Mexico: The Island Paradises around Yucatán

During your stay in Yucatán, you'll quickly notice that the peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea is a true Caribbean dream.
But it’s not just the mainland that offers unique nature and paradisiacal sandy beaches.
Surrounding Yucatán, there are several island paradises that you simply can’t miss on your Mexico trip. We’ll tell you why in this post.

1. ISLA HOLBOX

Along the northern coast of Yucatán, within the Yum Balam nature reserve, lies the small 42 km long and 2 km wide island paradise Isla Holbox (pronounced: Hol-bosh).
Surrounded by snow-white sandy beaches and turquoise-blue shimmering sea, this island resembles a postcard picture.
Here, you’ll find a true paradise for anyone seeking tranquility, idyllic landscapes, and seclusion amidst beautiful nature.

Until a few years ago, Isla Holbox was a secret tip for backpackers. This status has somewhat faded today. Nevertheless, you can still have a unique stay here.
Relaxing, swimming, snorkeling, diving, deep-sea fishing, and nature excursions are all on the daily agenda.

We were particularly enchanted not only by the dreamy beaches but also by the colorful Caribbean-style houses, small hotels, chill beach bars, relaxed atmosphere, and sandy streets.
As you explore the island, you’ll soon notice another distinctive feature—the many artistic graffiti on various building facades. Their vibrant colors instantly spread good vibes!

The small island has no paved roads. You can get around using motorized golf carts, scooters, bikes, or on foot. Shortly after our arrival, we noticed that Holbox is dominated by golf carts.
At the ferry dock, the first yellow golf cart taxis are waiting to transport arriving tourists across the island. Fares are fixed, ranging from $1.50 to $3 depending on the distance.

We decided against a taxi and instead rented our own golf cart from one of the many rental services on the island, for about three hours.
Golf carts cost around $10 per hour or $50 for the entire day. The standard carts can accommodate four people, with two seats in the front and two on the back seat.
While we could have explored the island by bicycle, we found the golf cart ride much more fun.

After a fun island tour and a few swims in the turquoise waters, it was time for a meal. Most restaurants are located in the town center, where most of the island's life takes place.
Prices for food and drinks in Holbox are slightly higher than on the mainland.

Looking back, we found Punta Cocos to be the most relaxing spot. This beach lies at the western end of the island, offering ample space, hammocks in the water, and some shaded spots.
Besides our golf cart tour and time at the beach, we didn’t do much in Holbox. For us, Isla Holbox was mainly about unwinding and relaxing.

In general, it’s a rather quiet island without much action. However, if you're looking for a bit of adventure and not interested in just lounging, you can book various boat tours in the town center. Between mid-May and September, there’s a good chance you’ll spot whale sharks during a boat tour.
These fascinating marine creatures, nearly 13 meters long, visit Holbox's northern coast at this time of year to feed on plankton.
With luck, you might also spot dolphins and larger rays. Tour prices range from $90 to $120 per person.

You can only reach Isla Holbox by ferry, which departs regularly from the port town of Chiquilá. A crossing with the ferries Holbox Express or 9 Hermanos takes 20-30 minutes.
Ferries operate daily from 6 am to 9 pm. The ticket for the crossing, best purchased directly at the Chiquilá port, costs about $11 per person per trip.

If you’re driving to Chiquilá with a rental car, you can park it for around $6 for the next 24 hours at one of the private parking lots (often backyards) near the harbor.
Prices vary depending on the duration of your stay.

If you want to take the bus, there are daily connections from Cancún, Mérida, and Valladolid to Chiquilá.
‍Important note: If you’re arriving from Mérida or Valladolid, be sure to account for the +1-hour time difference for a late arrival.
Otherwise, the last ferry might already have left by the time you arrive at the harbor, and you’ll have to wait until the next morning.

Plan to spend at least one day on Isla Holbox—even better, stay overnight. This way, you can experience one of the spectacular sunsets that this island paradise has to offer.
However, keep in mind that accommodation on the entire island is relatively pricey, so don’t expect a bargain here.

The best accommodations on Island can be easily found on booking.com. There, you'll discover a wide range of hotels, bungalows, and vacation rentals tailored to different budgets and preferences. Whether you're looking for a luxurious beachfront resort or a cozy hostel, you're sure to find the perfect option on booking.com.

Our tip: Although there are now some ATMs on the island, we recommend bringing enough cash from the mainland.
We experienced an ATM running out of cash. You can also use your credit card in restaurants and hotels.

2. ISLA MUJERES

Isla Mujeres is an island located to the north of Cancún. At just about 8 kilometers long and only a few hundred meters wide, it’s a truly charming vacation paradise.
Fine, soft sand beaches, shallow, turquoise-blue waters, and a laid-back atmosphere make Isla Mujeres a Caribbean dream come true.
The island is also known as a tranquil holiday paradise with a relaxed Caribbean feel, ideal for those seeking rest and honeymooners looking for an escape from Cancún's tourist crowds. However, we found that you can enjoy peace here in the early morning and late evening, once the day tourists have returned to the mainland.

Island life mainly happens on the northern side of the island. In addition to the hotels, there’s Hidalgo promenade with its numerous restaurants, offering everything from fresh seafood and typical Mexican dishes to Italian pizzas and French crepes. You’ll also find various bars and cafes between the hotels and restaurants.

The most popular beach section, Playa Norte, also known as Playa los Cocos, is located in the north of the island.
Playa Norte spans around 300 meters and is always lively, especially during vacations and weekends, as many locals from Cancún come here to vacation.

You can rent a simple beach lounger or one of the luxurious beach beds for your stay on the beach.

On the west side, there are other beautiful, soft sand beaches, some shaded by palm trees.
Here, you’ll also find the main boulevard, which hosts various events such as concerts, beach volleyball, and beach handball tournaments.

If you’re in Isla Mujeres between mid-May and mid-September during whale shark season, don’t miss the chance to swim or snorkel with whale sharks.
During this time, these fascinating creatures, up to 13 meters long, can be found around Isla Mujeres, Isla Holbox, and Isla Contoy.

If, like us, you’re a keen diver, you’ll have the chance to experience an unforgettable encounter with these creatures at one of the 50 dive sites around Isla Mujeres.
The Cave of the Sleeping Sharks is one of the most popular sites, where, depending on the time of year, you can encounter white and blacktip reef sharks, whitetip oceanic sharks, and bull sharks. There are several dive centers on the island; it’s best to contact them before your stay to ensure a dive on your preferred date.

There are various ways to get to Isla Mujeres, but they all involve a trip over water.
North of Cancún, at the Puerto Juárez/Gran Puerto harbor, the Ultramar high-speed passenger boats depart for the island every half hour.
The first ferry leaves at 5 am, and the last at 11:30 pm. The crossing takes about 25 minutes, and the round-trip ticket costs approximately $15 per person.

Be sure to note that during peak season and on weekends, you may have to wait 1-2 hours in line due to increased demand before boarding one of the ferries.

Car ferries to Isla Mujeres depart daily from the Punta Sam ferry terminal in Cancún. Punta Sam is about 10 minutes by car from Puerto Juárez harbor.
The Naviera Contoy Vehicle Ferries operate from 8 am to 6:15 pm, and the crossing takes around 45 minutes.

Isla Mujeres has a well-developed road network with mostly paved roads in good condition.
Due to the small size of the island, travel distances are short.

With a car, it only takes about 15 minutes to travel from north to south.
For this reason, we recommend leaving your car in Cancún and instead using more common modes of transportation on the island, like a bicycle, motorcycle, or one of the electric golf carts.

As in Isla Holbox, you have the option to use a golf cart as a taxi and be chauffeured for a fixed price. Alternatively, you can rent your own cart for about $15 per hour.
In less than two hours, you can circle the entire Isla Mujeres in a golf cart.

Note: During peak season and weekends, golf carts can be fully booked early. Therefore, reserve your cart in advance, for example, with Golf Cart Indigos.

Plan to spend at least one day in Isla Mujeres. Even better, stay overnight to soak up the relaxed Caribbean vibe and unwind.

Our tip: Although there are some ATMs on the island, we recommend bringing enough cash from the mainland. You can also use your credit card in restaurants and hotels.

GOOD TO KNOW

For your trip to Mexico, you’ll need a power adapter, as plug types A and B are used. These are different from the plug types commonly used in many countries around the world.
You can find a suitable adapter here: Mexico Travel Adapter.

3. ISLA COZUMEL

Cozumel, Mexico’s largest Caribbean Island, is located just a few kilometers from Playa del Carmen in the middle of the Caribbean Sea.

While sun worshippers appreciate the dreamy beaches of Cozumel, numerous divers from all over the world flock to the island daily to explore the diving paradise around Cozumel.
The island already earned a reputation as one of the world’s best diving spots in the 1960s, as none other than the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau filmed his documentaries on the underwater world here.

In doing so, he made Cozumel famous worldwide and paved the way for a new tourism-driven economy.
The numerous coral reefs and the diverse and still intact life beneath the water’s surface are undeniably the island’s highlight.
With visibility of up to 50 meters, you can often observe eagle rays, turtles, nurse and bull sharks, as well as lobsters and many other creatures in their natural habitat.

Even on the mainland, numerous providers offer boat tours for snorkeling or diving around Cozumel.
On the island itself, you’ll find plenty of other operators who offer daily snorkeling and diving trips.
We can only highly recommend it—whether you’re a snorkeler or a diver: Don’t miss out on this unique experience; you’ll regret it later!

Prices vary depending on the tour. For our 3-hour snorkeling tour, we paid $20 per person, and a dive cost $60 with partial equipment.
If you don’t mind negotiating, we recommend booking with a local provider. If you prefer fixed prices, you can book your tour in advance here.

Above the water, the island life of the roughly 90,000 residents primarily takes place in the only city, San Miguel de Cozumel.

Everything here is geared toward tourism. San Miguel is full of souvenir shops, cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels, and mid-range accommodations.
The comparatively pricier and larger all-inclusive hotels are located outside the city.

For a few years now, the island has become a popular stop for Caribbean cruise ships. Since the cruise ships also dock in San Miguel, it can sometimes get quite crowded with day tourists.

In our opinion, the city itself doesn’t offer any significant sights, but with such beautiful nature on and around the island, that isn’t necessary.

Thankfully, large parts of the island are still uninhabited and covered in dense, green rainforest. This also includes a few smaller but very charming coves with fine white sandy beaches.
The Punta Sur Eco Beach Park is the largest ecological reserve in southern Cozumel and a real natural paradise.
With a guided boat tour, you can travel through the mangrove landscapes of Laguna Colombia and observe exotic birds.

If you’re only interested in sunbathing, you’ll also find plenty of options here. Beaches like Playa Palancar, Playa Chen Rio, or Playa El Cielo offer ideal conditions for this.  

Since Cozumel is quite expansive, you have several transportation options to choose from. For shorter distances, it’s best to go on foot or use a rental bike.

For longer distances, you can rent a car or a scooter. You can conveniently rent a car in advance from rentalcars.com starting at $25 per day.
The drive to circle the island by rental car takes about one and a half hours.

Cozumel is easily accessible by ferry. The yellow-blue UltraMar high-speed boats or the orange fleet of WinJet depart daily from Terminal Maritima Navegal, Av. Benito Juárez, Playa del Carmen. Ferries run from 6 am to 11 pm, and during the peak season, they depart at least every hour.
The crossing takes about 40 minutes and costs approximately $25 per person for a round trip. We traveled on a very modern high-speed boat from UltraMar.
Although the sea was calm that day, the high-speed boat rocked quite a bit due to its speed. If you’re prone to seasickness, we recommend taking medication beforehand.

Throughout the entire journey, a live band played on deck, bringing Caribbean vibes and anticipation to life.

Cozumel is perfect for a day trip, so plan to spend at least one day here. Of course, you could easily enjoy a whole week here, depending on your interests.

THIS POST WASN'T ENOUGH FOR YOU? LOOKING FOR MORE TIPS, INSPIRATION, AND MUST-SEE ATTRACTIONS FOR YOUR TRIP TO MEXICO? THEN MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR FOLLOWING POSTS:

• Mexico: The Yucatán Peninsula – the Ideal Mix of Road Trip & Beach
• Mexico: The Exciting World of the Maya
• Mexico: The Most Famous Cities of Yucatán
• Mexico: The Unique Nature of Yucatan

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USEFUL LINKS & RECOMMENDED TRAVEL GUIDES FOR YOU

• The Right Travel Adapter for Mexico
• Find affordable rental cars at rentalcars.com
• Find affordable flights at skyscanner.com
• Discover the best accommodations
• Experience Unique Excursions with Alediatours
• The Best Travel Guides for Mexico

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