Honest Villas HM Palapas del Mar Review: Pros & Cons 2025
Thinking about staying at Villas HM Palapas del Mar in Holbox, Mexico and wondering if it’s worth it? You’ve come to the right place!
As a travel blogger who’s visited Holbox many times, I stayed at this trendy beachfront hotel to see what it’s really like.
With oceanfront villas, a rooftop pool and Sky Bar, and a private beach area, it’s a popular spot for a relaxing getaway.
In this honest Villas HM Palapas del Mar review, I’ll share the pros and cons based on my personal experience to help you decide if it’s the right hotel for your Holbox vacation.
Ready to find out if Villas HM Palapas del Mar is the perfect fit for your stay? Let’s get started!
🏆 Best Mid-Range Holbox Hotel
Pros:
✅ Great Location
✅ Incredible Beach
✅ Rooftop Pool & Bar
Cons:
❌ Average Food
❌ Spotty Wifi
❌ Towel Deposit
Is Villas HM Palapas del Mar Worth Staying At?
Absolutely, Villas HM Palapas del Mar is definitely worth considering for your stay in Holbox, Mexico.
The 4-star hotel is one of the best hotels in Holbox with a perfect beachfront location, just a short walk from all the action in the town center but far enough away for peace and quiet.
And it’s cute and trendy and full of incredible amenities, such as 2 swimming pools, including a rooftop pool and sushi bar and restaurant, a private beach, and massage services.
While the rooms are little bit older style, they are very clean, comfortable, and air-conditioned and are the perfect resting place after a long day at the beach.
The hotel also has a private beach with comfortable lounge beds and beach service. This area is SO peaceful and relaxing and where you’ll be spending most of your time!
The free breakfast included in your stay, coupled with the optional all-inclusive package, is very convenient and a nice value-add.
Plus, I found the service at Villas HM Palapas del Mar to be friendly and attentive, making my stay even more enjoyable.
Overall, Villas HM Palapas del Mar provides a lovely and affordable stay in a great location, offering great value for your money.
↳ Check rates and availability at Villas HM Palapas del Mar
Villas HM Palapas del Mar Review: Quick Facts
Here are the quick resort details about the guest rooms, facilities, and amenities at Villas HM Palapas del Mar Hotel:
| Number of Rooms | 52 |
| Number of Restaurants | 2 |
| Number of Pools | 2 |
| Beachfront? | Yes |
| Family Friendly? | Yes |
| All Inclusive? | Optional |
| Price Range | 💲💲💲 |
| Star Rating | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
| Book Now | ↳ Check rates here |
Villas HM Palapas del Mar Pros
These are some of the best things about Villas HM Palapas del Mar:
✅ Great Location
Villas HM Palapas del Mar has an incredible location on the eastern side of Playa Holbox, placing you near the heart of the action, yet far enough away for peace and quiet.
I always recommend staying on the side of the beach when visiting Holbox as the eastern side is typically more widespread and has less seaweed.
The hotel is only a 10-minute walk from the town center, where you can find all the best restaurants, bars, and shops in Holbox.
And if you want to go further or aren’t up for the walk, then the hotel can easily call a golf cart taxi to take you anywhere you please.
Travelista Tip: When walking into town, I would recommend walking along the beach. Not only is it more scenic but the main roads near the hotel can get muddy after it rains.
✅ Comfortable and Quiet Rooms
One of the highlights of Villas HM Palapas del Mar is its spacious and comfortable air-conditioned rooms.
You can choose from a variety of room options, including ground floor rooms with private pools, or second level rooms with private balconies and hammocks.
The rooms have white walls with green and blue Mexican accents which gives them a light and bright feel.
While the rooms do feel a bit older with Mexican-style concrete furnishings, this is pretty common with Holbox hotels and adds to the charm.
The rooms come equipped with a desk, separate sitting area, flat screen TV, safe, and rainfall shower, as well as a mini-fridge stocked with water and refreshments.
Another thing that I really appreciated was how quiet the rooms were at night. The villas are in separate buildings so you don’t hear much noise from your neighbors.
I had read reviews for some other hotels in Holbox (like Aldea Kuka) complaining of noise, so that’s one of the reasons I chose Villas HM Palapas del Mar.
↳ Check rates and availability at Villas HM Palapas del Mar
Villas HM Palapas del Mar Room Types
Here’s an overview of the different room types available at Villas HM Palapas del Mar:
- Junior Suite: These suites are located on the upper floors of the villas, with a private balcony, a comfortable king bed or two double beds, and a fully-equipped bathroom.
- Junior Suite with Private Pool: These suites are located on the ground floor, complete with a private pool on the terrace, a choice between a king-size bed or two double beds, and a fully-equipped bathroom.
- Superior Junior Suite: These suites are larger than the Junior Suites and offer the option of a balcony or terrace, with two double beds or a king-size bed, and a bathroom with shower.
- Junior Suite Ocean Front: These suites are located on the second floor on the beachfront and have ocean views. They feature a private balcony, king-size bed, and a fully equipped bathroom.
- Junior Suite with Private Pool on the Beach: These suites are located on the ground floor with a private pool and sea view and have two double beds.
- Junior Suite Superior on the Beach: These suites are larger than the Junior Suites, have the choice of a balcony or a terrace with ocean views, and have two double beds or a kind sized beds.
↳ See more pictures of the Villas HM Palapas del Mar room types here
Junior Suite Ocean Front Review
I personally stayed in the Junior Suite Ocean Front on the second floor and really enjoyed it.
The room was very spacious, clean, and comfortable. The bed was extremely comfortable and with the strong AC, I got a great night’s sleep!
I also appreciated that they provided bottles of water each day so you don’t have to worry about constantly buying water.
This room also has a private balcony with a hammock and an ocean view. It was nice but honestly, I don’t really think the ocean view rooms are worth it.
The reason being is that the rooms are set back across the street from the beach so it’s not really a direct view. And when in Holbox, you really don’t spend much time in the room anyways.
Also, the hammock is a nice touch but you just have to very careful of mosquitos in the evenings.
✅ Incredible Beach Area
One of my favorite things about Villas HM Palapas del Mar was its private beachfront area, complete with comfy lounge beds.
This part of the beach is exclusively for hotel guests and a bit more secluded, making it a peaceful and quiet spot to relax and enjoy the stunning ocean views.
The beaches in Holbox are always dreamy, with soft white sand and clear turquoise water and this part of the beach has hardly any seaweed (at least when I was there).
The water is so shallow that you can walk out quite far and still only be knee-deep. It’s perfect for cooling off or just sitting in the water.
Plus, the hotel offers beach service so you can sip on cocktails without ever having to leave your lounger!
Travelista Tip: There’s no wifi or cell service at the beach so be sure to pack a book or your Kindle Paperwhite!
✅ Pools and Relaxation Areas
Aside from the beautiful beach area, Villas HM Palapas del Mar also has two pools for guests to enjoy.
The main pool near the restaurant is a great place for a refreshing swim and it’s right next to the bar so you can easily grab a drink while lounging.
While the beach is the main highlight in Holbox, it’s really nice to have a secluded pool to escape the sun and sand.
There are also lounge beds and cabanas scattered around the property where you can find a private spot to relax.
✅ Rooftop Pool and Bar
One of the highlights of Villas HM Palapas del Mar is their rooftop pool and bar, known as Tamashi.
This Japanese restaurant and bar offers a unique dining experience with delicious sushi and creative cocktails.
This pool and lounge area faces the beach so it’s the perfect spot to watch the sunset over Holbox.
In addition, Tamashi also hosts a DJ at night, making it a lively spot for dinner or drinks under the stars.
✅ Free Breakfast
Even if you’re not on the all-inclusive plan, free breakfast is still included at Villas HM Palapas del Mar.
The buffet at the main Villas HM Palapas del Mar restaurant offers a variety of options such as eggs made to order, pancakes, waffles, french toast, chilaquiles, fresh fruit, yogurt and juices.
It’s a nice value add and gives you a good start to your day before heading out to explore all the fun things to do in Holbox.
✅ Excellent Service
I found the service at Villas HM Palapas del Mar to be excellent. The front desk staff was helpful with any questions or requests that I had and they even greet you with a welcome drink upon arrival.
I also found the restaurant servers to be very friendly and attentive, remembering my name and room number without having to ask each time.
The beach servers were also really nice and always willing to help out with anything you need. It’s these small details that really make a difference in your stay.
Villas HM Palapas del Mar Cons
These are the main cons about Villas HM Palapas del Mar that you should keep in mind:
❌ Average Food
While breakfast was always good and the drinks were great, I found the lunch and dinner options to be just okay.
The food was decent but not amazing, which is something to keep in mind if you’re a foodie.
I also tried their special barbecue dinner one night and unfortunately, it was not very good. It’s an outdoor buffet and the food was kind of cold and bland–although it did have a nice ambiance!
I also had lunch on the beach a few times and while it was good, it wasn’t anything special. You can choose from options like nachos, tacos, pizza, sandwiches, and seafood dishes.
But even though the food wasn’t the greatest, the nice thing is that you can easily walk to other restaurants in town for different dining options.
Should you choose the all inclusive plan at Villas HM Palapas del Mar?
It ultimately depends on your preferences and plans for your stay.
If you don’t plan on leaving the hotel much and want to be able to eat and drink as much as you want without worrying about additional costs, then the all-inclusive plan may be worth it for you.
But if you enjoy trying different restaurants in town or are not big eaters, then I would recommend sticking with just the breakfast included option.
I didn’t choose the all-inclusive plan and appreciated the freedom to venture out to downtown Holbox for meals.
Plus, with so many delicious Holbox restaurants to try, I didn’t want to be limited to just the hotel’s food options.
❌ Spotty Wifi and Cell Service
Okay, let me preface this by saying that that wifi and cell service in Holbox is extremely spotty all over the island.
So there were some areas around the hotel where you couldn’t get a signal. The wifi worked well in the rooms and common areas, but there was no cell service or wifi on the beach.
So if you really need to work or stay connected during your vacation, this may be a bit of an issue for you. But then again, Holbox is all about unplugging and enjoying the simple island life!
❌ Towel Deposit
One thing that was kind of annoying was that there is a towel deposit required at check-in. You have to pay around $400 pesos (~$20 USD) in cash or by credit card.
Then they give you a towel card which you can exchange for a towel at the pool bar.
While it’s not a huge amount of money, I still found it to be an unnecessary extra cost and hassle. It would have been nice if the towels were just included in your stay like most hotels.
But overall, this was just a minor inconvenience and didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the hotel.
❌ Dark at Night
There is not a ton of lighting around the hotel at night, making it quite dark when walking around.
There are some lights in the common areas but not a lot on the outer paths or on the stairways by the villas. I had to use my phone flashlight every time I walked back to my room at night.
This might not be ideal for older individuals or those with mobility issues.
Villas HM Palapas del Mar Holbox Island Mexico: FAQs
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about staying at Villas HM Palapas del Mar in Holbox Quintana Roo:
Both hotels are part of the HM Hotels chain and located right next to each other in Holbox. The main difference is that Villas HM Palapas del Mar is a bit newer and trendier, while Villas HM Paraiso del Mar has a more classic Mexican feel.
Villas HM Palapas del Mar feels very safe. I stayed there as a solo female traveler and never felt unsafe or uncomfortable. The staff was incredibly welcoming and I never had any safety concerns. Overall, Holbox Island is very safe with low crime rates.
Villas HM Palapas del Mar is a 4-star hotel.
Yes, HM Hotels is a chain of boutique hotels located in different destinations in Mallorca (Spain), Playa del Carmen, and Holbox. Some other locations in Mexico include HM Hotel Playa del Carmen and Villas HM Paraiso del Mar in Holbox.
The check-in time is at 3pm and the check-out time is 12pm. Early check-in and late checkout are available upon request (for an additional cost) depending on availability.
There is not a full-service spa at Villas HM Palapas del Mar Isla Holbox but they do have air-conditioned spa cabins where you can book a massage. I had a massage while there and it was very relaxing–and affordable!
Villas HM Palapas del Mar is family-friendly and there were some families with kids staying at the hotel during my stay.
The pool area is great for kids to play in and the all inclusive package is convenient for families.
However, on the whole, Holbox is more popular with couples and younger travelers.
Final Thoughts: Villas HM Palapas del Mar Review
So, is Villas HM Palapas del Mar worth it? I hope these Villas HM Palapas del Mar reviews have helped you decide whether this Holbox hotel is right for you.
My overall experience at Villas HM Palapas del Mar was very positive and I would definitely recommend staying there!
The rooms were clean and comfortable, the beach was stunning, the staff was friendly and helpful, and the location was perfect. Plus, the free breakfast was a great perk.
The only real con is the food being just average but the nice thing is that you can easily walk into downtown Holbox for other dining options.
So if you’re looking for a trendy, stylish, and relaxing beach escape, then Villas HM Palapas del Mar is definitely worth considering!
I think it’s a great option for couples, friends, and solo travelers looking for a comfortable, yet affordable hotel on Holbox Island. I would definitely stay there again!
Are you ready to book your stay at Villas HM Palapas del Mar?!
