This year, Jorge and I have made a list of all the places in the state of Quintana Roo that we’d like to visit. We’ve already crossed many places off our list, although it’s not doing us much good since the list seems to grow every week!
Still, this weekend we were happy to go to the island of Holbox (pronounced “Hole-Bosh”), something we’ve tried to do unsuccessfully for a few years now.
Since we have no car, we had to plan around public transportation, which is very reliable but didn’t present us with many options for time. Here’s a rundown of how we got to Holbox:
- 8 am Saturday: Took Mayab bus to Chiquila from the downtown Cancun bus station (cost: $85 pesos per person)
- 3 hour bus ride, with stops in several small villages along the way
- Arrival in Chiquila just in time to catch the ferry
- 11 am: ferry to Holbox island (cost: $80 pesos per person, time: 30 minutes)
- Note: most of the day, there are ferries leaving every hour or every 2 hours
- Golf cart taxi from the marina to our hotel (cost: $30 pesos)
The island was absolutely stunning. The downtown area is quite small, with lots of restaurants, colorful shops, and sand streets. You won’t see any cars on Holbox! Only bikes, mopeds and golf carts.
We fell in love with the island and the hotel, although we were a bit disappointed in the water. The sand was white and powder-soft and the water in the distance was clear, bright turquoise… but right on the shoreline, there was either thick mud or brownish-green water with lots of sargasso. It was beautiful, but I guess we’re spoiled after spending so much time on beaches in Cancun and on Isla Mujeres. We’re very picky!
**Note: My friend Kelly tells me that the water is much clearer other times of year. Good to know 🙂
We came back only 24 hours later, around noon on Sunday, to catch the last bus back to Cancun. Here’s how we did it:
- 12:40 pm: golf cart taxi picked us up at our hotel and took us to the Holbox marina (cost: $30 pesos)
- 1 pm: ferry back to Chiquila
- In Chiquila, there was a 1:45 bus that took the 3-hour route back to Cancun (cost: $85 pesos). There was also a bus at 2 pm that took a more direct route with no stops and took 2 hours (cost: $115 pesos). We opted for the 2 pm bus.
- We would have loved to stay longer, but the 2 pm bus was the last one back to Cancun for the entire day. Travelers taking a car can leave much later, or you can take a taxi back for $70 US dollars.
- 4 pm: back in Cancun
Even though we only had 24 hours on Holbox, we felt like it was just enough time to relax, unwind, explore the island and enjoy some amazing food.
Tomorrow I’ll do a separate post on our hotel, because it was AMAZING!
Gringation's Blog 
Looks beautiful! Holy crap on the quick trip though!
I love all the beautiful flowers you have down in Mexico – so jealous!
Those are “bugambilias” (bougainvilleas in English, I think), and they’re my favorite flower! The brighter pink, the better.
Sounds like you had a lovely time even if it was only for 24 hours.
Oh that looks lovely! I’ve always wondered about that little island. I did read something once about how timing is everything, especially with mosquitos!
I was able to comment!!
A friend told me there were mosquitos and the hotel provided us with their own repellant, but I only got bit once! I think that also depends on the time of year.
Yay commenting!
I’ve heard it’s a lovely place and have wanted to go there, but time passes so fast when in Cancun. You remember my friend Benito .. well .. he bought a piece of land near Holbox. Someday he plans to build .. If he ever gets enough money (ha).
Oh wow- it’s gorgeous! Too bad you have to make your way through mud to get to the water, though. And that lobster pizza? Um, have I died and gone to heaven?
Woww, that looks gorgeous! Love the brightly colored buildings and how white the sand is. I just found your blog and I’m really enjoying it!
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