After our time in Tulum was almost up, we drove along the Chetumal-Cancun Highway (MX 307) to find our next destination in Quintana Roo. We found a small town just north of Playa del Carmen on the map, and after stopping for lunch at Pelicanos, we knew it would be the perfect spot to relax for a few weeks. The town had a great family-friendly vibe, which  makes it a great place for your family and we want to share the things to do in Puerto Morelos with you.

The Best Restaurants to Visit in Puerto Morelos

Puerto Morelos is home to some of the best restaurants around. While staying in this small fishing village of Puerto Morelos, we had the chance to try many of them, and the food was amazing. You can enjoy fresh seafood, local food dishes like Cochinita Pibil and chile rellenos en nogada, and even some pretty good Italian food. Whatever you’re craving, you’ll find it in this charming little town.

If you’re curious about our full review of the great restaurants in the area and want to discover some hidden gems, click here.

Relax at The Beach Clubs in Puerto Morelos

If you’re seeking a more luxurious beach experience in this little beach town, look no further. For a family-friendly beach club, I recommend Paradise Beach Club. They keep the beach seaweed-free, making it a great spot to relax. You might even catch a performance by the Mayan Culture Dance of Fire street performers, so keep an eye out for them!

Many restaurants also offer a beach club experience. Two of our favorite spots are Muelle Once and El Merkadito. Both have beautiful white sand beaches, good food, and a welcoming family atmosphere.

The Lighthouse (El Faro Inclinado) and Town Square

The town square in Puerto Morelos has a lot to offer and is set right on the Caribbean coast. One of the most famous attractions here is the leaning lighthouse (El Faro Inclinado), which is no longer in use but still draws plenty of attention.

The main square is surprisingly large for such a small town, with local markets surrounding it. It features a kids’ playground, restrooms, and a perfect spot for a stroll through the pop-up flea market that seems to appear daily around sunset.

The market showcases the work of local artisans, so if you want to meet some of the coolest local artists, be sure to stop by one evening.

Experience A Snorkel Tour and Scuba Diving 

One of the best things to do is to enjoy the underwater world of the largest barrier reef, located just off the coast. This reef is closer to shore than in other areas, providing calm waters that are perfect for snorkeling.  This reef is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Feef System making Puerto Morelos one of the best places to experience vibrant marine life up close.

There are many puerto morelos snorkel trips daily to the vibrant coral reefs just a very short boat ride from the pier. On your snorkel tour along the Yucatán Peninsula, you can expect to see a variety of colorful reef fish, green sea turtles, and if you’re really lucky, you might even spot a manatee.

Sport Fishing Charter in Puerto Morelos

If you’re interested in an early morning fishing trip to catch some fresh fish, this is the perfect spot. Most pelagic species can be found on the deeper side of the reef. During your fishing tour, you’ll start by catching fresh bait before heading into deeper waters for the big catch.

The type of fish you can catch depends on the time of year you visit. In the area, you’ll find species like trevally, tuna, mahi-mahi, snapper, grouper, sailfish, and more. You can count on an exciting day with your captain and family on a fishing trip.

Jardín Botanico Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marín (Botanical Gardens)

If you’re looking for a more off the beaten path experience, the botanical gardens are the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle. With numerous trails to explore, you’ll have the chance to encounter some of the exotic animals that call the jungle home.

Bicycle Rentals and Tours 

As a bicycle lover myself, I often wished we had brought a bike along to explore the area on two wheels. We did come across a few bicycle tours during our visit. If you know who operates these tours, let us know in the comments below—I haven’t been able to figure out who’s offering them!

If you’re looking to rent a bike and do your own tour, check out Puerto Morelos Green Bikes. They offer beach cruisers for rent by the day, week, or month. I highly recommend cycling around town, especially if you’re into street art. Puerto Morelos is one of the most concentrated cities I’ve ever seen for high-quality street art.

Driving and Experiencing La Ruta de los Cenotes

The Yucatán Peninsula has countless cenotes to explore, but unfortunately, we didn’t find any located in the beachside or central area of Puerto Morelos, even after living there for six weeks.

There are two ways to visit a Puerto Morelos cenote: you can book a tour through a tour company, or you can explore on your own by finding the cenotes that interest you and getting there by personal car or taxi.

Before you turn onto La Ruta de los Cenotes just south of town, make a stop at the area’s landmark, the “Monumento Ruta de los Cenotes.” This road will lead you to some of the most interesting cenotes in the region. When we passed by on several occasions, it wasn’t very busy, possibly due to Hurricane Beryl.

I recommend visiting these cenotes on a weekday if you’re looking for a more serene experience and best time. Some of them are very deep and might seem a bit intimidating, not just for young children but for some adults too.

Catamaran Day Sails and Hobie Cats 

We noticed an operator running daily sails from the main harbor area in Puerto Morelos. Since we’re taking a break from our catamaran for hurricane season, we decided to skip this tour for now. The operator is called We Love Puerto Morelos Tours.

They offer a sailing experience that includes a trip to the reef. You’ll get about an hour to swim and snorkel at the reef before sailing back to town. The tour features an open bar, music, and a relaxed atmosphere. They operate two tours a day, each lasting about four hours.

I recommend this tour, even though we’re a bit spoiled with our frequent catamaran trips in the Sea of Cortez. Sailing to a snorkel destination and returning the same day is a really fun experience. It might just make you fall in love with the idea of owning a sailboat.

If you want a more hands-on sailing experience, many of the resorts along this stretch of incredible beaches offer the chance to use small catamarans for an hour at their all-inclusive resorts.

Spend The Day at a Resort

There are tons of resorts in the Riviera Maya area, and if you’re not staying at one, Resort Pass is a great way to still enjoy the all-inclusive experience for a day. They’ve got options for everyone, some are adults-only, while others are super kid-friendly. We tried out two different resorts during our visit and had an absolute blast with our family.

Iberostar Selection Paraíso Lindo

We did some research to find a Resort Pass that would be perfect not just for our family, but for our readers too. After comparing options, we narrowed it down to All Ritmo Cancún Resort & Waterpark and Iberostar. 

Since we weren’t keen on venturing into the Cancun hotel zone due to safety concerns, Iberostar Selection Paraíso Lindo was our top pick for a fun, family-friendly experience with an All-Inclusive Day Pass.

Iberostar is part of the IHG (Intercontinental Hotel Group) family, and you can book day passes through Resort Pass for around $100 USD per person. Once we arrived, we checked in at the front desk, got our wristbands, and dove right into the experience, starting with a buffet breakfast (because priorities).

This resort had something for everyone, big water slides, a smaller splash zone and playground for little ones, a lazy river, wave pool, and a massive pool with a swim-up bar. 

Yes, adult beverages were included! One of the surprise highlights was a catamaran sailing adventure on a Hobie Cat. 

Pro tip: head over to the water sports hut first to grab a spot. They squeezed us in last minute, and we were so grateful, they made it a core memory kind of day.

Aqua Nick Riviera Maya Water Park 

This is hands down one of the best water parks we’ve visited as a family! With an older teen, a middle schooler, and two adventurous parents in tow, Aqua Nick checked every box when it came to keeping everyone entertained across all age levels.

You can choose between regular admission or the all-inclusive option, which we recommend if you want unlimited food, drinks (yes, even adult beverages), and a more relaxed experience. And seriously, if you go, do not skip lunch at Nick Bistro. It was the best buffet we’ve had, across all the countries, resorts, and water parks we’ve ever visited (and that’s saying a lot).

The park has 21 water slides, a Lazy River, and an Adventure River that’s a hit with kids and adults alike. There’s also a signature slime experience around noon, plus opportunities for private character meet-and-greets and surprises throughout the day.

You’ll have a blast!! you can read our full review here.

Looking for a Day Trip from Puerto Morelos?

There are some awesome family-friendly day trips you can take from Puerto Morelos! Being centrally located between Cancun and Playa del Carmen gives you the perfect home base to explore with ease and flexibility.

Chichén Itzá

A day trip to Chichén Itzá is an excellent choice and an easy one to do with a tour company or if you want to rent a car. Its an easy 2.5 hour drive on the toll road. Just remember to bring about a thousand pesos to pay the toll road fees. 

Playa del Carmen & Cozumel Island 

Playa del Carmen has so much to offer, from the adrenaline-packed Xplor Park by Xcaret to the kid-favorite Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya, check out our review here. This beach town makes for an easy day trip from Puerto Morelos. And don’t forget, you can grab a day pass at most resorts in the area through ResortPass, perfect for enjoying the pool and amenities without booking a room!

If you want to visit Cozumel Island, you can easily take the passenger ferry. The ferry runs from 8 a.m., with the last one leaving at 9 p.m. You can find their schedule here. The highlight of the island is Playa “El Cielo,” where you can spot the famous Cozumel starfish.

Tulum 

We spent over a month in Tulum, and while a full post with all the details is coming soon, here’s a quick recap for anyone planning a day trip. The drive from Puerto Morelos is just over an hour with no traffic making it super easy and totally worth it.

First stop: the iconic wooden statue Escultura “Ven a la Luz.” It’s a quick photo op and usually only takes about 20 minutes to visit. From there, we highly recommend a guided tour of the Tulum Ruins, ours lasted about 1.5 hours, and we loved being able to explore on our own afterward.

Once you’ve taken in the ruins, Paradise Beach is right nearby. It’s one of the most visited beaches in the region and for good reason, white sand, clear water, and full tropical vibes.

If you’re into art, AZULIK City of Arts is a must-see. The building itself is a work of art and nestled in the lush Yucatán jungle. Just a heads up: kids aren’t allowed on the upper walkways for safety reasons, so if you’ve got little ones, this might limit the experience.

After a long day of exploring, swing by La Bonita Tamales and say hi to Tony, his Mayan-style tamales wrapped in banana leaves are cooked right on the grill and absolutely delicious.

If you’re after something more traditional, check out Cetli. It’s a small, family-run restaurant with rich, authentic flavors and a gourmet touch. We had an amazing meal there and highly recommend it.

Bacalar 

This one’s a bit of a stretch for a day trip because it’s about 4 hours each way, so you’re looking at 8 hours of driving total. But honestly, it’s like the French Polynesia or Maldives of Mexico, and totally worth it if you’re up for the adventure. We actually spent 3 weeks in that area and still didn’t see it all!

If you’re doing just one thing while you’re there, make it Los Rápidos (review coming soon), Beach Club Blu, or La Playita. All of them give you access to the stunning Laguna de los Siete Colores (Lagoon of 7 Colors), you’ll be blown away by the clear, vibrant water and chill vibes.

Should I Take My Family To All The Things To Do In Puerto Morelos?

We highly recommend Puerto Morelos over the party-centric spots like Cancun and Tulum. With ongoing safety concerns related to gangs in those areas, Puerto Morelos provides a safer and more charming beach town experience. The large grocery store on the beachside and the excellent restaurants scattered throughout town make it the perfect place for a family vacation.