View from a palapa in Xaloc Resort on Isla Holbox, Mexico

• Explore the islands by chartering a boat for $25-30 per person.
  
• Taxi service is available, but rent a golf cart for the day for easier travel.
  
• Shopping on the island can be expensive. Bring your necessities with you to save money.
  
• There are no banks on the island, so it's better to exchange your money before you arrive.
  
• You can count the number of motorized vehicles on the island on one hand.
  
• Bird Island is known locally as Isla Parajos and about 40,000 flamingos visit it between April and October. Many of the birds that inhabit or visit the island are endangered.

Ki Huic Market
Cancun
www.cancun.retailguide.com
Open 9 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; bargains on pottery, embroidery and silverworks

Elysian Holidays Limited
Booking agent for Xaloc Resort on Holbox Island, Mexico
$90-180 per night for a stay in a palapa--a circular hut with a natural palm tree roof
Phone: +11 44 1580 766 599
www.elysianworldtravel.com
The resort can also arrange a free visit with the artisan who makes hammocks; handmade hammocks cost $85 and up

Mexico Tourism Board
800-44-Mexico (6-3942)
www.visitmexico.com

Mexicana Airlines
800-531-7921
www.mexicana.com

Cancun Visitors Bureau
Phone: +11 52 998 884 6531
www.cancun.info