Holbox and Tulum 2021 — Three Day Wknd

After a year of quarantining at home, many people are eager to pack their bags for travel, but are unsure where to go or what to expect with Covid. I recently got home from a week-long vacation in Mexico, where my boyfriend and I spent three and a half days in Holbox and four days in Tulum. Some of you are probably wondering “What’s Holbox?” and others are curious how the quaint island compares to the heavily trafficked Tulum, which is just a few hours away. In this post, I’m sharing my experience/recommendations at both destinations but SPOILER ALERT! I recommend passing on Tulum if you’re looking for a relaxing beach vacay. Holbox has everything you need for the perfect getaway and is quickly on its way to becoming the new “it” spot.

Casa Las Tortugas Hotel in Holbox, Mexico

TJ Airport and Cross Border Express (CBX)

Unvaccinated U.S. travelers are currently required to show a negative Covid test before flying back into the country. Since we did not know how easy it would be to get a rapid test in Mexico, we decided to travel from Tijuana, which is a great option when going to Mexico (especially if you live in San Diego). If you travel within Mexico and cross back to the U.S. via foot/car (rather than by plane) a negative Covid test is not required. We later found out that testing is pretty readily available in both Holbox and all over Tulum, as well as in the Cancun airport.

We often fly out of the Tijuana airport and enter Mexico utilizing Cross Border Xpress (“CBX”), which I highly recommend! It’s super easy-just get dropped off at the entrance of the CBX building in Otay Mesa in San Diego, and walk through the building which lands you right in the TJ airport. Tickets are about $30 round trip for CBX and it’s very safe and efficient. Additionally, the Tijuana airport is newly remodeled, has shopping and dining options, a great travel lounge for cardholders and provides a much better selection of nonstop flights within Mexico.

HOLBOX, MEXICO

Getting to Holbox requires some additional effort, but don’t let it deter you from making it to this piece of paradise. We were absolutely OBSESSED with this island and will definitely return. In fact, it is one of my favorite places to which I’ve ever traveled!

After flying into Cancun, we rented a car and drove to Chiquilá, where we caught the ferry to Holbox island. It takes about 2 hours to get to from the Cancun airport to Chiquilá and ferries run about every 30 minutes. If you have a car, you can park it at any of the nearby lots (even overnight) or if you are taking a taxi, you can simply get dropped off at the ferry landing. The boat ride over to Holbox is about 20-30 minutes. Once on the island, we caught a golf cart (their version of a taxi) to the Casa Las Tortugas Hotel which is about a mile away.

There are no paved roads and no cars in Holbox. It’s not as developed as Tulum but you’ll quickly learn to love the island’s slower pace. Everything is walkable, either by the beach or through the town, so be sure to pack of pair of plastic sandals that you don’t mind getting dirty. You’ll get to admire cool street art as you stroll through the streets or pass by local eateries with fresh fare. The vibe in Holbox is extremely relaxed and the people are welcoming and friendly. Although you don’t need to get too dressed up, there are still luxury boutique hotels and great restaurants and bars. We stayed at Casa Las Tortugas hotel which is beautiful and relaxing. It has a really nice pool, full service spa, and a great restaurant and cocktail bar (Mandarina and Luuma). The rooms are what I would call bungalow chic, spacious and very clean. Perhaps best of all, it’s located right on the beach. Speaking of beaches…the beaches in Holbox are gorgeous with clear, shallow water and no waves. Unfortunately, we experienced some sargassum (aka seaweed) during our stay but the hotels do their best to clean it up and it is relatively non-existent in some parts of the island, like at Punta Coco Beach and the at the sandbanks. Some seasons are worse than others for sargassum so do some research before your trip.

Eat + Drink in Holbox:

Mandarina at Casa Las Tortugas Hotel for any meal (we loved the breakfast!)
Luuma Gathering Bar for amazing cocktails and shareables
Basico for dinner
Roots for Pizza (casual)
Mahi for Seafood (go for lunch)
Piedrasanta Holbox for dinner
Mojito Beach Bar
Alma Beach Bar

What to do in Holbox:

Walk to Punta Coco Beach-rent a chair for the day, grab yourself some beers and a fresh mango
Walk to the sandbanks and enjoy large stretches of pristine, white sand and crystal clear water
Cruise the beach and stop by any of the beach bars-Mojito and Alma bar were our fav
Try out kite surfing
Enjoy the fabulous food and drinks the island has to offer

TULUM, MEXICO

After a few wonderful days in Holbox, we caught the ferry back over to Chiquilá, and drove to Tulum which took roughly 3 hours. The drive is easy but you will likely experience some traffic once you hit Playa Del Carmen. When in Tulum, you MUST stay in the main hotel zone. This is where everything, including the beach, is located. If you stay elsewhere (like in an air bnb in town) it can take upwards to an hour to get to the beach/restaurants, due to traffic and the two lane road. We made that mistake once and it was a major bummer! This time around, we stayed at Coco Limited, which is very central and pretty affordable but nothing to write home about. I’ve heard good things about Papaya Playa Project, Nomade and Habitas hotels.

Over the past few years, Tulum has continued to grow and develop, but in doing so, I feel that it has lost some of its charm. It’s still a beautiful place with lots to do, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a yogi retreat or couples getaway. If you’re planning a bachelorette/bachelor party, it’s a great option, but if you are looking for some R&R, I suggest going to Holbox over Tulum. We heard it repeatedly that “digital nomads” have come to work (and play) in Tulum and as such, the places seem to be catering to this clientele. For example, loud music is blasting from every establishment and a lot of restaurants have hookahs set out on tables. Not to mention, it’s pretty expensive, with some places charging over $20 for a cocktail. Also, if you are concerned about Covid, Tulum is not the place for you, as most places did not enforce the mask requirement or practice social distancing.

That said, we were on a mission to find the most authentic and serene spots in Tulum. It took some extra effort (thank you to my boyfriend, Denis for doing the research!) but we were able to have a really nice time and found some absolute GEMS which I’ve listed below. The key is talking to locals to see what they enjoy doing and what beach clubs they recommend on their days off.

Best (Chill) Beach Clubs in Tulum:

To my knowledge, all of the beach clubs in Tulum have a minimum daily spend (ranging from $20-$100 per person) which can be applied to food/drinks. For me, it was totally worth it to spend the money and have a comfortable beach setup with service the entire day.

Ahau Beach Club
Habitats Beach Club (with this amazing pool!)
Rosa Del Viento
La Zebra

This article on beach clubs was super helpful but I believe some of the prices are outdated: Tulum Beach Clubs You Need To Visit For All Budgets In 2021

Eat + Drink in Tulum:

Reservations are a MUST in Tulum and should be made well in advance of your stay. Most of these spots can be booked on open table or via email.