october-2009

044
ON THE TOWN: CANCUN
Th e Old Town & the Sea
BY DIANE BAIR & PAMELA WRIGHT
PUERTO MORELOS, JUST A HALF-HOUR SOUTH OF CANCUN,
IS AN AUTHENTIC FISHING VILLAGE THAT EMBODIES OLD MEXICO.
HERE’S HOW TO ENJOY A DAY IN THIS LAIDBACK PARADISE:
LATE
MORNING
(because
who gets
up early on
vacation?)
From Cancun,
you can take
a taxi (around
$50) or catch
the Riviera
bus. From
the stop, it’s
a 1.2-mile
walk to town.
If you rented
a car, drive
south on
Highway 307
to Puerto
Morelos. Look
for parking
near the palm
tree-lined
Town Square,
and walk
toward the
fishing boats
and beach.
GO MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2009
Noon 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Mid
NOON
Soak up the
scene of
water, sand
and seabirds.
Don’t miss
the “leaning
lighthouse”
to the left of
the fishing
dock. Atilt
since 1967,
courtesy of
Hurricane
Beulah, this
is the town’s
iconic image.
Head left
down the
beach to
Ojo de Agua
(www.ojo-deagua.com)
for a lunch
of fajitas.
Swimsuits
and bare feet
are the dress
code here.
1-ISH
Pick up some
beach reading
at Alma
Libre (www.
almalibre
books.com),
the largestEnglishlanguage
bookshop in
the Yucatan.
Next, pop
into Dive In
Puerto Morelos
(www.
diveinpuer
tomorelos.
com), where
Brett Nielsen
will take you
out by boat
to snorkel
the incredible
National
Marine Park.
2PM
Float on the
turquoise
sea and
commune
with gem-like
fishes,
barracudas,
turtles,
eels, rays
and nurse
sharks on
the world’s
secondlargest
barrier reef at
the National
Marine Park,
less than a
mile offshore.
4PM
Shake the
saltwater out
of your hair
and pick up
a smoothie
made with
fresh herbs
at Juicy
Rosy’s Juice
Bar. Then,
walk north
to where the
sand and sea
grass give
way to an
oasis of palm
trees. You’ve
arrived at
the luscious
Ceiba del Mar
Beach & Spa
Resort (www.
ceibadelmar.
com). Check
into your
room, but
don’t get too
comfortable…
5PM
… because
the Mayan
goddess
scrub treatment
at the
resort’s spa
awaits. The
rich mixture
of avocado
oil, chaya
(medicinal
sacred plant),
achiote (antiinflammatory
and antiseptic
plant),
beeswax and
honey will do
wonders for
your skin.
7:30PM
Settle into a
beachfront
table at the
resort’s Arrecife
Grill &
Lounge. Mull
over enticing
menu items
like duck
tacos with
cucumber
and
coriander,
wood-grilled
Mexican
pizza and
octopus
tartare. Or,
head to town
for some
inexpensive
Mexican
fare at Dona
Triny’s.
Fish Fi Fis Fishing i ng dock in Puer P to
Mor More M lo los; s; (i (in (inset,
e from fromlleft):
Ceib Cei Ceib a d de d l Ma Mar r Be Beach a &
Spa Re Reso Resort rt rt, Dona Tri Tr T ny’s ny
tort to ortilla
illa a sou
so p
AFTER
DINNER
Walk into
town and
check out
the local
nightlife. If
it’s live music
you’re after,
visit David
Lau’s (+52
998-251-
2531). And for
a lively bar
scene, grab
a drink at
Posada Amor
(+52 998-871-
0033), set in
a courtyard
strung with
colored
lights. Order
a drink and
make a
toast to a
day spent in
paradise.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JULIE EGGERS/CORBIS (DOCK)