Tatler - Shhh, it’s a secret
March 2012
Isla Holbox is a little-known island cast off the Yucatán Peninsula, only a couple hours from Cancún and Cozumel but encapsulating everything those towns are not: low-key, low-rise and low in tourist numbers, with golf buggies the only transport along soft sandy lanes. Stay at boho artist-bolthole CasaSandra run by the gracious José Maria. Guests hang loose on plump daybeds on the beach, overlooking the warm currents of the Gulf of Mexico where it meets the tropical Caribbean. Plus, somewhere out there is the region’s biggest attraction, literally. Every summer between May and September hundreds of migrating whale sharks -- the world’s largest fish -- come here to feed. And because they don’t bite, tourists can swim alongside in wonder. Seek out the guide Abraham Jesús “Mohicano”, who can hold your hand if you’re feeling flummoxed by their sheer fantabulous behemoth-ness. Outside of whale shark season there are dolphins and turtles, flamingoes and pelicans -- as well as CasaSandra’s potent mojitos, creamy guacamole and fresh ceviche.
