Puerto Morelos Travel Guide

From Wikitravel

Beach at Puerto Morelos, in front of the Casita del Mar at the north end of town

Puerto Morelos is a small fishing village in Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula, about 20 km south of Cancun

Understand

It's the ideal location for those who want a quiet beach vacation away from the glitz, but with ample tourist amenities. The town has just two principal streets and you can walk from one end to the other in about 15 minutes. You can get by with English, but Spanish is not superfluous. Most places accept US dollars. The reef just off the shore is a national park.

Get In

By plane

The nearest major airport is in Cancun, 20km away.

By car

Puerto Morelos is about 2 km from Highway 307. Puerto Morelos is about 30 kilometres south of Cancun and 30 kilometres north of Playa del Carmen. Tulum is one hour south of Puerto Morelos.

By bus

• Riviera/ADO bus to Playa del Carmen from Cancun airport (MXN$65), once per hour beginning at 10:30 a.m. The bus departs from Terminal 2, east end (terminal faces north). Buy ticket just inside terminal or on bus. Ask the driver to stop at Puerto Morelos.
• Riviera/ADO bus or city bus to downtown Cancun (el centro). At the downtown bus terminal, catch the Mayab bus to Tulum or Riviera bus to Playa del Carmen. Ask the driver to stop at Puerto Morelos. Buses stop on the highway, about 2km from town; take taxi to town (MXN$22)

Get around

See

A side street in Puerto Morelos

• Sit on the white sand beach in the shade of a thatched palapa
• Visit the Jardin Botanica just outside town
• Birdwatching in the mangroves

Do

• Swim in the 80-degree water near shore
• Snorkel the cenote (a sinkhole fed by an underground spring, very attractive to marine life) a few meters out in front of the Ojo de Agua hotel or the Puerto Morelos Reef, about 500-1000 meters from shore. You can rent equipment at Dive Puerto Morelos and swim there yourself, or book a boat trip outside the Casita del Mar (north end of town, on the beach) for USD$22. Downtown operations offer trips for USD$45.
• Take a dive, snorkel or fishing trip with Almost Heaven Adventures, a dive shop located in the Ceiba del Mar Hotel at the north end of town, tel.+52 9988710230 [1]. For those who want to try out scuba diving but are not certified, try a resort course. Night snorkeling trips are also popular.

Buy

• Alma Libre Bookstore [2]. Large selection of used English paperbacks, plus new books of local interest. They take trades too.
• Browse through metal and clay sculptures at Artisolo
• Check out the local crafts at the Mayan Handicraft Center
• Buy a hammock, a serape, or a postcard at the souvenir shops off the town square

Eat

Most places don't take reservations, and there can be a wait for dinner, especially around 7 or 8 pm. Sundays are the most crowded. There are a number of very cheap restaurants not listed here. If you eat at these places, stick to food that is cooked to order, as some dishes may not be fresh. If you have a kitchen, you can buy groceries at Casa Martin on the town square, but it's more like a convenience store than a supermarket.

Budget

• Le Cafe D'Amancia On the square, best coffee and healthy breakfast.
• Hola Asia Pan Asian; entrees around MXN$80.
• Mama's Bakery at the north end of town. Coffee, pastries, and sandwiches.
• El Tios tiny place across from the lighthouse. Very inexpensive tortas, soup or Mayan food
• Buy fresh fish from fishermen at the pier or at their stall on the north side of the zocalo, and cook it yourself

Moderate

• Portobello's On the town square next to Alma Libre Bookstore.
• Bodo's Avenida Ninos Heroes. Owned by a chef from Switzerland. Expertly prepared seafood. Menu ranges from spaghetti with shrimp sauce (MXN$75) to giant shrimp with tequila sauce or Caribbean lobster (MXN$195); also includes Wiener Schnitzel and Jaeger Schnitzel.
• Le Marlin Bleu tasty shrimp tacos and more
• Caribbean Reef Villas Seafood Restaurant "New World Cusine" and Seafood. Opening soon, after Hurricane Wilma.

Splurge

• John Gray's Kitchen, Avenida Ninos Heroes. Posh and pricy; excellent food by a former Ritz Carlton chef. Reservations recommended.

Drink

• Blue Moon- live music and margaritas (MXN$50).
• Don Pepe's Ole
• Gioconda Pizza BAR [3].

Sleep

All types of lodging are available, including modest hotels right on the beach. If you are booking within a few weeks of your travel date, you may have to contact several places to find a vacancy.

• Home Vacation Rentals[4] Homes for Rent In Puerto Morelos.
• Amar Inn Headquarters of environmentalists.
• Hotel Ojo de Agua [5] Small hotel on beach.
• Rancho Sak-Ol [6] Adults-only resort south of town, on beach.
• Santa Fe Bed and Breakfast [7]
• Posada Amor Bed and breakfast
• Cabanas Puerto Morelos [8] Units with kitchenettes.
• Marina El Cid [9] New all-inclusive resort.
• Hotel Caribe
• Villas Playa Sol condominiums
• Ceiba del Mar All-inclusive resort.

Get out

• Visit Mayan ruins at Tulum or Chichen Itza
• Take the ferry to Cozumel from Playa del Carmen