The coral reef in front of Puerto Morelos is supposed to be one of the best places to snorkel in the Riviera Maya - so of course, we gave it a try. You can go to the reef from different locations, but Puerto Morelos is the closest, and therefore the cheapest. We had a car, so getting there was easy. We were able to park on the street on the western side of the main square. You will find outfits that will take you to the reef across the street from the square, on the northern side. They all charge the same: $25 per person for a 1 1/2 to 2 hour trip, including life jackets and snorkeling equipment. It also includes the entrance fee to the reef (yep, there is one). They will take you to 2-3 different locations, and the experienced guides will show you the best places to snorkel. There is a cooperative of boat owners that has a booth on the northeastern corner of the square, but we went with an independent boat owner who caught us as we were walking that way. His name was José (I think) Morelos and he owns two boats. He belonged to the cooperative for many years but decided he could do better on his own. I can recommend his outfit as honest and laid back, but bear in mind that neither the guide nor the captain that we had spoke English (not an issue for us).

While we were very happy with the service we received, neither Mike nor I were awed by the reef. I have to say that my only previous snorkeling experience was in the Big Island of Hawaii, where I saw TONS of fish and giant turtles. There definitely wasn't the quantity and variety of sealife here that we experienced in Hawaii. Of course, I can't possibly say if that's because we didn't snorkel in the appropriate places, or Hawaii just has better snorkeling.

The highlight of the trip for Mike was encountering a skate.

In all, we thought it was a fair price for the service we got, and we did not regret going.