their spicy sea salt. I miss them already.

Marquesitas:

This is a mexican dessert. Looks like a crepe but has much thinner consistency and is crispy. All over the main square, there are food stalls, that serve these. I loved the one with Nutella.

Stay:

Palapas Del Sol:

Hands down one of the best places I have stayed at. This colorful property is right by the beach and the resort has everything from day beads by the beach, friendly staff,  good food, to really pretty suites. It is away from the main center but not too far. I loved this because you can get away from the crowds and still enjoy the beach. We had a romantic dinner at the beach for our anniversary and it was beautiful.  Also, breakfast was included and their veggie omelette was really good. I have a full video of this hotel on my instagram under the Mexico highlights.

Paraiso Del Mar:

This hotel was next to Palamar del Sol and looked amazing as well. They had beach side day beds, a bar and dining options available too.

Casa Las Tortugas:

With a full-service spa and a yoga center, this family-run beach hotel is definitely one of the nicest hotels on the island too. The hotel had it own private beach which was really pretty. The bohemian decor of this place was breathtaking.

Hotel Mawimbi:

This hotel has a lush green vibe to it, with colorful decor. It was closer to the main square and had luxury touches to it.

Rent an Airbnb:

If you are staying in Holbox for a longer period of time you can also rent an apartment. The price will depend on what part of the island you rent an airbnb. I would highly recommended renting one closer to the beach or the main square.

Holbox was one of the best places I have visited. I will definitely go there again and you should not miss it too. Honestly though, I do not want this place to become as famous as Tulum because I feel like it will ruin the untouched and raw feel of this place.

My tips if you are planning to visit Holbox:

Take a lot of cash. Very few places accept credit cards. So make sure you take lot of cash with you, especially pesos, because paying in pesos will be cheaper. Also all the places will have a $ sign, don’t freak out because they mean Mexican Pesos , not US dollars.

Tip for Shopping– you will find this bohemian decor everywhere, so if you are planning on doing some shopping yourself, which I recommend you do (lol), then try to negotiate. My suggestion is, there are some roadside shops that are on the way from Cancun to Holbox, more towards Holbox before you take the ferry, shop at these shops rather than the main island.

Rent a bike for a few hours then hop on to Golf carts, if you don’t want to burn in the heat: Holbox is pretty hot. The sun is harsher here and Isla Holbox doesn’t have a ton of shade, so you will actually love Golf carts during the afternoon time. We rented bikes for few hours in the morning and then switched to Golf Carts. The UV index is pretty high, so wear your sunscreen and visit in January if possible.

Download the Google Translate app if you do not know Spanish: Holbox, unlike Cancun, does not have many English speaking people, so the Google translate app will come in pretty handy. It was super helpful while ordering food and negotiating the prices with the shopkeepers. Also download the offline map because there is no internet as I mentioned earlier.

Bring a Copy of your passport with you: I am saying this because we were stopped by some of the Mexican cops on our way to Holbox and they asked us for our passports. If you have a copy of your passport, it will be much safer for you since you won’t be stressed about losing your passport to the cops. Also, the roads from Cancun to Holbox has tolls so keep some cash handy.

You can also visit my Instagram page for all the pictures from my amazing trip to Holbox. I cannot recommended this island enough and if you decid to visit it one day or have been to this hidden gem of a place before let me know in the comments below.