🌴 Your Insider Update from the Riviera Maya - August 18

🌴 Good morning, Insiders!

Mid-August is delivering exactly what we have come to expect. The heat is relentless with just enough rain to keep the humidity unbearable. The good news? No hurricanes so far…knock wood.

In today’s email you will find:

All this, plus the Riviera Maya Events Calendar is brought to you with support from our Featured Sponsor Launa Brockman with Paradise Professional Services.

For the very best newsletter experience, choose the option above to Read Online.

— Michele Kinnon

📸 Last week was a tough one! None of our readers guessed correctly but one of our Facebook followers came up with the right location. Congrats to Andrea V. for knowing that the beautiful sidewalk mosaic in last week’s email can be found on Avenida Colosio in Playa del Carmen.

Where am I today? Reply back with your best guess. Be the first reader to guess correctly and look for your name in next week’s newsletter! If you are reading online, pop me a quick email!

🚗 Quintana Roo Launches Online Driver’s License Renewal
Quintana Roo drivers can now renew A1 automobile and A2 motorcycle licenses online, pay electronically and receive the new card at home by DHL. There is one considerable catch. The system requires a valid INE for identity verification, so foreign residents will still need to complete the renewal process in person. The service is also limited to renewals of licenses previously issued by IMOVEQROO. Learn more

📲 Is Your Cellphone Line Suspended?
As many as 60,000 prepaid cellphone lines in Quintana Roo could be suspended for failing to complete Mexico’s new mandatory registration. Numbers ending in 0 reached their deadline on August 15, while those ending in 1 must be registered by August 31. Deadlines roll out until the end of December. What happens if you miss your registration date? Read more

🚌 MOBI Public Transit Is Coming to Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen is expected to join Quintana Roo’s MOBI transportation network in early 2027, beginning with three routes. MOBI will offer cashless payments, real-time bus tracking and offer reduced fares for students and seniors, and free travel for people with permanent disabilities. Foreign residents may also qualify. Registration is not yet open in Playa, but local application details are expected closer to launch. Learn more

💧Tons of Waste Removed from Playa Cenotes
More than seven tons of waste have been removed from 23 cenotes across Playa del Carmen, with over 500 volunteers taking part. The cleanup comes as new research finds microplastics in every local cenote tested, along with PFAS and potentially toxic elements at urban sites. Learn more

💀 Guanajuato to Take Center Stage at Xcaret
Xcaret’s Festival of Life and Death Traditions returns Oct. 30 through Nov. 2, celebrating its 20th anniversary with Guanajuato as the guest state. More than 120 artists and cultural representatives will present performances, workshops and altars and installations inspired by Guanajuato’s Day of the Dead traditions. Visitors can expect music, dance, theater, regional food and candlelit celebrations throughout the park. Read more

🛒 Chedraui Expands Its Offerings in Playa
A new Chedraui has opened on the far west side of Playa del Carmen. The store is located on Avenida Constituyentes, between Avenida Lilis and Paseos del Mayab, next to the gas station. This is the 6th Chedraui location in Playa and should be a welcome addition for the rapidly growing neighborhoods west of the highway, giving residents a much closer option for groceries and household essentials. View the location on Google Maps.

If you’ve been looking for opportunities in Puerto Aventuras, you already know why this one deserves your attention. This is one of the hottest pockets of the Riviera Maya real estate market right now, and a gorgeous unit has just hit the market.

Located on the third floor, this 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath condo in Punta Roca is all on one level with elevator access and gorgeous, uninterrupted Caribbean views. It comes fully furnished and equipped, so you can arrive with a suitcase and start enjoying it immediately.

The complex has everything you want for an easy second home or year-round living, including a heated oceanfront pool and jacuzzi, beautifully maintained grounds, gated access, two parking spaces, fiber optic internet, water filtration, and plenty of owner storage.

If this is an area you’ve been hoping to buy into, I wouldn’t wait too long to take a closer look. See the full listing here and contact Marieke Brown for more information and schedule a viewing.

Mario Alberto Robledo Garavito grew up in his father’s shoe factory in León, Guanajuato, surrounded by leather and learning the family trade. Years later, after moving to Quintana Roo during the pandemic, he found himself surrounded by something else: sargassum.

Rather than simply complain about it (as most of us do), Mario began wondering whether the seaweed could be used to make shoes. Together with co-founder María Alvarado, he spent nearly two years developing a workable material. What began with one experimental sole eventually became Sargazo Sandals, a Playa del Carmen company producing sandals and expanding into children’s shoes, athletic footwear and water shoes.

The footwear combines processed sargassum with materials commonly used in shoe manufacturing. It is vegan, contains no animal leather and gives at least a small portion of our enormous sargassum problem somewhere useful to go.

The idea will not solve our sargassum problem on its own, but it does put some of that enormous volume to productive use while developing local expertise, jobs and a uniquely Riviera Maya product.

You can find Sargazo Sandals in select Riviera Maya hotels and boutiques. If you are interested in wholesale pricing, visit the company website or contact the company directly on WhatsApp for current styles, sizes and availability.

If you have ever thought the Caribbean would be a lovely place to spend eternity, Cancun may soon offer the option.

Semarnat has approved MARE Santuario del Mar, an underwater memorial planned for Bahía Mujeres, just off Puerto Cancun. Despite the “cemetery” description, there will be no caskets. Rather, cremated remains will be mixed with marine concrete to form a seven-kilogram Memorial Pearl, finished with a small stainless-steel nameplate.

Each pearl will be placed inside one of 700 concrete Reef Balls arranged on sandy sections of the seabed, away from seagrass and existing marine life. Over time, the structures are expected to attract algae, sponges, small coral colonies and fish, gradually becoming artificial reef habitat.

The environmental authorization allows six years for preparation and construction, followed by 50 years of operation and maintenance. However, approval does not mean the Cancún memorial is ready to receive reservations. Prices and an opening date have not yet been announced. You can learn more about the concept through the official Cementerios del Mar website. It is not quite burial at sea, but it may appeal to anyone who would like their final resting place to give something back to the Caribbean.

Tulum residents will soon be able to apply for the free Somos Tulum card, offering discounts of 10% to 20%, special promotions and occasional complimentary admission at participating restaurants, cafés, cenotes, attractions and service providers.

The program will launch with 1,000 cards and approximately 50 participating businesses. Applicants must prove they live in Tulum, although accepted documents have not been announced.

Registration is not open yet. A digital platform with requirements, participating businesses and their offers is expected soon. Cards will initially be distributed through Alma Animal Tulum. We’ll share the registration link as soon as it becomes available.

Chile en nogada season has arrived in Playa del Carmen, and it never lasts nearly long enough. For just a few weeks, local restaurants bring out their own versions of this distinctly Mexican dish, each built around a roasted poblano, fruit-filled picadillo, creamy walnut sauce and a generous scattering of ruby-red pomegranate seeds.

The green, white and red mirror the colors of the Mexican flag, making it especially popular as Independence Day approaches.

Every kitchen does it a little differently. Some serve the chile warm, others at room temperature. It may be battered or unbattered, traditional or meat-free. And, of course, everyone has an opinion about which version is best. Me included!

I’ve pulled together my top 10 places for chiles en nogada in Playa del Carmen this season, from longtime neighborhood favorites to wine bars and wood-fired kitchens. Whether you are a chile en nogada fanatic or are just trying them for the first time, this list will steer you in the right direction. Just don’t wait too long. By the end of September, most will be gone until next year.

👉 Check out my full list and start planning your own chile en nogada tour!

Sea turtle nesting season is well underway, and thousands of nests have been established on the beaches of the Riviera Maya. They all need protection from racoons, stray dogs and other predators so that thousands of hatchlings can make their way to the sea.

S.A.V.E. Mexico is looking for local volunteers in Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Cancún, Akumal and Chemuyil to help monitor and protect nests and hatchlings at night. No previous experience is necessary. You simply need to contribute a few hours, follow the team’s instructions and be willing to work after dark.

This is a wonderful opportunity for those of us who live here to play a direct role in protecting one of the Riviera Maya’s most vulnerable seasonal visitors. With so many nests to watch, every volunteer and every shift really does matter.

Ready to take a night shift? Register as a local volunteer with S.A.V.E. Mexico.

Meet Portia, our pretty little black-and-white sweetheart who’s ready for her forever home! Portia came to us as a baby and has grown into a happy, affectionate pup who loves nothing more than being around people. She’s playful, curious, and always eager for attention—whether that means joining you for a walk, snuggling up for quiet time, or simply following you around to be part of whatever you’re doing. 

What she really needs now is a family to call her own—someone who will give her the love, care, and companionship she’s been waiting for. If you’d like to learn more about Portia or meet her in person, send an email to [email protected]. She’s ready to shine in a home of her very own—maybe yours!

This is just a small selection of local events happening over the next week. Details for each event can be found on the events calendar.

Playa del Carmen Honey Fair — Aug 20, 2026–Aug 21, 2026 · Parque Fundadores, Playa del Carmen. Meet local beekeepers, shop for regional honey and honey-based products, and learn more about the importance of bees during this two-day family fair.

Mi Lugar Feliz Tour at McCarthy’s — Aug 20, 2026 at 9 p.m. · McCarthy’s Irish Pub, Playa del Carmen. Esteban Gómez-González, formerly of Odisseo, joins Vitálico of Comisario Pantera for a night of Mexican alternative rock, with Rock and Lovers opening the show. Tickets are available online. ($)

Pulque Festival & 7th Anniversary of Pulquería Tlacoyo Azul — Aug 22, 2026, noon–8 p.m. · Pulquería Tlacoyo Azul, Puerto Morelos. Celebrate seven years of Tlacoyo Azul with natural pulque, five flavors of curado, Mexican food, live music, a DJ and traditional dance.

Tulum Lobster Festival 2026 — Aug 22, 2026–Aug 23, 2026 · Municipal Palace Esplanade, Tulum. Two days of lobster dishes, a cooking competition, food market, 5K run, community bike ride, music, karaoke and family activities in downtown Tulum.

4th Tulum Beer Festival — Aug 22, 2026–Aug 23, 2026, noon–11 p.m. · Municipal Palace Esplanade, Tulum. Sample local and Mexican craft beers alongside food, live music and artistic performances. Admission information has not yet been confirmed; food and drinks are sold separately.

📆 Did you know you can also submit your own event to appear on the calendar? Give it a try! The more people who use it, the better it gets.

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