Holbox Island, Mexico

Holbox Island is a quiet little touristy island off the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico

HBX Tips:

  • Traveling here is no joke. After arriving at the Cancun airport and fighting through customs and the herds of people trying to get you to take a taxi with them outside you’ll need to take a 2.5-3.5 hour long shuttle, a 30 minute ferry, and then a golf cart taxi to wherever you’re staying. You should also anticipate delays. It makes for quite a long day of travel.

  • Get Pesos ahead of time. The ATM at the Cancun airport and on Holbox were both broken when I visited so I had to pay with a card everywhere which tends to be about 5% more. Use Pesos as much as possible.

  • The island is very laid back—the locals are all very friendly and there are no cars on the island (only golf carts).

  • Holbox is quite pricey all around. It’s an island, so that’s to be expected, but it’s more comparable to a major US city than anywhere in Central America.

  • There are tons of bars, restaurants and shops on the island—bop around and see what sparks your interest! Basically everything we ate on the island was insanely delicious—everything is super fresh and handcrafted.

Adventures & Ales Top Holbox Island Recommendations:

  • Alma: An awesome rooftop bar with a pool, hammocks, food menu and cocktails. Their tower is also the highest point on the island so it has great views of the entire area. Highly recommend!

  • Complemento Café Holbox: This is a fantastic spot for breakfast and coffee. The latte was one of the best I’ve ever had and the breakfast was also superb. On top of all of that their team is super nice too!

  • Bah Bah!: A beautiful spot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Everything here was delicious!

  • Salma: A delicious restaurant with awesomely spooky vibes. Right across from the beach—highly recommend.

  • Crónicas Taproom: A beer bar with full food menu alongside cocktails and wine. They are located right on main square. Upstairs has a nice airy space or downstairs has bar seating.

  • Luuma: A great restaurant a block from the beach. The food and drinks here are super tasty.

  • Alta Gula: A cute and tiny spot for lunch. They have fantastic empanadas and sandwiches. Further inland so the prices are great.

Other Things to Do on Holbox Island:

  • Bikini Bottom: A dive bar on the beach with swing seating. The drinks here are quite cheap and delicious.

  • La Playa de Ñaña: A tiki bar and restaurant on the beach. Super cute spot but definitely a bit pricey.

  • Stay at Ser Casasandra: This is a very nice hotel with an onsite restaurant, private beach, and gorgeous pool. Morning yoga and breakfast is included in your reservation and the team here is very nice. It is definitely on the pricier side, so if that’s not for you there are tons of cute hotels on the island.

    • Mojito Beach Club: Casasandra’s beachside restaurant and bar. They’ve got nice seating options and tasty eats.

  • Clandestino Cafe: A small coffee shop with outdoor seating and breakfast options.

  • Mandarina: A restaurant and bar on the beach owned by the same folks as Luuma. The food here is not quite as good as Luuma and a little pricey, so I’d moreso recommend it for drinks.

  • Carioca’s: Another fun bar/restaurant on the beach. They’ve got a full food menu and swings.

  • La Combi: A fun spot for live music, food, and drinks.

  • Birrateca: Unfortunately they closed early so we weren’t able to try their tacos but we heard amazing things from several friends so I wanted to pass those recommendations along!