Beautiful sunsets, vast white sands and chill vibes.
Isla Holbox is a small, Caribbean paradise in Yucatan, a few hours’ drive from Cancun.
In this blog, you will read everything you need to know about Holbox: transportation to and on the island, money, internet and length of stay.
Transportation
Transportation to Isla Holbox
Are you travelling via public transit?
Several buses are going to Chiquila. From Chiquila, take the ferry to Holbox. You can check the times of the ADO bus online, for the other bus companies you have to go to the ADO bus station and ask for the times.
We took the Oriente bus including ferry tickets from Cancun, which was much cheaper than buying the bus and ferry tickets separately. The Oriente bus is slightly slower than ADO, but in our opinion, this bus had much more flair because locals also take this bus. In addition, these run more frequently, so there is more flexibility. These “second class” buses have air conditioning, and are comfortable and safe.
If you rent a car, just drive to Chiquila where you park your car, and take the ferry to Holbox.
Once you arrive in Chiquila you can take the ferry, there are two companies with separate tickets.
When you get there, it all speaks for itself, one company you see on the left side, the other on the right, you can’t miss it. A boat leaves every half hour, you can check the times on the Holboxena website.
On the island: golf cart or bicycle?
There is no mass tourism on this island yet, but it won’t be long before it changes.
Although there are few cars on the islet, it is full of diesel golf carts, which are used not only by locals but also by many tourists.
Help preserve nature on the island by not renting a golf cart, but take a bike!
Renting a bike is not only better for your wallet, but also for the environment and besides, you’ll burn some of those delicious tacos 😉
The island is quite small, so great to do by bike. The choice is yours!
Travelling from Isla Holbox by bus
From Chiquila, you can easily travel by bus to Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Merida, Valladolid and Tizimin.
Bus schedules including ferry can be consulted at Holboxeno’s website.
The ferry takes 15 minutes according to the Mexicans, but it’s more like a half hour😉
Generally, the buses wait until the ferry arrives.
We took the 5 AM (first) ferry to travel on to Valladolid, we thought we would miss the bus, but fortunately, it kept waiting nicely until everyone was there.
How many days to stay on Isla Holbox?
We recommend staying at least 3 days on Isla Holbox. Holbox is a perfect start or end to your holiday, as you can unwind here.
Do you want to spend whole days on the beach? Then 3 days is enough.
But the island offers much more than that, as you can read in our must-do’s in Isla Holbox!
We stayed a total of 3 nights on Isla Holbox. If we hadn’t booked the rest of our trip in advance, we definitely would have booked 2 more nights. We loved the laid-back atmosphere, so we could have stayed there a few more days.
Hotels on Isla Holbox
The prices of the hotels are higher than on the mainland. We recommend you to book a hotel in the centre because only there is something to do in the evening.
You can also book a hotel near Punta Mosquito for an idyllic view, but keep in mind that it is still quite a distance to the centre.
We have had very good experiences with La Chaya Holbox.
This is a good, basic hotel with friendly staff, just 100 meters from the beach. Perfectly in the centre – but without noise pollution, a lovely roof with hammocks and sea views (see photo).
Another hotel we recommend is Hotel Arena. Located on the central square, this hotel offers a lovely rooftop terrace with a round pool and in the evening you can enjoy great music and drinks (see video below).
No internet on Holbox?
When we came to this little island, we were warned that there is little coverage and internet. That’s true unless you have a mobile data card from Telcel. Telcel is the only network provider that covers all of Yucatan, with Isla Holbox included.
The hotels’ Wi-Fi barely worked, but thanks to mobile data, we were still able to post our beautiful photos on Instagram. Oh, by the way, did you know that in Mexico you enjoy unlimited social media use?
We bought a Telcel SIM card in a supermarket in Cancun. For converted €15 we got 3 GB, which therefore includes unlimited social media use. Although I’m not normally online much on vacations, it was still nice to look up information during the bus rides and not have to waste time looking for good wifi.
Do you have a place with good Wi-Fi? Then it’s immediately the time to back up your photos to the cloud 😉
Money
Forget the stories about only 1 ATM on Holbox, there are many more.
Still, we do recommend that you bring some cash with you from the mainland. After all, you never know if there will be a power outage, something we did not experience, but would occasionally happen.
On the island itself, cash is mainly used. For example, we received a 5% discount at the hotel if the amount was paid in cash. At the larger restaurants, however, you can pay by (credit) card.
Do you want to save money on international bank transfers? 👉 Read our article about Wise and Revolut!
Is Isla Holbox expensive?
Holbox is more expensive than other places in Mexico. That’s is normal for an island; it takes much more effort to get all the products on the island.
Therefore, make sure you bring all essential products such as (organic) sunscreen, DEET and medicines. Bring also some ‘after-bite’ with you because we paid almost €15 for this on the island. And believe me, you need ‘after-bite’ on this island!
You can eat and drink as expensive as you want. There are lots of hip, fancy restaurants and beach bars, but if you want to have a nice local meal, they are only a few pesos away.
Isla Holbox Tip
Breakfast is best enjoyed at La Tortilleria Española, where you can get a delicious Mexican breakfast with unlimited tortillas (see photo).
How big is Holbox?
The island of Holbox is 42 kilometers long and 1.5 kilometers wide.
Only 10% of the island is inhabited, and much of it you cannot visit either because it is protected. Because nature on the island is well protected, and vehicles are also prohibited, you will find a very rich flora and fauna.
Watch the video!
That’s it, our tips before you head to Isla Holbox! Looking for must-dos on Holbox? We wrote a blog about that, too.
Be sure to watch our video about Isla Holbox for an impression of this amazing paradise in Yucatan, Mexico!
Do you have any other questions? Let us know in the comments!
