Information For Your Vacation In Puerto Morelos
I guess winter is moving into your favourite Mexican town! We had a fair amount of rain last week, but this week is looking absolutely perfect. Speaking of perfect, how about our beach? Sun, surf and sand. The only thing missing is you!
Here’s a video we shot for you this morning so you can have a quick visit…
Check out our places at www.CasaDeLosViajeros.com to get yourself here!
For those who can’t be here for the holidays (and know you should be), we thought we would share a few photos of the Christmas lights that the city has put up around our little town. Relax and enjoy…
The Christmas tree on the Malecon, beach side.
The Christmas tree in the town square in La Colonia.
A selfie spot! Don’t forget to tag your posts with #inpuertomorelos and follow us on Instagram or Facebook.
Christmas tree in the gazebo, main square on the beach side.
Bells overlooking the leaning lighthouse.
Lights like these are scattered all around the town!
Our town sign is decorated with a star plus a Day of the Dead skull (there are a few of these around town right now).
Stay with us! At Casa de los Viajeros. Steps from the beach!
Here are a few other Christmas Puerto Morelos posts for years past.
The story of the Christmas Star (Piñata)
The year the town built a Christmas Village in La Colonia.
And Christmas through the years! WOW! We look so young!
With thanks to the Taxi Sindicato “Cesar Martin Rosado” of Puerto Morelos, we have finally been able to update our InPuertoMorelos.com taxi rate list!
Please note that all rates quoted on our list are in Mexican Pesos and are based on departing from the town square on the port side of Puerto Morelos. Rates from other locations are available when in the attached pdfs.
It is not necessary to tip your driver, but we always do if we get good service and a nice, safe ride, and a clean cab.
Here are the cash exchange rates for December 1, 2023, 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. These rates available in town will differ from those you see if you just google “exchange rates”, as that is the bank-to-bank rate, not available to us as mere mortals exchanging small sums of cash.
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 Dec 1, 2023 | Buy | Sell |
| US Dollar $ | 16.60 | 17.20 |
| Canadian Dollar $ | 12.00 | 13.10 |
| Euro € | 18.00 | 19.20 |
| Pound Sterling £ | 21.00 | 22.10 |
Notably, through CIBC Bank in Canada, I can order 10,000 pesos today for $834.80 CAD. I could get the same number of pesos here at CI Banco for $833 CAD in cash. Virtually the same cost, and as an added bonus, I know the bills you receive at the bank will be pristine and can be ordered in smaller denominations making them easier to use.
Bank of America would charge me $611.00 USD today for 10,000 pesos. Those same pesos would cost $602.41 in cash from CI Banco.
Decline the ATM rate and Save Money! Using the ATM is an easier option. You will likely get charged a fee by the Mexican bank as well as your home bank. We always advise folks who use the ATM here to get their pesos, to DECLINE the machine’s exchange rate. It is very much in the ATM’s favour, not yours.
Learn more about Puerto Morelos by exploring our page, www.InPuertoMorelos.com
Iris is back! You may remember her from last year as our Casa de los Viajeros guest that shot the wonderful bird photos in our garden that you can see here.
This year Iris got a new underwater camera and she has been nice enough to share more of her beautiful photos with us. She also identified all the fish for us! These pictures were taken this winter at our reef and at the small cenote which is located just offshore in front of Ojo de Agua. Iris took them while snorkelling. It is amazing what you can see just from the surface of the water.
To see the images larger, just click on them!
Sit back, relax, and enjoy this undersea adventure, thanks to Iris.
We want to thank Iris again for her amazing photos and this moment of relaxation. If you would like the chance to take some photos of your own, come stay with us at Casa de los Viajeros in Puerto Morelos.
You may also want to add beachreadsinpm@gmail.com to your address book as this is where the new emails will be coming from. If you do not, they may go into your spam folder.
If you are having problems with your subscription, please email us at info@inpuertomorelos.com
For the last 20 years we have been writing the Beach Reads Blog. At first, it was just “Beach Reads” but after we sold Alma Libre Bookstore and started the website www.InPuertoMorelos.com, it became the Beach Reads Blog by InPuertoMorelos.com. There was no such thing as a “blog” 20 years ago.
You can find the new Alma Libre Bookstore website here.
If you want to take a trip down memory lane, you can still read our original “newsletters” (as they were called in those days) here. Including our very first one from 2003 which talks about our drive from Canada to Puerto Morelos.
We hope that you continue to enjoy our website and blog. Thank you for subscribing to Beach Reads InPuertoMorelos.com.
“At Mightnight” the film that was shot right here in Puerto Morelos has been released.
Our little town even made the credits!
Read all about the filming here!
For information on where to see it, click here.
Puerto Morelos loves a good party, and everyone loves a parade, so Carnaval is our kind of thing! (Click any photo for a full-screen view)
Carnaval in Puerto Morelos has come a long way since we first arrived 20 years ago. At that time Carnaval was so small that they would run the parade once and then run all the floats past us again with all new revellers on board… then they would switch riders and do it again! There were more people in the parade than watching.
This year, Carnaval started last week in Puerto Morelos. Normally Carnaval celebrations around the world occur just before the liturgical season of Lent. Since our town is rather small, we can’t attract the big bands and midway attractions during the official dates, (they play the big cities at that time) so we always celebrate Carnaval a little early or a little late. This year we are early.
Celebrations have been lower-key in the past few years due to pandemic restrictions, but this year’s celebrations have been big.
The town erected a giant stage at the rodeo grounds in the Colonia and lots of midway attractions and food stands have moved in. The music plays until the wee hours.
On Superbowl Sunday, the town staged the Carnaval parade. We were tied up with Superbowl preps, but Casa de los Viajeros guest June from Minnesota took in the festivities and loaned us these great pictures.
Carnaval wraps up soon in Puerto Morelos, but celebrations will begin shortly in Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Cozumel has a particularly big celebration, as does Merida. If you play your cards right, you could hit several celebrations in one season!
And again a special thanks to June for taking all these great photos! Plan to be here next year!
Since 2016, Puerto Morelos has held a mass wedding for the residents of our town on Valentine’s Day and this year is no exception. The collective ceremony will be held on Tuesday, February 14th at 4:30 pm, in the municipal DIF facilities, on the beach side of Puerto Morelos. The event will follow all health protocols and health safety measures will be strictly followed.
The ceremony is free and intended for Mexican citizens. It’s always fun to see.
Puerto Morelos celebrated its first Valentine’s Day as its own municipality with a valentine for the residents. On February 14th, 2016 the town married 30 couples on the Malecon in front of the town square. Hundreds of people turned out to take part in the celebration.
Advertised ahead of time, the ceremony was for Mexican citizens and allowed both opposite or same-sex couples. Participants were asked to gather all of their official documents, register and get their blood work done ahead of time. The fee for the wedding for $250 pesos ($13.21USD/$18.30CAD), which was great value.
The price included the brides having their makeup done and a bouquet of flowers. Plus, there was a big cake and snacks afterward. A real celebration. The couples ranged in age from very young to “more experienced”.
It was a beautiful sight and we hope that this will become an annual event.
Are you still looking for a Valentine’s gift for your sweetie? Take them to Casa de los Viajeros in Puerto Morelos. We are now taking bookings for 2023!
Things just got a little more inconvenient for smokers.
Effective immediately, Puerto Morelos along with the entire country of Mexico, has new smoking laws.
Beaches (yes beaches), resorts, restaurants, bars… ALL public spaces are now smoke-free. YES, ALL PUBLIC SPACES.
Basically, the only places you can smoke are in your home (some vacation rentals may allow this) or your yard. And if you are a tourist staying at a resort or hotel, chances are they are smoke-free as well. Hotels will no longer offer smoking rooms and you are not permitted to smoke on your hotel balcony. Also in some cases, you cannot smoke in your own car. For a deep dive into this, read here.
One of the first comments we heard after this law went into effect from tourists was, “Oh, I know Juan, he owns the bar, he will let me smoke there….” No, no he won’t. Juan can’t even smoke at his own bar. And if Juan does let you smoke in his bar, his business can face fines of up to $2000 USD! and temporary or permanent closure.
The fines for individuals caught smoking are really steep as well. They start at around 1000 pesos or $50 USD and could go as high as 1100 pesos or $550 USD!!! and/or up to 36 hours in jail! That is one expensive smoke!
With the new rules, you can smoke on the streets as long as you stay away from other non-smokers and don’t form large groups. This would mean, in Puerto Morelos, you can smoke on the streets, but you cannot smoke on the beach or in the town squares.
This no-smoking law comes as Mexico tries to get its own population to cut back on smoking. Mexico’s legislation is one of the most stringent anti-smoking laws in the world. The Pan American Health Organization has applauded the Mexican Government for the new laws. The ban also applies to advertising and sponsorships. You will notice that stores can’t even display cigarettes for sale now.
For non-smokers, this all comes as a breath of fresh air.
