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Hello my dreamers, I hope you are well.
Here we are again for a new article about my trip to Mexico in 2018, and more specifically about Isla Holbox.
If you are interested, before this one I wrote other articles which are here:
And here is the summary of this article:
- From Cancún to Isla Holbox
- Arrival and lunch in Isla Holbox
- The beach to go to 😍
- Refugio Animal Holbox
From Cancún to Isla Holbox
From Cancún, we drove for about 2-3 hours towards the port of Chiquilá. When we arrived there, we saw parking lots everywhere with people waving at us. They usually offered to keep the cars for 12 or 24 hours. For 12 hours, we paid 100 pesos (about 5€).
A ferry left every hour on the dot to reach Isla Holbox. There were different kinds of boats for about the same price, but the Holbox Express went a bit faster I think. Our journey took about half an hour. We bought our tickets at the port. A ticket for an adult cost 140 pesos (about 6€ at that time) while it was free for small children.
On the ferry, there are no toilets but there are on the quay and we had to pay 5 pesos for toilet paper provided by the waiter at the counter.
Arrival and lunch in Isla Holbox
In Holbox, I think it’s better to rent a small vehicle, especially if it’s only for a 1-day visit, to get around quickly. To describe it to you a little, I would say that it looks a bit like a 4-seater golf car but off-road. For about 4 hours, we rented one for around 700 pesos (about 35€, a bit expensive). They make a lot of noise, sometimes you have to hang on, but they go fast enough and are all-terrain!
The city center is at the end of the long street in front of the port. I found this island so pretty! It’s really exotic, the streets are colorful and all cute! There are not a lot of souvenir shops like in Isla Mujeres, but rather plenty of nice bars and restaurants. I much preferred Isla Holbox to Isla Mujeres as it is a lovely and charming island.
We had lunch at Las Panchas restaurant where I ordered camarones al mojo de ajo served with rice, vegetables, and some tortillas. It was delicious 🤤 I loved this garlic shrimp dish, it was my favorite during my entire stay!
The beach to go to 😍
Playa Grande is, as its name suggests, a large beach but surrounded by lots of restaurants, which makes it very crowded (not when I took my photos 😅). We preferred to isolate ourselves so we went to the west of the island, where we stopped at Punta Coco. Our vehicle was so helpful to get there because it was quite far and there were many large deep puddles on the road, which our vehicle crossed without difficulty.
When we arrived at Punta Coco, we were on an almost deserted and super calm beach! There were hammocks hanging from branches planted in the sea, deckchairs, and two hanging beds. We didn’t see anyone to rent the hanging bed from so we settled in. Later, a man came to clean the beach, put away the hammocks, and ask us for 100 pesos per hour (a little less than 5€) for the hanging bed. After that, we didn’t see him again. I really liked this beach because the sea was not deep or stormy. It wasn’t the most beautiful beach we went to, but I felt like we were alone on the island. It was absolutely calm, a paradise.
Refugio Animal Holbox
Loving raccoons so much, my sister and I went to see some at a shelter for domestic and wild animals a few blocks from downtown. The young lady who greeted us was super kind. There were mostly dogs but also a few cats and two raccoons! I was so happy to see one in person for the first time and to be able to hold one in my arms! The little orphan a few months old was called Chocolate and was adorable. He was very tactile and very cuddly while we couldn’t approach the big one called Benicio because he apparently had a tendency to bite XD
Of course, donations are welcome 🙏
It is on this cute little note that I leave you 🙂
Did you know Isla Holbox?
Wait for my next stop, Akumal, the turtle beach!
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What do you think ?