Puerto Morelos update
It’s been a while since I said anything about the reconstruction work in Puerto Morelos, so this report from Robert Birce of the Alma Libre Bookstore is timely.
"Puerto Morelos continues to make easy progress," Robert writes.
"Hotel Ojo de Agua right on the beach suffered a lot of damage but re-opened in mid-December. They just put water in their pool in the last few days, so are now pretty much 100 percent.
"The beach continues to widen," Robert adds. The photo (right) was taken on January 29th.
"The Ceiba del Mar and Casita del Mar hotels are still closed however."
- Pre-Wilma aerial view of the Ceiba del Mar
"Another hotel, Hacienda Morelos, will likely open by the end of February. The big all-inclusives, the Secrets Excellence and Sol Meliá Paradisus are fully operational.
"According to their website, the giant all-new El Cid resort will open on February 18th, although this looks unlikely.
"Yoga groups are now returning for their regular visits to the town and its yoga studios.
"All the restaurants and stores in Puerto Morelos are now open.
"Tourism to the town is down though, probably about 25-45 percent, based on our figures. As we always say, we can rebuild the town, but we cannot build a visitor!
"The attraction of our town is the laid back, relaxed pace of the town. Favourite activities are walking the beach, lounging in a hammock and lingering in restaurants and cafes. Wilma took none of that away.
"Nobody has forgotten how to smile or make a margarita!"
Edited by 
February 8th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
I’ve received email confirmation today from Sharlet Brennan of YPB&R (PR agency) that the Hotel Marina El Cid will open on Feb. 18th.
February 20th, 2006 at 12:26 am
We stayed at the Hotel Ojo de Agua Jan. 23 – Feb. 3 and it was business as usual, including the restaurant and pool.
They appeared to be running at close to capacity, and the only repairs remaining were in the NE corner of their property.
Nearshore snorkelling in their vicinity (one big draw for us) was very good. It’s easier to get in and out of the water because the beach sand washed out into the shallows and covered the turtle grass (which will come back I know, and it’ll be better for the ecosystem, but from a purely selfish point-of-view…).
The fish continue to increase in size with each year of the lagoon fishing ban. I saw a five-foot jewfish I won’t say where for fear of poachers, but it was in a fairly obvious spot.
The other major underwater of Wilma’s damage was a huge amount of broken coral on the sea floor, washed in from the reef. Heartbreaking.
As of our trip, the piers were still all destroyed, though funnily enough the stumps of the original Ojo de Agua pier are now visible in the beach because of the lower sand levels. The fishermen unload their catch near their old main pier, and have moved their stall from the zocalo to the base of that pier.
Nearby, Los Pelicanos is being rebuilt but is open for business at their former location to the south, and this year’s chef is the best they’ve had in more than ten years. Yum.
February 20th, 2006 at 11:41 am
Many thanks for the update, John.