Unchanged Puerto Morelos

Puerto Morelos, Mexico Friday 16 December 2011

Massage tent on Puerto Morelos Beach

Puerto Morelos has changed little in the four years since we last visited. There are no new streets expanding the town and the Western border is still defined by the mangrove swamps. A few new buildings have filled empty lots and condos damaged in previous hurricanes along the beach are being rebuilt. A few hotels and restaurants are gone; a few new ones have taken their place. A few more souvenir shops have opened in the vicinity of the town square. Teenagers play and gossip in the park waiting for the bus to take them home.

We visit a few of our favourite restaurants and find them still good value. We enjoy a North Americanized Mexican lunch at Doña Triny’s and we join the locals at La Pepita for shrimp ceviche and fresh fillet of fish. Gringos spend the morning eating breakfast at outdoor cafés around the town square. We buy breakfast makings at the local grocery where the beer and booze section takes up more than half the space. The good news is there are now loaves of good healthy bread baked by local Gringo women sold in the grocery.

The beach is still a long expanse of white sand with few sun worshippers. The massage tables have arrived in Puerto. T outs invite you enjoy a session on massage tables setup under sun shades at regular intervals along the beach. Several of the beach front bars advertise specials of 5 cervezas (beers) and two for one happy hour cocktails. The reef is still about ½ km offshore, lined with boats full of snorkelers enjoying the colourful fish. Deep sea fishing boats are anchored in a row beside the wharf. The boat touts stand at the entrance to the beach chatting amongst themselves, business is slow.

 For once, the weather is unsettled. Instead of clear, blue skies, dark clouds hide the sun and the wind whips up the surf. The water is chilly at first but still a pleasant temperature, about the same as our northern lakes in the height of summer. We happily float in the water, bobbing about in the waves. The current send us south along the beach for a short distance, just as it always has. After our swim we walk north along the beach to dry off. It is comforting to find familiar buildings still lining the shore.

 In short, Puerto Morelos is still the same small village we enjoyed in the past; the same good, uncrowded beach and clear waters; the same variety of restaurants. We know we are going to enjoy our stay here.