Puerto Morelos

Puerto Morelos is a small coastal town about halfway between Cancún and Playa del Carmen. It costs only 17 pesos to get to the highway turnoff from either city, and another 20 pesos for the taxi from the highway to the town. The whole town can be seen on foot in about ten minutes, as it only covers an area of roughly two blocks by six blocks.

I was really looking forward to my stay here. It was recommended to me by a woman I met on the plane from LA, and the Lonely Planet guide made it sounds pleasant enough. Unfortunately, unless you have some way of getting on the ocean, there is little to do here. Furthermore, if you are on a budget, Puerto Morelos is not the place for you. The Posada del Amor seemed like the budget accommodation of choice, but a basic room with intermittent water cost 420 pesos. One night was enough for me.

Still, there are a couple of reasons to visit Puerto Morelos, if only for the day. One of them is Café Amancia, located on the southwest corner of the plaza. This place serves very good iced espresso drinks. A second reason to stop is Hola Asia, which served an eclectic but outstanding mix of Asian dishes.

So, visit Puerto Morelos, but only for a meal and a coffee. Then carry on to better locales, like Tulum.