The Best of Holbox Island: A Five-Day Experience

For your first full day, I recommend grabbing a delicious breakfast at either Tierrasal or Complemento Cafe (the egg dishes were great) in the center, then heading to Playa Grande for a chill beach day.

The town/beaches are split into two sides: left of pier and right. I recommend heading right, which takes you to Playa Grande, the bigger, wider (and, depending on time of year, less seaweed-filled) beach. Most hotels along this strip won’t let you use their chairs; however, about halfway down, I parked myself at the best beach club in Holbox, Playa de Ñaña. The food is AMAZING here, as are the drinks. I recommend the octopus ceviche. The chair requirement is 600 pesos, which is easy to do for lunch. Don’t forget to grab a photo in their famous mirror!

After you catch the sunset from the pier (highly recommended) pop into town for dinner. Aluxes and Basico are right in the center and have great food and require no reservations.

Depending on your activity level (mine is high), I recommend booking an activity in the mid-morning for your second day, so you can spend the afternoon relaxing. Los Potrillos Stables are just a few minutes from the center of town, and Victor offers three small group horseback rides per day. I opted for the morning, a 9 am start, which was perfect because I wasn’t too hot. The ride was about an hour and a half through the sandy backroads, into the mangroves and along the coast. The tide will dictate how long you explore the beach. This was such a great experience — the horses were smaller, a bit older and very mellow. Groups max out at three people.

After my ride, I grabbed a later breakfast at Fuego (a must is the smoked salmon Benny), located at the AWA Boutique Hotel (where I also stayed), and grabbed my beach bag to head to Playa Punta Cocos. This is one of the farthest points of the island and where the evening bioluminescence takes place. There are three beach bars on the point, but the cutest vibes were at Holbox Mágico — pink day beds, pink hammocks and bar swings. The sun sets over this area, so be sure to hang out if you can.

If you are looking for a top-notch dinner on your way back to town, Santos Fuegos was great. Argentian-owned, boasting a casual environment, their menu changes every day and reservations are a MUST.

On your third day, I would recommend booking either the three-island tour or a kayak through the mangroves. I opted for a morning kayak tour (the sunset can be good, too, but the wind will pick up in to afternoon) because the three-island tour honestly sounded a bit dull for my adventure-seeking soul. Besides, what could be better than starting your day off looking for crocodiles?

For either tour, I would highly recommend using Azul Tourquesa Holbox, as they are one of the highest rated — cross your fingers and hope you get Carlos as guide. The start time is early, but the 3-3.5-hour kayak is worth it. You start closer to the Las Nubes hotel, which is the other furthest point on the opposite side of the island, but are transported to and from the center of town. From there, you paddle along the sandbar toward Punta Mosquito and the river mouth. It is a 30-minute paddle to the start of the river and from there, it depends on your group (no more than 10 people, two people per kayak). Throughout the entire experience, your guide, who is a certified naturist and birder, will point out all the species of wildlife you encounter. If you are lucky, you will spot crocodiles on the shore edges or in the water swimming. The experience was amazing! The kayaks were heavy-duty ocean kayaks — very sturdy, well maintained and easy to navigate.

The tour ended at 10:30, which was a perfect time to grab a light breakfast. Painapol is known for their smoothie bowls and healthy menu. They only take cash (one of the few on the island) and the lines can be long at times.

For the remaining part of the day, I recommend soaking in some sun, hanging at the beach, maybe grabbing lunch at Temoc y Mezcal (octopus, shrimp and al pastor were my faves) and relaxing. If you are looking to get a good massage, Maya Spa Holbox was very reasonable ($70 for an hour).

After sunset, a highly recommended dinner option is Luuma. Serving as the restaurant for Casa Las Tortugas, reservations are not taken and it will fill up very quickly. The menu is small bites, wine and craft cocktails. I opted for octopus and sausage Valladolid, lamb terrine and beef cheek tapas. The shrimp crackling was also recommended.

After two mornings of activities, perhaps you take a slower start. Breakfast at the hotel or at the highly rated vegan/vegetarian restaurant Arte Santo would be my choice. The egg omelet was very large and one of my favorites on the island.

Depending on the tide situation, perhaps you take a post-breakfast walk to the sandbar close to Punta Mosquito. When the tide is low, you can walk all the way to the No Passing sign (which starts the wildlife preserve). Bring water, a towel and a book and chill for an hour or two. The walk from town is about 45 minutes to an hour.

For dinner, I would recommend either Barba Negra or Maiztro. Maiztro is known for their birria tacos (I had four!). Barba Negra has amazing cocktails, which is the reason I chose it at first. I had a Blackalita (mezcal margie with activated charcoal) and The House (similar to a mezcal paloma, but with bitters and liquid smoke). Their house special taco was soooo fabulous, which is why it’s a highly recommend stop. Both open at 4 pm.

If you plan to see the bioluminescence, you will want to schedule it close to a new moon so the sky is dark. The start times will vary depending on if you are taking a kayak (to Punta Mosquito, 8 pm) or transport to Punta Cocos, where you can swim in it (9:30 pm). The experience will vary and depend on if you prefer more activity and a longer session. I would recommend the kayak, as you paddle 30 minutes close to the sandbar. For Punta Cocos, you will just be swimming around it for about 30 minutes. Keep in mind, the best time to see the bioluminescence in full is the summer (May-September).

On your final full day, you may opt for a longer boat trip. Of course, any of these days can be moved to accommodate weather and wind, which is why my boat trip was pushed to the last day.

Depending of the time of year you go, you may have the option to book a whale shark trip with a stop at Cabo Catoche. Traveling in February, there is not really an option to snorkel (we didn’t even try), but depending on visibility, your boat may stop after lunch near Cabo Catoche.

The first part of the trip you spend fishing with a yo-yo, which was very cool to watch. We fished for about an hour or two, enough time to catch grouper and snapper to make the ceviche lunch at Cabo Catoche. Cabo Catoche is the point where the Gulf of Mexico meets with the Caribbean Sea. It is also the place where Spanish explorers first made landfall and contact with the Mayans in the 16th century. One family runs the restaurant/bar and the beach is pristine. If you are lucky, on the way back you will spot dolphins feeding.

We arrived back to town around 2 pm, with enough time for a quick snack (the tuna stack) and a happy hour hibiscus margarita at Fuego (my hotel restaurant). I highly recommend taking the time to head to Parador 33 for an upscale dinner. They are located close to Ñaña Beach Club and reservations are recommended. The food and wine were fabulous, as was the service. The restaurant blends an Argentian steakhouse with Italian food. I ordered the entraña, but the filet was also on my list. Be sure to let Rodrigo know I sent you!