Take Me Back to Mexico

From Cancun to Isla Holbox to Riviera Maya, I made the most out of my time here.

Mexico… Now Mexico has my whole heart, and I intend to go back as soon as humanely possible. First things first. This trip took place in a few different spots in Mexico because I was trying to scope out which would be best, but I wish I had just chosen one spot.

I had to learn the hard way, that I’m not a resort kind of girl. Which was pretty unfortunate considering I booked half my stay in Mexico at a resort. 100 feet of Ocean, riddled with rocks and seaweed, wasn’t exactly my idea of a dream vacation. Don’t worry though, I found my dream.

Let’s Start With Cancun

I arrived at the Real Inn Cancun, probably an hour or so from the airport. So this spot was a bit strange. It was a nice hotel, right on the water with a gorgeous pool alongside, and every room featured a walk out deck, mine luckily overlooking the ocean. There was also a restaurant on site, and the hotel gym is pictured left, where you can use the equipment while looking out at the ocean and some gorgeous palm trees.

It was a bit strange though. When I left for a tour, I came back to the smell of paint. It took me a few minutes to figure it out, but while I was gone for a couple hours, they had come in and painted one of the walls in my room. I didn’t notice any wall blemishes prior to leaving, so I didn’t understand this. The most noticeable evidence was the wet paint on the ground.

The toilet also clogged easy, but I think that has more to do with the pipes than anything fixable. Big tip in Mexico, you’re not supposed to flush toilet paper in Mexico, very unreliable plumbing.

That first night I did a taco tour with Cancun Food Tours. For about $30 at time of writing, I got to have 5 tacos, 5 beers and an amazing churro for dessert. They were definitely the best tacos I’d ever had, I just wish I had a bigger stomach to finish them all. Totally worth checking out, the guys that run the tour were great.

Los Meros was our last stop (unplanned since the original spot was too busy), and it was the best by far. It was like French Dip, but with tacos. Make sure you save room, because I certainly didn’t. Those two bites I could muster down at the end would have been so much better if I could finish the last few.

Later, I checked out El Meco. Incredibly overrated, and definitely not worth the drive, but it would be worth it as part of a tour like this one. If you aren’t with a tour, make sure you have pesos, because I used the last of mine to pay for my ticket, and didn’t have enough for the taxi ride back… and they don’t take card, or venmo. I walked almost a mile down the street to an ATM, and ate a very expensive lunch along the way, but you live and you learn.

Then a got a taxi back to my hotel and ended up grabbing some Indian food for dinner. Probably one of the few Indian restaurants in Cancun, and definitely very affordable, but a bit tasteless. If I’m being honest, most of the food I had in Cancun was pretty tasteless outside of the taco tour.

Isla Mujeres is up next, where I took a quick little day trip from Cancun. It’s easiest if you set it up in advance like this tour. I think that when I return, I’ll splurge for something a bit more since a little money goes a long way here. I want to do the full-day Catamaran tour of Isla Mujeres with snorkeling and planned activities included.

With the cheap tour that I chose, I ended up having to uber from where the boat dropped me off to downtown, definitely too far a walk. It would have been a nice spot to stay, but on the more expensive side and it definitely could have been nicer.

Seeing the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery was nice, but this island definitely wasn’t my number one spot. I went to Restaurant Miramar for breakfast, and it was alright to say the least. I wouldn’t go as far as recommending it, but I got to eat in the sand which I definitely enjoyed.

My favorite part of Isla Mujeres was the water. It was crystal clear, warm, and great to walk along. There wasn’t a lot of touristy things to do in this area, it really just seems like the place for lounging. I spent most of my free time on the beach, which was pretty crowded. This place was a weird mix of touristy, but missing the charm and ease that I would expect.

Let’s Move Onto Somewhere Better, Holbox

Next up, I left Cancun, and took a bus to Holbox, an island North of Cancun.

Now these were my favorite 24 hours of the trip. I fell in love with Holbox. A 2 hour bus ride to and fro Cancun, but worth it 10 times over. This tiny island, where there are no cars, and sweet, well-fed, stray dogs roam the streets, was a slice of paradise…

Holbox is the real reason I fell in love with Mexico. The island was just so peaceful, a kind of peace that I can’t say I ever felt in my busy life in America. I took a ferry to get to the island, and on arrival it looked a little dingy.

A short walk proved that first look to be quite false, as I wandered towards my hotel. The whole island is walkable, which is quite convenient. Less convenient is the unpaved streets, which made dragging my suitcase more difficult than anticipated. The streets didn’t bother me beyond that though, since it meant that you rarely saw a vehicle besides the occasional golf cart.

The first place I stopped when I got to the island was La Cerve de Holbox. It was a little authentic Mexican restaurant that I passed on the way since I was famished. This restaurant had swings for chairs, and this great view overlooking the street and the Holbox sign.

While in Holbox, I stayed at Hotel Boutique Casa Baleine. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel, mostly because I awoke to see a cockroach crawl into my suitcase, but also because the toilet didn’t work in spite of them “repairing” it multiple times. I wish I had booked my stay at Casa Iguana Holbox – Beachfront Hotel, I walked passed it many times and it’s in a great spot with much better reviews.

Luckily, I only spent one night there, but that was unlucky since I wish I could’ve stayed on that island forever. The beaches were pristine, and I spent most of my time there walking along and oogling at the crystal clear water. There were a ton of happy hours along the water as well, so I took advantage of one at Restaurante Bar Villa Mar.

One of the reasons I liked Holbox as well was because of the way they treated their dogs. I didn’t see a single malnourished or aggressive wild dog amongst the bunch, in spite of the fact that none of them appeared to have owners. For dinner that night, I got some very good tacos from a place called Roots which was a block from the beach with outdoor seating facing the street. They had a very tasty food, but even an even better jalapeño drink.

Finally Let’s Discuss Riviera Maya

The next day was a blur when I rushed from the island to catch the ferry and then a bus back down towards Catalonia Resorts in Riviera Maya.

So I think I have a vendetta against resorts. I just felt like everything there was so artificial and watered down, from the staff to the environment. I couldn’t see myself staying at one in another country again, in spite of the convenience. Of course, this is my personal preference. Plenty of people really like resorts, so I’ll recommend mine if you’re looking for a good option.

In Mexico in particular, resorts are everywhere. For safety reasons I’d say they are quite convenient to have available, and great for families especially. While there were a good chunk of families at this resort, there were plenty of couples without children. Not many friends as far as I could tell, but it’d be a good place for them too since there are many activities with no kids around and tanning areas that were predominantly adults.

I would prefer to experience the culture of Mexico rather than a resort that could’ve been in America if not for the palm trees and warm weather. The only redeeming quality was the unlimited number of drinks I could get, while lounging at the beach or walking by a bar. The food was sub par at best. I loved the food trucks they had around, crepes, ice cream, etc. was a great little treat.

Three isn’t much that I can say about the resorts besides how much I enjoyed the free drinks, which were pretty decent. The beer was quite good, and it was easy to lay on the beach and walk the few steps to the bar. I would have preferred just a bit more peace and quiet. These chairs (pictured) were an extra package which cost more.

While I was there, I went on a Cenote Tour, with ziplining, snorkeling, etc. This was one of the coolest parts of my trip when it came to activities. It was great to learn about the history as well, and swimming in the water was otherworldly. Pretty soon, the vacation was over and it was back to the real world.

All in All

If I could rewrite my trip, I would’ve planned the whole time in Holbox, after having a stopover day in Cancun to grab some of the tacos. Cancun itself will always be touristy, so you have to expect that, but picking an island and just planting yourself there is definitely the best way to have a vacation like this. I think the main reason I want to avoid resorts in the future is because the food is never anywhere near as good as it would be in town. The issue there is that you’re paying for the inclusive food, so it doesn’t make sense to go out and buy other options.

I hope you make your trip to Mexico as memorable as mine!

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Cancun Food Tours
• Isla Mujeres
• Roots
• Los Meros
• Cenote Tour
• Restaurante Bar Villa Mar
• Real Inn Cancun