Here are the cash exchange rates for January 25, 2021 at CI Banco on the highway in Puerto Morelos.
I post these rates on occasion so that you can compare them with what 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
Cash Exchange Rates
Buy
Sell
US Dollar $
18.95
20.25
Canadian Dollar $
14.70
16.10
Euro €
23.35
24.85
Pound Sterling £
26.40
27.90
Just out of interest, I looked up rates from just over a year ago, and you get more bang for your buck now than in 2020. The US dollar was about 17.60 and the CAD was 13.05.
We have all the Puerto Morelos info you need to enjoy our town, plus great places to stay. We live here, we know our town and we’ve been informing and hosting travelers from all over the world for many years. Check out our sites above.
On Sunday, January 24, 2021, at approximately 1:00 pm a fire broke out on the south side of the square. It appears to have started just west of the restaurant Punta Corcho behind some street-level gift shops that are locally owned. As the smoke poured out above the shops, the owners rushed to save the merchandise inside, pulling it out into the streets.
A small truck from the fire department arrived first and firefighters bravely climbed out onto the smoky palapas to fight the fire.
At about 1:25 pm the larger firetruck donated from Canada arrived on the scene. A hose was even run from the hydrant located in the nearby Chedraui store. The staff of Punta Corcha and the residents of the next-door apartment building fought the fire with whatever they had. They wielded buckets of water drawn from the rooftop tinacas (water tanks) and even ice cubes from the restaurant. The fire was put out around 1:35 pm. No injuries were reported. This video, posted on Facebook byMiguel Angel Valladares Ibarra shows the hose running from Chedraui, not quite long enough to reach the source of the fire, but close enough perhaps to stop it from spreading.
Cause of the fire is under investigation.
Google maps image of the shop before the fire
One of the gift shops that was damaged by the fire is owned by a man named Tomas. He and his family have been running this store for at least 18 years. He is originally from Chemax, Yucatan and is married with 4 children. Many of the staff working at the store are all part of his family. They too are married with kids of their own. This tiny store supports several local families.
The fire comes at a time when many of the businesses in Puerto Morelos are struggling to survive. Normally at this time of year, the town would be experiencing 95% occupancy rates. This year, due to Covid, Puerto Morelos occupancy rates may be running as high as 20-30%. With this in mind, the fire comes at a very bad time for our little fishing village.
Update: Esto Es, a local news organization has some heartbreaking photos on their Facebook page. Lots of damage inside one of the shops.
Update Monday, Jan 25: I was able to confirm with the owner of the building this morning that nobody was injured and that the cause of the fire was electrical. The clauarado stickers were removed late this morning, which I assume means that the investigation is complete and repairs can commence.
Starting in January, you will need to show the results of a negative Covid test in order to board your flight back to Canada or the USA.
Luckily, we have at least three local options to get this test. The cost ranges depending on which test you need and you can pay a little more in some cases and they will come to you. It’s very important that you get the right test. You will not be permitted to board the place without negative results using the correct test. *Costamed in Puerto Morelos and Amerimed in Cancun can do an antigen test which is cheaper, (around $1000 pesos) and will satisfy officials if you are flying into the US. Canadians need a PCR test.
Here’s a link with more info for Canadians from Canada.ca
Here’s a link with more info for people from the USA from the CDC and here.
Please note, we are providing this information for your convenience, but we have no experience with any of these options, except we did have guests test at Costamed successfully. We’ll add more information as we receive it.
In Puerto Morelos
Clinic at Ojo de Agua Hotel The best deal and easiest to reach if you are staying on the beach side of Puerto Morelos. The phone/WhatsApp number is on the poster. Here are the details and prices as of March 12, 2021
Antigen test is $500 MXN, PCR test is $2000 MXN
Other options….
Costamed Hospital ✆ 998 500 2505 Facebook PageMAP Cost for the antigen test is $1000 pesos Located in the Pescadores neighbourhood of Puerto Morelos (see map) Address: Cancun-Tulum highway 77580 Puerto Morelos, Q. Roo, Mexico International Contact: Hospital: 011 52 998 500 2505 Toll-Free U.S.: 855 301 4111 Click here to make an appointment online
Live Medical Centre ✆ 998 196 8697 Facebook PageMAP Cost for the antigen test is $1200 pesos Located in the Colonia on Zetina Gasca (see map) Address: Villas la Playa, Cangrejo 54, 77580 Joaquín Zetina Gasca, Q.R.
Laboratorio de Análisis Clínicos América ✆ 998 259 5622 FB PageMAP Cost for the antigen test is $900 pesos, next day results. PCR test is $2,200 Located in Villas Morelos 1 on Avenue Timon Address: 77580, Villas Morelos I, 77580 Puerto Morelos, Q.R. WhatsApp: +52 998 259 5622
La Siesta Tours, run by PM resident Francisco offers a service to book your appointment for you either at your place or at a lab and arrange transport. Contact Francisco for details
We have this advertisement for home tests online, but have no experience with the company
At the Airport
You can get tested at the airport. It’s recommended you arrive early to make sure you have enough time to receive it. Only the antigen test will give you same-day results. The test costs approximately $290.00 pesos PER ANTIGEN TEST and approximately $2000.00 pesos PER PCR TEST. They are open from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM EVERYDAY. First come – First Serve. NO appointments available. It takes approximately 30-60 minutes for the ANTIGEN results, and approximately 24-48 hours for the PCR Test. Most travel experts recommend you only test at the airport as a last resort. You are much better off to have your test results in hand when you arrive at the airport. One concern I would have would be, what if you had an “unexpected” result to your test? That would be very bad news to receive just before you were about to board a plane home. Obviously, you would not be allowed on the flight. This page has more info and you can read more here and here.
In Cancun
Salud Digna ✆ 998 884 0266 or 667 210 0001 Facebook PageMAP Address: Av. Tulum #18 Fracción B, SM 5, Centro, 77500 Cancún, Q.R. This clinic offers a cheaper PCR test, $950 pesos. See their website for details. We’ve heard this clinic is very busy with long lines.
Amerimed Hospital ✆ 998 881 3400 Facebook PageMAP Av. Tulum Sur 260, 7, 77500 Cancún, Q.R. (Beside Plaza las Americas) They advertise PCR or Antigen tests (not to be confused with antibody tests) The price of the PCR test is $2850 pesos. Antigen test is $ 950 pesos. Make an appointment online
Farmacias del Ahorro a large chain of pharmacies with locations in Playa del Carmen and Cancun is offering antigen tests (ok for flights to USA, not Canada) for a very good price, $347 pesos including tax. Not all locations are offering the test and you may have to get there very early to make an appointment. They may streamline their operation, keep an eye on their website linked above, but at this time it would not be a practical choice for PM visitors.
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.
