We felt like spending 7-nights in one hotel might get stale so we split our time in Holbox between 2-hotels. For the first 4-nights we stayed at the (adults only) Hotel Para Ti, which is well located on Calle Lisa between Avenida Damero and Porfirio Díaz. A short walk down either Damero or Díaz would take you to the main square in the city center.
There are good local restaurants about a block away on Díaz and more upscale bars and restaurants (as well as a convenience store) about the same distance down Damero.
The design and layout of the hotel is very attractive but does require some climbing to get to the highest levels as there is no elevator.
The bar and breakfast eating area were conveniently located near the two (small) outdoor pools. A different entrée was served each morning at breakfast (omelet, waffle, Mexican eggs) and always served with good coffee, a fresh (ripe) fruit plate and a lovely bread assortment with butter and some delicious cherimoya (custard apple) jam. Cocktails were well crafted and the service was terrific. We also liked that there was an unlimited amount of filtered water available to guests near the bar area.
The garden was well designed creating lots of interesting outdoor “rooms” (spaces) with the guest rooms built around the central pools/gardens.
Our room was HUGE with 2 king beds plus a hammock (that we took down to open up the space), generous closet space and a safe. We had a huge bathroom with lots of hot water and way above average water pressure but for some reason, the toilet took forever to refill its tank after flushing. The bathroom could have also benefited from some counter space or a piece of furniture to place toiletries. The towels were good quality and included an additional set of towels for the pool that we were allowed to take to the beach.
The Wi-Fi was decent…not the best but not totally horrible. The room included a nice sized smart TV with access to Netflix and other apps but we could have benefited from some instructions on how to navigate between cable and apps. It took several days but we eventually figured it out.
Our room had a “street view” and we were a little concerned about noise from outside the hotel before we arrived but it didn’t really bother us at all during our stay, which included a Saturday night.
We noticed that most quests were young (late 20s to upper 30s) adults and more often than not we picked up European accents when eavesdropping on conversations.
We experienced some mosquitos while having cocktails by the pool in the evenings but that’s to be expected in Holbox. Our only real criticisms would be that virtually all seating in the room and breakfast area were VERY HARD and not particularly comfortable and some of the pathways were quite narrow and could be dark in places at night hiding some steps and slopes.
After 4-nights at the Para Ti, we hired a golf cart taxi for a ride to the rather grandly named Mystique Holbox by Royalton, A Tribute Portfolio Resort, where we checked in for 3-nights. This is a Marriot property located on a very pretty beach on the Gulf side of the island. It’s a relatively small hotel with a total of 38 suites. It is really not all that far in distance from the Para Ti but a step up in terms of price and (in some ways) amenities. There was a difference in guests as well with a mix primarily of older and middle-aged couples. A larger percentage of the guests appeared to be Mexican nationals.
The property is split by a narrow sand road with the hotel and pool on one side and the restaurant and beach on the other. While in a beautiful setting, the pool is rather small. The Wi-Fi was good and there is a small fitness center. There is also an elevator, which we were told is the only one on the island.
We booked a Deluxe Jr. Suite and the room was a decent size and the seating was more comfortable than at the Para Ti but the layout of the space could have been better. While there was visual privacy, we did not like that the shower and toilet room were basically in the same space as the bedroom area. And as long as we are being picky, the finish on the concrete floor was not as professional as might be expected and the faux wood material on the ceiling and walls bordered on tacky.
On the plus side the hair dryer and clothes steamer were great. In fact, when we got home we bought the same steamer for ourselves and we enjoyed the balcony space especially the hanging egg chair.
All-in-all, this was a nice hotel with good service but we couldn’t help but feel like it was a bit overpriced. I guess a big part of the price is for the waterfront location, which was a nice spot during the day and even more so in the late afternoon as one of the more western points of the town to watch sunset.
However, the location was not as convenient as the Para Ti in terms of proximity to restaurants. Other than the El Velero Beach Club located directly next door, the closest restaurant we saw was the Le Jardin Panaderia/Cafeteria, which we walked to for breakfast on 2 of our 3 mornings staying at the Mystique.
The Fresco Bar & Grill is the hotel restaurant. It is an open-air tent on a slightly elevated platform right on the beach. We enjoyed lunch there on a couple days and breakfast there on another. We found the food to be very good but a bit pricy, which is probably to be expected of a hotel chain restaurant.
You can read more detail on both Le Jardin Panaderia and The Fresco Bar & Grill on our (2021) Holbox restaurant page.
At the time of our previous visit to Holbox in 2006, we stayed at the Hotel Holmar and described it as a small 5-room hotel. We didn’t stop in but did walk past it on this trip and can report that while still “small” on the grand scale of things, it is now a larger 3-level 14-room property. From pictures on the hotel’s website, the same small pool is still in use.