Punta Caliza · Isla Holbox, Mexico

Off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula lies Isla Holbox, an island of white sand and colorful houses with neither cars nor clouds in sight. Here, the recently opened boutique hotel Punta Caliza offers a contemporary take on Mayan tradition.

Holbox is situated a two-hour drive, and a further half-hour boat ride, from Cancun. Accessible solely by ferry, the island’s population swells during summer as visitors come to swim with the whale sharks. In 2012 the Munoz family visited the island from Tabasco, and, enchanted by the pristine environment, determined to open a unique hotel there. With a triangular shaped plot just 100 meters from the water, the family worked with Estudio Macías Peredo to bring their vision to life.

As with the island, water at the hotel is the main attraction. The pool serves as the central point of the complex, taking the place of a traditional Mayan courtyard. Each of the twelve rooms features a private plunge pool which connects to the main body of water at the center of the hotel. The buildings have been constructed from red cedar trees grown by the family themselves. Their pitched and thatched roofs, along with the chukum technique used to render them, are odes to Mayan construction methods