It’s a beautiful morning in Puerto Morelos. You should be here. Enjoy!
We don’t get the snow and cold you do up north, but there are still a few ways we can tell that Christmas is coming to Puerto Morelos!
First, Christmas trees & poinsettias start showing up in the local grocery store.
Then the giant Christmas tree slowly starts being assembled in the Colonia town square…
Another sure sign is when crews started clearing the rodeo grounds on the Colonia side. This is traditionally where big parties like Carnival celebrations are held. Today, midway rides of various quality started showing up. I believe this is all in preparation for the Guadalupe celebrations in early December.
Here is a little video we shot this morning…
Traditionally, the town likes to celebrate Christmas in a big way. Here are some blasts from the past:
This was our post from 2020 (Click the photo or the link to the left to visit the page)
Here is a post from 2018, where we looked at past Christmas celebrations in Puerto Morelos, all the way back to our first Christmas in 2002. (click the photo above or the link to visit Christmas past.)
Here’s another post from 2018, when Santa relocated his workshop to Puerto Morelos and brought a whole Santa village with him! (Click the photo or the link to visit Santa’s southern workshop and village)
Search “Christmas” on our site at www.InPuertoMorelos.com to find more posts.
Any time of year is pretty special here in Puerto Morelos, but a Christmas without snow is not too bad at all. You can still have gifts and hot chocolate, but you are going to sweat in that Christmas sweater!
Last night we were treated to a little piano music in the square. This pianist has been tickling the ivories in the square a few evenings each week, playing for tips. After he finished this Carlos Gardel classic, he launched into “Besame Mucho”, so we had to stay for that! Keep an eye (and an ear) out for him and toss him a tip if you enjoy it. Keep up with all things Puerto Morelos at www.InPuertoMorelos.com
Another beautiful day here in Puerto Morelos. We shot a quick video so that you could join us wherever you are in the world! Enjoy and feel free to share the warmth…
www.InPuertoMorelos.com
We still have space for you this season at Casa de los Viajeros! Fully equipped suites, close to the beach and the town square. www.CasaDeLosViajeros.com
Cards are being accepted more and more in Puerto Morelos, but cash is still king. Many small shops and restaurants only take cash, and chances are your card won’t get you anywhere at one of the weekend art markets. There may be an extra fee for using your credit card too.
You have many choices on how to get pesos in your pocket. For most people, we recommend using a bank-affiliated ATM here in town. You will likely pay a transaction fee at both ends, but you will get a very attractive exchange rate which should make up for it more or less. (Some banks or investment houses will refund ATM fees. Scotiabank in Canada charges no ATM fee if you use a Scotiabank machine here in Mexico.)
But, what about ordering cash from your home bank? Many banks offer this service. It is tempting. You get beautiful clean bills and can often order them in small denominations, which comes in very handy in Puerto Morelos. But, does it make sense economically? Or is it more sensible to bring currency to Mexico and convert it here?
We decided to test it out at our home banks in Canada and the United States. You may be surprised at the results. We were!
First, we’ll use our US funds account at Bank of America. We asked for 10,000 Mexican Pesos. Here is what we found:
Bank of America: 10,000 MXN would cost us $546.00 USD. That is a rate of 18.32
That doesn’t sound too bad, but check out CI Banco in Puerto Morelos
CI Banco: 10,000 MXN would cost us $537.63. That is at their rate today of 18.60
The difference is $8.37 (or about 156 pesos. That’s at least 3 cervesas)
Next, we’ll try our Canadian bank account at CIBC. Again, we want 10,000 Mexican Pesos.
CIBC: 10,000 MXN would cost us $743.20. That is a rate of 13.46
CI Banco: 10,000 MXN would cost us $729.93 at their rate today of 13.70
Once again, CI Banco wins, the difference is $13.27 CAD (or about 182 pesos. That’s up to 4 cervesas)
We did this research on November 16, 2022. Currency rates change daily, but I am betting that it will still hold true that you get more pesos for your buck (or loonie) here in Mexico. We’ll check it again in the next month or so.
For more information on where the ATMs are in town, CLICK HERE.
Remember, if you bring cash to exchange, it’s bills only. No coins. And you will need your passport to exchange US dollars. There is a limit of $1500 US per month, per person that you can exchange.
STAY WITH US!
Casa de los Viajeros is filling up fast for the upcoming season. We do have some high-season dates still available.
Such a lovely morning on the beach today, we couldn’t resist sharing a few moments with you. The weather is perfect right now, November has always been our favourite time of year.
There are lots of new things in town to show you, and we will get to that in future posts. (Be sure to subscribe to our posts so that you never miss one.)
For now though, let’s enjoy the beach and the dock in Puerto Morelos today.
Come stay with us at Casa de los Viajeros! We still have some space available in late 2022 and 2023. Winter is SO MUCH BETTER HERE! Trust us, we’re celebrating 20 years in Puerto Morelos this year.
Starting today, Tuesday, November 15, 2022 the main road of Puerto Morelos will be car-free every day!
The town announced this morning that the first block of Avenida Javier Rojo Gómez north of the square will be closed to traffic (north and south) every day between 3:00 PM and 1:00 AM to allow walkers and restaurants to take over the streets.
This is a welcome change for diners and strollers in Puerto Morelos. Rojo Gómez can get pretty busy in the evening, leading to close calls with vehicles.
We had a preview of this traffic-free arrangement last season when the same road was closed for road improvements and for shooting a feature film. Read that story here. A lot of folks thought the road was a lot nicer without having to dodge traffic.
There will likely be some confusion for the first while and some folks will have to find parking spots a little further away, but it should make dining and walking in Puerto Morelos a more pleasant experience, just like it should be.
There are lots of restaurants to choose from in this long block. El Pirata, Cantina Habanero, El Campanario, PENÍNSULA, and Tanino’s just to name a few.
It’s a lovely day today in Puerto Morelos, so we thought we would share it with you!
Here’s a 30-second video we shot this morning on the dock in Puerto Morelos. You can see how lovely the water and beach are today. Also note how busy the dock is, with fishermen, snorkelers and divers all heading out for a great day.
November is my favourite month in Puerto Morelos. The mornings are “cool” (21C / 70F) and afternoons are warm (30C / 86F) and right now there is no rain in the forecast.
Come stay with us at Casa de los Viajeros! We still have some space available in late 2022 and 2023. Winter is SO MUCH BETTER HERE! Trust us, we’re celebrating 20 years in Puerto Morelos this year.
Be sure to subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss out on things happening InPuertoMorelos.
| STAY WITH US! Casa de los Viajeros is filling up fast for the upcoming season. We do have the following high-season dates still available. Suite #1: 2 Bedroom/2 Bath Open March 11, 2023, onward Perfect for 2 couples or a family. Suite #2: 1 Bedroom/2 Bath & Loft Open Now until Dec 19, 2022 Great terrace for 1 couple or a small family. Suite #3: 1 Bedroom/ 1 Bath Open Dec 1, 2022, to January 1, 2023 King or two twin beds for 1 couple or 2 people sharing. All 3 of our Vacation Rentals are open from April 1, 2023, onward Next time you visit Puerto Morelos. Stay with us! We offer 1 or 2 bedroom private apartment vacation rentals just steps from the BEST BEACH in town. We will begin taking bookings for 2024 on January 2nd, 2023. Contact us today for more information. |
Here are the cash exchange rates for November 9, 2022 at CI Banco on the highway in Puerto Morelos.
I post these rates occasionally so you can compare them with what your local bank or the ATM here 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 $ | 18.70 | 19.70 |
| Canadian Dollar $ | 13.50 | 14.95 |
| Euro € | 18.75 | 20.10 |
| Pound Sterling £ | 21.50 | 22.90 |
Decline the ATM rate and Save Money! As a side note, we always advise folks who use the ATM here to get their pesos, to DECLINE the machine’s exchange rate. It is usually very much in the ATM’s favour. Here’s a recent example. We withdrew $7000 pesos from our Scotiabank account in Canada. (Scotiabank has no ATM fees for their Canadian customers, which is a great deal.)
If we had accepted the exchange rate the machine offered us, it would have cost us $526.64 CAD for our pesos, an exchange rate of 1 MXN = 0.07523 CAD. Instead, we let our bank in Canada work out the exchange rate and the cost to us was $498.63. That is a $28 CAD difference! Huge! That rate worked out to 1 MXN = 0.07123)
Always decline the machine’s rate!