Like many experiences here in Latin America, this one was a surprise. There’s little to no publicity for the experience before getting to the island, and once there, my travel buddy only saw a sign on one of her walks.
Pandora Luminescence is an immersive dinner theater in the middle of a sandy beach forest. Guests arrive after sundown and are greeted by a host who sets the tone from the start. With a painted face and a trigger on the story, he gave us a taste of what we were about to experience. Only a bite, because he didn’t want to spoil the surprise and neither do I. The doors opened, and we entered into a whole new world.
From the first few seconds, I realized this was one of the most immersive experiences I had experienced. And it was done with such simplicity and ease that I started wondering whether coming back to the basics wasn’t a great idea (it is, by the way). We were greeted in French, a touch that we both truly appreciated as we had only been hearing English or Mexican for three weeks. Greeting guests in their language is so simple, powerful, and just overall a great idea.
We were seated under a tree, next to the stage, and as we sipped on our margarita, the show started. The story honoring the bioluminescent waters surrounding Isla Holbox was in Mexican. Unfortunately, my Spanish wasn’t good enough to understand the story, but I didn’t need that to appreciate the art and talent. This is a low-budget experience compared to some experiences I’ve been to in my life, but it is high-budget for the people who created it.
What surprised us the most was the quality and creativity of our plates. My friend and I are foodies, but our trip to Mexico was on a tight budget, and our foodie-ness had been tried and tested. We were delighted to see each dish come with each act of the show. Every dish was goodness in my mouth; my tastebuds were also on an immersive experience through spices and textures… Dang, it was perfect.
The immersive story, the excellent food, and the beautiful people who created this experience and brought this multisensory experience to life make the long trip to get to Isla Holbox worth it.
