By Laini Miranda & Dave E. Leiberman, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com
We figured out the secret to the perfect family beach vacation in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
We visited Puerto Morelos about six years ago, well before we were a family of three and found it to be such a beautiful, relaxing, easy and affordable vacation that we decided to return with our two-year-old daughter. We convinced our brother and sister-in-law to join us with their 18-month old.
Puerto Morelos, in the region of Quintana Roo, is ideally located just a 20-minute drive from the airport. Once in the beach zone of P.M., you’ll find the palm trees, clear blue water and soft sandy beaches you picture of the Caribbean.
For our first trip, we rented a car and stayed in an Airbnb on a gorgeous white sand beach about a 10-minute drive from town. This time, with toddlers in tow, we opted for a car-free vacation, staying as close to town as possible. We split our week between four days at the villa in town and three days at an all-inclusive resort. There was one obvious winner.
The villa we found, Casa Brisa y Mar, was so perfect that we’re honestly hesitant to write about it out of fear it will get too popular for us to rent in the future. But it was such a dream, we can’t keep it to ourselves.
Casa Brisa y Mar is a beachfront property just a few minutes’ walk from the center of town. The large building is split into four units: a four-bedroom villa on the ground floor, and a two-bedroom apartment and two one-bedroom apartments on the upper floors. The upstairs apartments all have balconies facing the ocean and the same access to beach chairs, umbrellas, and rental bikes available at the building’s entryway. It is also possible to rent out the full property for an extra large group.
The main beach section of Puerto Morelos occupies a fairly short stretch of sandy shore between the Fives Oceanfront Resort to the north and the pier just beyond the town square to the south. It takes about 20 minutes to walk. If you’re looking at a map, the zones passed either of these edges would definitely be considered “off the beaten path” of P.M. and warrant a car, especially if traveling with kids. Casa Brisa y Mar is ideally located right in the middle of the best beach bars and about a five-minute walk from the town square. The property sits on the part of the beach that boasts the deepest expanse of soft white sand and a close beach walk to the town square, yet far enough from it and the moored boats that the ocean is clear.
We walked the full 20-minute stretch and decided Casa Brisa y Mar was not only in the best location, but also the nicest looking villa on the beach with the most ideal beachfront setup (most of the other beachfront villas are set back further from the public beach, behind shrubbery). Note that if you are looking at any all-inclusive beach resorts supposedly “in” Puerto Morelos, these are on a stretch of ocean that does not have much of a beach and tends to have murky water.
The Villa
Upon entering the big wooden doors on the street, you first pass a small courtyard with beach chairs, umbrellas, a few bikes available to rent, and a tiny office where the manager works during business hours, available to answer any questions. Passed this door is the entrance to the four-bedroom villa. A large open plan kitchen, living and dining area with direct views to the ocean connects the three main bedrooms: two ocean-view king rooms with sliding glass doors to the oceanfront patio and one room with two double beds.
The largest bedroom on the left features a king bed, sofa bed and kitchenette area, and large bathroom. The king ensuite bedroom on the opposite side has a similar layout, but without the kitchenette and sitting area. The double bedroom is perfect for up to four friends or kids. This is the only room with windows that face the interior courtyard as opposed to the beach, a plus for our scenario since it also stayed darkest during the day for toddler naps. A large separate bathroom is opposite this room in the shared hallway, so each bedroom essentially has its own bathroom.
There is a fourth large king oceanfront bedroom that is accessible through its own door in the inner courtyard, as well as its own patio door connecting it to the villa from the outside. This layout worked out perfectly for our friends (without kids) who joined us, as they could have a private space detached from the shared living room and kitchen, but still share access to the full patio/outdoor areas. They, of course, also have a key to the front door of the villa.
The kitchen is well-stocked to prepare meals at home, including plasticware to take drinks to the outdoor patio area, and a blender that we appreciated for making our own piña coladas. The living room features a huge comfy couch, large dining table, big bluetooth Bose speaker, yoga mats, and many board games inside the living room furniture.
The Patio
All three King ensuite bedrooms have sliding glass doors that open to the patio (exclusive to the villa), which has a large outdoor dining table under an awning (perfect for the few days it rained mid-day), a small pool, multiple queen beach beds and chaise lounges. There was also a large covered bin full of beach toys that kept our toddlers happy while at the beach.
There’s an additional area right on the beach with a few more chaise lounges and umbrellas, just set back enough from the public beach to feel like a VIP area, but still within steps of the ocean. The pool in the middle of the patio is the perfect size to cool off on a hot day, and even has a little tiled area surrounding the perimeter where our kids liked to walk. Of course this feature requires adult supervision, but it actually served as an amazing giant water table for our toddlers when they didn’t want to go all the way in. Everything about the outdoor area is perfectly thought-out and we especially appreciated this area during the kids’ naps.
The team at the villa was kind enough to provide a pack ‘n play, a high chair, and a baby bath (there are only showers in the bathrooms). We really appreciated the huge outdoor bin of beach toys on the patio, as well as the pool noodles. Plenty of plastic cups and plates can be found in the kitchen and living room credenza. They even left family-friendly bug-spray by the door.
Puerto Morelos with Kids
We love Puerto Morelos because it is so easy to stroll with toddlers and there’s a wonderful playground right in the town square. There’s also an excellent small bookstore across the street from the playground that has an amazing collection of children’s books in both English and Spanish, as well as tons of affordable gifts. Most afternoons and evenings, the town square fills with an artisan market and performances in the center. Our toddlers loved watching the circus acts on the nights we wandered into town after dinner.
Some of our favorite restaurants
Punta Corcho – Right off the town square in a beautifully designed upstairs open-air restaurant with views overlooking the ocean. Recently awarded a Michelin star, it isn’t cheap, but well worth it for a special dinner. Go without kids if you can so you can more leisurely savor their creative menu and incredible cocktails.
El Dorado – If you don’t want to leave the beach, walk a few feet south of Casa Brisa y Mar for excellent fish, tacos and other Mexican classics at reasonable prices.
Paradise Beach Club – Just north of the villa, you can take advantage of this beachfront bar’s chaise lounges and umbrellas if you want beach service and great food and drinks. They serve surprisingly good cheeseburgers (as well as fresh coconuts and all the classic beach cocktails you could want). They also have a covered bar area with porch swings that keep kids entertained. We enjoyed waiting out a thunderstorm here, while still feeling like we were on the beach. To us, this had the most laid-back vibe of all the beach bars.
Muelle Once – We liked this spot so much we ate here three times in one week. Walk just a few feet beyond the town square on the street or beach and you’ll find this beautiful venue with multiple dining areas: a big indoor restaurant and bar, a large covered patio with views to the ocean, and beach beds on the sand below. We found this small stretch of beach to have some of the clearest water in Puerto Morelos.
Local Coffee + Shop – In the heart of the town, just two blocks from the beach, this vegan friendly spot has some of the freshest healthy food in P.M., some of the best coffee drinks we’ve ever had (which is saying a lot for people from NYC and SF) and amazing veggie-forward brunches. If you’re looking for an antidote to tacos and fried seafood, this is your spot. Don’t miss the Golden Dirty Latte with espresso, turmeric, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, and honey.
Taqueria El Poblano Puerto Morelos – This excellent restaurant is actually located in the less touristic city zone on the other side of the highway, and only accessible by car. BUT, from the invaluable tip of the guys at the Dive shop next door to the villa, we learned that they do delivery! Perhaps our best meals of the week were the two we ordered the Parillada (assorted grill dinner) for 6 that they delivered right to our door. The second night we added a whole grilled fish to this order, which we highly recommend. We were able to take advantage of the large outdoor dining table on the patio to enjoy the view of the ocean at sunset while feasting on amazing grilled meats (served with guacamole, beans, queso, and a huge stack of fresh tortillas). All 6 adults and 2 toddlers ate until we were stuffed and we still had leftovers, all for the same price as 2 entrees at one of the more touristy spots in the beach zone.
Running and Salsa
These are two activities we highly recommend during your stay in Puerto Morelos. For the former, we found a lovely run on the quiet road that runs out of town to the north. Aside from a bike tour and occasional car, it’s mostly just you, the road and the trees.
If you’re looking for some fun nightlife just steps from the villa, check out the awesome salsa trio at Los Molcajetes that we stumbled upon on our last night. It’s a party there on the weekends. We found the crowd to be a cool mix of locals, expats, and tourists. Great place to dance and have some mezcal and late-night food. We think we’ll kick off our next Puerto Morelos vacation here.
Excursions
We opted for an extra relaxed trip for this visit, but there’s a lot to do in Puerto Morelos and the surrounding towns if you want to venture out. The hosts at Casa Brisa y Mar will help you arrange any excursion.
Cenotes – La Ruta de Los Cenotes is right in greater Puerto Morelos. Cenotes are natural freshwater sinkholes that the ancient Maya civilization considered sacred. Drive your rental car, call an Uber, or arrange a tour and check out as many cenotes as you have time for. You can easily visit 4 or 5 in a day, or spend the afternoon exploring one larger complex. Swimming, rope-swinging and zip-lining into these crystal-clear jungle pools make for an adventurous and memorable day that feels totally magical for kids and adults alike.
Akumal – About an hour south of Puerto Morelos you’ll find this public beach and small eco-park famous for its sea turtles. Pay the small fee to swim in the protected area with the turtles right off the beach.
Xcaret Park – We haven’t been to Xcaret ourselves, but you’ll see signs for this popular cultural eco-themepark all over Riviera Maya. It’s about 35 minutes drive from Puerto Morelos and can easily be visited as a day trip if your kids are hankering for an eco theme park with rides, swimming, wildlife, and shows.
Travel Tips
In addition to helping make tour arrangements, Casa Brisa y Mar can arrange a car service to pick you up at the airport, which was the best deal we found since Uber drivers are not allowed to make pickups at the airport.
Learn more about Casa Brisa y Mar and book directly at their website: https://www.casabrisaymar.com/.
You can also find them on all the standard booking platforms, including Airbnb, and Booking.com.
For more travel planning information, visit mexicancaribbean.travel.
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