Vibrant Mexico
Mexico has it all, from white sandy beaches to rugged mountain ranges, lush green jungles and vibrant cities, not to mention incredible food and welcoming people!
The country is steeped in a rich history and culture that blends indigenous traditions with Spanish colonial influences. The people embrace diversity and celebrate heritage, you’ll love discovering each city’s unique identity and sampling culinary delights along the way!
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Read up on Mexico’s history to help understand the people and culture
English is not widely spoken, unless you can speak Spanish, Google Translate is your best friend
Carry some cash, particularly for the islands where card is not always accepted
Pack all your medicinal supplies, including Imodium!
Local buses (colectivos) are a cheap and safe way to get around. You have to flag them down to see if there is space
Make sure you try the guacamole and corn chips, it’s so good!!
Sun loungers on the beach are not free! You can rent them with umbrellas at most Beach Clubs and they sometimes say say this cost can be put towards food and drink at their establishment
Always negotiate a price in advance and have the right change when getting into a taxi
You can book excursions directly through Airbnb. It’s worth a look, but it is more expensive
Avoid drinking tap water - check with the seller if ice is from filtered water if you are worried
Bring a reusable bottle (one that keeps water cool), and buy large 2-litre bottles to refill your own before your day trips to save on single-use plastic bottles
Wear shorts with zip pockets to keep your phones/wallets safe, and don’t carry all your cards and cash around at one time
Do a free walking tour in each city to get your bearings and find out more about the history and culture
Holbox (3-4 days)
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Fly into Cancun and book a transfer to Chiquila ferry port to get to Holbox, where you can take the short boat to this very chilled, car-free island.
Allow at least 3 hours to get from the airport to the port in case of delays - the last ferry leaves at 21:30, and they run one every hour. You can buy tickets here in advance or at the office on the day, which might be cheaper.
Holbox is a stunning island with white sandy beaches and relaxed vibes. It is not overly developed and has dirt roads.
It’s car-free, but you can travel around in golf buggies or walk the streets, exploring the cute local shops and food stalls. The Island has plenty of beach bars and restaurants that come alive at night, some with live music.
Here’s the highlights to make the most of your stay here:
Take a day boat trip around the island to spot all kinds of birds, including a herd of flamingos. You can book this tour with one of the vendors on the beach, or with your accommodation.
Take a kayaking tour to explore the mangroves
Take an evening tour to see the bioluminescent plankton
Relax on the white sand beach and mooch around the town
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The food scene in Holbox is great; you're spoiled for choice and there’s plenty of fresh seafood!
Visit Roots restaurant for the famous Lobster Pizza
Try ceviche at La Chingada
Tierra Mia Cafe does delicious breakfast bowls and coffee
Make sure you check out the street food at the night market - the birria tacos and the elotes, grilled Mexican corn
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We stayed at Holbox Dream Beachfront Hotel, which was a great location and a stone’s throw from the beach.
The beauty of Holbox is that it’s walkable, but you can get a lift on a golf buggy for a small fee, or rent bikes to cycle the island.
Tulum (3- 4 days)
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From the Chiqulia Port ticket office, you can book a collectivo or minibus to take you to Tulum, it’s about 6 hours overall.
Verify your ticket with the driver and keep it to make sure the driver drops you off in the right place and doesn’t leave you in the lurch if they decide to change drivers at Playa del Carmen!
Tulum main town has a laid-back bohemian vibe, to us it also felt more American than other places. It has plenty of nightlife and beach clubs if you want to party!
There are plenty of white sandy beaches, most of which are owned by Hotels or Beach Clubs, but you can rent sunbeds from them for the day.
Outside the main beach area, there is lush jungle, historic ruins and cenotes to explore.
Here are the highlights:
Take a day trip to Chichen Itza ruins (one of the wonders of the world)!
If you want to avoid the crowds, visit the Mayan Ruins of Coba which are pretty spectacular. You can hire a local guide when you arrive to show you around. Some tours take you there and to local cenotes along the way where you can dive into crystal clear waters.
Visit one of the many cenotes in the area - the water is so blue and refreshing.
Visit the Kaan Luum Lagoon for a chilled day, be warned, it can be busy!
Explore the Tulum Ruins of the ancient city - get an audio guide to explain what you are looking at in more detail
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We ate at our accommodation most nights but there are loads of options in the main town, especially BBQ places.
We did enjoy Las BBQ!
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We stayed outside of the main town at Wakax Hacienda, which was not on the beach but had its own cenote and was set in lush jungle.
The only downside was you had to take a Colectivo into Tulum and back again which could be unreliable and tricky to navigate as you have to flag them down on the roadside.
There are local buses, colectivos and taxis (beware of being scammed). You could also consider hiring a car.
Oaxaca (2-3 days)
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We took a taxi from Tulum to Cancun airport to catch a flight to Oaxaca which was a couple of hours
Oaxaca is known as one of the food capitals of Mexico, and it did not disappoint!
It’s the home of mole, a traditional Mexican sauce with a deep flavour profile, definitely try a few different ones!!
There are not that many activities here, unless you’re a foodie, but it’s cool to see different architecture and experience the local way of life.
I’d recommend spending 2 or 3 days here. You can then get a bus to Mazunte (more on this journey later)!!
Here are some of the highlights:
Do a free walking tour - we really enjoyed walking around the local neighbourhoods and hidden markets, sampling various local dishes
Do a cooking class with a local to learn how to make tortillas and mole in a homely environment
Visit the local food markets such as Mercado Benito Juárez or Mercado 20 de Noviembre , offering fresh groceries, crafts, and local specialities like chocolate and mezcal
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Oaxaca is featured on the Netflix Show ‘Latin American Street food’ which showcases all it has to offer.
There are so many great places to eat and drink it’s hard to name them all, here’s a few places we enjoyed:
Las Tlayudas de Mina y Bustamante
It could be worth doing a food tour to experience more local options and try some street food.
Try Tamales, Tlayudas, Mole and choco-lote on the roadside (they love chocolate in this region)!
Don’t forget to try the local mezcal tequila!
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It’s best to stay in Centro, which is good for exploring the historic centre.
Then, onwards to Mazunte!
Firstly, head to the cash machine and get all the money you need out, factoring in all that you might need to spend!
Mazunte does not have many functioning ATMS on the island and a lot of places do not accept card! We almost got stranded as we ran out of cash.
We took a minibus over the mountain to Mazunte. The bus goes from the main station and takes about 6 hours. It may be full of around 12 people. a ride not for the faint-hearted!
Think narrow, winding, bumpy roads.
Take travel sickness pills, which although we didn’t need, I did give to a fellow passenger who had their head hanging out the window for most of the journey!
My advice would be don’t eat a full meal at the rest stop…
Mazunte (3 days)
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We loved Mazunte’s laid-back vibe and it felt relatively unspoilt, with lush green hilltops and golden sand beaches.
There’s not much to do there except while away the day relaxing on the beach. Be warned - the waves are insane!
The current is really strong and there can be riptides. Don’t swim too far out. If anything, make sure your feet can touch the bottom at all times.
In the evening, follow the clifftop trail for a gorgeous sunset view. We found it easily as there was a group of people walking in that direction around sundown down so stick with them.
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There is not much of a food scene here, but there are plenty of beach bars and a few restaurants serving a variety of cuisines like pizza, Moroccan food and burgers.
We loved this place on the beach where we had incredible fish tacos:
The main road leading to the beach has a range of bars and restaurants serving a variety of food.
Los Poblanitos was good, check out Mazunte food blogs for the best places to eat!
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It’s worth staying within walking distance of the beach as Mazunte is pretty sleepy and public transport is not easy to navigate; taxis are few and far between.
We stayed at Hotel El Copal, which was good, they were very helpful when we ran out of cash.
Beware - creepy crawlies and giant lizards are common in most accommodations!
We did have an ant infestation in our room, so we were upgraded to a very nice suite, which was lucky!
After an incredible stay, we took a 45-minute taxi to Bahías de Huatulco International Airport (HUX), which is basically a tin shed! We flew to Mexico City, where we spent one night, before heading back to Blighty!
We’ve heard great things about Mexico City, so it might be worth spending longer there to explore. It’s a real shame we didn’t have time, all the more reason to return!