TRAVEL AWAITS: The Mexican Riviera’s Best-Kept Secret, Puerto Morelos

Sometimes we take great pains to find great places, but sometimes luck has more to do with it. Like how we discovered this best-kept secret of the Mexican Riviera. The whole area is known for its low 80s weather and white sand beaches, great for vacations year-round, but especially during winter.

In 2018 our timeshare called to tell us that we would lose a bunch of points if we did not use them by year-end. We chose to spend that Christmas in El Cid’s La Ceiba in Cozumel. They wanted us to extend our membership to include their sister resort in a town called Puerto Morelos near Cancun so they gave us a day there to try. And there has been every reason to go back, including the fabulous sunrises!

The town is 25 minutes southeast of the international airport, 45 minutes south of Cancun, and 35 minutes north of Playa del Carmen. It may not have Cancun’s glitz, nor Playa del Carmen’s vibe, certainly not Tulum’s (25 minutes south of Playa) coastal archeological ruins. But if you love nature and prefer a laid-back experience, this is where you want to be. It has become our second home for three months every winter.

The Jungle Meets The Sea

Puerto Morelos is still relatively small, so there is no concrete jungle; it is still au naturelle. There are four ways to experience this lush tropical rainforest.

Right At The Resort

In the El Cid Marina Spa and Beach Resort, swamp, mangrove, and jungle creatures are around you constantly. Carved from the natural environment, pockets of it are double-fenced to protect guests while keeping the wildlife encounters up close and personal. Every day we visit two special ponds outside the two buildings where we usually stay.

We call those that make the ponds home “Our Pets:” turtles, fishes, birds (anhingas, kiskadees, egrets, grackos, and herons), and the babies, mamas, and papa cocodrilos. Daily on display is a perfect ecology that we dare not disturb. We just whisper, “How are you today?”

Pro-Tip: Hundreds of iguanas roam around, looking fierce but totally harmless, contributors to the ecological balance. But don’t leave used room service plates outside the door, or you will have raccoons and coatis hovering around. 

Croco Cun

Just a couple of miles away is Croco Cun, best experienced through a one-hour interactive tour with a guide familiar with the animals. He is helped by Lorenzo, the talking parrot who cannot stop introducing himself, getting your attention with his “Ola!”

Besides the Burmese python, other deadly snakes, and tons of crocodiles, there are hairless dogs to pet, deer to feed, turtles to throw crumbs to, baby crocodiles to touch, and a boa imperator to hold. Yes, we even walked inside a crocodile den (the crocodiles had just been fed)! And wild spider monkeys swung from tree to tree.

Pro-Tip. The interactive tour is US$35 pp exclusive of tips.

Jardin Botanico

This is Mexico’s largest botanical garden, with 65 hectares of cacti, ornamental palms, medicinal plants, and other jungle flora and fauna. There are some boardwalks but it is the last jungle remaining between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. It also boasts a chicle camp, reading cottage, small archaeological site, waterfall, and suspension bridge.

Pro-Tip: Only US$ 6 pp!

Cenotes Kin-Ha

Twelve cenotes are grouped together: open, cave, and open cave, all in one place. Called virgin cenotes, they have not been fully developed for tourists, so you will need to walk through thick Mayan jungle trails, drive ATVs or ride on horses to get to them.

Pro-Tip: When my daughter visited us, she and her husband opted to go to swim at a developed cenote.

A Host of Water Activities

The Mexican Riviera has an enviable 150 miles of shoreline on the Caribbean Sea. Aside from the jungle, the water is the playground.

Fishing

Puerto Morelos is known for big game fishing through charter companies, including one at El Cid. But the town is also a quaint fishing village. Very early in the morning rows of colorful boats go out into the sea and later come back with their catch to sell at the local market.

Pro-Tip: You can ask any chef around to cook your catch or package it to ship back home.

Swimming

Swimming remains the best activity, even if the pesky sargassum has hit the beaches with brownness and, if left too long, even smell.  Many work together to shovel it off the shores, haul in trucks to work sites, and dump truckloads of sand to reclaim the beachfront. At El Cid, two rows of air-blown tarp barriers that parallel the beach have succeeded in sifting the invasion, leaving more manageable chunks. Yes, they are finding ways to deal with it.

Besides, large swimming pool/hot tub complexes complement the ocean. Infinity pools that blur the line between sea and pool have, in fact, become the norm. Your swimwear may never get dry!

Pro-Tip: But, avoid the sargassum peaks. Mid-February to mid-March was a peak last winter. Summer will have another one.   

Snorkeling and Scuba-Diving

The Mexican Riviera also boasts The Great Mayan Reef, the second-largest coral reef in the world, beginning just 400 meters offshore. Snorkeling is great like everywhere on the Riviera. And so is scuba-diving. When my husband’s daughter visited us, she went diving.

Pro-Tip: There are many diving shops and centers in town, including one in El Cid.

Provisions from Downtown  

Puerto Morales is divided into two sections. The downtown, the Plaza, and the Parroquia (church) are on the beachfront; this is where the ex-pats stay, where the shops and resorts are located, and where the restaurants thrive. Across Highway 307, the Mexican Riviera’s main corridor, is Colonia, the residential area for 9,000 locals.  

Pro-Tip: You can take a collectiva to reach any part of town for only MXN $10 (about 50 cents). The terminal is on the northwestern corner of the Plaza.

Shopping

The big supermarket chain Chedraui serves Colonia; recently downtown also got a smaller branch. The latter is where we go for supplies. There are souvenir shops, clothing stores, pharmacies, and service outlets. It’s where we go for medicines, facials and massages, nail and hair services, and even medical and dental care.

Pro-Tip: The prices are much cheaper than back home, but more so in Colonia.

Dining

Two streets branch north and south of the Plaza. You can find a wide variety of options, from holes-in-the-wall to fine dining places and everything in between.

Pro-Tip: The main restaurants on the Plaza are Pelicanos and Café Amancia.

Other Activities

At the Plaza, you can enjoy the idyllic scenes during the day, especially the Leaning Lighthouse and the Broken Boardwalk, symbols of resilience from the day a strong hurricane hit them. And the best swimming in town is just north and south of where the boats are moored.

Puerto Morelos is also known for hosting the only Mexican floating fiesta on the Mexican Riviera. Xoximilco gives you three hours of culinary feasting on a festive boat; with well-curated stops at places that showcase the vibrant and colorful Mexican culture.

Pro-Tip: Every Friday night there is a flea market; every Wednesday, a farmer’s market.

Our Winter Home

El Cid has almost 900 of the now 7,000 rooms available in Puerto Morelos. Together with Dreams, Fives, and Dreams Jade, they comprise the top four in town. There are lower-cost options like Hacienda Morelos just beside Pelicanos and across from Chedraui.

Our resort, a complex of about 22 buildings, brings an all-inclusive luxury Cancun-style lifestyle to the little town and jungle. There are three lobbies, three bars, eight restaurants, a food court, a café, four Platinum Clubs, and many drink kiosks.

Two variety shows (tributes, cultural shows, or talent exhibitions) entertain guests nightly. The three bars also each have a nightly feature. Special events are staged for many special occasions (like Superbowl). Many activities are hosted around the two fitness centers or the six pools (three of them infinity). One pool even turns into a soap bubble wonderland!

This winter, I did not gain weight (even with all the food), spending a lot of time at the Wellness Center for exercises or Coco Cay for hydrotherapy. Although there are golf carts that ply you around, we opted to walk and managed an average of 45,000 steps a week each.

There is also a Teen Center, a Kids Club, and a Family Fun Center (being built). Giant chess boards occupy strategic places. You can borrow equipment for different sports, or simply lounge around in chairs, hammocks, gazebos, or sofas, all around water.  

Day Trips Are Easy

It is also more central to the tourist landmarks, much like Playa del Carmen. We have rented a car to go to Chichen Itza and the Ik Kill Cenote. But to visit Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or Tulum, we used a combination of collectivas, taxis, and/or buses. When the Maya Train is completed, all the day trips will be much easier, even to Merida.

Viva Morelos!

Pro-Tip: We also went to Isla Mujeres via a ferry (15 minutes) from Cancun. And the ferry to Cozumel is 45 minutes from Playa del Carmen. 

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