After an early bus journey from Tulum I found myself on the tip of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, in a small town called Chiquilà, where I jumped on a ferry to take me over to Isla Holbox.

The island is pricier than mainland Mexico but several people had said it was a "must see" paradise. There was limited availability for accommodation during my visit due to the Mexican holidays, so I had to pay a little more than usual by booking myself into my own little private shack, thankfully with AC.. it was roasting!

I had two days of relaxation on Holbox (pronounced Holbosh by Mexican's) - the first day by taking a lazy stroll along the beautiful white sugar sands of the main beach, where lavish boutique style hotels and beach bars sit behind an endless row of palm trees, and fishing boats sway gently in crystal clear waters waiting to take tourists on sailing trips.

Hiring a bike the following day was a great way to check out more of Holbox. A few k's cycle through an untouched part of the island where I barely saw any sign of life, other than a few big lizards, brought me out to Punta Cocos.. a deserted beach, complete with its own mini pier. I'd have stayed there a while had it not been for the mosquitos and sandflies.

A quite stunning sunset over the Caribbean Sea, amidst huge cloud formations created a dramatic effect in the sky while I walked along the beach on my final night. Spectacular!

Was this island as much of a paradise as everyone had suggested? To a certain extent, yes.

The coastline is undoubtedly bite the back of your hand beautiful. But this shouldn't fool you. Ever heard the phrase.. "beauty is only skin deep"? There couldn't be a truer word spoken in Holbox's case.

While some parts of the island have been richly developed, particularly close to the main beach and around the plaza, other parts inland have been completely neglected, some of which are dumping grounds for all kinds of waste.

There are no roads, just sandy pathways with huge potholes. Drainage is a massive problem, there doesn't seem to be evidence of any. It never rained during my time here, yet some pathways had turned into massive lakes. Probably the reason why there are no cars, the only motorised vehicles are golf carts or quad bikes.

The majority of the island's population live within close proximity of one another, and there's a noticeable gap between rich and poor, which creates a slightly odd environment. I'm not saying the two should be segregated, it's merely an observation.

The number one activity on Holbox at this time of year is to swim with whale sharks. The world's largest fish migrate to the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea every year between June and September to feed on plankton. Again, I was told this was a "must see".

The Mexican government have been cashing in on this natural occurrence by granting licenses for hundreds of sailing companies, meaning the waters around the island have become largely overcrowded where the whales come to feed. Animal rights groups have challenged the methods used by these companies for cruelty. The boats firstly locate the gentle giants, block the path in which they are swimming, and then send in tourists to swim alongside them.

I'm no animal lover by any stretch of the imagination but something didn't sit right with me in the way they are interfering with nature. Needless to say, I gave the whole thing a miss.

Don't get me wrong, I had a great time here and I'd definitely encourage people to make a visit, but Holbox is definitely not the ultimate paradise that many had proclaimed it was.. more a rough diamond. Breathtakingly beautiful, but not without its blemishes.

It's now close to midnight on Monday, and it would seem I've been dealt an untimely dose of food poisoning. I've to get up in 4 hours or so to catch the 5.00am ferry back to Chiquilà, where I'll hopefully be taking the bus to Valladolid, a central town in the Yucatán Peninsula.

Was it the tacos, was it the burger, something I drank even? Who knows? It's all disappeared down the toilet! Yuk!

Nighty Night xx