From the sea at Casa Cat Ba to the garden of Casona Los Cedros

The journey begins by the sea, among the local materials, crafts and terraces of Casa Cat Ba. After the ferry to Chiquilá, the road enters eastern Yucatán. You can stop in Tizimín to see the life of a mainland town or spend the day on the nature of Río Lagartos before reaching Espita.

Holbox: Casa Cat Ba

Casa Cat Ba seen from the water: the house among palm trees on the beach in Holbox, with a boat on the shore.

Holbox lies at the northern tip of the peninsula, within the Yum Balam reserve, between the Gulf of Mexico and a clear green lagoon. Its streets are sand and there are almost no cars. Colette and Pierre-Marie left Bordeaux, traveled half the world and stopped here: in 2017 they bought a seafront villa in the village and remade it themselves, with local materials and natural colors, in a style they describe as wabi-sabi.

All six rooms face the beach, with a balcony or terrace; on the roof, a suite under a pergola takes up the whole floor. The house terrace, with loungers facing the sea, is the place for sunset.

In practice: from the house, boat trips on the lagoon and out to Cabo Catoche, kayaking in the mangroves and cycling along the beach.

Casa Cat Ba page · Official website (opens the official website in a new tab)

Via Tizimín: a pause in the City of Kings

Tizimín, about two hours from Chiquilá, is the cattle capital of Yucatán and is known as the City of Kings: every January 6, devotion to the Three Kings fills its streets. A short stop lets you walk around the center, have something to eat and stretch your legs before the last half hour to Espita. To learn more about its history, check the opening hours of the Salón de Arte e Historia, a museum with pre-Hispanic, colonial and modern objects from the town and its surroundings.

Via Río Lagartos: a day for the landscape

The Río Lagartos variant brings the route to the north coast: an estuary more than 80 km long, declared a Biosphere Reserve, where you can see birds such as pelicans, herons, cormorants and the pink flamingo. Boat trips are arranged with specialist local providers, who know the best times for watching; their length depends on the trip you book. Book ahead and allow that time on top of the roughly four hours of driving on this variant. The birds’ presence depends on the season.

Arriving at Los Cedros

In Espita, the journey changes scale. The old casona (a large traditional house), brought back after some thirty years of abandonment, sits alongside contemporary rooms around a tropical garden. Stone, lime, chukum and the work of craftspeople from the region link the house with its surroundings. Keep time for the terraces and the table at Los Cedros, which cooks with seasonal produce, local producers and the house’s kitchen garden.

The church of Espita, with its two towers, seen from the fountain in the square among palm trees. — Espita: the church from the square, and papel picado in front of its tower. Credit for both photos: Katie & Alex.

Colorful papel picado in front of the church tower in Espita, beside a palm tree. — Espita: the church from the square, and papel picado in front of its tower. Credit for both photos: Katie & Alex.

Casona Los Cedros page · Official website (opens the official website in a new tab)

In practice

Via Tizimín: about 150 km and about two and a half hours of driving from Chiquilá to Los Cedros.
Via Río Lagartos: about 245 km and about four hours of driving, plus the boat trip on the estuary.
Add the transfer from the house, the ferry, the waits and collecting the car in Chiquilá. Ferry timetables, with the operator.
On entering Yucatán, clocks go back one hour.

Reviewed on October 12, 2026.

A route of independent houses in Holbox, Espita, Seyé, Campeche and Bacalar. Each house is a destination. Together, they make the journey.