Dress Code: In Puerto Morelos? Uh...no. We're a very casual town. Shirts and shoes in restaurants of course and proper attire is expected if you are entering the church, but you won't need your jacket and tie here, (though wandering about town in your Speedo will not make you popular.)

Weather: This will be the least of your worries. Days tend to be hot & sunny. If we do get rain, it will likely come down with attitude and then move on. Evenings in December and January can be "coolish", you may wish to carry a light jacket.

Dining Out: Long, lingering, lazy meals will be one of the highlights of your visit to Puerto Morelos. We have some great restaurants here, ranging from cheap local places to world-class cuisine. Please note that your waiter will not bring you your bill until you ask for it. Bringing the bill before you request it is considered rude, and simply not done here. Your bill will will include tax (IVA) but will not include service (propina). The exception is Playa del Carmen, where a 10% tip will often be included on the tab. Watch for it in Playa, so you are not tipping twice.

Tipping: Wages are low in Mexico, so your tips do make a big difference. Standard is about 10-15% at restaurants. If you go into Cancun or Playa, you may encounter more tipping opportunities. The person who bags your groceries for example is a volunteer and only gets paid in tips. Also anyone offering to help you with your bags or helping you back your car out of your space. We tip the Pemex guys if they clean the windshield.

Traffic: Pedestrians do not have the right-of-way here. Do not wander out into the street or you are likely to become part of it.

Bus: Forget the "chicken bus" imagery in Mexico. Buses are great here, much better than in the US or Canada. Always buy the best class ticket you possibly can to get the most direct and best service. To take a bus to Playa or Cancun, you must get up to the highway using a cab or collectivo or your feet (2kms). There are two bus stations to choose from on the highway, depending on which way you are going, North or South. Buses to Cancun or Playa depart every 10-20 minutes and cost a mere 20 pesos. From Cancun or Playa's bus stations, you can literally go anywhere in Mexico.

The best way to get to Cozumel is to take a bus to Playa del Carmen and catch the "people ferry" there. It is not worth it to try to bring your car to Coz. It is expensive and chances are your car rental company won't allow it anyway.

Collectivos: Mexico could simply not run without collectivos. These are white vans that run a set route, in town or between towns. Prices are similar to a bus, but much less than a taxi. The in-town collectivo (5 pesos) runs a route around the town, then goes to the highway and runs a route around the Colonia. You can use the collectivo to get to the bus station on the highway.

There are other collectivos that run to Playa and Cancun. You can catch them on the highway.  

Taxi: Puerto Morelos may be a small town but we have more than 100 taxis. Rates are set, not metered. Agree on a price before you get in. There should be a rate card in the taxi, you can ask to see it, or look at the big rate sign on the square. You are not expected to tip, but we always do if he gets us to our destination safely...without running over anyone.

There is a taxi rate sign at the taxi stand on the square, here is a look at it.

Driving: Yes you can drive in Mexico! Renting a car is not necessary as the bus system is excellent here, but it does give you the most flexibility and freedom. Rates tend to be best if you rent for a week or more and book a week or more in advance and pick up at the airport. To rent for a short period of time, you can get a car in town.

Your credit card car rental insurance will likely not cover you in Mexico, check with your company. Whatever insurance route you choose, make sure there is a toll-free number you can call if you have problems. In case of an accident, police can throw all parties in jail until they determine who is at fault. You will want to be able to call someone to help you.

When you get your car, go over it with a fine-tooth comb and point out any scratch, dent, defect, chip or blemish to the rental guy. They will charge you for any new dings. Check your tires and spare for air and tread.

Driving is relatively easy here. Roads are good and the whole peninsula is flat as a tortilla, so you don't have to deal with hills. The toll road to Chichen Itza/Merida is freakishly expensive, but often worth it. See DAYTRIPS for more information. The free road to Chichen is narrow, slow and laden with topes (speed bumps) but is perfectly safe. The Cancun/Puerto Morelos/Playa del Carmen/Tulum road is very fast and very good. Cancun has traffic circles and aggressive drivers. Give the taxis (there are a million of them) and the buses a wide berth and you will be fine. Use your turn signal when you turn and know that you and I are the only ones using them.

Your car rental agreement will likely state that you can't take the car to Cozumel or Belize.

Don't speed and you won't have to worry about the police. If you do get stopped, be calm, cool and dim. Really dim. If you decide to settle things by the side of the road, talk the price down like you are bargaining for a blanket in the market. No more than 200 pesos should do it.

Please note that traffic around the Puerto Morelos square is one-way (clockwise).

Where to Stay: Like all of Mexico, you have a wide variety of choices of where to hang your hat, depending on what you want, need and are willing to spend. Alma Libre can help fix you up with a cool condo or fully-equipped apartment for your stay of a week or more, CLICK HERE or you can choose from a variety of hotel rooms, from all-inclusive resorts, spa resorts, beachfront hotels, or inexpensive rooms or hostels...all in Puerto Morelos!

Money and Banking: There are several bank machines in Puerto Morelos, two in town are affiliated with national banks. One is on the square in front of the supermarket and another is in front of the police station. There is another on the highway at the 7-11. The machines work well, but occasionally run out of money, especially on weekends. There are independent bank machines at the mall on the square and at the OXXO. Fees are higher, so try the HSBC or Santander machines first. There are no banks in town. There is an exchange booth right on the square to exchange your cash dollars (US or Canadian) or Euros. You need a passport to get pesos for dollars.

We recommend changing your money and using Pesos in Mexico. US dollars are usually accepted, but you will likely not get an attractive exchange rate. Credit cards are NOT accepted at most businesses and restaurants in Puerto Morelos.

Post Office & Stamps: We now have a small post office depot on the other side of the highway, but it is much more convenient to get stamps at the supermarket. The only post office box in town is on the north-west corner of the square, on the wall between the gift shop and El Pirata Restaurant. The Mexican postal system is improving, but is still quite undependable and slow. You will likely beat your postcards home, but they are still fun to send. Alma Libre has the only postcards in town that feature Puerto Morelos. We also have blank all-occasion cards.

Laundry: There is a laundromat on the main road just north of the square and two more on the road behind. Prices tend to be around 10 pesos for 1 kilogram of laundry. Drop it off and pick it up later. No need to waste valuable vacation time rinsing out your unmentionables.

Phoning Home: This has improved greatly in the last few years in Mexico, but you still need to be careful. The easiest way to phone home is to get a "Telmex/Ladatel" phone card at the pharmacy. They come in three sizes, 30 peso, 50 peso or 100 peso. Calling the US or Canada will cost 5 pesos a minute, so you are getting 6, 10 or 20 minutes depending on which you buy. Local calls (including  Cancun) are about 1 peso a minute. Calls to Playa del Carmen and beyond cost more. To call a Mexican mobile phone, you need to dial 044 + area code + number.

Insert your phone card with the computer chip facing up and towards the phone, then hit the "abc" button. This changes all the instructions to English and makes things so much easier...assuming you speak English...which you must if you are reading this. To dial Canada or USA dial 001 + area code + number. The card will count down your time and mercilessly cut you off when your time is up.

If you have time left over, keep your card for your next call or next trip to Mexico, they don't expire.

We do not recommend using your credit card to call. Charges can be outrageous. Also calling from your resort or hotel room can be an orgy of overcharging, check their rates first. There are other calling cards you can buy locally, but we have never had any luck with them, except to jimmy open doors. Don't call collect, unless you really don't care for the person...they will likely get nailed big time. A recent collect call from Puerto Morelos cost us $50 for eight minutes! If you must call collect, dial 090 to get the operator.

Electricity: When it's working it is 120 volts, same as Canada or the US. A good idea is to pack a little surge protector if you are bringing sensitive electronics. The power in Mexico has greatly improved in the last few years, but there are always exceptions. (Power is expensive here so please don't waste it. We find the fresh ocean breeze is much more pleasant than air conditioning.)

Internet: The cheap and easy way to stay in touch. Available at two different internet cafes in town and there are several places where you can get WiFi free with a purchase, such as our bookstore. There is also free WiFi in the square.

Bugs: Mosquitoes don't tend to be a big problem in town, the breeze keeps them down. If they do come out, it will be at dusk. Avoid being out at that time or use a little repellent. You'll need bug spray if you go to the Botanical Garden.

Bano: There is now a public bathroom at the dock open during daylight hours only. One of our sage pieces of advice for travel in Mexico is, never turn down an opportunity to go to the bathroom...so if you are in a restaurant or bar, take advantage of the facilities! There is a public bano on the dock.

Massage: There are a few places in town that can rub your troubles away. The best deal by far is the Jungle Spa, where all treatments are available from professionally trained Mayan women for less pesos. You can contact them to book an appointment for most days except Monday. Call Sandra (998) 208-9148.

Gasoline: A Pemex is located on the highway at the Puerto Morelos turnoff. Pemex is the only gas station in Mexico, and all the prices in the state are the same (prices are slightly higher in neighbouring states). They don't post their prices on the sign. There are a billion stories of people getting ripped off at the gas station. Get out of your car after you pull up and keep an eye on everything and it won't happen to you. Make sure they reset the pump to zero and count out the cash when you hand it to the pump guy. Most of our fuelling experiences have been positive, including the occasional Pemex that cleans your windows and (gasp) vacuums your interior as you get gas. Tip 10 pesos or less for good service.

Church: Everyone is welcome at the big Catholic church on the square "Iglesia de San Jose". Services are at 7:30PM on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Time Zone: We are in the Central Time Zone. We do go on Daylight Savings Time, but not on the same date as the US and Canada. This is our current time and date (in 24 hour format)

Have we missed anything? Write us and let us know if we have left a gap in your knowledge.

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