Puerto Morelos, Mexico Summary

Leaving Cancún behind, the first town on the coast is PUERTO MORELOS, 20km south. Formerly of little interest except as the departure point for the car ferry to Cozumel, in recent years Puerto has seen a surge in popularity, becoming a base for tours and dive trips. Although the taxi ride from Cancún airport to Puerto Morelos is a whopping US$40, a number of visitors on international flights bypass Cancún altogether, making Puerto Morelos their first stop along the Riviera Maya. It’s as good a place as any to hang out for a while: despite a rash of new hotel and condo construction, it is a relaxing, laid-back alternative to the bustle of Cancún with some lovely beaches and pristine reef offshore. It’s also the only working fishing village from Cancún as far as Tulum that hasn’t been entirely consumed by tourism.