9.30pm – the time we smuggled our kids out of the house fast asleep, tucked them up in the car with blankets and dummies and set off for Manchester from London. A three hour car journey, an overnight stay at the Premier Inn, a nine hour plane journey to Cancun, a three hour transfer, a thirty minute ferry ride, and a tuk tuk ride later (plus A LOT of snacks and unashamed use of screen time for the kids), we arrived at the beautiful Villas HM Palapas del Mar in Holbox, a tiny island just north of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
So yes, first thing’s first – this is not a quick journey but if you’re a family whose up for adventure then this could just be the trip for you. Anyway, a holiday isn’t a holiday in my mind unless it involves some sort of mildly epic journey and dare I say it, difficulty. Which aren’t exactly the words you’d associate with a package holiday, which I’ll be honest, have always filled me with dread. I’d (awfully – so judgmental..) always equated them with booming loud aqua aerobic classes and booze cruises – sorry (!).
So when I found out that TUI has reasonably priced hotels and flights to what can only be described as a hippy, car-free paradise of an island complete with the sweetest cafes, cobbled streets, a whole host of lovely artisan shops, yoga classes, (I could go on…), I was super surprised and mega excited to get there. Check out some of our photos from what was honestly one of our best ever family trips below and be sure to hop over to my YouTube channel to watch my video of our time there if you really want to get an idea of what it’s like in Holbox. We had the most incredible trip and are hoping one day to return to this little, relatively quiet (but probably not for long!) spot of the world…
The flight was great: two rounds of free alcoholic drinks, top notch entertainment, vegan food, sockets for phone charging, super friendly staff. It was a good start.
The rooms were perfect: super kid friendly with a gate enclosing the pool (right where Sonny is standing above) and beds high enough to prevent any kids scrambling on top of them (and subsequently falling off). Oh and this balcony area was so fab as it allowed us parents to relax at the end of the day with a glass of wine once the kids were sleeping.
Tried fish for the first time in months at Las Nubes de Holbox – umm, wow.
…but not before cocktails at their bar – surely the best place on the whole of the island to watch the sun set.
Just us and the birds…
We don’t travel anywhere without wooden trains and the super low tides meant that the kids were able to play safely for hours in the water.
One day we took a boat ride to visit some of the surrounding island; pure wilderness with the only inhabitants being flamingoes.
Beauty everywhere on the island
You can find coffee on the island around every corner (perfect!)
Dream catcher heaven <3
Just the most delicious smoothies and fresh fruit available every morning at breakfast.
We tracked down the ultimate pizzeria in Holbox, Roots, and just look at those chillis!
Epic vegan tacos available at Luuma – one of the few places to find vegan food on the whole island.
Leaving the beach at the end of the day is never easy…
An epic, unforgettable trip
Hope you enjoyed this video – is Mexico a destination you’d ever consider?
P.S Watch the video here and 10 Essentials for Family Travel
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Thank you so much to Tui who kindly sponsored this trip – and thank you lovely readers for continuing to support the brands I work with.