InPuertoMorelos.com

This week’s SHOUT OUT goes to Valladolid. Whenever we want a break from the beach and a little change in culture, we sneak away to Valladolid in neighbouring Yucatan state. Now you may get to Puerto Morelos and just want to stay in town until it is time to get back on the plane. We understand and support that idea, but there are a lot of amazing things to do that are not that far away.

Not only is Valladolid a great jumping-off point to visit Chichen Itza or Ek Balam, but it is a worthwhile destination on its own, filled with art and history. We recommend at least a two-day stay just for the town itself. You can leave Puerto Morelos in the morning and be in Valladolid before noon. Using the Ruta de Cenotes shortcut to Leona Vicario, the trip has never been easier by car. Taking this route is quick, direct and avoids all those nasty charges on the overpriced toll road.

Local Tip: There can be a one hour time difference between Puerto Morelos and Yucatan State as they are on Central Time and we are on Eastern Standard Time (EST). They also recognize Daylight Saving Time, and we do not. 

Valladolid itself is a gem. It’s a colonial city with beautiful architecture and an incredible and important history. The Caste War of the Yucatan began here in 1847, and early seeds of the 1910 Mexican Revolution sprouted here. Today it is a busy, but a very accessible town. Most of the attractions are an easy walk from the town square, including the impressive San Bernadino Convent, the fun San Roque Museum, the stoic Cathedral of Valladolid and the Government Palace, which features large dramatic murals depicting the history of the city.

One of the greatest attractions in Valladolid is Casa de los Venados which features the most impressive collection of Mexican folk art we have ever seen, all in a uniquely restored, privately-owned colonial mansion. We have travelled all over Mexico and know that each region has its own distinct art. Often two towns next door to each other will have completely different art, so a chance to see such a fine selection in one place is rare. Admission is by donation (of at least 60 pesos) making it a bargain too. Seeing the impressive casa is worth the price of admission alone. The house is just off the square. Proceeds from your admission and special events held throughout the year go to support a variety of charities in Valladolid.

Local Tip: Casa de los Venados offers tours every day at 10:00 am

PRIME DATES STILL AVAILABLE

While in town, visit chef Hugo at the restaurant Conato (also known as Conato 1910 or Casa Conato Cultural). It is near the square on Calle 40 at number 226. The building was once a meeting spot for revolutionaries in the early 20th century. Now it is an excellent restaurant with a wide and varied menu. While there, be sure to take note of the outstanding local art that decorates the space, and don’t miss the music in the back garden. Highly recommended.

Local Tip: At Conato, sit upstairs for a view of the church at night.

If shopping is your thing, Valladolid is home to some very chic designers who have opened a few high-end shops and businesses like Coqui Coqui Spa & Perfumes that make their own scents and candles. They also own a spa and home-shop, plus La Barberia, a hip place to get a hot towel shave. Featured in Vogue, Ariane Dutzi’s handbags are sewn by local Mayan woman using recycled materials. More reachable on the financial scale are local craftsmen who make leather sandals and the Mayan woman of Valladolid sell their handmade wares at Centro Artesanal ZacÍ located on the main town square.

These are just a few things to get you started in Valladolid. The town has so much more to offer. Our favourite thing to do there is just wandering the streets, eventually stopping for an afternoon drink watching life go by around the main town square. If you really want a change of pace, we recommend Valladolid for a quick getaway. With tons of history, art, culture, and great food, Valladolid is not to be missed.

This post is part of our ongoing feature where we will send a SHOUT OUT to one of our local businesses, people or hints that could improve your time In Puerto Morelos. If you would like to be a part of this feature click here to find out how you can join in on the fun!

 Chichén Itzá – Valladolid – Mayan Villages (updated 2022)

This trip is especially nice if you have a rental car, but can easily be done by bus too.

If you are driving, you have options on which route to take. In the past, we have always recommended the toll road, which is expensive but direct and quick. You can now also take the free road, using the Ruta de Cenotes road, which begins just south of Puerto Morelos. It will take you about thirty minutes longer, as you will pass through many villages and go over many topes (speed bumps) but you will save the heavy toll. The free road is fine, but do not drive it after dark. (Traffic and unmarked topes and construction sites could make this road hazardous. If it is going to get dark before you arrive back in Puerto Morelos, take the toll road.)

If you take the toll road, drive north towards Cancun and take the Chichén Itzá /Merida/Valladolid exit to the cuota (toll) road. The toll is hefty, about $450 pesos (about $23 US), but the road is in very good shape, quiet and very fast. The highway number 180 D. The D is for dinero!) The drive will take about two hours. You will go through two toll booths and there may be an army check-point at Chichen Itza.

If you take the free road, drive south towards Playa del Carmen on the lateral road beside the highway in Puerto Morelos. Turn right at the Ruta de Cenotes road. This good road will take you all the way to Leona Vicario, where you will join the main free highway to Valladolid/Merida/Chichen Itza. Slow down when you approach any town, there are likely many speed bumps. The drive will take about two and a half hours depending on traffic. Drive the speed limit and watch for traffic attempting to pass on the two-lane road. Note, if you take this road on the way back, there is only one sign marking the Puerto Morelos Corta (short cut). Do not miss this turn or you will end up in Cancun!

As soon as you arrive at the site, head for the big pyramid (el Castillo) and see it before the crowds do. Update: Since 2007 you can no longer climb the big pyramid at Chichen Itza. Please note you still can climb the big pyramids at Coba and Ek Balam. Chichén Itzá opens at 8:00 am, try to be there before 9:00 at least. Going early allows you to see most of the area before it gets too hot (there is very little shade) and also lets you beat the majority of the huge tour buses from Cancun that spit out hundreds of noisy tourists out on the site by around noon. Take water if you can and wear a big silly hat to protect your head from the sun.

After you have finished at Chichén Itzá  (usually 3-4 hours) take the libre (free) road to Valladolid. It’s a right turn as you exit the ruins. You will pass through many tiny Mayan villages. Take note of the round stick houses with hard-packed dirt floors that are carefully swept every day. Often you can buy souvenirs or fruit along the roadside.

Watch for topes (tope-ays), which are very large speed bumps. If you hit one at full speed, the undercarriage of your rental car will be neatly removed or you may be launched into space. Most topes are marked with signs, but there always seem to be a few wild cards, so be observant when approaching anything that looks like a town.

A few blocks from downtown Valladolid is Zaci, an immense cenote. There is also a famous cenote called Dzitnup just outside of town that you can swim in. There is a small zoo outside it. (A map of the town is usually available at the tourist information office which is located right on the square.) Valladolid is the REAL Mexico. An old colonial town that is missed by most tourists. Head for the centro, which has a large public square surrounded by a couple of hotels and restaurants. Along one side of the square, a long row of Mayan women sell their wares, all wearing their immaculate white embroidered dresses. The ubiquitous Catholic church towers over the centro. We recommend having some lunch in Valladolid.

If you are in the mood to see another Mayan archaeological site, visit Ek-Balam just north of Valladolid. This has only recently been excavated and features some stunning detailed work. Very few visitors mean you will likely get the whole place to yourself. It’s a favourite of ours for just that reason.

After visiting the Ek Balam site, consider visiting the pueblo of Ek Balam. This is a tiny Mayan village which is home to Genesis Ek Balam, a retreat built by fellow Calgarian Lee Christie. You can stop here for a meal, a drink or a night. Lee has built an incredible facility that is designed to contribute to the preservation and appreciation of nature and the traditional lifestyle of the Maya. You’ll appreciate the relaxing surroundings and the beautiful gardens.

Take the toll road (or free road if it is early) back to Puerto Morelos. Get fuel before you leave Valladolid.

Important Tips:

Fill your tank in Puerto Morelos and again in Valladolid if necessary. There is only one gas station along the toll road and it’s a long way away. In an emergency gas can be purchased at the toll booths, but there are only two of those along the whole road to Chichén Itzá. In 2022 the tolls for a car were $363.00 pesos and $89 pesos each way. You will not have to pay the $89 pesos on the way back if you take the free road to Valladolid. (The toll all the way to Merida is $573 pesos, about $29 US…Ouch!)

There is a gas station in Chemax, Yucatan which you can access on the free road. It’s about 30 minutes east of Valladolid.

Bring sunscreen and wear a hat at Chichén Itzá. The sun is strong and the shade is scarce. We bring water too, though it is available at the gates.

Wear good shoes. You will be doing plenty of walking and the steps on the pyramid are smooth, slippery and irregular.

Admission to the Chichén Itzá site is around $571 (about $29 USD) pesos for adults and 10 pesos to park. For the latest admission prices, check this website.

Arrive early and avoid driving after dark. The toll road is very good, but there can always be unexpected things on the road (animals, bicycles, pedestrians, unmarked construction sites)

You can extend this daytrip by staying overnight in Valladolid or Ek Balam. Hotels are inexpensive; in Valladolid we have stayed at Hotel San Clemente or Maria de la Luz. Either should be around $42 US. You can also stay at the Genesis Retreat in Ek Balam. Our friend Lee Christie has created a fantastic retreat with gardens and a natural pool. Check out her website here.

If you stay in Valladolid, consider a morning visit to Casa de los Venados. It is a beautiful house full of Mexican Folk Art from around the country. It’s extraordinary. Website here. 

Alma Libre Bookstore on the square in Puerto Morelos has current maps and guidebooks to help you get the most out of your trip. There are many destinations you can add to this trip.

GPS locations:
Toll #1	N 20º 52.600	W0 87º 38.455
Chichen Itza Turnoff	N 20º 48.400	W0 89º 04.287
Gas Station	N 20º 44.634	W0 88º 13.759
Toll #2	N 20º 43.724	W0 88º 34.908
Valladolid	N 20º 41.341	W0 88º 12.150

Hola from Puerto Morelos!
As promised, here’s another update from the desk of InPuertoMorelos.com

This edition, we’ll focus on a few major projects that I didn’t think I’d live long enough to see. They are premiering this month. The Tulum Airport and the Mayan Train. (and there are a couple of more things too)

For at least 25 years, realtors and travel agents have talked about an international airport in Tulum “coming soon”. This month their dream finally comes true as our state, Quintana Roo gets its fourth international airport. (Cancun, Cozumel, & Chetumal are the others) The new airport, officially called “Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Carrillo Puerto” will be known as Tulum Airport. (IATA: TQO, ICAO: MMTL)  It is about 20 km south of Tulum, hence the Felipe Carrillo Puerto name. Google puts the drive to the Tulum hotel zone at about 50 minutes. The taxi fares look quite high, but ADO will service the airport, so you will have that option too. To give you an idea of how far it is, from Casa de los Viajeros to the Tulum airport would be about a 2-hour drive by car.

The airport is constructed and operated by the Mexican army, which is part of the broader strategy of our President’s administration to engage the armed forces in significant infrastructure projects. This trend of militarization extends to other projects, including the takeover of multiple airports, the Tren Maya, and the revival of Mexicana Airlines.

Several airlines have already made plans to fly directly into Tulum Airport, including Air Canada, Aeroméxico, Mexicana, American Airlines, Delta, Spirit and JetBlue. Viva Aerobus is already landing there now. The airport also hosts an Executive Aviation Terminal, (read: private jets) equipped with presumably swanky lounges. There are also plans to build an Air Force base within the airport grounds. The airport is open right now, but only for domestic flights so far. Construction continues on the airport and a station for the train.

The Tren Maya is another giant project that is just getting started. To say this endeavour is “controversial” would be an enormous understatement. Serious concerns have been raised about the environmental impact of the project, its effect on archeological sites, its general safety, the rapid speed of the construction, its soaring cost, and its impact on the people of the peninsula. There were also numerous changes in the plan. Routes were moved around and added seemingly at a whim and even the type of train planned changed several times from hydrogen-powered to electric to diesel.

Our President, López Obrador was unphased and the train project rolled on. Only part of the line is completed so far, but it did have its inaugural run on December 15 from Cancun to Campeche. The train is supposed to be completed early next year and will include stops as far away as Palenque. 1,500 kilometres of track will connect the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo. It will carry passengers but also will haul freight.

Puerto Morelos is part of the route. The station is still under construction about 5 kilometres from the Colonia on the Ruta de Cenotes road. The train will also have a station at the Cancun Airport (you will need to take a free shuttle from the terminals to the train station), so in theory, you will be able to take the train to town after landing in Cancun. Schedules are still being worked out, but chances are the train probably won’t be frequent enough for you, (it runs about every 2 hours) and you will still have to get transport from the Puerto Morelos station to your accommodation.

The train could be used to effortlessly extend your vacation though. Cities like Valladolid, Merida, Campeche and Chetumal are well worth exploring, and the Palenque ruin site is nothing short of spectacular. Fares are still being worked out, but look to be similar to first-class bus fares. You can ride the rails in “premier” class (you get a meal and a bigger seat) or tourist class. Locals with proof of residency in one of the states will pay less than tourists.

Another major project is underway in Cancun. It probably won’t change your life much, but it’s huge for folks who live and work in the hotel zone. It’s a bridge across the Nichupté lagoon which will save drivers lots of time. Right now, there is only one road that meanders through the entire hotel zone. The bridge will allow folks to shortcut and avoid the most congested areas.

The project will require a bridge almost 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) long. The bridge will be three lanes, with one lane reversing depending on which direction has the most traffic demand. They are working on the bridge 24/7 to try to get it done in 2024.

Apparently, there are traffic delays in the Cancun Hotel Zone due to the construction of this bridge. To be honest, we rarely venture into the Hotel Zone. It feels like a foreign country to us. We do go to Cancun at least every month, but that trip is all about Home Depot, Costco, paying some bills and maybe catching a movie.

The good news about construction in Cancun is that the highway construction that had made airport trips a nightmare last season is mostly done. We now have a pretty good, six-lane concrete highway in and out of Cancun. Trips to the airport are no longer a major chore, as long as there is not an accident on the highway. A new bridge is under construction at Kabah/Bonampak, but it is not causing any serious delays.

If you have visited our area in the last few years, you might know that a new major mall is opening close to the airport on the road to Puerto Morelos. It’s called “Grand Outlet” or GO for short. It’s sometimes listed as being in Puerto Morelos, and I guess it is in our “county”, but it is much closer to the airport than it is to us. The mall is located across from Moon Palace, about 20 kilometres north of PM.

The mall is open, but still very much under construction. PM’ers were hoping it would have movie theatres, and they were in the original plans, but they didn’t get built. Instead, there are go-carts, laser tag and (gasp) a real Olympic-sized ice rink. (Apparently, an amateur Puerto Morelos hockey league is already being formed.) Stores will include designers like Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Hugo Boss, Carolina Herrera, BCBGMaxazria, Lacoste, Adidas, and many others. During the second development phase, the complex will also feature​ a 7,500-seat auditorium,​ an aquarium, and even​ a small lake. When finally completed, it will be the biggest mall in Cancun and perhaps, Latin America.

One last piece of infrastructure to mention, and that is our tortured town dock. It was turned into a Salvador Dali art piece in 2020 after two hurricanes, Delta and Gamma gave it a twist. (Read our front-line report on Hurricane Delta here) A few months ago new funding was offered to repair the dock. Hooray! So far our dock remains unchanged and unfixed. Hopefully, the funding will be put to use in 2024.

We hope you enjoyed our look at the big projects in our Town Update Part Two. In the next part, we will focus more on changes within our town.

Happy 2024 to everyone and we hope that we will see you at Casa de los Viajeros next year!

PS If you missed Part 1 of the Town Update, you can find it here.

This is our Lady of Guadalupe who guards the front door to our home.

December 12^th is the Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe or the Day of Guadalupe. Derived from the Catholic religion, Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Virgin of Guadalupe is seen everywhere in Mexico from candles in people’s windows to statues on cabbie’s dashboards to full altars in front of homes. Many Mexicans have adopted this darker skinned version of the Madonna or the Virgin Mary, who was first introduced to the culture by Cortez, as their own. It is believed that she first appeared as a vision in 1531 to Juan Diego, a native Mexican peasant, on was on his way to mass.

Since then the shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, has become one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the world, especially during the anniversary of the apparition.

Leading up to December 12th the “Guadalupeans” show their devotions to the virgin by praying, biking, running, walking and illuminating their home altars. On a trip to Valladolid we saw dozens of groups of young men and women biking through the city, showing their dedication to the Virgin.

Puerto Morelos has several small parades on the 12th of December ending at the church on the main town square. This ritual happens at churches all around the country. Mexicans flock to their local churches and homemade memorials in their homes to worship Guadalupe. The prayers will be followed by a celebration and as always in Mexico, a large meal. For a more detailed account of the tale, check out Wikipedia or Smart History.

Since many of you are not here right now (and we can tell by the lack of people on the streets), we thought we would do a quick post to show you what Puerto Morelos is like during Covid-19 times.

Our beach is closed! (and has been for two months!)

We are currently in Phase 3 of the lockdown. This means that only essential services are open. This includes grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware stores etc. Everything closes at 6:00PM.

Unfortunately for us and all of Mexico, it was determined that brewing beer was not an essential service, so after some panic buying, the stores quickly ran out of suds. We never had a shortage of wine or liquor…or toilet paper for that matter.

Our neighbouring state of Yucatan went completely dry for a couple of months, only recently selling any kind of hooch again in most cities. (Valladolid and Progresso remain dry). Thankfully, June saw the breweries in Mexico crank up again and we are slowly getting our beer back here in PM.

There are also a handful of restaurants open for take-out and delivery. They are not allowed to be open past 6 pm, which makes for very quiet evenings. The days are pretty quiet too.

Everyone in town remains friendly, we are slowly getting better at recognizing old friends and neighbours behind their masks. The population remains in good spirits, though looking forward to an end to all this. Hugs and handshakes are off the table for now, which is very strange for us.

Officially, if you don’t have reason to be on the streets you must be home. When you are out of your house, even driving alone in your car, you are required to wear a mask. A mask and a shot of hand sanitizer is required before entering any grocery store.

The state and town do not have a firm opening date. We have been told that we will be able to do a slow reopening, including the beach in the second week of June, but there are few details.

There are many people waiting and wanting to go back to work. Tourism is the top employer in our state of Quintana Roo and with more than 100,000 hotel rooms in our state currently closed, this means a lot of people do not have jobs.

A lot of local folks are inventing their own jobs. Suddenly we have several delivery companies in town that will do your grocery shopping for you, even making runs to Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Many amateur chefs and bakers are selling food out of their homes, everything from tamales to doughnuts can be purchased and delivered. Many are sewing masks, some featuring Mexican designs and fabrics.

In the meantime, we here at Casa de los Viajeros are implementing new policies to make your next stay safer, more relaxing and worry-free. Visit our website to see more about this.

We look forward to seeing everyone soon. In the meantime subscribe to our website for updates. Stay safe and be well from all of us at InPuertoMorelos.com and Casa de los Viajeros.

Hasta pronto!!

A rare view of one of my favourite ruin sites in Mexico, Ek Balam, which is an easy day trip from Puerto Morelos. A visit to Ek Balam is also an excellent excuse to stop in Valladolid, a genuine Colonial city on our doorstep.

Valladolid was the subject of one of our InPuertoMorelos.com Shout Outs. More information about day trips in our area can be found on our page under the “To Do”.

This weeks SHOUT OUT goes out to MUREM the new Ethnic Clothing Museum of Mexico (Museo de Ropa Étnica de México) located in nearby Valladolid, Yucatan.

MUREM is a new museum, it just opened at the end of April 2018. It is a not-for-profit organization that has collected traditional and contemporary clothing from different unique ethnic groups in the diverse regions of Mexico. The collection is on display at a beautiful, little museum just off of the main square in Valladolid.

For just 50 Mexican Pesos, you receive a personal guided tour of the collection with a chance to ask all the questions you like. Tours are available in English and Spanish.

We have more information on visiting the fascinating Colonial city of Valladolid on our website here.  It’s quite close to Puerto Morelos, yet a world away.

MUREM is open daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. It located just off the main square in Valladolid here. For more information, you can visit their Facebook page.

They told us they plan to change the displays often, you will have a different experience every time you visit.

This post is part of a feature where we will send a SHOUT OUT to one of our local businesses, people or hints that could improve your vacation In Puerto Morelos. If you would like to be a part of this feature click here to find out how you can join in on the fun!

(Updated February 2023)

All rates are listed in Mexican Pesos and are FROM the square to the destinations listed. Rates from other locations are available when in the attached pdfs at the bottom of the page. Always confirm the price before you get in the taxi.

We do our best to keep this page up to date, but rates are subject to change. Ask the driver to see a rate card if there is a dispute. Please note that Uber is just starting to operate in our state. ADO buses no longer service Puerto Morelos.

The taxi dispatch number is 998-153-1306. You can use WhatsApp with this number too if you add the standard +52 1 before the number. If you order on the app they do charge an extra 10 pesos.

Most Used Taxi Rates
Base rate, Chedraui Selecto, Chedraui (HWY), La Colonia Centro, Casa de los Viajeros	35
Villas I	40
Villas la Playa, Rancho Sak Ol	50
Villas II, Palma Real Residence	60
Puerto Marino, El Faro, Palma Grande, Selva, Calle de las Palapas, Ibis Condos	70

Close to Puerto Morelos
Casas del Cid, Palma Real	45
Jungle Spa, The Fives	80
Ventus, Marina El Cid, Dreams Jade, Grand Residence	190
H10 Ocean Coral & Turquesa, Dreams Sapphire, Excellence Riviera, Dreams Riviera, Desire Pearl	350
Crococun	200
Acamaya	90
Casa del Puerto, Mayan Tide, Casa Caribbean Breeze, Casa Conde, Condo Lindo	130
Azul Sensatori, Secret, Silversands, Hyatt Ziva Riviera	440
Zoetry, Sensira Resort & Spa, Margarita Ville, Desire Riviera, Breathless Riviera	440
South of Puerto Morelos
Botanical Garden	150
Casa Pescadores, Matis	350
Generations, Dorado Royale	400
Vidanta, Cirque du Soleil, Playa Secreto	450
Punta Maroma	500
Ruta de los Cenotes
Las Mojarras, Los Colibries Spa, Central Vallarta, Casa De Puma, 7 Bocas	420
Verde Lucero, Selvatica, Extreme Adventures	460
Zapote, La Noria, Kin-Ha	620
Rancho Ix-Tul, Popol-Vuh, Leona Vicario, Xenotes Oasis Maya	700
North of Puerto Morelos
Airport	600
Royalton, Sensacions, Haven Riviera, Moon Palace	500
Cancun Downtown	600
Cancun Hotel Zone	600
Puerto Juarez (Isla Mujeres Ferry)	720
Punta Sam	805

South of Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen	600
Playacar	700
Xcaret	731
Paamul, Rio Secreto, Punta Venado	731
Puerto Aventuras	969
Xelha	1377
Cenote Azul, Xpuha, Barcelo Maya	986
Akumal , Bahia Principe	1258
Tulum	1649
Coba	2414
Chetumal	5250
Yucatan
Valladolid	2703
Chichen Itza	3791
Merida	4890

Click here for a print-friendly version of the local rates.

Here is a print-friendly version for long-distance rates.

We love to travel and we do it as often as we can. Usually our journeys are within Mexico, but we recently completed an 11 week trip through Europe, which had us staying at 16 different vacation homes and renting four cars (which turned into 6 cars after 2 broke down on us) and taking a variety of trains, planes and ships for transport. Moving around this much, we found a few items that came in extremely handy and we thought we would share them with you.

 

When you travel to several locations, we cannot say enough about the humble little packing cube. These zippered bags kept our luggage organized, our clothes wrinkle free and allowed us to unpack and repack in seconds, saving precious vacation minutes. We bought ours in the family section of Ikea. But you can get similar ones here on Amazon.
I went even one step further with my cubes and used some liquid paint to tell me what is inside each cube, so that I don’t have to go looking through them when I am in a hurry.

Another thing that I found invaluable, is this little travel blow dryer. My husband actually laughed out loud when he opened the box that this came in. It is so small that it looks like a toy, but it isn’t. It is a really powerful travel dryer. A lot of hotels in Mexico do not offer blow dryers, so this one comes in really handy. And you can switch it from 120v to 220v for travel abroad.

We seem to travel with more and more electronic devices that need constant recharging. When overseas, we like this one. It converts 220v to our 120v. It has four USB plugs, and it comes with enough adapters to plug in anywhere from from Albania to Zimbabwe. It works when plugged into 120v as well, so you can use it anywhere. It’s compact, but has lots of places to plug in, because there are never enough outlets in most hotel rooms or vacation rentals.

In Mexico we use one like this that has a built-in surge protector for the sometimes unsteady current we get in Mexico. This has saved our gadgets on many occasions, plus the USB connections come in really handy.

Good idea to have a two-prong adapter as well, as you will see two prong outlets in older Mexican hotels and even some vacation rentals.

And one last item. If you are renting a car, most of the cars in Mexico are very basic and don’t come with USB chargers. We highly recommend bringing a USB lighter/adapter to keep your phones/GPS charged while you are enjoying that driving trip to Chichen Itza.

If you have any travel gadgets your can’t live without, drop us a line, we would like to hear about them.

Puerto Morelos Taxi Rates (updated March 2016)

All rates listed are FROM the square to the destinations listed. Always confirm the price before you get in. Please note that Uber or other ride-sharing companies do not operate in our state.

Colonia, Ojo de Agua, PlayaSol, Affecifes, Eden, ADO bus station, etc	25-30
Villas Morelos 1	30
Villas la Playa	40
Jungle Market / Spa (Sandra), Villas Morelos II, Villas Marinas	50
Zona Urbana, Calle 10	80
Desire Pearl, El Cid, Now Jade, Botanical Garden	120
Royal Resorts, Casa de los Los Angeles	120
Crococun, Punta Brava	150
Hotel Dorada Royal, Dreams, Excellence, Saphire, Ocean Coral & Turquesa, Acamaya Reef, Punta Caracol	200
Petempich, Silversands, Azul Sensatory, Zoetry, Azul Beach, Desire Resort Spa, Playa Secreto, Mayan Palace, Iberostar, Central Vallarta (Ruta de los Cenotes)	250
Punta Maroma, Leona Vicario	300
Airport, Tres Rios	350
Moon Palace	360
Cancun Centro, Cancun Hotel Zone, Playa del Carmen	400
Xcaret, Puerto Juarez	500
Punta Sam	560
Puerto Adventuras	600
Akumal	650
Xel-Ha	700
Tulum	800
Tulum Hotel Zone	1000
Coba	1100
Valladolid, Ek Balam	1300
Chichen Itza	1400
Chetumal, Merida	2000