Rare Christmas/ New Year sale!
We have 2 vacation rental apartments left! Just steps from the BEST BEACH!!!!
Suite #1 is a 2 bedroom/2 bath
Open now until January 5, 2025
Suite #3 is a 1 bedroom/1 bath
Open now until January 11, 2025
Hola!! We just arrived back in Puerto Morelos after a summer of travel in Europe. As usual, we’ve noticed lots of changes in your town, including new restaurants and new locations of old favourites. (Click on any photo for a bigger/better view)
Let’s start at the town dock. A pair of hurricanes in 2020 seriously twisted it, giving it a Dali-esque look and making the end of the dock unusable.
Now, it’s finally being rebuilt. The new dock will be a little longer than the old one.
The dock is closed during reconstruction, making loading boats much more difficult, but fishing, snorkelling and dive trips still go on. Progress appears to be slow, but the folks working the dock area say it will be open next month, just in time for high season.
The exchange place at the beach side Chedraui has closed. It’s being replaced with a Michoacán ice cream parlour, so it’s not all bad news. The exchange on the square below La Sirena remains open. If you are exchanging a large amount of money, you will likely get a better rate at CI Banco at the highway Chedraui, but for small amounts this exchange is fine.
Still with money matters, the beach side Chedraui now has 5 ATMs. Citibank, Scotiabank, HSBC, BBVA and Santander. Check with your home bank if they have an arrangement with Mexican banks so that you can withdraw your pesos for free. (For example, the Mexican Scotiabank ATM waives fees for Scotiabank Canada customers)
We have just updated our In Puerto Morelos Restaurant Guide and the downloadable list. As usual, there are sooooo many new restaurants and changes to tell you about. We will start with changes to restaurants you may already know.
Spaghettino (owned by the same family that owns Al Chimichurri) has doubled in size and completed a lovely renovation to its space. In addition to expanding their outside space, they have also added a comfortable air-conditioned dining room. The family has also opened a second Al Chimichurri location in Cancun. And a little aside, co-owner Florencia has just become a sommelier, so we look forward to a new and interesting wine list.
The owner of Taninos has moved an artisanal ice cream shop called Bendito Pecado to the beach side of town. The cute little parlour is located on Rojo Gomez, a kitty-corner from Playa Sol, making it the closest restaurant to our Casa de los Viajeros. Very dangerous to our waistlines! (The shop was in the Colonia before)
Yum Yum Wok has a new location. It’s easy to find though, it is right next door to their old location!
One of our favourite cafes has expanded. Lola y Moya is now open for dinner. You can still go there for breakfast and lunch, but now you can stay for dinner and happy hour!
If you are looking for Osteria Barocca, in the Areia Hotel (formerly We Hotel), they have made some major changes. They moved from the ground floor to the rooftop and have a new name. Portside Puerto Morelos, now open from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm, offers some of the best views to dine by in our town. They are a bit of a hidden gem, you need to go into the hotel and take the elevator to the rooftop to find them, but once you get there, you will find a great place to watch the sunset over the mangrove and sweeping ocean views.
Restaurant Sabrina which was on the main floor of the hotel has closed.
These are just a few of the many changes. The best way to experience them is to stay with us. Right now, we are offering a Holiday Special at Casa de los Viajeros, January rates for the Christmas and New Year weeks. Contact us today for details. We have one—or two-bedroom apartments available just steps from the beach and close to downtown.
We have a lot more to tell you about, so keep an eye on your inbox for more information about Puerto Morelos coming soon. Don’t forget to share this email with your friends.
There is a new food truck village in town! More details to follow…
Summer is over and it is time for us to get back to work. You may wonder why you haven’t heard from us in a while. We have been travelling the world (quite literally) for the last few months. But we are back in our favourite place and looking forward to updating you on the MANY changes that have taken place in our little town. And there have been quite a few, we are still discovering all of them ourselves.
So until we can do some more investigating, here are a few pictures that we have just taken in Puerto Morelos.
The beach is beautiful right now thanks to a little storm cleaning by Mother Nature.
Spoiler alert… They are doing some much-needed work on the dock.
A beautiful sunrise… Ahhhhhh
Stay With US!
A reminder, we have some vacation apartment openings at Casa de los Viajeros for the upcoming season, especially over Christmas and the New Year. If you would like to stay with us, you can find out more here. We have a great location, just steps from the best beach in Puerto Morelos and a 10-minute easy walk to the town square. It would be nice to have you as our guest!
And we have just updated the In Puerto Morelos Restaurant Guide. There are quite a few new places you may want to check out. More information here. Or you can download and print it here.
More to come…
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!
Here are the cash exchange rates for December 15, 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
These rates are about the same as they were a month ago compared to the US and Canadian dollars. The Peso was showing some strength at the end of November but has since pulled back. The Euro and GBP have both climbed since their lows earlier this year.
| Cash Exchange Rates | Buy | Sell |
| US Dollar $ | 18.80 | 19.90 |
| Canadian Dollar $ | 13.50 | 15.00 |
| Euro € | 20.00 | 21.45 |
| Pound Sterling £ | 23.40 | 24.75 |
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!
Also see our recent article about getting cash at your home bank or in Mexico. What’s the best deal?
Such a lovely morning in Puerto Morelos, we couldn’t resist sharing it with you!
Click the photo above to get to the video, or click the direct link below. For best results, see it in 4K. You’ll almost think you are in Puerto Morelos.
To enjoy more Puerto Morelos videos, check out our new YouTube channel. We upload new videos regularly.
Stay with us! We have fully-equipped, private suites in Puerto Morelos. We’re steps from the beach and close to the town square, restaurants and shopping.
It’s a breezy Saturday morning today in Puerto Morelos. So breezy, that the snorkel and fishing boats are not allowed to go out!
Here’s a quick video we made this morning. (It was windy enough to blow both my camera and my bike over!)
In spite of the wind, it’s a lovely day here. The sun is shining, and if you do go to the beach, you will find it uncrowded.
We took a ride around town and took in a few sights.
Stay with us! We have fully-equipped, private suites in Puerto Morelos. We’re steps from the beach and close to the town square, restaurants and shopping.
Keep up with all things Puerto Morelos. Subscribe to our posts, and to our new YouTube Channel.
A lovely and breezy start to December in Puerto Morelos. Spend a minute with us down on the dock today.
It was the kind of breeze that allowed the birds to relax and not even flap their wings. They just float along in the air. See the video below…
Now is a great time to be in Puerto Morelos! Traditionally these weeks before Christmas have fewer visitors, and the town is a little more laid back and relaxed, getting ready for the season to come.
Check out our places on our Casa de los Viajeros website.
Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Visit Puerto Morelos any time you like! www.youtube.com/@inpuertomorelos
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.