Casa de losviajeros Welcome to Casa de los Viajeros. We hope you enjoy your stay with us. The beautiful fishing village of Puerto Morelos is located halfway between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. A throwback to a time in the Yucatan Peninsula before the hyper-development of the Mayan Riviera, Puerto Morelos offers visitors a relaxed time while providing all the amenities of a good tourist town. Enjoy the endless white beach, the unspoiled reef, or just unwind in the town's central square and watch the world go by. Puerto Morelos is in no hurry, and you won't be either. Puerto Morelos is just 20km (12.5mi) South of the Cancun International Airport, and about 36km (22mi) south of the Cancun Hotel Zone. Play del Carmen is 32km (20mi) away. From the airport you can get here by rental car, taxi, private transport or by bus. Casa de los Viajeros is located just a block off the beach, and three longer blocks to "downtown" Puerto Morelos. Your suite is completely private, with its own entrance and balcony. Each suite features a fully-equipped kitchen. We supply bottled drinking water, local cable TV and high-speed WiFi Internet access. (Fast enough to use Skype or view video online) Directions: To get to Casa de los Viajeros from the Cancun airport, drive south approximately 18km on Highway 307. When you come to the Puerto Morelos overpass, keep right and do not go over the overpass. Under the overpass is a traffic circle. Work your way around ¾ of the circle and take the road going due east into town. Drive 2km through the mangrove to the town. When you reach the town, take your very first left. 3 blocks later take your next left at Avenue Lazaro Cardenas (there is a street sign on the left side of the road) right after the large vacant lot on your right. There is a large beige apartment building at the turn. Casa de los Viajeros is the first house on the right after you turn. It is a large white building. The address is #2 Lazaro Cardenas. Go through the gate and your door is in front of you. Suite #1 is the entire main floor. Please make sure that you have provided us with your flight arrival and departure times & dates so that we may make arrangements to greet you when you arrive. We hope that you have a wonderful time at Casa de los Viajeros and that you will enjoy Puerto Morelos and the Mayan Rivera as much as we do. Please read on for information and a few simple rules that will make your vacation more enjoyable. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask. We know our town and area well and we can t wait to share it with you! Thank you and enjoy your stay, Robert & Joanne
Casa de los Viajeros Information Booklet Check-in time: 4:00 pm Check-out time: 11:00 am Please treat our home as you would your own. Arrival: House owners Robert or Joanne (or our manager Susana) will meet with you at the suite upon your arrival. If you arriving late in the evening or your flight is much delayed the keys to your suite will be waiting for you in a lock box on the door. The lock box combination is: 7789. Please make note of the combination. Please be sure to email us your flight information before arrival or inform us of any changes in your flights. In case of Emergency: The owner s names are Robert& Joanne. We live in the third floor unit, above your suite. We also own Alma Libre Bookstore located on the main town square. We can usually be found at one of these locations. The phone number at the bookstore is 998-251-1206 or our cell 044-998-190-2913. Transportation to/from the Airport: 1) Rent a Car: If you are renting a car for a week or more, book it at least a week before you arrive and pick it up at the airport. Remember that the price will almost double when you add insurance. Most credit card insurance does not cover Mexico. Make sure you have a 1-800 number that works in Mexico that you can call if you get in trouble or an accident. Renting a car for a day or two can be done in Puerto Morelos. 2) Book a Private Transport: There are a bunch of companies that do this. There is now a local company you can book through who cost just $50 door to door. They will add a shopping stop for an extra $15. You can book online: http://www.abbeydelsol.com/transportation.php Our house is on the drop-down list. They know Puerto Morelos and our house. 3) Taxi: Book a taxi at one of the booths on the way out of the airport. Cost is about $75 US per taxi, up to 4 persons. It will cost about $30 when you go back to the airport from Puerto Morelos. The driver will be from Cancun and will likely not know anything about Puerto Morelos, so make sure you have directions to our place. 4) Public Transport: Book it at the booth on the way out of the airport. Cost is about $20US per person to Puerto Morelos. Two companies, Grey Line or Greenline. Booths near the exit. They will wait until they have at least four persons before they will make the trip. The driver will be from Cancun and will likely not know anything about Puerto Morelos, so make sure you have directions to where you are staying. 5) Bus: The cheapest option ($68pesos) is the ADO bus which goes down to Playa del Carmen about every hour during daylight hours. They stop at Puerto Morelos up at the highway. You will need to catch a local taxi from the highway to your accommodations. (about $30 pesos) The bus is available at either terminal. Look for the big, modern red and grey ADO buses. You can buy your ticket right at the bus. (For the most up to date schedule, check out their website ADO.com.mx.) They change their schedule on occasion, but last time we checked the buses started at 10:10am and rolled about every
45 minutes-1 hour until 10:00 pm. For more information on arriving at the airport & transportation, please go to: http://www.almalibrebooks.com/airport.htm About Your Vacation Home Bathroom: No toilet paper or other paper products, feminine hygiene products, etc. may be flushed down the toilet. Everything is to be disposed of in the waste paper basket provided. Our septic system is very sensitive, if you disrupt it in anyway you will be responsible for charges incurred and it will make for a very unpleasant time for all of us. Your suite is fully equipped. Our water is pressurized so your shower will be good! We provide basics like coffee filters, salt & pepper, soap, paper towels as well as bath, face, hand & floor towels. TV/DVD/CD: There is a colour television with a remote in the living room. We have local cable service which has some English channels including: TNT, WB, Sony and some movie channels. There is also a DVD player which plays back region 1 movies & CD s. Outdoor Hose/Clothesline: There is a hose located on the west side of the building. Please feel free to use it to wash off sandy feet and beach toys when returning from the beach. There is also a clothesline there where you may hang up your wet towels etc. Maid Service: Maid service is every 7 days. If you are staying more than one week, you can expect a visit from the maid every 7th day, we will schedule the service with you. If you do not wish maid service, please let us know prior to check in. Towels and sheets are changed every 7 days. Please wash all dirty dishes before checking out or an additional fee will be added. Tipping the maid is customary. Her name is Lily and she has four children and just bought her first house! She has worked with us for ten years. Pets: No pets are allowed without prior written approval from us. Keeping Cool: The best way to keep the suite cool is to keep the curtains closed during the day. Please lock all windows and doors when going out. If you wish to leave a window open, we have provided wooden poles to place in the track to stop the window from opening too far. The suite cools down quickly once you open the windows and turn on the fans. We also recommend keeping the sticks in the windows at night for your security. Security: Please use the sticks in the windows if you are leaving the windows open at night or when you are away. We lock the outside gate only at night. The small key we gave you will open that. Please put all valuables in the safe. Crime is not a problem here, but crimes of opportunity can occur. Thieves usually take advantage of open doors or windows. Power: Electricity in Mexico is very expensive. Please turn off all lights, fans and the air conditioner when not in use. Thank you. Our electricity is 120 volts, just like the rest of North America.
Your Guests in Casa de los Viajeros: Many people want to entertain friends while on vacation. This is not a problem but you are responsible for your guests while they are there. We ask that you keep all noise to a minimum and there is an additional fee should guests stay overnight. Wash all fruits and vegetables: There is a container of microdyn" in the kitchen, please use a few drops when washing all your fruits and vegetables. Fill a bowl of water, put 3 drops of solution in, soak for few minutes, dry and eat. Fruits and vegetable in the tropics may contain certain bacteria that you may not be used to, using microdyn" eliminates these bacteria. Drinking Water: We filter every drop of water used in the house. The tap water is clean and fine for washing dishes and yourself in. We do not recommend drinking it. A jug of drinking water will be in your suite upon arrival. Once you have finished this, leave the jug outside your suite and we will exchange it for a full one. Let us know if you want us to place the garafon on the stand for you. (It s a little tricky and the jugs are heavy) Laundry Services: There are at least two laundries in town that will do your wash for you. Please note that they will not allow you to do your own laundry and it can take 24hours for a load to be returned to you. Garbage: There are one or two large drums for your trash right outside the front gate. We are just starting recycling. Separate your aluminum cans and leave them beside the garbage can in a bag and some deserving person will collect them. We have blue containers beside the casa for plastic, cardboard and glass. Garbage is usually picked up every few days. Ants: We try to keep the suite bug free, but somehow those little ants may find their way in. You can help control them by keeping everything very clean and keeping any food in the fridge or tightly sealed in plastic bags. They will go after virtually any food, but anything with sugar in it brings them the fastest. They ll go after the garbage too, so please take it out regularly. There is a can of Raid under the sink if they get to be too much. We spray occasionally outside to keep ants under control, but we don t like to spray too much. Gardener: We have a gardener to take care of the plants. He comes most days, and quite early. His name is Lucio and he has worked with us for 11 years. He knows a little English and is very friendly. Phone Information: There is no phone in the suite. To call from a payphone, you can purchase a Ladatel/Telmex calling card. (Make sure it is Ladatel and not another company, they may have large service charges) Calls to the US/Canada are 5 pesos/minute. Calling cards are sold in $30, $50 and $100 peso denominations. Calling cards purchased in the US or Canada usually do not work in Mexico. You can rent a cell phone from CancunValet.com Skype will work in the suites on our high-speed WiFi. Wi-Fi: If you have a laptop or PDA, we have Wi-Fi, wireless internet access available. Ask us for the code. Internet Access: There are several internet cafés in Puerto Morelos, the square has free access and we can provide WiFi access at the bookstore.
Health Insurance: It is in your best interest to make sure you have travel health insurance when visiting Mexico. There is a local clinic and excellent hospitals in Cancun or Playa. ATM/Exchange Houses: There is no bank in Puerto Morelos; however there are three bank ATM s. One is located on the main town square in front of the super market, another at the police station and another is located at the 7-11 on the highway, 2km away. There is only one exchange house in Puerto Morelos, on the town square. Please note: you cannot cash traveler s cheques in Puerto Morelos. You can in Cancun, Playa del Carmen or at the airport. We advise using the ATM for cash as most restaurants and shops in town do not take credit cards. There are 3 other ATM s, but they are not affiliated with a bank and charge much higher fees. Avoid them if you can. Books/Maps: If you run out of books to read there is an English book store located in Puerto Morels with an excellent selection of books, travel guides and maps. The web site is www.almalibrebooks.com. We can answer your town questions there too. Taxis/City Buses: Taxis are plentiful in Puerto Morelos. There are also small buses and collectivos that circle around the town. These will take you around town and up at the highway. Agree on the rate before getting in a taxi. Ask to see the rate sheet if necessary. We have a copy of the rate sheet on our website at: http://www.almalibrebooks.com/taxi/taxi_rates_2012.pdf Safety: You have no doubt heard about the drug war in Mexico. The violence is mostly centred near the US border, which is thousands of miles from our area. Puerto Morelos is very safe. If you take the same precautions you do at home you will be safe in our town. Cancun and Playa del Carmen are both big cities, but are very safe. Again, take normal precautions and stay away from drugs and you will be fine. The biggest hazard to your safety is traffic. Remember that pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way here. Do not step out into traffic and expect cars to stop. They will not. If you are lucky, they won t speed up. Taxis and buses are the worst offenders. The second biggest hazard is uneven sidewalks and streets. Watch your step and carry a flashlight for night-time navigation. We have more practical info on the town on our website. Please have a look: http://www.almalibrebooks.com/puertomorelos.htm Things to consider bringing: Beach towel (our towels are not to be removed from the unit), bug spray, beach bag, suntan lotion, hat, beach mat, snorkel and flippers, binoculars, camera, film, batteries, ziplock bags, flashlight (for night visits to the beach or walking our potholed streets) and your passport. Smoking: Please note there is no smoking allowed in any of the suites. You are welcome to smoke in the outside areas. Ash trays are provided in each suite so that you may smoke on your balcony.
RENTAL ITEMS (may be paid in cash up arrival and should be booked ahead) Deluxe Beach Chairs for $10 per week Boogie Board for $10 per week. Snorkel and Mask for $10 per week. Beach Umbrella for $10 per week ADDITIONAL CHARGES Security Deposit: A $500 security deposit is taken in case of damages, breakage or theft. This will only be charged to your credit card if needed. We understand that accidents happen and we will consider each case separately. Please treat our home as you would your own. Please note that your credit card could be charged for the additional items upon check out in the event that any of these circumstances occur. Towels, Mattresses & Sheets: if any towels are missing we will deduct $20 for each towel missing. If sheets are soiled beyond cleaning you will be charged $100, (we import our sheers from the US). If stains are present on the mattress after you leave you will be charged for cleaning, up to $300. Mattress covers are provided to prevent this. Excessive cleaning: Please wash all dishes and empty all garbage cans before leaving. We ask this as ants and other insects are drawn to these items. If there is excessive cleaning needed for the suite you will be charged. All Other information: There is a binder in the suite which will gives you general information about the area. Rules and regulations are also posted in this binder as well as a complete list on contents in the suite. Please review all when you arrive. We hope you have a wonderful vacation at Casa de los Viajeros.
Activities Please note that most vendors in Puerto Morelos do not accept credit cards. Snorkelling: Puerto Morelos is a great place to snorkel. We are a national park with a very healthy reef. To go snorkelling you must go with a guide to the reef. To arrange this you can go to the main pier, beside the leaning lighthouse, where several qualified guides are waiting there to take you on a trip. The price is usually $25usd which included your snorkel gear, park admission and boat ride to two spots on the reef. Trips last about 2½ hours. Tipping is customary. Our favourite guide is Charlie Brown. Ask for him by name. Scuba Diving: Puerto Morelos has many excellent dive sites including a wreck. There are also cenote dives in this area as well, something you won t want to miss. There are many dive companies in town but our favourite is Dive In Puerto Morelos. They are located half a block north of the main town square. Just look for the building with the bubbles and ask for Brett, their certified dive instructor. Fishing: Because Puerto Morelos is national park fishing is not permitted within the reef. You must take a boat outside the reef to enjoy this sport. Fishing guides are available at the pier. We like Diving Dog Tours owned by Kathy Loretta. You can reach her at www.puertomorelosfishing.com to set up a trip. She can also set up a snorkel trip for you. Crococun: Fun for the kids, both big and small. This guided tour through a small zoo does a good job of familiarizing you with the local animals and reptiles. We enjoyed feeding the monkeys and baby deer, holding the snake, petting a crocodile and more. Botanical Gardens: Explore the native plants and animals of the area at the 150 acres Jardin Botanico Gardens. Located 2km south of Puerto Morelos, the lush grounds take you through 3km of pathways with plants labelled in both English and Spanish for your information. This is not a beautiful garden, but has all the variety of plants in our area. Good place to see birds too. Bring your mosquito repellent and watch out for the monkeys! Jungle Market and Spa: Every Sunday is the Jungle Market in the nearby Colonia. It is well worthwhile and they have a dance show at 11:30am. The spa services are offered every day except Monday, but you need an appointment. Prices are much lower than in town. See us at the bookstore for details and a map. Contact Sandra to make an appointment in advance. starseed@prodigy.net.mx The Little Mexican Cooking School: How better to bring a little of Mexico home with you than to learn to make some of the fantastic food you find here? The Little Mexican Cooking School offers classes two days a week right in Puerto Morelos. Learn some new cooking skills, and then eat the results. You can book online through their website, www.thelittlemexicancookingschool.com We also have some suggestions for day trips around Puerto Morelos. You can find them on our website at http://www.almalibrebooks.com/daytrips.htm.
Grocery Shopping in Puerto Morelos You can find almost everything you need in for a one week stay in Puerto Morelos. Some shops are found on the Port side of the town and some are in the Colonia. Below is a list of shops that provide different grocery items: Near You Casa Martin Located on the north end of the square, Casa Martin is the largest grocery store in Puerto Morelos. Here you will find your basic dry good, wine, beer, liquor, soft drinks, eggs, butter and some other fresh items. There is a small deli, cheese and vegetable room in the back of the store. OXXO Located on the southeast corner of the square OXXO is your basic convenience store, much like a 7-11. If they have it, they are the best place in town for fresh milk. They also carry eggs, beer and soft drinks. Fish Co-op You can purchase fresh fish Monday to Saturday at the fish co-op located on the north end of the square below the restaurant La Casa del Pescador. The co-op hours are unpredictable. They are supposed to be open when the catch comes in around 2:30-3:00 in the afternoon, but if the port is closed due to wind or bad weather, they will not be open. They will also not open if the fisherman sell all of their catch to the restaurants and have nothing left to sell. What you will find at the co-op, is the catch of the day. This means anything from grouper to mahi-mahi to lobster. They will also fillet the fish for you if you ask. The Tortilla Factory Corn tortillas are made fresh Monday to Saturday during the day. The Tortilla factory is located beside a mini-super on Niños Heroes, 2 blocks south of Casa de los Viajeros. Tortillas are sold by the kilo. Mariscos del Puerto Frozen seafood and meats can be purchased at this shop beside I Wanna Pizza, located 2.5 blocks south of Casa de los Viajeros on Niños Heroes. Wednesday Market Every Wednesday morning there is a fresh fruit and vegetable market set up beside the church. They have a variety of seasonal vegetables and fruits.
Bakery Truck In the evenings a white van with a loudspeaker rolls through Puerto Morelos selling fresh baked goods. You will find bread, donuts, rolls, cookies and pastries. Panaderia Europeo Half a block north of the square on Rojo Gomez, Uwe makes fresh bread and treats. Hours are 8:00am-4:00pm, closed Tuesday. Trucks & Walking Vendors A lot of items are sold from trucks and people on the streets of Puerto Morelos. The most common items are oranges and other seasonal fruits and vegetables. We have a man who sells tamales from a bucket. You will also find fresh shrimp from the gulf. Don t be afraid to use these vendors to fill your grocery needs. In the Colonia The Colonia is located 2km west, across the highway. There are numerous small shops that sell a variety of things in the Colonia. If you have a chance take a walk around and explore the area, you never know what you might find. You can take the local bus (collectivo) to reach the area or it is a $20 mxp taxi ride. Chelem There are two very good markets located in the Colonia. These markets specialize in fresh fruit and vegetables. We especially like the fresh squeezed orange juice for $12mxp/litre. They also have fresh meats, chicken, pork and other items. You never know quite what you are going to find, so they are definitely worth checking out. The first store is located 3 blocks behind the Pemex, on the corner of the road that runs beside the Pemex and the wide street. The second location is one block further west (toward Villas Morelos). If you ask the bus or taxi driver to take you to Chelem, they will be able to help you find them. There is a grocery store called Super Willy s across the street toward the overpass from them. Other Options If you are staying for more than one week you may find that you need more supplies, so a trip to Cancun or Playa del Carmen may be needed. The following is a list of which stores you can expect to find in each city. Cancun has more grocery stores available but you will need a car or taxi to get to most locations. In Playa del Carmen, you can walk from the bus station to some of the grocery stores. Our favourites are marked. Stores in Cancun Costco* (your Canada or US membership accepted) Sam s Club (US membership accepted) Wal-Mart Mega Soriana* Chedraui La Europea* (for liquor and wines) Superama* (closest to the airport along the highway with a Sam s Club & La Europea)
Stores in Playa del Carmen Sam s Club (on the highway: south) Wal-Mart (walkable from bus station) Mega (walkable from bus station) Chedraui (walkable from bus station) La Europea (for liquor and wines) Soriana (on the highway: south) Note: Eggs are usually sold unrefrigerated. They are fine, and better than what you get at home. Some beer bottles (non-screw type) are returnable. Many are not. Fresh milk is hard to find. OXXO might have it, otherwise it is UHT milk. Restaurants in Puerto Morelos are very good. All use purified water and ice, so worry not. Ask us for our favourite places! Restaurants change often here in Puerto Morelos, so please check our restaurant list on our website: http://www.almalibrebooks.com/restaurants.htm