Casa Las Tortugas — Hotel in Isla Holbox

My spouse and I visited this hotel for a short getaway in June 2025. Leading up to this trip, I noticed a shortage of reviews, so I’d like to do my part to share more information and some insider tips!||Pre-Trip Communication and Transfer|Fernando did an excellent job with communications and confirmations. We booked our transport through the hotel and this was also very smooth. The trip from the CUN airport is 2 hours, with a 30 minute ferry ride to Holbox. Then a 5 min UTV ride to the hotel. The handoff from the transfer to the ferry to the taxi was seamless.||Hotel |This is undeniably a gorgeous hotel. If you’re looking for a totally “instagramable” location, this is it. Our check in was quick and we received a small glass of prosecco while Javi showed us around the hotel and our room. We love small, boutique hotels and the ease of moving from room, restaurant, beach. It is mostly open air in common spaces, with sandy walkways. All spaces are in good repair and very clean. ||Room|We booked the “Owner’s Suite” aka Monarca. It featured a balcony with sitting area, and indoor living room space, bathroom, separate bedroom, and an upstairs terrace with loungers, plunge pool, and bed. The AC in the room was comfortable and there were multiple fans. The lighting in the bathroom is dim - take a lighted mirror. Also, there is no fan in the bathroom, but there is a window by the shower to allow some airflow. We do wish there was a small refrigerator available for this room type - it would have been nice to keep leftovers, drinks, etc cool. There was a small cosmetics fridge in the bathroom, which was unique, but it wasn’t working despite our attempts. Also, although we had a plunge pool in our room, pool towels were not provided, so we had to visit the front desk to request them for our room. This seems like a simple fix to just provide them for rooms with a pool. In a similar vein, washcloths are not provided at this hotel (which I understand is an “American thing”) however, something to be aware of as you are packing for your trip. Our room was cleaned each day and housekeeping did an excellent job. We did notice that our plunge pool did not seem to have a working filter. The water was completely still with no movement and dead insects collected at the surface (giving me flashbacks to covid-era backyard pools… if you know, you know). We did share this with guest services, and they said the pool was working fine, it just needed to be cleaned. So they did, but the filter never appeared to work and bugs and grime continue to collect. ||Beach|The hotel offers plenty of beds, shade, and spaces at the beach. The beds are comfy and the palapa provided shade all day. Water is warm, calm, clean, and shallow. This was probably the best Mexican beach we have visited, besides Playa Norte. Food/drink service is provided at your chair, but it is infrequent. Typically, we would wait for 90-120 minutes between service. The resort wasn’t busy but maybe understaffed? We did just go to the hostess/bar ourselves to request service when needed. Beach towels aren’t provided at the beach - you need to go to reception to request. ||Food|The included breakfast is indeed amazing! Coffee, juice, bread/toast, fruit/yogurt/granola, AND a breakfast entree. This was very well done. We also took lunch at our chairs a few days. The menu has more of an upscale vibe, which was unique and yummy, and we enjoyed all our meals… but sometimes when you’re on the beach, you just want some chips and guacamole ;) We found this nearby easily at other beach clubs. We also ate dinner one night at AMA, the Japanese restaurant at the hotel. This wasn’t as strong of a meal and the staff of 4 seemed very overwhelmed by the 3 tables of 2. The space was beautiful though, so go for the vibes.||Service|We love small hotels for the intimacy and because we can typically experience better service. If I could say one thing that this hotel lacked, it was genuine guest connection by staff. The service was fine, but it didn’t wow us like other places we have been. I’ll admit that for some travelers, this isn’t a priority, and that’s ok. If the hotel is looking to take its service to a higher level, they could encourage staff to remember names, remember repeat orders, remember rooms, acknowledge special reasons for travel (for example, an anniversary) — We enjoy feeling like we have been seen and appreciated as guests which is why we visit smaller establishments. Service was fine but it didn’t wow us like at other places we have traveled.||Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at Casa Las Tortugas and with its beautiful surroundings and spaces, it’s clear why it’s a popular...

This was probably one of the nicest hotels we've ever stayed at. We stayed in the Owners Suite, which was a gorgeous room with a living room and private rooftop plunge pool. It was very, very clean, and was kept clean throughout our stay. It's inevitable that sand will be tracked into your room, but the housecleaners made sure it was spotless each time they came. Every once in a while we would see our neighbors, but otherwise the room/roof felt very private and like we had the hotel to ourselves. There's no minifridge in the room (or on the property), but ours came with a little breastmilk fridge that we used to keep a drink or 2 cold.

Every single staff member was friendly and helpful, and felt like they went above and beyond for us (hi Flor!!). We booked our arrival transportation through them (van ride from airport to ferry, ferry tickets, and taxi to the hotel), and they were very communicative. The day before our arrival there was a bunch of high winds and the ferry actually shut down for a day. They let us know immediately, and although we lucked out and had no issues getting to the hotel, we appreciated their transparency and communication about the issue. We're not used to staying at really nice hotels, but we could tell that the staff took the time to remember who we were and say hi/help us whenever needed. Even if we didn't think we'd need help, like having a staff member help us with our bags when we left super early in the morning!

Free breakfast is included with the room, but let me say that we would've ended up eating here anyways, even if it wasn't free. For the 2 of us, we'd share a plate of breads with butter and jam and a french presse (coffee or tea), and then each of us individually would get a juice, bowl of fruit w/ yogurt and (really yummy) granola, and 1 additional item off their menu. One small comment is that the eggs would often come out undercooked, but the flavor was there. 10/10 would eat there again.

My partner and I don't drink anymore, and were blown away by how many (amazing) non-alcoholic options they had. Freshly made juices with a rotating daily, smoothies, and mocktails with fresh juices (they called them "sparkling waters", if I remember correctly).

The location can't be beat. It's right on the outskirt of town, which means you don't get a lot of foot or cart traffic, but you're literally steps away from the action. One day we walked to Punta Cocos, and were really glad we weren't staying in that part of town due to the huge "puddles" in the street that blocked all traffic. Even though it was an adventure getting out there, I wouldn't want that to be my "normal commute". Whereas, near us the puddles from an earlier storm dried right up after 24 hours and we were able to wander anywhere we wanted. We could hear some noise at night, but it was really minimal - just the occasional cart or laughter. If you want complete silence I would maybe recommend staying farther out, but we weren't bothered at all and actually enjoyed the low hum of life.

This is the first review I've written, EVER. I hope that shows anyone reading this just how amazing Casa Las Tortugas is. Although there are dozens of other places I want to travel to, if I ever come back to Holbox, 100% I'm staying at Tortugas. Worth...

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TL;DR: Stop searching, this is THE place to stay in Holbox.

✅ Michelin-star-level service & staff without Michelin Price ✅ Spacious, stunning rooms & serene property ✅ Incredible yoga, daily activities & delicious included breakfast ✅ Perfect beach club (and you can BYOB!) ✅ Staff went above and beyond for us, even at 3am ✅ Better than AWA Holbox (yes, really)

If you want a luxury experience without breaking the bank, book Casa Las Tortugas. You won’t regret it.

PS. We booked early July and it was perfect (no sargassum and low season). We stayed at the master suite (chef’s kiss 🤌🏽)

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Full review:

Our stay at Casa Las Tortugas was unforgettable. The staff and service are truly Michelin Star level, and that starts even before you arrive. The day before our stay they reached out to confirm everything and shared helpful info about getting to the island, which made the whole trip stress-free from the get-go.

When we arrived, they welcomed us with refreshing drinks and gave us a full tour of the beautiful property. We felt instantly cared for. They explained the daily activities, yoga schedule, and even shared discounts we could use at their boutique.

The rooms are spacious, beautifully decorated, and full of charm. Every corner of the hotel feels serene and special. We joined yoga classes on two mornings and they were absolutely incredible, such a unique and grounding experience.

The included breakfast was another highlight: delicious and well worth it. The beach club is perfection, gorgeous, and relaxing. The staff regularly checked on us to make sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed, which really elevated the experience. Plus, they let you bring your own drinks to the beach, which is such a great touch.

One night I almost lost my wedding ring at the beach, and I’ll never forget how the staff went above and beyond, they helped us search for it at 3 a.m. That kind of kindness and dedication speaks volumes about the people who work here.

For the rest of our trip, we had booked AWA (because it’s listed in the Michelin Guide), but honestly? It didn’t even come close. Casa Las Tortugas deserves that Michelin recognition far more, it was on another level.

If you only stay at one place in Holbox, make it here. ♾️/10, would book again in a heartbeat!

Thank you Narce, Flor, Javi & the...