2020, to say the least, has been a very “interesting” and “challenging” year for all of us. We in Puerto Morelos made it through a very active storm season as well as Covid. In our 18 years here, we have never had such a demanding year. On the good side, we got to know our town much better than ever and developed a new appreciation for our Puerto Morelos amigos.
The town square in La Colonia
As we put 2020 behind us, we hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season and that 2021 brings you happiness, health, prosperity AND brings you to Puerto Morelos! In the meantime, here are a few photos from our little village this holiday season.
Nativity scene under the tree
Puerto Morelos City Hall
Guadalupe is a very special & intregal part of the Christmas season in Mexico.
A recycled bottle Christmas tree outside Chedraui.
May you and your family have a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2021. Stay happy and healthy. Saludos, Rob & Joanne.
Don Mexkal is not just a bar, it is so much more. If you have been there before, you need to go again as it has brand new menu! If you have never been, you are in for a real treat.
In past years this was traditionally a local’s hang-out was best known for its mezcal naturally, and late-night music and fun. This is the place where other restaurant and bar employees end up after their shift to relax. Don Mexkal is still all that, but under the current Covid rules, they transformed into an original restaurant and we are happy that they did. The vibe is still very much friendly and local, and they welcome everyone plus the staff all speak English.
Owners Jessica and Javier a few years ago. 🙂
Brother and sister team and owners, Javier and Jessica, are originally from Puebla and have brought with them the cuisine from their area. Puebla is world-famous for its cuisine. Javi and Jess have even imported Chef Ricardo, also from Puebla, to create their new menu. Ask about their daily specials which include cemitas, cochinita pibil and much more.
The cemita is a Puebla specialty made with a very special eggless bread imported from Puebla, Oaxacan cheese and lots of other goodies. It is not to be missed.
Now instead of just being a really fun bar, they are also a really great restaurant. You can still get the best shot of mezcal in town here too. If you aren’t familiar with mezcal, ask for Javi and he can give you a quick introduction.
Meet Christian, one of the masked waiters from Don Mexkal.
Don Mexkal is currently open Friday to Tuesday from noon to midnight. Soon they will be open 7 days a week. It’s a good place to watch NFL Football or just chat with old friends and new friends.
Photo from January 2019. Known for their music, we look forward to a time when we can all dance together again at Don Mexkal.
Don Mexkal is located on Ave. Javier Rojo Gomez just half a block north of the town square on the port side. You can visit them here on their Facebook page.
And of course, they also have a really yummy margarita with your choice of tequila and cold beer on tap.
This one time only we are offering a very special discount. Mention promo code SaveJan2021 and get 10% off weekly stays at Casa de los Viajeros or a 20% discount if you stay 3 weeks or more!
We have had a pretty quiet time here in Puerto Morelos. Normally, we travel and work up north, but not this year. Our vacation rental business suddenly ended in March and has not recovered yet. We have been forced to put Christmas and January on SALE!Contact us today if you would like to pay us a visit.
We’re not alone. All restaurants, shops and services in Puerto Morelos have seen their business fall off a cliff. In addition to Covid, we also had to face a very busy storm season, with three named storms, including two hurricanes passing through. Luckily, there were no injuries and no major damage, but a heck of a lot of cleaning up and repair was required and still is.
Some guests have found our town though and some regulars are returning, only slightly less recognizable behind their masks.
There’s always some news to share with you though. For one thing, a lot of new restaurants have opened recently. (Click any photo for a full screen view)
Itacate is a new venture from super-chef Karla Romo. You may already know Karla as the owner of El Pirata restaurant and her farm-to-table experience, Koox Ich Kool(read more about it on our blog). Itacate is a new restaurant, mostly focused on food that you take away. There is a daily “menu of the day” special, and also a large selection of tortas (sandwiches) and some tempting desserts. Itacate is conveniently located just outside the doors of the highway Chedraui location. Karla has promised that El Pirata will reopen very soon.
On the beach side of town, a new little place has opened called “Fit & Fat”. We certainly like the sound of it! They serve all day, starting with breakfast in the morning, snacks in the afternoon and dinner in the evening. I’ve also seen some delicious looking chocolate cake on their FB posts. They are located on Rojo Gomez, a block north of the square in the space formerly occupied by “On The Vine”. Here’s a map link.
Photo courtesy Lauro’s. Models by “We Need a Beer inc.”
Also beach side is Lauro’s. This place is all about music, and is owned by local sensation and guitar virtuoso, Hector. We stumbled into Lauro’s place at the right time and were actually their first customers! They are momentarily closed, but assure us that they will be open again soon.
The Colonia is bursting with new places. A new taco place has opened behind the Colonia square. It’s called “Taqueria El Rodeo” and they offer many types of tacos including arrachera, sirloin, chicken, sausage and pastor. They are open 2:00 PM until 11:00 PM every day. We will be checking them out soon as we adore arrachera tacos and find them hard to locate in town.
“La Penca” just opened in the little strip mall at the entrance to town across from the baseball diamond. They advertise barbacoa, quesadillas, tlacoyos, and mixiotes in the traditional style of the state of Hidalgo in central Mexico. They are open every day from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, closed Saturday.
Also near the Colonia square and opening soon is a new rotisserie chicken place. It is called “El Pechugón” and it will be opening on the north side of the square, about a block west of the Oxxo. El Pechugón is a fairly large Mexican chain of take-away rotisserie restaurants that started in Guadalajara in the 80’s. Now they have more than 360 locations all over Mexico. They already have locations in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, and soon Puerto Morelos.
Photo by Sazon de mi Corazon
A couple of other new restaurants also opened recently. Across from the new chicken place in the Colonia is “Sazon de mi Corazon“. They serve all kinds of choices for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are open daily from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, closed Wednesdays.
Photo by Tulipanes Mexican Restaurant
Also, Tulipanes Mexican Restaurant opened recently in the Hotel Puerto Corcho which is on Calle Chaca, between the two main roads in the Colonia, Zetina Gasca and Timon. They are open every day from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm.
A new cafe also opened recently just east of the square in the Colonia called Elefantitos Rosas. We briefly mentioned them in our October Beach Reads Update. They are a cafe that bakes daily, so it always smells divine there. Last time we were there, I had a slice of banana bread that was practically the size of my head. They have a nice garden area to dine in, or you can chill in the air conditioning.
Not a restaurant, but we’re happy to report that after a long absence, the Wednesday morning market is back again. It’s a long-running tradition in Puerto Morelos and features fresh produce as well as locally-sourced food, baked goods and other treats. Well worth dropping by any Wednesday morning from about 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. We recommend getting there early for best selection.
The artisans from the square are back as well. You can find them on the malecon on Friday and Saturday evenings. The square remains under construction. Some progress has been made and they seem to have more workers going these days. No idea when it will be completed, but it will not be this month for sure.
Not only are the artisans back, the Marquesita family is back too! Hooray! (If you do not know them, check out our love letter to them on our Beach Reads blog.)
Opening soon directly below La Sirena, where the grocery store Casa Martin used to be, will be a new convenience store, Circle K. It has not opened yet, but the signage is up.
Congratulations to Tomas and the whole crew at Lighthouse Tours. They are celebrating 4 years of service in Puerto Morelos. A totally local success story, check them out for tours, fishing and anything fun you want to do. Bike rentals too!
Bonita Organic Nail Boutique has just opened in Puerto Morelos. They offer manicures, pedicures and more. They are located on the south side of the church, beside the paint store.
Live music is a little more rare in town these days, but we did manage to catch “The Nobodies” at Tanino’s recently. They will play regularly there on Thursday nights. Check out our new Music in Puerto Morelos page to learn more about our local artists.
El Campanario features sax music every night with Nacho who hails from Cuba Some construction is going on at the Posada Amor site. Not sure what the plan is.
Here’s a very Puerto Morelos story. This is a great fish restaurant in the Colonia that has been around for years. It has a name, you can read it on the sign, but everyone, absolutely everyone we know just calls it “the red chair place” because of the sea of red chairs in front of it. Well now they went and bought black chairs. Black chairs! They look very comfortable and all, but what do we call it now? We noticed they did leave a few stack of red chairs in front, hopefully a nod to their informal name. The real name of the restaurant is Cockteleria “El Sazon Jarocho” and they are open every day from 10:00am to 7:00 pm. Check out Google maps to see the old red chair look.
Does it still count as a coffee when it’s got whipped cream an caramel on it? We hope so! This masterpiece was served up by Lola y Moya south of the square in Puerto Morelos.
If you are planning to vacation in Puerto Morelos this year, please check out our vacation rentals. Normally our season is booked years in advance, but this year, we have prime time available. We have one and two bedroom suites, close to the beach and downtown Puerto Morelos.
