Puerto Morelos Review

Overall 3.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

mrkstvns
Austin, TX

Livin' La Vida Laid Back

budget conscious traveler, adventurous, off the beaten path, on the beach, laid-back, exploring Mexican culture

Pros

mellow small beach town, reef diving, snorkling, fishing, close to Cancun

AUG

2008

Puerto Morelos —

Puerto Morelos is something of an oasis on the northern Caribbean coast of Mexico. Just 20 minutes south of Cancun's bustling hotel zone, you'd almost expect the town to have been absorbed by resort development, but that's not the case. There are dozens upon dozens of humongous mega resort complexes along the Riviera Maya coastline, but they've generally spared Puerto Morelos. The town still feels like a traditional coastal town, and the hotels are mostly smaller, locally owned and operated places where friendly service and low prices are the draw --- not 96-hole golf courses with all-inclusive buffet restaurants.

Puerto Morelos is mellow and generally uncrowded. There are some excellent restaurants there, the beach is beautiful, the offshore reef has several shipwrecks that make for great scuba diving spots, and it's an easy place to unwind and kill a few brain cells with cheap, frosty cold cervezas as you kick back in a beachside hammock. The town hasn't lost its charm as a basic beach bum / surfer / fishing village.

Most Cancun tourists never venture to Puerto Morelos and most Riviera Maya tourists bypass it on their way to points further south. Even if you don't plan to stay there, it can be fun to rent a small car for a day and do an easy excursion. A couple of nearby places you might enjoy are:

Croco Cun: The hokey name makes me think of roadside attractions in small town America, but Croco Cun isn't anything like that. They actually run a serious alligator hatchery here and release raised gators into the wild. You can also see all sorts of other local animal life here, including some of the brilliantly colored bird species that inhabit the jungles, friendly neighborhood spider monkeys, and more. Their snake exhibit creeps me out but is very cool. Located a couple km north of Puerto Morelos.
Rancho Loma Bonita: This is the best place near Cancun do get your fix of horseback riding on the beach. They also do rides on jungle trails. I've heard that they've added ATV treks for the non-equestrian minded visitors. Located a couple km south of Puerto Morelos.