Here are the cash exchange rates for February 18, 2020 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 $
17.60
18.80
Canadian Dollar $
13.05
14.35
Euro €
19.20
20.55
Pound Sterling £
23.25
24.65
Don’t be left in the cold! Book a Spring Fling in Puerto Morelos. We have some good dates still available at Casa de los Viajeros, and we’ve put some March dates on sale!
Back by popular demand! Here on our Beach Reads Blog, we wanted to continue on with an old tradition, the annual Best InPuertoMorelos.com Survey. Tell us what you think! What is your favourite place to eat, drink or be merry In Puerto Morelos!
We first started the survey back in 2005 when it used to be the “Alma Libre Bookstore Beach Reads Survey”. Above is an example of some of the past winners for the best restaurant, starting with #1 at the top.
We encourage you to take part. We want to hear from you! If you are cannot remember the name of your favourite restaurant or bar visit our handy-dandy InPuertoMorelos Restaurant Guide or Happy Hour List.
You have only one week to complete the survey. Polling will close at midnight on Monday, February 24, 2019, EST. Then watch for results to be published on InPuertoMorelos.com.
We were fortunate enough last week to take in a new cooking class with Chef Marco & Doña Sonia at Casa Caribe. The class is a real hands-on experience where you get to learn about Mexican cuisine.
The day we were there (the menu changes weekly) we made a variety of both traditional and modern Mexican salsas, some we had never seen before, but they were all excellent.
The class started with Sonia giving us some background on the different fresh and dried chilli’s we would be working with. If you are a spice wimp, there is no need to fear this class, the peppers were all flavourful with very little heat.
We first made a salsa diablo, which sounds and looks like it would be very hot, but instead, it was bursting with flavour. Chef Marco, who has been cooking all his life, had some excellent tips for working with peppers and I even got a lesson in knife skills. Here is an example of this recipe.
Serves 4-6 1) Toast all the chiles lightly in a dry skillet, just until they become fragrant. 2) Oil fingers and hands to create a barrier between your skin and the chile oil, and when chiles are cool enough to handle, remove stems and devein. Discard seeds. Cut chiles with scissors into thin strips. 3) Peel and chop raw tomato, reserving juice and seeds. 4) Pull leaves off epazote (if using fresh) and discard stems. Repeat this process with the cilantro, but save stems for another use, if desired. Slice garlic cloves thinly. 5) In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium flame until hot but not sputtering. Add garlic and toast lightly. Add chopped tomato, salt and dried chile strips. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. 6) Add cilantro and epazote and cook for 3 minutes longer, continuing to stir. 7) Empty salsa into a glass bowl, adjust salt if necessary, and cover to keep warm. Refrigerate any leftover salsa and consume within 3 days, adding oil as needed; chiles will soak up oil.
After making a variety of other salsa, we moved onto the main course; Sopes Mexicanas from scratch! We even made our own tortillas!
We ended the class by eating everything that we cooked. Although we were almost too full after having snacked on all the different wonderful salsas throughout the class.
Our meal was accompanied but a very good, if not quite a strong margarita. The food was delicious.
All of the recipes we learned would be ones that you could replicate at home. Marco and Sonia even include a souvenir pdf cookbook with every class so that you can make your own Mexican fiesta later.
Chef Marco and Doña Sonia offer their cooking classes two days a week, every Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. Classes require a minimum of 2 students, but there are no more than 6 people/class. Classes are $100 USD/student includes all food, beverages, taxes and a souvenir pdf recipe book. You must pre-book. To do so you can contact Sonia at either +52-998-109-0312 or cateringpuertomorelos@gmail.com.
Marco and Sonia are active members of our Puerto Morelos community helping with animal fundraising, animal rescue and Marco even coaches an American football team in La Colonia called Los Mapaches. So if you are looking for someone to come to your house and cook, cater or plan a special event, you can find out more by clicking here to visit their website or their FaceBook page.
If you are looking for an amazing farm to table experience near Puerto Morelos, we recommend you try Koox Ich Kool. Run by head chef Karla of El Pirata Restaurant, Koox Ich Kool is a truly unique experience.
You begin your day with a drive through the Yucatan countryside to the farm which is located about 25km from Puerto Morelos. Once there you will be given a tour of the organic gardens and the beautiful property. You will learn about Mayan traditions. In Maya, “Koox Ich Kool” means let’s go to the garden.
After the tour, the meal preparation will begin. The menu varies depending on the season. When we were there Karla prepared a turkey that was roasted in a pit in the ground.
There is also fresh-baked bread cooked over an open fire. We were lucky enough that Chef Marco from I Wanna Pizza joined us, so we got to have pizza, hot off the grill.
Karla cooks everything right in front of you, giving you a great opportunity to ask all the questions you like.
Your meal includes a 6-course dinner made with just-picked herbs from the organic gardens, the catch of the day (from either the land or sea), handmade tortillas, fresh-baked bread, vegetables, dessert, wines pairings and Mexican mezcals.
There is also a large swimming pool on the property along with lots of hammocks to spend some time lounging in. So remember to bring your bathing suit! There are lockers and restrooms on the property.
We were lucky enough to be one of their first guests when they were making all of their test runs back in the spring. Now they are fully open and we can tell you it is a wonderful experience.
We hope that everyone had a great holiday season! 2020 has just begun In Puerto Morelos but we already have some news for you from your favourite town.
The best news of all is that Santa brought us a great gift, a beautiful beach on Christmas day! This is the beach just north of town, absolutely pristine! Merry Christmas to us!
In restaurant news, two new places have opened since our last update. First is Habacuc’s Bistro a new breakfast and lunch place. It’s owned and operated by the same people that bring you the hugely popular El Campanario, and it’s named after the patriarch of the family (seen here fourth from the left.) We were lucky enough to be invited to the grand opening and get a sampling of their fare. The menu is extensive, with breakfast favourites like chilaquiles, enchiladas and eggs as you like. Lunch features salads, soups, sandwiches and more. Be sure to leave room for dessert! They have a whole list of choices to tempt you. Habacuc’s Bistro is easy to find. They are located on the second floor (in the old Richard’s Bistro/Maximo location) between the two Frida’s on the north side of the port town square. They are open for breakfast and lunch (8 am until 6 pm) Tuesday to Sunday.
Also new is MEM Ristoranteria & Liquoreria, located across from Al Chimmichuri (in the old La Rambla location). MEM is a new concept restaurant for Puerto Morelos. This is how they described their place to us, “No menú and only one dish, everything included. A new concept that includes fish and veggies. To test to believe.” Early reviews of MEM are good. They already have restaurants in Italy and Spain. We recognized their logo from past trips to Barcelona.
We try to keep you as up to date as can on the eateries in Puerto Morelos with our handy PM Restuarant Guide. With that in mind, we have a couple of closures to tell you about. Chef Pablo’s La Mar Cafè that was located in the Super Aki Plaza has closed.
The other closure is Taqueria Los Tocayos, they were next to Chedraui Selecto. Bad timing for them as they were open during the entire quiet offseason, but closed just before Christmas, so close to our main tourist season here In Puerto Morelos.
In celebrity news, where do the stars go to dine when they are In Puerto Morelos? La Sirena of course! Recently Giancarlo Esposito who you may know as Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring or the Chicken Man, one of the best “bad guys” EVER, from the hit series “Breaking Bad” stopped in for lunch. (No word on whether he ordered the chicken) La Sirena staff and owner Anthony were thrilled!
And if you are still looking for that special Christmas gift, we have openings in our vacation rentals at Casa de los Viajeros. Merry Christmas to all and we hope your 2020 plans include a trip to Puerto Morelos!
We are excited to announce a new partnership between InPuertoMorelos.com and Croco Cun Zoo! This means savings for you on your next visit to the park.
Did you know that Puerto Morelos has it’s very zoo? And this is not your typical zoo, it is an interactive zoo.
When you visit the park, you and your party are matched up with a knowledgable, English-speaking guide who takes you through the area, introducing you to the animals that live here in the Yucatan.
You get a very close-up and very personal look at the critters that are normally out of sight. All of the guides are professionally trained and graduates of either zoology or veterinary programs.
Not only is Croco Cun a zoo, but it is also a rehabilitation and breeding centre for the animals of our area.
The zoo is home to more than 200 crocodiles. The animals that live in the park are all ones that are unable to live in the wild or on their own for various reasons.
We here at InPuertoMorelos.com have started a partnership with Croco Cun Zoo so that we can bring you a special discount the next time you visit the park. Just show this coupon, either off your phone or printed when buying your tickets at the park or use the promo code InPuertoMorelos.com when buying online. Everyone in your party will receive a 10% discount off the entrance fee.
Take a walk on the wild side and learn a little more about the animals in our area. Croco Cun Zoo is open EVERY DAY from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, even Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For more information click here.
If you would like to offer our readers a discount at your business, please contact us.
And who are we? We are Rob and Joanne, the people that bring you InPuertoMorelos.com, the facebook group Friends or Puerto Morelos and the former owners of Alma Libre Bookstore. We fell in love with this little fishing village over 17 years ago. We have hosted hundreds of happy guests at Casa de los Viajeros (which means house of the traveller) from all over the world.
The Original Staff of the Miami Herald International Edition
Today we say good-bye to an old friend, the Cancun edition of the newspaper USA Today. This is the only daily, English language newspaper printed in the state of Quintana Roo. Originally, it was the Miami Herald International Edition, but the paper changed affiliation in January 2009.
Unfortunately, like so many other print papers, the subscribership of this publication has slowly dwindled to the point where it is no longer viable. So today we say adios and wish the editor, Kathy Loretta, along with Rudy Garcia and Tere Carpinelli and the rest of the staff all the best. Kathy always made a point of featuring her home town of Puerto Morelos prominently in the paper.
Good luck to you all as the last full publication of the broadsheet rolls off the presses.
Here comes Part 3, another installment of our Town Update for the Winter of 2019. If you missed the other parts you can find Part 1 here or Part 2 here.
In Part 1 we mention that 4 new restaurants were opening soon. Well, two of them just opened their doors. One is Crepe Street, located on Rojo Gomez, right across from The Godfather jewelry store near the square. It features, (what else?), crepes. They have both sweet and savoury. Insider tip: Crepe Street is brought to you by the same people that bring you La Sirena.
Another place that has just opened is called Osteria Barocca and is located in the just-about-to-open hotel called Soho Boutique Puerto Morelos on Niños Héroes, which is part of a Spanish chain of hotels you can learn more about here. The restaurant menu is Italian and includes pasta, pizza, risotto and other favourites.
One more restaurant will open soon on the roof of the same hotel. That menu will be Thai. Chefs from both restaurants are from the high-end Grand Velas Hotel. All of this is located on Niños Héroes, across the street from John Gray’s Kitchen.
And yet another new restaurant that has just opened beside the church called Maria Bonita Restaurante. Their menu and decor is all Mexican and they are open at 9:00 am for breakfast and go right through until 9:00 pm.
And speaking of John Gray’s Kitchen, Dora has given the place a fresh new look over the summer. Be sure to stop by and check it out. And remember they are a great place for breakfast & lunch, as well as dinner.
That’s a lot of new places, and we still know of at least two more that are about to open. More about that in a future Beach Reads edition.
Closures
Over the summer we lost a few restaurants: Bianco, La Rambla and El Papillon. One of our favourite little afternoon beer stops, Ole, in la Colonia closed as well as the popular Chilpayas (it was immediately replaced by a new place with the same menu called Escochin.) The bar Que Hora Es in Posada Amor closed as well as the hotel itself. Plus for a very brief time, we had a G Capital cash exchange on the east side of the Chedraui Selecto. It opened and closed in record time.
Moves
Over the summer quite a few of your favourite places moved. El Sazón Mexicano that used to be on Niños Heroes is now in La Colonia. You can now find them here!
To keep up with all the restaurants, be sure to review our InPuertoMorelos.comRestaurant Guide. We update it constantly, it has all the contact info and hours and also features a printer friendly version.
Good-Byes
Manuel as we will always remember him. Cooking and smiling. Photo from Facebook
And we say good-by to two people who were fixtures in the town. Manuel May Moguel who was the proprietor, chef and head beer slinger at Ole’s in la Colonia. Manuel was always quick with a wave and a smile whenever we saw him. Our thoughts go out to his family.
Kimberly in her beloved garden. Photo courtesy of Facebook
The town lost another one of its long-time residents, Kimberly Fleitz or Rev Kim, as many people knew her. She was a frequent customer in the bookstore and she used to tell us stories about what Puerto Morelos was like when she first came here back in the ’80s. Her favourite tale was about when the circus used to come to town and they let her ride the elephant down the main street. The story did end with her falling off and breaking a couple of bones, but she would tell it laughing so hard (in only a way that Kimberly could) she would almost cry. Kimberly, you will be missed, but not forgotten. Descansa en Paz.
So that concludes our Winter 2019 update on the port side of our town. We will have more updates that include la Colonia soon, so to find out what is happing InPuertoMorelos SUBSCRIBE today to Beach Reads InPuertoMorelos.com, We keep you up to date on your favourite beach village and plus we have some great new partnership programs coming up which will offer our subscribers discounts in our town.
