I have been asked to talk about one of my favorite hotels. While I love being pampered in style, I also love adventure & off the beaten path. One of my adventures a few years back took me to the little-known Isla Holbox, geographically not far off the coast of Cancun, but not the most easily accessible of places. What drew me there was the fact that the waters around that tiny secret island are home to the largest aggregation of whale sharks.
Every summer, without fail, these gentle giants that grow to be approximately 60 feet long, yet live on only plankton & krill, show up to feast from dawn till dusk. While I do want to share more about this absolutely life-changing experience, I will need to leave that for another post as my charge today is about accommodations, and my place of stay was as unique and charming as the island.
My home for the few magical days I was privileged to visit was called Xaloc. Located directly on the white sandy beaches of Isla Holbox, Xaloc is a small boutique resort, with just 18 “rooms”. The rooms are actually in fact individual round bungalows, each with their own private little porch, palapa roofs and decorated in a rustic yet romantic décor that include hand-built four poster beds with sweeping mosquito nets yet contain modern conveniences such as a coffee maker and hairdryer.
The 18 rooms are divided into two sets of 9, each surrounding a small free-form freshwater pool, one designated for adults-only and one available for all. While not large or impressive by any means, they are wonderful for taking a dip and recounting the incredible adventures earlier that day with friends and other guests. Pool-side bar service is available at both pools upon request, so really what more do you need?
The resort also offers an onsite restaurant that serves 3 meals a day. Continental breakfast is included. Frankly I found dining slightly over-priced (relatively speaking to most of the other options on the island) but the setting is wonderful and the food and service great, so I didn’t mind paying a little more for the convenience of eating at the resort on the days I was too tired to venture out at night.
Other amenities the resort offers is a small library and recreational room with books and board games and tables, chairs, and sofas scattered for guests to convene. When I stayed there, there was one computer for guest use with dial-up internet but I believe that is being improved and also a Jacuzzi and sauna are in the pipeline. In the meantime massages and yoga sessions can be arranged.
I have been talking with friends, family and customers about going back to Holbox this coming summer. While white beaches, friendly locals, great food and swimming once again with 200 whale sharks are all a driving force for my return, I have to say that part of my desire is also to lounge once again, drink in hand, in the hammock on the front porch of my very own bungalow at the beautiful Xaloc.
Sample package rates for Summer 2011 (whale shark season) includes round trip airfare from stated city, all airline taxes and ticket fees, 5 days double-occupancy accommodations, Continental breakfast daily, hotel taxes and round trip land transfers from Cancun Airport to the resort.
Detroit: $755 per person double occupancy
New York: $718 per person double occupancy
Los Angeles: $762 per person double occupancy
Seattle: $846 per person double occupancy
Package rates based on actual available fares at the time of this post.
Cheryl Patterson Dive Travel specialist & owner of Deep Blue Adventures Email: Cheryl@DeepBlueAdventures.com
