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Place in Quintana Roo, Mexico
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Laurie Button assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Puerto Morelos is a town in Quintana Roo on the Yucatán Peninsula, about 20 km south of Cancún. It is a fishing village, and a resort and diving destination. It is roughly halfway between Cancún and Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. The pier in the center of town hosts snorkel and sport fishing boats while yachts dock in a man-made harbor just south of town. The village used to be the embarkation point for the car ferry to Cozumel, but that now leaves from Calica, a major port south of Playa del Carmen.
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Botanical Garden
Walk the trails and learn about the various types of plant life found in the Yucatan Peninsula. Monkeys will watch you from the trees and iguanas are everywhere. Wear mosquito spray and bring a water bottle.
Zocalo
The town's central plaza is a large city block at the center of town. It's a popular landmark and gathering spot and becomes an impromptu marketplace on Saturday when several vendors set up tables.
Leaning Lighthouse
The town's old lighthouse was knocked askew by Hurricane Beulah in 1967. It's since been adopted as the town's icon and is a popular place for photographers and wandering tourists.
Offers high end catamaran sailing tours to Puerto Morelos, Punta Maroma, Cozumel, Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy. They also offer private deep sea fishing trips, snorkeling and scuba diving tours and PADI certified scuba diving training.
Make an appointment Tu-Sa. Reservations 10:00. 12:00, 14:00 or 16:00. Limited time Sunday - 13:30 and 15:30 after Jungle Market. Closed Mondays. The spa is operated by non profit organization and directed by Sandra A. Dayton. The spa was created so that the Mayan women could benefit from the tourists coming to the area and provide for their families. They provide an authentic Mayan massage.
Offers scuba diving tours, PADI certification classes, snorkeling tours, and fishing.
Horseback riding, polo and fourwheelers
An attraction in the middle of the jungle. A huge green polo field, club house with restaurant and bar surrounded by pristine tropical forest. Here you can take a trail ride on horse back take riding and polo lessons, hire a four wheeler to visit the cenotes or just relax at the bar. Regular polo matches are on the calendar and visitors are welcome to watch.
For scuba diving on Puerto Morelos reef, ship wrecks and cenotes. PADI certifications.
Hotels and resorts send people here for the guided reef snorkling, but they're a full-service dive shop offering PADI certification courses and a variety of dive trips including cenote diving, dives with sharks, and night dives
PADI certification courses and dive trips to local reefs and cenotes. Night dives are available.
Tiny place across from the lighthouse; very inexpensive grilled meats, tortas, soup or Mayan food.
On the square. Best coffee and healthy full breakfast. Very small with a handful of tables outside.
A little south of town in the El Cid Marina Beach Resort. Overlooks the marina and serves Italian cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. Service is as good as the food and view. The resort also includes a seafood restaurant, a traditional Mexican restaurant, and a Mediterranean restaurant.
More upscale and pricey; excellent food by a former Ritz Carlton chef - reservations recommended. The duck breast is a must. Also makes one of the better margaritas along the riviera; not too sweet. Not to be confused with the related, casual beachfront restaurant La Suegra de John Gray (John Gray's mother-in-law) is in Puerto Morelos.
A popular spot for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a drink from the bar, this open-air restaurant seats you at the center of the action on Puerto Morelos's town square. If you have a hankering for American food, you can get a good hamburger with fries here; there are also great daily specials. The best selections are the seafood entrees.
Friendly palapa-style beachfront restaurant serving traditional Mexican cuisine with a heavy emphasis on fresh seafood and tacos. Good place to have your first drink and nachos in Puerto Morelos...nothing spectacular about the nachos but the guacamole, like most places here was abundant and quite good.
Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner serving a variety of food, from delicious baby-back ribs and grilled steaks to regional Mexican food. Cold beer, margaritas, mixed drinks. Live music most Friday nights. A gathering spot for locals and tourists. 1/2 block north of the town square. English and Spanish spoken.
Palapa beach bar 5 blocks north of the square on the beach. Chairs and umbrellas available, light lunch fare and friendly bartender. English and Spanish spoken.
Palapa bar and restaurant on the beach. Cold beer, frozen margaritas, mixed drinks. Super fresh seafood with a delicious ceviche full of fish, shrimp and crab. Live music in the evening.
Fun bar with cold beer, some innovative takes on the classic margarita, and a food menu that's a wide range of tacos, from octopus to classics like chicken or fish tacos. Local craft beers available.
Alternative lodging in rustic cabins and rooms. All rooms have private bath with hot water. Each room has a special touch that comes from the personalized decor from the artist and owner. Pets are welcome. Wifi in most rooms.
~10 rooms built adjacent to a family house. Operated by a family from Querétaro. Beach-side rooms are nicer (and cost more). Both speak Spanish and English. Headquarters of environmentalists. 5 minute walk north of the zócalo.
Condo Playasol
Delightful, two-bedroom, private condo apartment on the beach just two blocks from the town square. With beautiful tropical gardens and PM's largest blue pool, this appealing Playasol accommodation is ideal for couples or families. Private parking, gated entrance, and a picture-perfect bit of beach.
Small, friendly hotel. Rates include continental breakfast.
Beachfront B&B about 1 km south of the town square. Rates include a complimentary self-service breakfast buffet, wireless internet, bikes and snorkeling equipment.
Small, cozy hostel with a rooftop pool and patio. Kitchen available if you want to cook meals.
Unique property that has a storybook feel of a jungle treehouse with quirks at every corner (except in the round rooms, which have no corners, obviously). Rooms lack air conditioning and beds cry out for mosquito netting. Fun place though, and very affordable.
A member of El Cid Resorts, this oceanfront hotel features colonial and modern architecture styles, a free form pool, snorkeling and diving, and several on-site restaurants.
Large selection of used English paperbacks, plus new books of local interest in both English and Spanish. They take trades too. Sign up for their free monthly newsletter, full of updates about the town. Only open during high season (December to June).
Mercado Artesania
Best place to buy souvenirs, the marketplace has a large number of vendors selling artesanias and folk art from Yucatan craftsmen as well as pieces from outside the region. Excellent selection of hand-made Yucatan hammocks as well as woven textiles and carved obsidian and jade.
Tianguis
Puerto Morelos has a small tianguis on Wednesday mornings. A tianguis is a pre-Hispanic tradition in Mexico in which informal pop-up markets occur each week on a specific day. That day is Wednesday in Puerto Morelos. A traditional tianguis offers fresh produce and other agricultural products, but in Puerto Morelos the emphasis is on items that travelers may want, such as woven bags and wood carvings.
By train
Puerto Morelos is a station on the Tren Maya intercity railway that loops through the Yucatan Peninsula.
By car
Puerto Morelos is situated at the junction of Route 307 and a paved road to the town of Leona Vicario in the interior of the Yucatán Peninsula.
By bus
Buses from Cancun and Playa del Carmen traverse Highway 307, the coastal highway and the main highway into town:
By colectivo
This is the best (most reliable) public transit method to Puerto Morelos. Vans called colectivos (or combis) follow routes between towns on the Riviera Maya.
By private transfers
Private transfers by taxi from Cancún International Airport (CUN) to Puerto Morelos are the most comfortable and reliable way to get to town.
There are many local taxis around, they gather at a taxi stand on the west side of the main square in Puerto Morelos.
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