Go anywhere in Mexico and you are going to see vehicles on the road that you would never see anywhere else. Beyond the generic white vans and little white cars that seem to make up most of the vehicles in our state, you will find the unique, the unusual and the downright weird. I present to you, some of our favourite cars and trucks we’ve spotted. Most of these are from our town, but a few are from other spots in Mexico. Enjoy!
One of the more unusual vehicles ever to roll in Puerto Morelos, this truck sported a classy palapa roof as a camper. As we recall, the palapa was in good shape, but the truck was not, and its lack of a muffler made it easy to hear it coming. We took this pic back in 2015. I have not spotted it recently.
This truck belonging to Materiales Tauro in the Colonia is a proud survivor of Wilma. Wilma was an especially nasty hurricane that hit us in 2005. It did a lot of damage, but the town sprang back nicely. We took this photo in 2015. Not sure if the truck survived old age as well.
Rob’s first car was a Ford Maverick, so he’s happy to still spot them on occasion in Mexico. Ford only made them for 7 years and stopped making them in 1977, but you can still see one on the streets, or even in car shows. This one was on the cobbled roads of Guanajuato, Mexico.
Whoever loaded this truck deserves an honourary degree in engineering. We assume the boss told him to make one trip, but bring all the produce to town. We took this pic in the Colonia in 2016, but we often see similarly loaded trucks around town.
Volkswagen Beetles are ubiquitous in all parts of Mexico. They are relatively inexpensive, fun and they seem to run forever. We joke that every man, woman and child in Mexico can fix a Beetle. They are also fun to customize, so you will see many versions in Mexico that VW never intended. Volkswagen has a giant factory in Puebla where the last “old” Beetle rolled off the assembly line in 2003. It is still on display there. The “new Beetle” was also built in Puebla. Its last edition was built there in 2019. We spotted this one, with “all-natural” air conditioning on the streets of PM. It looks like a whole lot of fun.
You will also see many Volkswagen Combi vans around Mexico, though most of them don’t smile as big as this one. An actual “clown car”, this one brought a travelling circus to town in 2016.
This vehicle looks perfect for Puerto Morelos! It belongs to a local man who has lived here for many years, so you might just spot it rolling through town.
This pic isn’t so much about the car, but the situation. Back in 2018, the town suddenly moved ahead with its project of redoing all the roads around the square. The road this car drove into town on, no longer existed after it was parked for a few hours. We imagine the driver was just a little bit surprised after having dinner at a nearby restaurant. Not sure how the driver did it, but the car was gone the next day.
We are not sure what was going on at Ojo de Agua Hotel on this day in 2106, but it certainly drew a lot of well-parked police cars!
This truckload of marigolds is for the Day of the Dead celebrations in Michoacán. There were many of these trucks overloaded with the most beautiful cargo ever. We were in Patzcuaro for the Day of the Dead in 2015.
This fantastic “5th Beatle Beetle” was spotted in Puerto Morelos.
We’re sharing some of our favourite vehicles as an attempt to “drive” you into coming to Puerto Morelos! 🙂 We are now taking vacation reservations for next season. With so many people finally able to travel in 2021, 2022 is looking VERY popular. Contact us today to book your place. We have lots of availability right now if you are missing your favourite beach town.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our website so you never miss a post! Also, follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exclusive pictures of Puerto Morelos. Fresh photos most every day! Hope to see you soon in Puerto Morelos. Check out our extensive website InPuertoMorelos.com for all the info on your favourite town. Hasta Pronto!!
A big HOLA from your favourite town on the Mexican Caribbean, Puerto Morelos! We’ve had a challenging and interesting spring here. Lots of new stuff to tell you about.
We continue to add new restaurants! Spyder Cafe opened on March 2 and staged its grand opening on March 6. It’s a small chain that originated in Spain but is now focusing on Mexico. As we mentioned in our last update, they have an unusual concept. They are a combination cafe, bar, rental outlet for cool electric bikes and tattoo parlour. While it is part of a chain, the location is owned by a long-time Puerto Morelian who grew up here. Spyder Cafe already has a location in Tulum and they are planning locations in Playa del Carmen, Cancun and all over Mexico.
The location in Puerto Morelos has proved to be very popular, especially on weekends when they have live music. Their menu leans heavily on big burgers, but they have other food choices too.
Los Chachalacos finally opened on the last day of March. They specialize in tacos and they know their craft well. Importantly, they make their own tortillas right on site, and they have an Al Pastor going all the time. They are still putting the finishing touches on the place, but their abundant staff is ready to serve you. The tacos are served piping hot and almost instant. They have a full bar including cold beer and margaritas. You will find them in the old Don Pepe’s space (if you go back that far) on Rojo Gomez, between The Godfather Jewelry store and the newly-opened Spyder Cafe.
Fun fact: Tacos Al Pastor make me happy!
Not an opening, but a new home for the popular El Campanario. Their new space is on Rojo Gomez, which has become ground zero for Puerto Morelos restaurant options.
The location may be different, but the service, the grill, the sax guy and the bell are all the same.
El Campanario made the move in record time, closing their old restaurant as usual on a Sunday night and opening the following Wednesday for breakfast in their new location. That’s right, they have breakfast now too starting at 8:00 am!
Good news is that they brought their famously over-worked grilled with them, and of course their famous bell. The new space is working out well for them, though not quite as good for Nacho the saxophone player who now has to compete with a lot of other music on Rojo Gomez. Please remember to tip him just before or after you ring the bell.
Photo by El Patio del Campanario
I almost missed that El Campanario has also opened a taco and burger place in the Colonia! It’s called El Patio del Campanario and has opened on Avenue Timón, pretty much at the intersection of Av. Timón and Calle Chaca (aka Calle Vallarta) That’s the road that goes into the Zona Urbana. It’s just south of Circle K. They are serving tacos, sopes, quesadillas and burgers. They are quite proud of their sauces. It’s all being run by the same family that brought you El Campanario, so you know it’s got to be good. They are open Tuesday to Sunday, from 5:00 PM until 11:00 PM.
Don’t miss The Nobodies at Tanino’s
Perennial favourite Tanino’s restaurant, an excellent choice for food, wine, tranquil setting and music has changed their hours a little. They are now open Thursday through Tuesday, so closed Wednesday night instead of Sunday. They have live music every night, including the very popular duo, The Nobodies on Thursday & Sunday evenings.
Very tranquil setting! (Photo by PECAO fonda de mar)
The big buzz in town in April is a new restaurant in the Colonia. PECAO fonda de maropened April 8, just west of the square in the Colonia. It’s a big, bright and beautiful space, shaded by palms. Seafood is on the menu, including tacos, tostados burritos, fish kibis, fish & chips and more. (We like the sound of the battered shrimp burrito!). They also have vegetarian options.
Owners are Yannick and Gabo, well known in Puerto Morelos. Early reviews of the restaurant are overwhelmingly good. PECAO fonda de mar is open every day from Noon until 7:00 PM.
Workers have expanded the old DK site and added a sundeck. Eventually there will be a roof deck too offering ocean views.
A couple of new places are almost open. The former site of DK restaurant has undergone extensive renovations and the addition of a new deck. There will also eventually be a deck on the roof. The name of the new place will be “El Refugio” and their motto is “In tacos we trust”. They expect to open within a couple of weeks.
Wings Factory, coming soon.
In the highway Chedraui mall, a new wings place has been slowly making progress, we first told you about it in December. It will be called Wings Factory and they will also have burgers and drinks. They say they will be open soon.
Las Palmas in on the south end of Timon in the Colonia.
Lots of new places have opened or are set to open in the Colonia too. We spotted this new cafe on the south end of Timon. It’s called “Las Palmas”. Update: We think this place may be on “pause”It’s not been open in a while and all their tables and chairs are gone. The counter is still there. We’ll keep an eye on it.
New places are also popping up in the mini-mall at the entrance to town on the beachside of the bridge. One that just opened is Puerto’s Corner. They make burgers and wraps. They are open daily from 2:00 PM. We were a bit early when I took the photo. They are right next to the highly-rated La Peskadilla and the rarely open La Penca, which is only open on Sunday and Monday. As you can see in the photo, a new laundromat also opened there.
Centro Quimico
Also in that same strip mall, a new laboratory has opened. It’s called Centro Quimico and they have branches in Cancun and Playa del Carmen. https://centroquimico.com.mx/
It looks like the space beside Chedraui on the beach side that used to be Taqueria Los Tocayos will be opening soon as another jewellery store.
Jesús from Merida wants to open his new restaurant by May 15.
Meet Jesús. He’s working on his new restaurant which is opening in about 30 days at the south end of town, near the federal dock at the end of Rojo Gomez. It’s going to have lots of outdoor space, and the restaurant will be called “Su Frida”. It will pay homage to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. He’s going to have a wide menu including Mexican food as well as favourites like pizza, pasta and steak. He’s going to have a concept that is very popular in other parts of Mexico, where you order a drink and a free snack will appear. We’ll keep an eye on it and let you know when it’s open.
Back on the square in Puerto Morelos, believe it or not, T@cos.com has opened another location. They are in the newly completed space above the high-pressure jewelry store on the northwest corner of the square. That means that we now have three T@cos.com within a few metres of each other on Rojo Gomez. The new space is very big and bright and will have a nice view of the new square when it’s completed.
The new square is looking good. This photo was taken on the northeast corner of the square. That’s the gazebo on the left side of the picture, which is surrounded by partially shaded seating. That white building on the right side of the photo is washrooms.
They are still pouring concrete on the east side of the square. You can see the gazebo and shaded seating well. A lot of the old trees were saved, and many new palms have been planted.
The new square is coming along. We were all kind of hoping it would be done by Easter, but it was not to be. The part that is done looks very nice. We’re all anxious to get our square back. Click any photo for a full screen view.
This view is from the south end of the square, looking north. The new square features a big new playground. Fun for kids and the occasional, over-served adult.
Our new square at night. You can catch this view from La Sirena Restaurant. Photo by Anthony – La Sirena
The whole town is happy to have our big PM sign back. The sign disappeared during the latter part of hurricane season, we assume out of fear that it would be damaged. It finally reappeared, freshly painted, in mid-March. Here’s a look at the finished product.
Much needed patchwork was recently done on our pathway between the Colonia and the beach, and a completely new, heavy duty sidewalk was finished on the opposite side of the road. The pathway is very popular and important to the town, used daily by tourists, workers commuting to their jobs and exercise buffs trying to work off too many tacos. Some patchwork has been done of the tortured asphalt of Niños Heroes too, but much work remains to be done.
In other local news, the local collectivo raised their rates to 10 pesos from 8.
A new tattoo parlour has also opened in town. This is “Feel Ink Art Tattoo“. They already have a location in Playa del Carmen. They opened at the end of March. The place is on Rafael Melgar, across from Hacienda Morelos Hotel. They are decorating their locale right now with very intricate murals.
Visitors leaving Quintana Roo now have a few things to think about when they leave our state. First, they must figure out how to pack everything into that carry-on bag they brought. Then they have to make sure they have a negative Covid test. The type of test depends on where you are from. Guests from the US only need the quick antigen test, while visitors from Canada and some European countries need the more complex PCR test. Luckily, both tests are widely available in Puerto Morelos, with most visitors electing to go to Ojo de Agua hotel. More info on our InPuertoMorelos.com website.
There’s a new thing to do before you leave now us though. Starting on April 1, our state of Quintana Roo requires all visitors (over age 15) to pay a tourist tax on departure. This is a new tax, so it is not already built into your airline ticket. You must show proof of payment when leaving the state. You can pay at the airport, they apparently have set up special machines to handle the tax, or you can pay online in advance and print off your receipt by going to the government’s Visitax.com website. The tax is amount is 224 pesos per person. (about $11 USD or $14 CAD). There’s very little official information to direct you to. This article is about the best we have seen.
We have not travelled anywhere further away than 30 kilometres in more than 500 days, so a trip to Playa del Carmen is about as big of a thrill as we get. They have spent the last year reconstructing their square and a big piece of 5th Avenue. The square is done and 5th is pretty much completed as well. Here are a couple of pics of the new square.
Covid Update: Not too much new to report Covid-wise here in Puerto Morelos. We were lucky enough to be one of the first towns in our state to have the number one dose of vaccinations for our residents over 60. Us younger folks are waiting for our turn, which is supposed to be later this month or next. We remain under a “yellow light”, which means most things are open, just not as late and with a more limited capacity. You need to purchase food in order to buy a drink. You need a mask to enter any public place or any public transport, and they encourage people to wear them anytime you are outside of your house. The ADO bus is still not stopping in Puerto Morelos. The collectivo is running, both in Puerto Morelos and north and south to Cancun.
Live music is back at Don Mexkal. This band is called “Breakdown”. They play a mix of pop music in English and Spanish.
Happy to report that live music is back in Puerto Morelos! Some spots like Lauro’s and Tanino’s have had live music for a while now, usually with one or two musicians. Other places like La Sirena and Don Mexkal are just bringing it back now. The new Spyder Cafe has live music on the weekend. We’ve also seen live music at Mem Al Mare, T@cos.com and El Socio Naiz. El Campanario has Nacho playing saxophone every night and sometimes during the day too.
We are now taking vacation reservations for next season With so many people now able to travel in 2021, 2022 is looking VERY popular. Contact us today to book your place. We also have lots of availability right now if you are missing your favourite beach town.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our website so you never miss a post! Also, follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exclusive pictures of Puerto Morelos. Fresh photos most every day! Hope to see you soon in Puerto Morelos! Check out our extensive website InPuertoMorelos.com for all the info on your favourite town. Hasta Pronto!!
