Hola from your favourite town on the Caribbean in Mexico! We’re sorry that a lot of you were unable to make it down this year. We miss you terribly and hope you are making plans to visit us next year at least. We are happily taking reservations for 2022 right now, and we’re hoping for a normal season next year.
Borders and the airports in Mexico never closed and we are seeing a number of visitors in Puerto Morelos. The state uses a “traffic light” system to monitor covid in our area. The lights are red, orange, yellow and green. We are currently under a yellow light which is second only to green. This means that there are some restrictions on us, but not too many.
The beach and all restaurants are open, with some social distance restrictions. Masks are required when entering any business or transport. We’re all pretty used to it by now and we all have a larger collection of masks than we ever thought we would own.
Governments in Canada, the US and other countries are requiring a negative Covid test in order to return home. Luckily, those tests are available in town and even at the airport. Click this link for more info.
The town is pretty quiet for February, which is normally the height of our tourism season. It is definitely quieter than usual here, but in general, Puerto Morelos is a great place to be. We’re even seeing some new businesses opening. Two new restaurants are opening on Rojo Gomez. They are both racing to get ready to open right now.
Spyder Cafe is an unusual concept. It’s a small chain that originated in Spain but is now focusing on expansion in Mexico. They are a combination cafe, bar, rental outlet for electric bikes and tattoo parlour. While it is a chain, the location is owned by a long-time Puerto Morelian who grew up here. Spyder Cafe already has a location in Tulum and they are planning locations in Playa del Carmen, Cancun and all over Mexico.
Spyder Cafe has a large breakfast menu and most of their evening menu focuses on burgers, but there are salads too. Check out their menu here. They hope to open in early March. They are also hosting a parking lot next door, which will be very welcome in PM.
Right next to them, in the old Don Pepe’s Ole space, (next to the Godfather jewelry store) is a new taco place. It’s also a small chain out of Cancun called Los Chachalacos. They promise tacos and beer. Here’s a look at their complete menu from their website.
As we told you in our last update, the popular El Campanario restaurant is also moving to Rojo Gomez, almost across the street from these new places. They will open in this new spot on March 3, and (surprise!), they will now be offering breakfast too. This will make Rojo Gomez a juggernaut for restaurants in Puerto Morelos, from Unico & Diving Lodge Downtown in the north to Spaghettino in the south.
A new place opened on Ninos Heroes as well. Amor y Pez opened in the location that used to be The Burger Underground (The burgers moved to Rojo Gomez). We watched this restaurant’s progress as they got ready to open, creating their cool wall fish-themed wall mural. They opened to great fanfare on February 26 by offering 2X1 on their whole menu. (Menu photo courtesy of Lynn Warner)
That funny-looking vehicle in the photo is actually a portable ceviche factory! You can spot it on the road, or at its home on Rojo Gomez, just south of the Mayan Handicraft Centre. The owners are also working on a barbeque restaurant at the same location. They promise brisket “Mexican style”. You’ve got our interest!
We told you back in December’s issue of Beach Reads about a new little restaurant on Rojo Gomez called Fit & Fat. It appears they have changed their name to Che Itza. They are open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Work continues on a new place moving into the DK container and a new beer and wings place in the highway Chedraui mall. Puerto Morelos Fish Market restaurant has re-opened as well after some renovations.
Construction of our new square is not done by any stretch, but work is progressing much more rapidly than it has in the last several months.
Quick action by many first responders and neighbours prevented more damage from that palapa fire that broke out on January 24. We wrote a full post about it here. One souvenir store owned by our friend Thomas was damaged heavily. The store supports his extended family.
They are slowly repairing and rebuilding. In the meantime, they are selling their wares in front of their store. They need our support, so please consider buying something from Thomas and his family.
Noticed this new clinic is opening in the Super Aki Plaza. I can’t find a web page for this location, but they appear to be related to the Victoria Hospital in Cancun.
Shoutout to the bike shop near the square in the Colonia. It actually has a name, it’s called “Bike & Ride”, but there’s no sign, though the bikes parked in front let you know that they’re open for business. They even have a website.
I thought my bike might be ready for the scrap heap. It had broken spokes, a creaky pedal array, wimpy brakes and it was emitting a series of somewhat disconcerting noises. The techs at Bike & Ride breathed new life into my wheels in just a few hours and for a reasonable pile of pesos. They had the knowledge and the parts in stock which saved a lot of time.
Check ’em out. Your old ride might be better than you think! (Now the only disconcerting noises originate from the rider, not the ride)
And our usually full vacation rentals at Casa de los Viajeros have loads of space this year! We are normally booked more than a year in advance (we are taking bookings for 2022 now), but not this year. So if you would like to visit Puerto Morelos and support us, be sure to book a stay in one of our apartments. We have a fantastic location! We hope to see you all in Puerto Morelos soon. Hasta pronto!
