Thursday, March 30, 2023
HomeUK Travel5 of the Greatest Seashores in Isla Holbox, Mexico

5 of the Greatest Seashores in Isla Holbox, Mexico


Some posts on this web site comprise affiliate hyperlinks. When you guide or purchase one thing by way of these hyperlinks, I earn a small fee (at no further price to you). Check out my privateness coverage for extra data.

Pelicans on a wooden structure off the shore of Yum Balam nature reserve with clear turquoise water and a blue sky full of fluffy white clouds. best beaches in Isla Holbox Mexico.

White sand, swaying palm timber and turquoise seas… these are the very best seashores in Isla Holbox…

This attractive little island is one among my favorite locations in Mexico. I really like its laidback vibes, sandy streets, vibrant murals, unimaginable nature and – above all – its stunning seashores.

All of them boast calm, shallow seas and powdery white sand backed by tropical greenery. There’s additionally an abundance of birdlife, together with pelicans and frigates, and you’ll typically see fish swimming within the crystal-clear waters.

And no matter sort of seaside day you’re in search of, there’s a seaside to go well with each vibe! If you would like catering and solar loungers, you could find the whole lot from luxurious seaside golf equipment to informal, toes-in-the-sand seaside bars alongside the island’s bigger seashores.

Relatively take pleasure in a bit of extra wilderness – or also have a seaside all to your self? Holbox has that, too!

Over a number of completely different visits to Holbox, I’ve gotten to know the island fairly effectively. I’ve visited each seaside, tried out a bunch of the bunch golf equipment, and located among the finest sundown spots on the island.

On this fast information, I’ve damaged down the 5 major seaside choices in Isla Holbox that will help you discover your good little slice of sandy paradise. Take pleasure in…

Map of the Greatest Seashores in Isla Holbox

5 Greatest Seashores in Holbox

1. Playa Holbox – the Primary Seaside

Professionals: Closest to city, a lot of bars, eating places and seaside golf equipment.
Cons: Could be vulnerable to extra seaweed, normally busier and noisier than different seashores, not a lot shade until you pay for it!

sun longers and thatched-roof palapas style wooden umbrellas on a white sandy beach in holbox with palm trees and tropical foliage behind on a bright sunny day with vivid blue sky
Palapas at a lodge on the primary seaside

The primary seaside in Holbox is discovered proper in entrance of the city, so it’s the preferred and the simplest to get to.

It’s additionally BEAUTIFUL: assume white sand and clear, shallow water that’s good for swimming. There are tons of facilities right here: with an important mixture of eating places, bars, and seaside golf equipment on the sand to go well with all tastes and budgets. You may also lease kayaks and paddleboards from a couple of locations alongside the seaside, or get a seaside therapeutic massage for the final word rest!

In between all of the beachfront motels and seaside golf equipment, there’s loads of empty white sand so that you can calm down on.

If you would like the shade of an umbrella or palapa, otherwise you favor to laze on a solar lounger, you possibly can head to a seaside membership. To make use of the beds, you normally have to fulfill a minimal spend on food and drinks (typically round 500-600MXN pp).

5 of the Best Beaches in Isla Holbox, Mexico
The BarBarossa seaside membership is one among my favourites!

When the wind is blowing from the northeast, Holbox major seaside can really feel a bit of windswept. Fortunately, the waves hardly ever get very massive. After storms or heavy wind, the seaweed could be a little worse on this stretch of seaside. Lots of the luxurious motels take pains to clear it from their seaside membership areas!

Getting there: merely stroll two blocks up from the primary sq. in Holbox city centre (head up Calle TiburĂłn Ballena or Calle Palomino).

2. Playa Mosquito (the Holbox Sandbar)

Professionals: Idyllic white sand, sheltered lagoon to swim in, distant feeling.
Cons: No shade or services.

a sandbank made of bright white sand with water on both sides on a very sunny day with clear blue sky overhead. there are a few people walking on the sandbar in the distance. best beaches in holbox mexico.
Stroll alongside the Sandbar to achieve Playa Mosquito

Ranging from the jap finish of the primary Holbox seaside, an enormous sandbar runs all the way in which to Punta Mosquito on the island’s northernmost tip. Even when the tide is masking it, the water is normally not more than knee deep, so you possibly can stroll alongside the sandbar out into the ocean.

You possibly can’t stroll all the way in which alongside the Holbox Sandbar, as a result of Punta Mosquito falls inside a protected nature reserve. On the level marked on Google Maps as “Playa Mosquito” there’s a small rope fence and an indication warning guests to not go any additional.

large empty expanse of white sand marked with ridges made by water with people in the distance along the waters edge on a very sunny day with clear blue sky overhead and a very thin strip of turquiose sea visible on the horizon
Playa Mosquito – positively probably the greatest seashores in Holbox!

The spot simply earlier than this roped-off part is probably essentially the most distinctive seaside in Holbox. Loosen up on the pristine white sand, watch the birds that decision the reserve residence, and swim in essentially the most impossibly clear waters you possibly can think about!

In between the sandbar and Holbox island itself, there’s a type of lagoon, which has very calm, shallow waters (waist-deep at most). Final time I used to be there, I noticed some child manta rays swimming within the shallows!

Getting there: the sandbar begins veering off from the primary seaside round Lodge Villas Flamingo. Merely stroll alongside it till you possibly can go no additional!

3. Yum Balam Nature Reserve (going through the sandbar)

Professionals: Can typically get a tiny seaside to your self, shade from timber and bushes, a lot of wildlife, sheltered lagoon to swim in.
Cons: No services, fairly removed from the city.

two small trees framing a very small empty patch of white sandy beach with turquoise water behind and a white sandbank on the far side of the lagoon in Yum Balam Nature Reserve in Holbox
You possibly can normally discover a tiny seaside all to your self in Yum Balam

On the far finish of Holbox Seaside, simply previous the final lodge, is the doorway to a part of the Yum Balam Nature Reserve. This huge nature reserve truly contains most of Isla Holbox and a part of the mainland. However the part alongside the coast going through the sandbar is residence to among the extra distant seashores in Holbox.

If you would like a seaside to your self, that is the place to come back! Wandering northeast from the tip of the primary seaside will take you into the reserve. Right here, you’ll discover a number of small pockets of sand backed by tangled bushes and timber – supplying a bit of shade and a great spot to hold your towel!

You possibly can solely stroll about 1km into the reserve: no additional than the place the river meets the ocean reverse Playa Mosquito. I’m advised crocodiles are typically seen on this river, so don’t try to cross it!

a sign for yum balam nature reserve in front of dense green bushes with a wooden fence on the left and a sandy path leading away into the reserve.
Entry to Yum Balam Nature Reserve

Getting there: take a taxi (100MXN every means) or stroll (30 minutes from city) to the doorway of the reserve. The doorway is discovered on the finish of the sandy seaside highway, simply previous Lodge Las Nubes. Observe the trail into the reserve and alongside the seaside till you discover a spot you want.

4. Seashores West of Holbox City

Professionals: Shade from timber in some spots, sheltered swimming, some seaside golf equipment and eating places.
Cons: Restricted to the gaps between lodge seaside golf equipment, not as a lot shade (until you pay for a mattress and umbrella).

curved white sandy beach with shallow clear sea water on a very sunny day with blue sky and a ruined concrete building right on the waters edge painted with a brightly coloured mural of an orange octopus against a green background with the word Holbox printed at the top
This spot is simply in entrance of La Puerta Azul lodge

The primary strip of seaside in Holbox appears to run east from the city. Nevertheless, in case you head west as a substitute, there’s nonetheless loads of seaside to take pleasure in!

The seashores right here are typically a bit of quieter than the “major” seaside. There are fewer motels and seaside golf equipment, so you possibly can simply discover a patch in between – though there’s not at all times shade. The part between Lodge Puerto and Mystique is a pleasant spot, with shade from the bushes within the morning.

A number of motels have constructed banks of sandbags to create sheltered swimming coves, the place you possibly can take pleasure in shallow, protected water – ideally suited for households with younger kids.

The additional you go, the quieter the seashores get. If you would like a secluded swimming spot, head in direction of Casa Blanca. The seashores between there and Punta Cocos get only a few guests.

Getting there: merely head to the primary seaside and switch left as a substitute of proper!

5. Punta Cocos

Professionals: Distant feeling with a number of secluded spots, a lot quieter, a lot of nature, shade from timber and bushes.
Cons: Removed from the primary city, solely two seaside golf equipment so meals/sunbeds and so forth are typically dearer.

curved white sandy beach next to shallow clear sea with one bright blue towel on the sand and a wooden jetty leading out into the sea with a small wooden teatched roof hut on the end - punta cocos is one of the best beaches in holbox
The primary a part of the seaside at Punta Cocos

Punta Cocos might be my private favorite seaside on Isla Holbox. It’s in regards to the furthest level you may get from city and feels deliciously quiet and distant.

With loads of shade from timber and bushes, that is the perfect spot for somebody who burns as simply as I do! And because the seaside faces west, it’s additionally probably the greatest sundown spots on Holbox.

There’s one lodge – Margaritaville St Someplace – and one seaside membership, the Holbox Magico, which has shiny pink hammocks and cute boho vibes. However I favor to skip each of those and stroll proper alongside the seaside to the furthest level you possibly can go. Right here, you’ll attain a thin strip of sand with a lagoon on one facet and the ocean on the opposite.

tiny beach with a few green trees on the end of a strip of land viewed from the water with the sea on one side and the blue water of a lagoon on the other and shallow clear sea in front on a very sunny day with blue sky overhead and a few fluffy clouds.
Stroll to the tip of the land at Punta Cocos to search out this spot

Punta Cocos is a part of the native nature reserve. Ensure you respect any roped-off areas as these are important breeding/hatching spots for birds and turtles!

TOP TIPS: carry loads of water and snacks (or cash for the seaside membership. Insect repellent can be very important, particularly across the lagoon. And don’t overlook your suncream!

Getting there: you possibly can take a taxi (round 100MXN) from city, trip a motorbike alongside the sandy roads, or stroll. If strolling, you possibly can observe the highway, however I believe it’s nicer to stroll alongside the seaside from Holbox Tow. Merely head west and observe the coast all the way in which round previous Margaritaville (the final lodge) and down in direction of the lagoon.

Does Holbox Have Sargassum or Seaweed?

Lately, Cancun and the Riviera Maya have been having a problem with excessive ranges of sargassum (a sort of seaweed) washing up on seashores. The place it builds up in piles and dries out, it could possibly create a little bit of a stink and break the idyllic white-sand vibes.

Normally, northwest-facing Holbox is spared this phenomenon – besides after significantly dangerous storms. There’s, nonetheless, an excessive amount of seagrass. It’s an essential habitat and meals supply for the wildlife that makes this island such a particular place.

a wide shot of a beach with white sand and turquoise water on a very sunny day with clear blue sky. there is one small boat in the water and a thick patch of red-brown seaweed washed up on the beach
Seaweed on the primary seaside after dangerous climate in January 2023

After heavy wind and rain, although, it could possibly wash up onshore in massive quantities and the buildup tends to odor because it dries out. It’s not an excessive amount of of a hassle, although, and positively not as dangerous as {the summertime} sargassum will be alongside the jap coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Greatest Holbox Seashores for Sundown

sunset over the sea and reflected in shallow puddles on the beach in Holbox with a rocky seabreaker in silhouette in the background and a bird flying in front of the sunset
  • Holbox Pier on the primary seaside (close to the colorful Holbox letters) – that is the island’s hottest sundown spot.
  • In entrance of El Chiringuito Bar Zomay (or the bar itself).
  • Punta Cocos – west-facing Punta Cocos is a beautiful sundown spot. The wood pier in silhouette towards the setting solar makes for good photographs.

Extra on Holbox

I hope you discovered this information to the very best seashores in Isla Holbox useful. Let me know which one is your favorite within the feedback beneath!

19 Issues to do in Holbox

Isla Holbox Price range Journey Information

Pinterest image with a beach and palm trees at sunset and the text: 5 beaches to visit in Holbox
RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular

Recent Comments