Holbox - almost like Paradise

With the tube to the beach

A couple of months ago I was sitting in our half-empty office in London, just having finished my self-cooked, microwaved-warmed-up Asian noodles. I hesitated to walk to the coffee machine to make myself one of these disgusting coffees, not because I wanted to taste this bitter brew, but just for the sake of it. In the new office, they promised us, there would be a better machine, however, after half a year the optimism about it faded. On the other hand, I was not willing to pay £4 for a slightly better coffee at Pret downstairs. Saving the £20 per week now would probably allow me to eat some delicious cheap tacos every day once I arrive in Mexico. Yes, the decision was made, I would quit my job, leave buzzing London, and start a remote adventure in the far West. I enjoyed the feeling of travelling towards the unknown, however, it would be nice to have a plan too, at least a first destination, a first “project”. Sharing my feelings with one of my lovely colleagues, she tells me “You should go to Holbox, it’s like paradise on earth!”. “Holbox?” I said, never heard of that. “Yes yes, it's absolutely beautiful, a hidden gem on the Caribbean Coast, a car-free island where all you have to worry about are beaches and palms!” On my way home I was cramped into the tube, sweating, and smelling the others’ sweat. I felt hot in my suit, and I thought how nice it could be to feel hot in a swimsuit. I decided, let’s go to paradise! A couple of weeks later I would step onto this island, my legs up to my knees in dirty water, feeling the sun burning on my neck and hearing the pimped “golf karts” speeding through the flooded streets. Welcome to paradise.

What am I actually doing?

A little bit before that, I had already convinced myself that, to grow personally and eventually also follow my professional dream of opening a small hospitality business myself, I had to travel to South America and learn how those small (and hopefully sustainable) family businesses are run. While I initially thought I could start my journey in Costa Rica, working in a simple position as a bartender or front desk clerk, I quickly realized that it doesn’t work like that. I had sent more than 35 applications to various hotels and despite speaking fluently Spanish and having the experience, I got two negative answers and the rest didn’t even bother to reply. Was it that they didn’t check their inbox, did they have other priorities or thought that I was just a crazy guy from Europe, maybe I was just overqualified, I don’t know. But it made me think and reconsider my plan. Until I had the idea to follow a post-covid trend and become a digital nomad. Working remotely for a Swiss company while visiting these hotels with no commitment, would be perfect. At the same time, I continued searching for suitable hotels through my EHL network. I didn’t have to look for a long time until, I found Josephine, manager of a small hotel, in Holbox - it was a match! After her positive reply and a couple of calls the first adventure was clear. I would travel to the island and help her with various projects on a part-time basis, and in return, I would get free accommodation and food. Challenge accepted.

Hotel Punta Caliza

Owned by the Mexican couple Elvira and Don Cuau, this hotel was opened in 2017 and is a true architectural gem on the island as described by an American magazine:

The intimate hotel is a modern-day sanctuary, with rooms laid out surrounding a large swimming pool, each situated within a modern hut embedded amongst tropical greenery. The architects drew inspiration from traditional Mayan constructions and culture, resulting in contemporary Mexican architecture with brush roofs using building techniques from the region. At Punta Caliza, every guest will get to their suite on sandy paths that serve as the hotel’s hallways to remind them of the old Holbox. Made from red cedar wood that the family has cultivated over the last 30 years, each of the hotel’s rooms blurs the lines between indoors and outdoors, thanks to oversized glass windows that slide open, allowing guests to access the pool, immerse themselves in fresh air or experience the trilling of insects and birds as they wish. Each room’s amenities, ranging from bath and body products to decanters for drinking water and hand-embroidered linens, have all been produced collaboratively with artisans from around the country, making Punta Caliza a platform for contemporary Mexican design.

The main building’s twelve rooms feature a small private pool and direct access to the main pool in the middle. The tower has two additional rooms and a beautiful rooftop for massages, yoga, and marriage proposals. Daily freshly prepared breakfast is included, and the overall quality of the food is among the best on the island. The hotel features a trendy beach club and offers tours and airport transport to its guests. While I was there, the hotel had about 20 employees and rates between $200 and $400. My projects included selecting a new system, identifying, and analyzing opportunities and challenges in the restaurant, understanding the cost and revenue figures and ultimately providing the owners with clear suggestions on how to improve performance.

My daily routine

After several failed attempts to go for a run during the day, I had to accept that the only time to do sports and avoid the burning sun, was when there was no sun. Therefore, my days started early. At around 5.30 I would head to the empty beach, sometimes encountering some drunk leftovers from the previous nights and of course, the lovely island dogs. I would enjoy a sunrise run or swim and appreciate the beauty of this paradise. Coming back to the apartment, I needed about 40 minutes and two towels to cool down and dry my dripping body. My “first job” workday would start, and while the island still sleeps, I would work in the European time zone, exchanging with potential clients, calling, writing, organizing, and selling. The second daily touch of paradise was my breakfast, a delicious mango-avocado-lemon juice salad, recommended by a friend and appreciated every single day. At around 13.30 I would walk towards the hotel, The sun at this time is particularly strong, making a simple 7-minute walk to a challenging adventure and I felt like a chocolate bar on a hot stone. Arriving at the hotel, I would usually enjoy fresh fruit juice in the restaurant, starting to get my head around the numbers and analyze the hotel's performance.

At 4 p.m., it was time for lunch. To wait that long, was sometimes challenging enough, therefore I was always happy to go downstairs, below ground level, to a tiny area with ceilings as high from the floor as my eyebrows. The tiny kitchen where the team of five worked in a 40-degree hot environment for six days a week was still a “comfortable” space compared to the laundry next door where it was even hotter and the ladies from housekeeping had to spend most of their day washing and ironing uniforms, sheets and towels. The team could only laugh when I told them about the 4-day work week, the five weeks of holidays or the pension plans in Europe, not even mentioning the minimum salaries.

After finishing the second job, it was time to take full advantage of the island. I did this by going straight to the beach to play volleyball, go for a stand-up paddle session or simply enjoy the sunset before treating myself to some delicious Mexican street food. After dusk, and when the tourists headed to the centre of the village, it was time for me to go home, take a cold shower and enjoy the luxury of an AC while watching some series from the mosquitos-protected princess bed.

Vibes and People

The paradise vibes do not only attract tourists (most of them gringos from the north) but also mainland Mexicans and a huge number of Argentinos. They seek a relaxed and safe work environment or simply escape the chaos, inflation, and sometimes painful reality. None of the people I met, were born or grew up on the island, most of them having lived there for a couple of years or months, but not seeing themselves staying there forever. Most work in hotels and restaurants, and others try to become independent by selling clothes or opening a tattoo studio. Given the high tourism volume, prices for tours, food and clothes are as high as in key European cities and far more expensive than in CMDX. Luckily, I managed to quickly find some local spots that allowed me to dine in the street or on plastic chairs for a reasonable price. An oversupply of restaurants leaves many places empty in the low season. However, the nightlife (after 1 a.m.) is restricted to only three places with extremely loud boom-boom reggaeton music.

The bright side

The climate is the main factor when talking about the sunny side of the island. Lying in between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, surrounded by a lagoon and protected by mangroves, this tropical environment allows wild and human life to flourish. The beaches are stunning, the water turquoise and clear, the sunsets red and magnificent and the palms make you want to stay forever in this unreal environment. During my 65 days on the island, I never wore any shoes, trousers or a hoodie. The whole time, no matter if it was for work or leisure, I was in shorts, a t-shirt, and sunglasses. I was able to reach all the parts of the island by foot and even though there are cars and even trucks on the island, I never felt so far from traffic, public transport chaos and commuting stress. While walking through the sandy roads and beaches, I would see pelicans, racoons and iguanas, while the visit of a 4m crocodile in my friend's garden was rather a surprising encounter. It felt like paradise when explored the beautiful mangroves by kayak, saying good morning to flamingos and endless species of herons. Or when we went on a boat tour, catching fish by ourselves for it to be prepared for a fresh ceviche, enjoyed underneath the palm trees on a white beach. And it certainly felt magical to experience the natural phenomena of bioluminescence, swimming among millions of glowing plankton shining in the night, making me feel I was living on Pandora.

The other side

Well, as we say in German “After the rain, the sun will shine”, Here in Holbox it's rather the other way around. And it’s interesting to see how just a couple of raindrops can act as troublemakers and make you quickly realize that you live on a remote island. Once a storm hits, streets become flooded for days. Given that there is no drainage system, and the streets are made of sand, this turns the village into a dirty paddling pool. Taxi prices increase ridiculously, and you have no choice but to walk through the sometimes-knee-high water, not knowing what’s below. Apart from that, a small amount of rain can already lead to huge issues with the water and electricity supply, leaving hundreds without both for several hours, sometimes days. While I was affected by electricity cuts on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis, I was lucky enough to never experience the consequences of not taking a shower or washing my face on these hot summer days. However, due to cultural differences, (or in my opinion “laziness”) I had to live for the whole time without a fridge and only a partially working AC in my room. Later, the water in the bathroom sink didn’t flow anymore and I had to flush the toilet with a bucket. Despite bringing it up to the maintenance team and some quick visits to the apartments, I was always told “mañana”. In the end “mañana” never happened and the problems in my household were never fixed. Another sad reality that I only got to see once arrived, was the garbage in the streets. Despite having a huge garbage truck collecting household waste daily, I had to encounter dozens of garbage dumps around the village.

Mosquitos

Yes, this issue was so big and hurtful, that it deserves a title for itself. I had no idea mosquitoes could be so deadly and it all started slowly and just with a couple of bites during the night. Like any other traveller with a mosquito net, I installed it above my bed and slept like a princess. However, what followed in the next couple of weeks could not have happened even in my worst dreams. Not even my loyal friend, the mosquito spray, that I had to always put (even sitting on my desk) could protect me from the attacks in the early evening and morning hours. Once the sun was setting, these sneaky creatures would come out, hunting for your blood. Particularly hungry after the rainy days, I had a couple of crazy “dance” sessions at the beach, trying to get rid of dozens of them attacking me. I finally learned my lesson though when l I walked through some overgrown street at the end of the island, or during a lovely night at the beach. These experiences left me with more than 70 red stains on my whole body, despite wearing shirts. It was a fight against nature that I could only win by leaving the island…

Holbox, what once was supposed to be a sustainable tourism project, is now a perfect example of how to not do it. Having an increasing tourism volume, construction sites across the island, and observing the decreasing respect for nature and its environment, I simply hope that certain measures will be taken to maintain this partial etiquette as a “paradise” in the future.

Nevertheless, I look forward to visiting again and would like to thank everyone who participated in this memorable experience.