I’m back. There was a hiccup—well, more like a full on belch—with the transport to CasaSandra that left us stranded in Cancun for a quarter of our trip. Normally, I wouldn’t sweat finding my own way to the hotel. But Holbox is out there. A two and a half hour ride through the jungle to the northern coast of the Yucatan Penninsula and then a half hour ride on a launch to the island. But once we had set foot on the island late the next morning and treated ourselves to massages that afternoon, the stress of the mixup had dissolved.

CasaSandra turned out to be a funky, hip little hotel of about six rooms with daybeds on the beach and outstanding ceviche. But . . . they were also building a new casita, so good portions of our idyllic days were serenaded with not-so idyllic chainsaws and belt sanders. 

The good news is, it forced us to peel ourselves off the cushions and explore farther a field. One day, we wandered into town for a mamay licuado (why don’t we have mamays in this country? They’re like a mixture between butterscotch and chocolate . . .), another we spent trolling the surf for cool shells, and another we wandered to the other end of the beach and sipped cervezas while watching the sun set.

Much to our delight (and I’ll admit, surprise – I’m a skeptic about the fish in the quaint little boats actually ending up on my plate), the restaurants we went to on Holbox served terrific seafood. Fish and shrimp ceviche became our usual lunch, and I also had a meaty grilled lobster and tacos made from corvina that was light as air.

All in all, it was a fantastic little getaway and we’ll probably go back with Noe in the future (she loves baths, so we’re reasoning that she’ll love this beach — it’s just about as shallow and warm as splashing around in a bathtub). Only next time, I’ll confirm our ride before we leave!

Cheers,
Lia