Good morning from Puerto Morelos! We are waking up to a post-Zeta morning in your favourite town in the Caribbean.
It was a long night. Our electricity quit at about 7:00, in the middle of dinner I might add, and just came back this morning at 8:00. Most of Puerto Morelos and all of Cancun that I heard from kept their electricity and internet all night.
It looks like we weathered the storm in typical Puerto Morelos fashion. There are some tree branches down and some green debris, but overall your town is fine.
I made a quick trip down to the beach and was amazed that everything looked intact. Ironically, after a storm the beach is always at its most beautiful. The sand has certainly been rearranged!
The town pier appears to be intact but definitely suffered some more damage. It was hurt by Delta too.
This photo by the early-rising Marco Gomez of I Wanna Pizza
Now it’s time for coffee and then we grab a broom. We’re relieved to be on the other side of this thing and we have definitely had enough of hurricane season 2020.
Hope to see you in Puerto Morelos soon! Please remember to check out our vacation rentals at our brand new site, www.VacationRentalsPM.com Find all the town info you could want at our constantly-updated www.InPuertoMorelos.com site. Saludos!
Starting to get dark here in Puerto Morelos. There was a break in the rain, so I ran up to the roof and shot a little video before we lost the light.
Not sure if you can see it in the video, but the waves breaking on the reef are an amazing sight. I’ve seen the Caribbean recently looking like a lake, it does not look like that tonight.
Latest intelligence has the storm hitting south of Akumal and north of Tulum. We’ve had some serious wind, some very powerful surge and a bit of sideways rain. We lost power for a couple of hours, not everyone in town did, but we have it back now. Hoping it sticks. Electricity, internet and cold beer make these things a lot easier to deal with.
It’s dark now, wind is coming up still more. Going to be a long night, but your town, and it’s many residents have been through this before…and recently!
Hasta pronto! We will do our best to keep you updated here on this FB page as the storm goes by. See you on the other side!
We just got back from a quick visit to the beach. There is a lot of surge and the waves crashing on the reef are huge. Zeta is now officially a Hurricane.
We just lost power, hopefully just temporarily. Here’s a new video we just uploaded…
We just got our electricity back, hope it stays! R&J
Hola all! We’re going to try to do live updates on this page as the storm approaches. We’ll update here as long as we have electricity and internet. If we can’t reach this page, we’ll update on our Facebook In Puerto Morelos page.
Monday 12:00 pm
The Governor has announced that everything will close at 2:00 pm so that people have time to go home and prepare for the storm. It’s still sunny right now, but the wind has picked up. Some cafes and all the souvenir stores are still open right now and a few tourists are wandering around.
The police and Protection Civil are getting people off the beach and the pier. I assume things will get pretty quiet this afternoon.
InPM’s mobile news cruiser parked in front of the lighthouse
Well, here we go again! We didn’t ask for it, but we got it. Zeta is a tropical storm now, but will be a hurricane when it hits us. It will not be as strong as Delta, but will likely give us more rain. The current path shows it basically slicing through the middle of Cozumel and making landfall south of Playa del Carmen.
10:00 am Monday morning. Water is a bit choppy.
Around town there is a general feeling of disbelief that we’re going through this again. Any storm requires a great deal of preparation including stocking up, boarding up and bringing outside stuff in. It’s exhausting, and we know we will do the reverse procedure after the storm passes. We should all be getting better at this as we’ve had three other opportunities to do this. Some people just got their internet access back in the last couple of days. There are still piles of green debris on the streets waiting to be picked up after Delta. Most people are more worried about losing electricity and internet access than they are about the storm.
Chedraui boarding up again Monday morning
The Governor cut off booze sales yesterday afternoon, taking some by surprise. I saw no big lineups at the grocery store yesterday, everyone is probably still pretty well stocked up after our last storm. Right now, the sun is shining. Earlier this morning we had gusty winds and a bit of rain.
Boats have been pulled from the water.
We will do our best to keep you updated here on this FB page as the storm goes by. See you on the other side! Rob & Joanne www.InPuertoMorelos.com
As 2022 comes to a close and we welcome the New Year, it’s traditional to have a wee look back at the year that was.
Your favourite beach town fared pretty well in 2022. We got new stamped concrete roads and then closed them to traffic every night. We had a very quiet storm season. Hurricane Ian came by, but he just rolled on by us. Lucky for us, less lucky for our friends in Cuba and Florida. We unplugged the Covid traffic light and the Cancun airport set new records for visitors. The lighthouse continued to lean.
So, let me load up the slide show carousel here, get comfy and let’s look at our favourite photos of 2022. (click any photo for a full-screen view)
The town provided a large reminder that there was a new year and that everyone’s property taxes were now due.
Perhaps our favourite story of the year was that bon vivant & Chef Marco of “I Wanna Pizza” finally reopened in 2022 after a long break and renovation. We were delighted to discover that our favourite pizza has been renamed the “Don Roberto”
In addition to pizza, I Wanna Pizza also offers air conditioning and handsome waiters.
We have three supermarkets and lots of fruit markets in Puerto Morelos, but folks are still drawn to the siren song of the fruit truck rolling through town. “NAJRANJAS, NAJRANJAS, NAJRANJAS…”
The complete repaving of our main street, Rojo Gomez north of the square was a welcome addition to the town. The timing of the work, right in the middle of the high season was less welcome, but our creative restauranteurs met the challenge. Later they received permission to close the road in the late afternoon and evening each day, allowing them to take over the road, turning the street into a giant open-air restaurant and music venue. It’s great.
There are many folks in Puerto Morelos with hidden talents! Our friend Christian who you may know from El Campanario, can grill a steak with the best of them and keeps things humming at the restaurant. But, he’s also known as Signoz Torres, a part of the rap group Armada Callejera. They recently celebrated their 10th anniversary as a band at Don Mexkal with a big party and dropped a new video as well. Check out “Young Money.”
The path of Hurricane Ian was originally tracking right through Puerto Morelos. Luckily for us, the course shifted east and we had no ill effects.
This was the beach near Casa de los Viajeros the morning after Ian churned by. The surge rearranged the beach a bit, but the winds were calm.The square hosted a wide variety of events in 2022, including art markets every weekend featuring local artists and food.
The large clock in the square remains as accurate as it ever was, right two times a day. The kids love the playground, and it is swarmed with happy families every evening.
Ever seen a flying fridge? I have. It may not have been big news in town, but it was big for us. This is how we had to get a new fridge and stove delivered to our casa. Our staircase is too narrow for anything bigger than a toaster. This is our old stove making its final trip back to earth. After 14 years, she was rusted out and parts were impossible to find, even in Mexico City.
We got through the summer with a little help from our fans…
One of our favourite views of the town. Our dock is “the office” for a lot of our residents.
The very end of our dock is still showing the damage from the busy storm season of 2020. Tropical Storm Gamma started it, then Hurricane Delta hit it again and Hurricane Zeta left us with this. (Click any of those links for our pictures and video of the storms of 2020. Wild stuff!)
Independence Day on September 16 is a special day everywhere in Mexico. The town erected this giant sign in the square and staged celebrations at City Hall in the Colonia.
Mexico is soccer-crazy, so World Cup was a big deal in Puerto Morelos. Lots of restaurants and bars altered their hours and set up TVs to show the big games. Unfortunately, this is as close as Mexico got to a World Cup title, though our many Argentinian residents were very happy. (Pictured here at Don Mexkal with the lovely and talented Karla Romo, owner of El Pirata and Koox Ich Kool, who took a few minutes off to watch the big game between Mexico and Argentina.)
Early risers in Puerto Morelos are treated to stunning sunrises and empty beaches
As we celebrate our 20th Christmas season here in Puerto Morelos, we are reminded every day how fortunate we were to find this place and all the special people that love it as much as we do. Thanks for coming along with us! We’ll keep doing our best to keep you up to date with this amazing spot.
2020 was a challenge for everyone on the planet, and it was not easy on your favourite little village in Mexico either! Almost everything in town closed in the spring and our visitors went home. We were left here with a beautiful beach we couldn’t use, and friends we couldn’t visit. Add to that we had a VERY active storm season. (See more about Delta and Zeta on our blog) Thankfully we suffered no major or lasting damage from the storms, but the prepping, cleaning and repairing was exhausting. (Click any photo for a full-screen view)
Our “conversation chair” (or “Tú y Yo” chair) at Casa de los Viajeros has a “mini-me”!
2021 offers the promise of something better and we’re embracing it. Our Christmas season was quieter than normal, but some families, mostly from the USA or Mexico found us. New Year’s Eve was the sleepiest I remember, aside from some cheap and loud fireworks. There were no public parties and restaurants were closed long before the midnight hour due to Covid restrictions.
There is always some news from our town, so let’s start 2021 with what’s new in Puerto Morelos!
Several restaurants in Puerto Morelos are on the move! The first to change locations was The Burger Underground, which moved from Ninos Heroes to a better space on Rojo Gomez (formerly occupied by the Cuatro Colibri art shop (which has moved online, visit them here.) The move puts them right in the thick of things on Rojo Gomez, between Cantina Habanero and the Panna e Cioccolato ice cream shop.
Speaking of Panna e Cioccolato, they have reopened their location on the square, which means they have two locations on the beach side of town and one in the Colonia.
The biggest move is coming up in the middle of the month. El Campanariowill be moving their busy grill and famous bell to Rojo Gomez as well. The new space will be right beside Lauro’s, so just north of Hotel El Moro and just south of Cantina Habanero. El Campanario owner and grill-master Arturo promises that the restaurant will not close for even an extra day to move. They will close on a Sunday night mid-month as usual and reopen Tuesday afternoon in the new location.
We mentioned Lauro’s in our last issue. They opened and then closed for a little while, and are now open again. They often have live music, usually involving guitar virtuoso Héctor, who also owns the place.
Also opening soon on Rojo Gomez will be a new restaurant concept for Puerto Morelos. I can’t share too many details yet, but I can tell you that there is nothing quite like it in Puerto Morelos.
We also mentioned in our last update that El Pirata was just about to open. Well they did open, and Chef Karla is busier than ever! (We mentioned her new take out place Itacate in our last issue), and of course, she is also the creator of her farm-to-table experience, Koox Ich Kool.
All this will make Rojo Gomez a restaurant powerhouse, ranging from Unico in the north to Restaurante Spaghettino in the south. I roughly count at least 20 places!
We did lose a few places because of the long Covid season. We mentioned Los Gauchos closed in our last update, now we can tell you that DK restaurant will also not reopen. The iconic container will remain, but it will be a new restaurant. We’ll miss the honey ginger chicken, the coconut rice and the affable owner, Luis. The other familiar DK pillar, Tony, can now be spotted working at the Diving Lodge Downtown.
Photo by Muelle Once
We do have some new places to tell you about. Muelle Once opened on New Year’s Eve in the Hacienda Morelos hotel. From the photos on their Facebook page it looks like they’ve renovated the space and brightened it up. They are serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with a wide menu, everything from breakfast favourites in the morning to crab cakes, steak, pasta and more at night. It will be very easy to catch them open, their hours are 7:30 am to 10:15 pm. The name Muelle Once translates as “pier 11”. It is sure to be one of our most mispronounced restaurants. Try saying it “moo-YAY ON-say” and you will be close.
We have a new ice cream temptation in town too! Aldo’s is a small ice cream and gelato chain out of Cancun. They have locations there, in Playa del Carmen and now in Puerto Morelos, right beside the church on the square.
Vegans and vegetarians have reason to cheer too! Veggie Veggie Streetfood has opened right beside Tuch Tlan restaurant, which is just south of Chedraui, across from the Mayan Handicraft Centre. They call their menu “vegan street food fusion”. Hours are 12:00 – 7:00, Friday through Monday.
Cafe Layla has expanded its hours and menu to make room for vegan pizza. They serve their regular Asian-fusion, Mexican and plant-based cafe food from 8-4 and then it’s a vegan pizza menu from 5-9:30. Open every day except Tuesday.
The family behind the successful La Cabaña del Puerto restaurant are growing again. They opened the new Lobster House restaurant on the square in September. Now they are seriously expanding in the Colonia. It’s easiest to explain their plans using the photo above. On the far right side, there will be a new cafe. Working our way left, you have the existing La Cabaña, next to it will be a new seafood place, and the little kiosk on the far left will be the bar for the whole operation. Lofty plans for sure, but everything this family does seems to be successful (and delicious).
Also coming soon in the Colonia, a new place for burgers, wings and beer. It’s located in the same plaza as the highway Chedraui. They are to open sometime in 2021.
Remember to check out our voluminous, constantly-updated Restaurant Guide on our website to keep up with the places and the players in the ever-changing Puerto Morelos cuisine scene.
You know that King’s Day is coming soon when you see the bakery overloaded with “Rosca de Reyes”. Also, see the bonus gag pic…
The town square is still under construction. They are working on it every day and have made some progress, but it will not be done any time soon. The artisans are now displaying their wares on the Malecon area beside the square Friday and Saturday nights, and the marquesita stand is open at the entrance to town, near My Little Italy restaurant.
Not my photo, not my beach, but it’s pretty Canadian eh?
The Canadian government is suddenly requiring everyone entering Canada to show proof of a negative PCR Covid test administered within 72 hours of arrival. This means Canadians returning to the ice and snow will need to get the test done in Mexico. Luckily there are at least two places in town where you can get the test, Costamed Hospital and Laboratorio de Análisis Clínicos América. Cost is about $2500 pesos, about $160 Canadian. This all starts on January 7. Please note that this does not replace the regular Canadian quarantine rules. Here is some more information.
Some people think we look better in our masks… 🙂
Here in Puerto Morelos, we remain under a “yellow” traffic light. Your vacation should not be too affected. The beach is open, restaurants are open with slightly limited capacity but nothing stays open really late. At any restaurant, you must purchase food in order to drink alcohol. This is strictly enforced by the local government. Businesses can be fined heavily or shut down if they violate this rule. To enter any business or transport you need to wear a mask. You are asked to wear a mask all the time you are outside your house, especially if you are near other people. You can find more details in our previous blog post.
