Someone asked about here about a month ago.
My friend just returned yesterday from Holbox
(pronounced HOL-bosh). She's a savvy traveller, not generally smitten to fantasies, but she's ready to buy there already. Good rec. Cheap escape:us$1,200
door-to-door for a week, solo from Boston. Book thru/stay at
VILLAS DELFINAS who also own/set up your pick-up services
at CANCUN (United Airlines, flights cheap)
and driver north to Chachilla, about 3 hours;
then a half-hour ferry over/they own the ferry too, so the villa/transport is a one-price package, convenient. Island is still recovering from hurricane, it was a fishers island previously, with a few small clusters of thalapa-style circular "villas". Fresh water springs/solar and generator power.
Sand roads, no cars/golfcarts at best and bikes built for entire families. Two amazing bird sanctuaries, national parks, with
2-story observation towers. Palm-lined beaches, that kind of Mexican white sand that never gets hot. Barefoot bliss. Wealthy bohostyle expats and locals. A few Californians kvetching about the lack of 'microgreens'.
An Italian restaurant:ravioli with fresh
sage. Downtime, major-league. No thrash. The photos looked very inviting...especially since it's virtually unknown. Google VILLAS DELFINAS for more info...

hi Tiv,

I had been wanting to get there for awhile, but they were not recovered from Wilma when I was last looking to go. I'm glad to hear they are back on track.

It does look wonderful, and the people in that area of Mexico are so amazing.

Glad she had a good time.

I googled "holbox" a few weeks ago when you mentioned it in one of your posts. Looks like a quiet relaxed place. A quick question for your friend. The beaches look great but is the water calm (one of things that is important to us)...when we were in Cancun (years ago) the water was a bit rough....several days we could not swin because of the red flags...thanks

Varied waves depending on where you are on island;Villas Delfinas looked fairly placid waters and so did other bays and flats in her pix and recounting....none of the abrupt off-shore sloping shelf of beach often found on Cancun's beaches....

thanks tivertonhouse...sounds like a place to add to our ever expanding list of destinations to visit.