Merits, Holbox/Isla Mujeres On Isla Mujeres, there is a real town going back many decades. (One man I met there said his ancestors came to Isla, fleeing the Mayan revolt.) So that place's got history, and you can see the occasional wooden house dating back at least to the first half of the last century. Holbox sounds like it may have no history at all, not even a village of any consequence. Yet, Holbox sounds like it has its attractions, too, and many, like Cancuncanuck, sing its praises. What could we expect a few days there to be like? Isla has lots of restaurants started by newcomers, with a wide range of cuisines: is Holbox more rustic, and that's the appeal? Or, is it similarly developed, just not as old? ____________________ TraceyUK wrote, speaking of Holbox: We've noticed the same thing, here, in Cancun. Those good prices, last year, may have had a lot to do with the flu epidemic, and people may be now trying to make up for lost revenue. I was glad to be here, and able to take advantage of the low prices, last year, though I know many suffered as a result of the flu scare. (Fortunately, our wedding guests were undeterred, and had a great time celebrating with us on May 15, last year! Not a single one canceled, as a result of swine flu worries.) Cancuncanuck wrote: So funny, CC, I looked up "Gravol", expecting a whale shark tour operator, only to find it was a seasickness remedy! T.J. wrote: I don't have the required protective lenses for that end of the spectrum, T.J.! We'll stick to the other, unless they give an INAPAM discount of about 70%, at Paraiso del Mar.... ____________________
Holbox does have a long history, here's a pretty nice summary in English.... Holbox History The appeal (for me) is the relatively untouched feeling on the island. The beach is unbelievable, the sunsets amazing, the bird watching is great and it is really tranquil. No big resorts, no condos, no new home development. There is a small "village" center (reminds me a little bit of the square in Puerto Morelos but a bit less touristy). We stayed at Villa Delfines and it was lovely, but with our budget we'll be doing the camping thing next time.
Holbox now has an ATM ! Progress - Im not so sure.! It also now has a swanky all inclusive hotel- Las Nubes. The north island which is uninhabited has been sold for development- so get there before all those large hotels and new marinas are built.
Isla Holbox is tiny, compared to Isla Mujeres. However, there is a lot of talk about Coca Cola Mexico, or a group of investors affiliated with Coke, having bought up lots of land on the mainland and on the undeveloped part of Isla Holbox. Among the rumored investors is former Pres Fox, who is also the former Pres of Coke's Latin America division. Only a small part of Holbox has any development at all, that being the SW end. The island is actually two islands, the NE / E part being the largest part and is supposedly where the big money boys and girls are land banking. I remember an article in the travel section of the Orlando Sentinel nearly 20 years ago. The writer described its remoteness and the difficulty of driving there after getting off the main road. V, I would think that 3-4 nights max would be my limit, unless you just want to get away from it all for longer. There are a few small, but nice places to eat. The "town square" underwent a major improvement, major by Holbox standards anyway, and it is quite nice. The main industry remains fishing and the fisherman get together, courtesy of the Ejido, I am told, annually to thank them. Music, food and drink are plentiful. I had the pleasure of being there once for that event. What a party.
Captain Tony posted on the Isla Mujeres board yesterday... "We went today to whale sharks. we found the big group. now is time to go. was great day and lots of fun..whale sharks back home again and waiting for the big buffet from the fish eggs . no one place compare to here in the blue water swimming around with hundreds whales sharks . this is worth and unique in all world.. comes to isla mujeres mexico, and having this great adventure experience."
I talked with Tony yesterday and he says they are still in the area about 9 miles from Isla so we may try to go this weekend and see them for the first time Thanks everybody for sharing your thoughts on this; and we've still got Holbox to look forward to another time! Anybody got any whale shark tales to tell this year?
I've been to Holbox twice and it's one of my favorite places on earth. I can't wait to go back and do the Whale Shark tour. I like TJ, stayed in Casa Las Tortugas, i found it nice though but very quiet. There are rumours that they have mad parties on the island every weekend, i could swear i heard what sounded like a rave coming from the other side of the Island but i thought it must of been a mis-spent youth playing tricks on my mind. The food at the Pizza place was very average, however they did have a Argentinian restaurant that did superb steak and sausage but it moved to a different position when we went back and prices had seemed to have doubled and they weren't cheap originally, so we avoided it when we went back but if you can afford it, well worth trying, if it's the same owner that is. There is an american guy that lives on the beach that does whale shark tours, he can also let you have cash if there is still no ATM or it's not working but he charges a fee and gives you a criminal exchange rate, still it's gotta be worth his efforts i suppose. We almost got stuck with no money but we found out that the post office can let you withdraw cash, it's on the corner of the square. I've heard the whale shark tours are fantastic, i've really been waiting for someone brave enough to do it with me, can't really go with the wife and kids so if anyone needs company on their trip, let me know and maybe we can go together. Also, for anyone with little money, there was a fairly decent place with just basic rooms, two beds, air con and a tv for like 300 pesos a night, was comfortable enough and had hot water. One bit of advice is to be careful when buying stuff in the shops, i watched a local buy a bottle of water, for them it was 8 pesos, for me, it was 15, suffice to say i went to another shop! It really gets on my nerves when they think a tourist should pay more for food and drink, I get it with the tours and hotels, completely do but for everyday items, it's just taking liberties.
