Isla Holbox Travel Forum

My husband and I are planning a trip to Isla Holbox in January 2007. Where is the nicest place to stay? Villa Delfines, Villas Paraiso Del Mar, Xaloc, Casa Sandra?? I've seen some bad reviews for Faro Viejo. Any information would be appreciated. Also - how long/bad is the drive from Cancun? How about fishing - how much does it run?

I've been to Holbox 3 times. I'm leaving tomorrow for my 4th!!! So excited!!! :-)

I suggest staying at the Mawimbi. The atmosphere is wonderful. At this time of year, it's $50 per night.

All of the lodging on the beach is nice though. Just depends on how much you want to pay and how much pampering you require.

The drive from Cancun is 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Driving conditions depend on the road (can't recall the name). Sometimes parts of it are so full of potholes you have to drive very slowly. Last time I went (Feb. 2005) it was fine. Either way, no big deal. What are a few potholes when the end result is paradise? :-)

Can't help you with fishing. I'm a vegetarian and don't partake of those activities.

Mawimbi! Beautiful, peaceful, fabulous!

I just returned from Holbox and it's beautiful there. This was the first time though that I had a problem with accommodations and actually had to move half way through my 2 week stay. Although Villas Delfines is exotic and lovely it unfortunately is being managed (since hurricane Wilma) by a demented German chef and his equally demented wife. It's very easy to get on this man's bad side - all you have to do is ask for even a small favour (like a bottle of water when the restaurant door is locked) and you risk a tirade. He actually said to me "you Americans are all alike - you have so much attitude you act like you own the place". As it happens, I'm Canadian but that's just semantics. This is no small matter since the restaurant is often closed and there is at this time nothing else around Delfines due to Wilma. I moved to Hotel Esmeralda which is now the last resort on the beach and it was wonderful with great management who will go out of their way for you. It also cost about a third the money for me since they will give you a half price deal if you show up in person. Paraiso is by far the most gorgeous place - even now while it is still under repair (looks like an April opening). Casa Sandra is run by a young couple - Sven and Sandra - who are friendly and accommodating but stick to their internet pricing even in person. They've got a great Cuban chef though and dinners there are really romantic. I love the way they put candles in white paper bags outside on the beach to light the way - the only other light is from stars and the moon. I enjoyed the Cancun drive even though some of the shortcuts are over what I call 'donkey roads'. It took a little over 2 hours. There's lots of opportunities to go out fishing, snorkelling etc since so many locals work with the tourists. I don't fish but did take a full day trip over to Isla Contoy in the Caribbean since I needed to see the aqua blue and clear water and wanted coral and sealife to snorkel (Holbox water is light jade green with almost no visibility and no coral). That cost $100US per person (3 of us) and was worth every cent to see this beautiful virgin island. It includes a fresh seafood grill on the beach. Another boat trip took me to Ojo de Agua (the Queen's pool) - only $40 and I was solo - they couldn't get me out of this fabulous crystal clear natural mineral water pool with the champagne bubbles. I could go on and on. Enjoy!

Playagirl

One more thing I just thought of - although Villas Paraiso is fabulous and was my first choice to stay at I'm actually glad I wasn't able to stay there (since it's still under repair). When I would walk down the moonlit beach from Hotel Esmeralda to town in the evenings, coming from the darkened Paraiso would be the loudest music - even well after midnight. This music was of the classical and opera variety and quite beautiful but there's no way anyone could sleep with the volume it was being played at. I'm a naturally curious person and made an effort to find out where it originated from so one day when I heard it I walked up to Paraiso to a building located front and center of the resort and looked in the windows. I saw a woman motioning to me and she came down the staircase and opened the door. She was funny and feisty and totally likeable but explained that she was there first and Paraiso literally built their resort around her large casa. She likes to fall asleep with her music playing and she's not changing her living habits and that's that. I don't blame her. The way Paraiso surrounds her home, I thought it was part of the resort.

Delfines has negative dramatically changed since the German Manager are out there. We send friends from us there (we self was two times in Delfines) and they was just disappoint and moved after 4 days out. The new Manager (Brother of the Owner) is most time drunken, looks steady angry or is in a bad mood, the food is just horrible. The rooms have bright light to read a book in the evening, and the smells sometimes very funny.

If you like a pool and q quiet time, X-chaloc is very good and Paraiso is ok. If you don’t need a pool is Mawimbi the best!

.......not in the same Hotel if you are there Playagirl!!!

You are as a Guest a nightmare for every hotel owner, manager and employees!!
We are a couple from Switzerland and was in the same time there and we all was happy if you left the hotel, or better the German Manager kicked you out of the Hotel!
Not only that you disrespect his order "Cat feeding", you also disrespect us as hotel guests.
Where in the hell you are educated?? How it is possible that you feet the cats with milk in the same bowl where the guests have to eat next day?? Or how is it possible that you destroyed on purpose the lovely decorated breakfast buffet, just to feet the cats??
After you was out of the hotel all the cats was bagging on all the cabins!! This was not the fall before you came in the hotel!!

We sit with the Manager private in the restaurant, if the restaurant was over one hour closed. After you was screaming and yelling, he let you in to give you without any "tirade" and saying one word to you, a bottle water and he also say's nothing if you go on his fridge and take without asking him a cake out and throw them back in the fridge wile you don't like the type of cake.

Please be honest and don't talk *** here. The only one who had an attitude problem was you!!! Not the German Manager!!

Finally you even try to cheat on the hotel, so they have to call the police that you paid your open Hotel, Food, Beverage and even the Phone bill!!

You are more then a cheap person.......

My wife and I were in Hell box over christmas. Awefull. Really really awefull. Stay away from the whole place if you can, seriously. We checked out 3 days early from prepaid non refundable rooms at Parisio del Mar and went to Puerto Adventura. Other guest were checking out early too. Cold food, bad food, irregular hot water, winds so strong you had to evacuate the beach, the overwhellming stench of rotting seaweed and decaying fish on the beach. We used an entire can of OFF bug spray every day!!! We're world travellers...Spain, France, Scotland, Dominican, Jamaica, Curacao, etc....no where has been this crappy. If Santa could have given me anything for christmas it would have been a free trip to anywhere but Hell box. Good luck with the washed out 3 hour ride to Chiquila, oh and if you can't get a bus, we couldn'tm then a taxi will be around 200 to 250 DOLLARS one way from the airport, its only another 80 or so to get back. Bet no mentioned that little gem. Also take hiking boots, the "streets" of Helbox were little more that mucky, sewage smelling puddles. Seriously, Good Luck and God Speed.