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Stay Connected

05. February 2018 · Comments Off · Categories: Beach Reads The Blog · Tags: cell, chip, phone, vacation

We frequently get asked about staying connected while you are on vacation in Puerto Morelos. If you have your own unlocked smartphone, getting it set up is relatively easy. In Puerto Morelos, the easiest/fastest way to get a chip is at your local, friendly OXXO. They carry the Telcel Amigo chip. This is a pay as you go, no contract phone and data service. They chip is $150 pesos (about $8USD/$10CAD). This cost gets you the chip only, no phone time. If you need a little more hand holding or your Spanish isn’t great, you may want to go to a official Telcel office in either Cancun or Playa de Carmen to set up your phone.

To put phone/data time on your phone you need to charge your chip. You can do this again at any OXXO (there are several in town). All you do is tell the cashier that you would like to add credit to your phone. You will need your phone number to do this. Your phone number will be given to you when you buy the chip. Or you can charge the chip or check your balance online at https://www.mitelcel.com using your credit card. Once you activate the chip, your phone number is held for one year from the time you stop charging it.

Once you have added credit to your chip you now have phone time…. but to make your phone time last longer and cost less, you need to buy a package. You can do this online or by texting a code to 5050. When you buy a package you will get data, SMS, some social media time and calling. Calls within Mexico, the USA and Canada are all treated the same when you have a package. Packages start at as little as $20 pesos (30MB) for 1 day and go all the way to $500 pesos (4,000MB) for 30 days depending on the amount of data etc, you would like to use. If your data expires or you go through your allotted amount and you don’t text in a new code, your phone charges will go way up!

That is the very basics to get your started using a local Mexican cell phone and hopefully saving you some money while you travel. There are other cell phone companies in Mexico, this one just seems to be the most ubiquitous and easiest to get started fast. Now you can enjoy your stay and not worry about any huge cellphone bills when you return home.

Restaurant News from Puerto Morelos

01. February 2018 · Comments Off · Categories: Beach Reads The Blog, Photo Post

The restaurant scene in Puerto Morelos is very lively and you really can’t tell the players without a program! (That is why we publish our voluminous Restaurant Guide)

Here are a couple of new news items…

We noticed that La Casa del Pescador, never one to be in a hurry, finally opened for the season! They have been a perennial favourite in town for many years. The restaurant has been closed for quite a while, then started doing some renovations that took a loooong time, but now they are open. If you have forgotten, they are located on the north side of the square, right above the fish cooperative (convenient), between Panna E Cioccolato Gelato and Richard’s Bistro. The menu has not changed a bit. If you had a favourite before, it’s still there.

Don Mexkal, one of PM’s premier late-night spots has a big new space. They did not move far, just 21 metres (less than 70 feet) down the road, but into a whole new venue, formerly occupied by El Sabor. Now they have much, much more space for people, food, Mezcal and music! They list their hours as 6:30 PM to 4:00 AM every day except Monday. We had a chance to visit last week and caught this cool band in the leafy backyard. They were just one of two bands that played that night.

La Parilla, which is a small restaurant chain from Cancun, closed their place in the south end of Puerto Morelos in the spring. Right before Christmas about a month ago, they briefly…and I mean briefly, re-opened in the big space above the big jewelry store at the entrance to the town. I took this photo on December 11. Just a couple of days later, they removed their little plastic sign and went dark. I never got a straight answer on what happened, but I think it is safe to say they will not be opening in that location any time soon.

La Parilla’s old space in the south end of town did not sit empty for too long. The space has been split in two, with this half being taken over by Easy Way Rent A Car. They are just getting opened as you can see. The other half is currently being worked on, and looks suspiciously like a restaurant. The other locale in the building is empty, you may remember there was a women’s swimsuit store there last season.

There are a few new choices for breakfast in town this season. One we can tell you about is Cancun Billy’s. They are getting up early, real early to serve breakfast on the beach starting at 7am!

All the info you need for a great vacation in Puerto Morelos is at InPuertoMorelos.com Check out our up-to-the-moment restaurant guide, our interactive map, practical info, business & service guide and more. We had a record number of visitors to the website in January! Check us out, and sign up to receive an email every time we post a new “Beach Reads” InPuertoMorelos.com

For a great place to stay, check out Casa de los Viajeros.

Consider a Spring Fling in Puerto Morelos! We have space for you at Casa de los Viajeros. One and Two bedroom suites, fully equipped, private and affordable. Check them out at www.CasaDeLosViajeros.com

Puerto Morelos Restaurant Guide

29. January 2018 · Comments Off · Categories: Beach Reads The Blog, Restaurant Scene · Tags: Puerto Morelos Restaurant Guide

Did you know that InPuertoMorelos.com has the most complete and up to date Puerto Morelos Restaurant Guide? We do! So pull up a chair and try to pick a place to go for lunch, dinner and breakfast! We have it all.

We are constantly updating the guide it. It takes a lot of time and work to keep up with the every changing restaurant scene in our little village! We admit that we don’t have every place on our list, but we have most of the restaurants on the port side that are easy walking distance of the main town square. We have also added some of the more popular places in the Colonia. Each listing has the name of the place, directions to the place, basic description of what kind of food they serve, Facebook and website links, hours of operation and their phone number. We are always adding more places, so check back often.

If you have a favourite that we have missed, please feel free to send us a note and we will add it.

So if you are trying to decide where you should eat tonight, check out our Puerto Morelos Restaurant Guide.

Artisan Market in Puerto Morelos

26. January 2018 · Comments Off · Categories: Our Favourite Things, Photo Post

It’s a big weekend here in Puerto Morelos. The town is playing host to a large Artisan market, featuring art and artisans from all over Mexico…and our own local artists. Have a look…..

For some though, an Artisans Market will always play second to a game of soccer on the most scenic pitch ever!

The market runs every day from today through Tuesday.

Exchange Rates in Puerto Morelos (January 26, 2018)

26. January 2018 · Comments Off · Categories: Do not use

Here are the cash exchange rates for January 26, 2018 at CI Banco in Puerto Morelos. I post these rates on occasion so that you can compare these rates with the rate your bank or the ATM may offer. To see where the rates have been in the last couple of years, search “exchange rates” on our page at InPuertoMorelos.com

Click the pic for a better view…

Spend 10 seconds at the beach at Puerto Morelos (Video!)

14. January 2018 · Comments Off · Categories: Beach Reads The Blog, Photo Post

You deserve a little beach time! Here is just that…

For a little more beach time, come see us at Casa de los Viajeros! We have an opening in our suite #3 January 23 – 31! Suite #3 is a one bedroom, one bath suite with full kitchen, high-speed WiFi and Netflix.

Click here for a closer look

This could be you! Come see us, Casa de los Viajeros.

A Peek Into the Mangrove (with a special guest)

12. January 2018 · Comments Off · Categories: Beach Reads The Blog, Our Favourite Things, Photo Post

Between the busy “Cancun to Tulum” highway and the beach side of Puerto Morelos lies the mangrove, a two-kilometre wide stretch of water and greenery, and a tranquil home to a wide variety of wildlife.

Most of us shoot through the area at high speed in a car or taxi. You can’t see much at 70 kilometres per hour, but take the walking path one day, and you are guaranteed to something interesting. (click the photos for a better view)

There are two paths nowadays. The southern one is the best to walk as you can get shade and the bikes tend to take the red path on the other side.

Walking from the square to the highway is a little over 2 kilometres (about 1.5 miles). It took me about 30 minutes, and I was guilty of some meandering and gawking at the scenery. The most scenic bits however are about 1 kilometre from the square, so you could walk up a stretch and walk back.

A few years ago they built these little boardwalks so that you could get a better view of life in the mangrove, but unfortunately they were not maintained and are now just a little “peligroso”.

Wherever there is a break in the foliage though, you will get a view like this. I must go back at sunset as the colours at that time are stunning.

I have walked this path dozens of times and have only spotted a crocodile once before, but I got lucky on this sunny afternoon and saw this fellow, catching some rays near one of the dilapidated docks.

Back in town, I spotted this more genteel wildlife, catching a late afternoon siesta.

So plan a quick trip to the mangrove some time during your next visit. Early in the morning, you will likely see more birdlife. I took these pictures closer to noon, so I saw no birds, but I did spot the croc.

The mangroves are protected, so development in them is not allowed. You could say that the expansive mangrove has saved and protected Puerto Morelos, so we must save and protect the mangrove.

Find lots of town information, maps, restaurant list and more at InPuertoMorelos.com

Exchange Rates in Puerto Morelos (January 11, 2018)

11. January 2018 · Comments Off · Categories: Do not use

Here are the cash exchange rates for January 11, 2018 at CI Banco in Puerto Morelos and for comparison, the cambio on the square in Puerto Morelos.

Note that when you are exchanging cash in Puerto Morelos, you are “selling” your foreign money to them, so at CI Banco, you are concerned with the “buy” rate, that is the amount of pesos they will give you for each dollar. So if you are “selling” $100 US dollars, CI Banco will give you $1810 pesos. The cambio on the square will give you $1760. For Canadians, you will get $1460 versus $1400 in town. You can see that for larger amounts of cash, it is in your best interest to go to the bank. You will easily pay for the taxi ride.

I post these rates on occasion so that you can compare these rates with the rate your bank or the ATM may offer. To see where the rates have been in the last couple of years, search “exchange rates” on our page at InPuertoMorelos.com

You will find lots of other town information there including an interactive map and a very up-to-date restaurant list. (No small feat in Puerto Morelos) InPuertoMorelos.com

Also check out our rental accommodations at Casa De Los Viajeros CasaDeLosViajeros.com

We have a few dates still available in January for a last minute getaway!

Cabañuelas

03. January 2018 · Comments Off · Categories: Beach Reads The Blog

Have you every heard of the concept “cabañuelas” (also cavanuelas or cabanuelas)? We had not. Yesterday our Mayan friend was telling us that the weather we were are having that day, the second of January, would predict the weather for the month of February. I mentioned this to another friend last night, as she was complaining about the cold (it was 22C/ 72F at 9:00PM, a real local). She said it is called “cabañuelas”.

The concept dates back as far as the Egyptians and was thought to have been brought to Mexico by the Spaniards. The idea is that if you carefully observe the weather for the first twelve days of January, you can predict the weather for the rest of the year. The first twelve days correspond to each of the twelve months of the year. As it stands right now we had a beautiful day on January 1st reaching a high of 29C/84F. The next day was a bit more coolish (highs around 26C/79F) with a cooler than usual evening on January 2nd, with overcast skies, but no rain. January 3rd so far has brought a very chilly (for us) morning (16C/61F) at sunrise, but beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the late 20s. If cabañuelas holds true, January (after the first twelve days I guess) will be lovely. February will be cool night and mid 20s during the day with some clouds. While March will be a beautiful month with good sleeping weather at night. Tomorrow we will see what April holds.

That is the theory that the locals use, but if you look deeper into cabañuelas, there is more to it than that. If we have piqued your interest you can read more about it here or here and try to predict the weather in Puerto Morelos for yourself. As for the USA and Canada…. let’s hope this theory doesn’t hold true for them. With their recent cold snap, they could be looking at a very icy July if cabañuelas applied there.

Looking for a get away from the cold? We have a rare opening in apartment #3 for January 23 to the morning of the 31st. Hope to see you soon!