Paradise. I could end this blog post there because that's simply what Isla Holbox is. White sands, turquoise waters and coconuts on the beach. The island feels like you just stepped into a TUI catalogue and I had the pleasure of spending four fulls days inside it. Read on to learn all about this charming island where I began my six month backpacking extravaganza.

After catching the bus to Chiquila I hopped off the ferry feeling nervous but excited. I wandered to my hostel, Che Holbox, a bit surprised by how rough around the edges Holbox was. I knew it wasn't the developed tourist spot of Tulum or Playa del Carmen, but it truly is quite understated, something which I hope won't change in the future.

After a short walk on dusty roads, I arrived at Che Holbox, my hostel, sweaty and tired. I couldn't check into my room for a few hours so I decided to wander around the town. One thing to note about Holbox is that the phone signal is patchy and for me that meant I had no internet access outside the hostel. So, I looked up where the 'Holbox' sign was and set off. Huge letters dug into the sand, these signs can be found in every Latin American tourist destination and they're always a good starting point.

Playa Holbox

As I walked, the dusty streets turned into soft white sand until I found myself on Playa Holbox. When I looked out onto the beach, taking in the crystal clear water and perfect white sand, my overwhelming feeling was one of pride. I was simply very proud that I had worked to get myself here. To celebrate, I bought myself my favourite Mexican snack, mango with lime and Tajín. (Tajín is a popular spice mix of salt, chilli and citrus which is often put on fruit like mango and pineapple and sold by street vendors)

After an hour of admiring the view I had to leave in a hurry, forgetting I was as white as the sand itself and would burn easily.

I headed back to the hostel and sat by the pool, where I finally approached the English couple I had accidentally been following the entire journey to Holbox. I was very nervous about making friends but the couple welcomed me with open arms. When it was time to check in, I met an American girl in my dorm and realised I didn't have to be so scared. Within the first day, I had met the four people I would hang out with for most of my time in Holbox.

Isla Pasión

That evening we decided to join the hostel's visit to Isla Pasión, a small uninhabited island filled with mangroves, cormorants and pelicans. I quickly learnt my hostel was filled with spring break partiers by the 'kissing wheel' the hosts brought and the fact the trip was fuelled by beer, tequila and sugary shots. My new friends and I decided to sit out the strangely sexual contests, opting for fun races and word games instead.

Departing from the drinking game, we took dips in the shallow sea. Strangely shallow by European standards, you can walk out at least 100 metres and the water will be at waist height, so we enjoyed swimming and floating around while the other hostel guests were finding potential dates on the shore.

After a while, we moved the other side of the island, where there was a wooden tower overlooking the sea. We watched the sunset over the sea undeterred by having to ask a snogging couple to move out of the way of the view. After the sun had disappeared and dusk settled, we went for a dip in the warm ocean before going home. 

Punta Mosquito

The next day, we had breakfast together before renting bikes and heading to Punta Mosquito. The journey there took us through the town, riding under rainbows of papel picado and admiring the shades of bright pink, blue and green of every building. 

Punta Mosquito is a sand strip at the far end of the island where you can often see flamingos. After parking the bikes, we still had to walk quite a way to get there, wading through the water and hoping our bags didn't get wet. When we finally arrived, we were tired but stunned at how beautiful it was. We didn't see any flamingoes, but were treated to stingrays, dragonflies, fish and plenty of pelicans.

We listened to music, read and sunbathed between dips. The shore was lined with hundreds of tiny, perfectly white shells and I was tempted to take some home. But after a while it became too hot due to a complete lack of shade, so we headed back to the hostel. By that time, around 1pm, the tide had come in so much that we had to put our bags on our heads like we were fleeing a ship wreck.

On the way back to the hostel we stopped at a Frutería (greengrocer's) to get guacamole ingredients for lunch. One of my favourite things about Mexico is that everything is bright and colourful. Even this small shop had a bright turquoise facade painted with pineapples, mangoes and papayas.

For lunch, My friend made us the best guacamole ever before we picked up our bikes again, heading to Punta Cocos for sunset. Traversing swamp-like puddles with nerve inducing signs warning of crocodiles, we eventually made it armed with a couple of cans of Modelo.

Sunset at Punta Cocos

At Punta Cocos, the sun seemed to melt into the turquoise water as we sat and listened to the waves. As we left, we spotted a white heron enjoying the view too. Its bright white feathers stood out beautifully against the sky.

But the magic didn't end there. Once the twilight had settled in, we waited until the sky turned almost black, following the shoreline and to find ourselves at a lagoon. The water, black and still, hid their bioluminescence beneath the surface. 

A natural occurrence common in this part of the world, bioluminescence is when algae create sparkles in the water triggered by movement. So, when you put your hands in the water at Holbox, little stars appeared around you, the sparkles sliding off your skin like diamonds. Though the process is completely natural, you cannot help but think it's a miracle, as if the starry sky was reflected in the water. 

The next morning, someone would tell me it was cute how excited I was about the bioluminescence. Like a child again, I was truly in awe at this wonder of nature and I enjoyed it so much that I returned a couple of days later.

Playa Holbox and Dog Walking 

On day three, I awoke sad that it was my friend's final day in Holbox, so we decided to cheer ourselves up by walking the dogs at a local animal sanctuary. My dogs, Mérida and Tigrecita wanted to smell everything and avoid the beautiful beach, so they mostly walked me, but it was still a good way to pass an hour.

After that, we went to Olita de Mar, a little cafe I had spotted the day before. I didn't get anything as I was trying to save money but I loved the decoration. Everything was pink, with daisies, smiley faces and rainbows everywhere.

Then, we met up with a friend from the hostel to chill on Playa Holbox. We found a coconut tree for shade and spent the morning swimming and chilling. As a rite of passage in paradise, I got a fresh coconut which wasn't as tasty as hoped due to its giant size but it made for good photos.

Then we went back to the hostel for more guacamole. We were going to go back to the beach to watch the sunset but unfortunately a storm was brewing. Torrential rain poured down and fierce winds began knocking coconuts from the trees. Eventually, the hostel's power even went out. Instead, we waited until it subsided and grabbed dinner at Artesano. I had vegan ceviche, a soupy, fish dish I was excited to try as I had never seen a vegan version before. It was very tasty with a citrusy broth and soy chorizo chunks.

With full bellies but eager to make the most of our last day together, we chatted into the night over a few rum and cokes. 

Saying Goodbye to Paradise 

My final day in Holbox was very chilled out and I repeated a lot of things I had already done but with new hostel friends. I walked the dogs, chilled on Playa Holbox and went to Punta Cocos to watch the sunset and see the bioluminescence.

Overall, Holbox was a really great way to start my trip. It was very easy to navigate, felt safe, everyone was super friendly and the relaxed atmosphere gave me time to recover from the long journey to Mexico.

As I write this, I am en route to my next destination, Valladolid, a city most associated with Chichén Itzá and cenotes. I'm looking forward to something quite different from Holbox and exploring the ruins and city.

Follow along to see what I got up to in my next Pueblo Mágico.