Out of all of the beach destinations scattered around the Yucatan Peninsula, Progreso wasn’t initially high on our list.
But considering the number of expats flocking there in recent years and the fact that we knew a few, personally, who moved from La Paz to Progreso, we thought it might be worth a look.
Seemed like an easy enough day trip from Merida on the Autoprogreso bus (I would have preferred they named it the Progreso Expreso, but what do I know).
The buses weren’t anything fancy, and picked up a bevy of passengers along the way until they simply couldn’t pack any more (a far cry from the ADO buses plying the region, as we’d soon find out).
But the price was right (MX$280/US$11 for the 4 of us) and the journey took just under an hour from central Merida to central Progreso (most of which was spent making our way out of the city at a snail’s pace).
Progreso isn’t terribly large, and the Centro is certainly nothing to write home about—this place won’t be receiving Pueblo Magico status any time soon—which was a bit of a disappointment given all we had heard about the place.
The malecon, on the other hand, is one of the nicest we’ve seen, and it’s clear a lot of recent investment has been injected into this place. I’m sure, the upgrading of the cruise ship pier and facilities in 2023 was a major factor.
Speaking of the cruise ship pier, Noe was particularly excited to discover that the Progreso pier holds the current Guinness World Record for longest in the world, coming in at just under 5 miles—dashing any hope of walking out to the end of the pier today.
Our attempt at a family-selfie—this was the best one of the bunch, believe it or not. Nobody likes to take pictures facing the midday sun, especially Noe.
That there is the world’s longest pier. The big white building doesn’t even get you a third of the way to the end. In addition to a cruise ship terminal, there are also port facilities for tankers and container ships at the end.
We arrived in Progreso hungry, which in retrospect was not the smartest move. In the afternoon/evening there is probably a lot more along the malecon, but midday, there don’t appear to be too many options apart from overpriced beach club fare.
Toast and Coast caught our eye, the food was good, and we had nice seats looking out to the water. But it was a bit more upmarket than we were hoping for.
The boys were quite happy to play in the sand across the street while we enjoyed our coffees, which was definitely a bonus.
The beach at Progreso is actually a pretty nice one, but we didn’t see a soul in the water prior to noon. Once we felt the water, we knew why. Here in early January, it’s quite a few degrees cooler than we were expecting, particularly given the shallow depth.
By 2pm, however, there were a number of swimmers in the water taking advantage of the hottest day of the week.
If you need your tire fixed, this looks like the guy to call.
After brunch, we meandered around the Centro for a bit hoping to find a couple of items and discover some cool shops. Thirty minutes was more than enough to get the gist, so we headed back to the beach.
Above and below are photos of the relatively new Muelle de Chocolate built circa 2022 (with the old Fisherman’s Pier in the background above, and new pier bypass, below).
Both photos were taken through a chain link fence as the muelle is currently closed for repairs. We assume this is due to the hurricane that swept by here last fall, but don’t know that for sure.
The rest of the afternoon was spent doing something we don’t let ourselves do enough these days—lounge on the beach.
We hadn’t brought our own gear, but Lori was able to negotiate a good rate for a couple of beach loungers and umbrella at one of the beach clubs. No minimum purchase, but we ended up getting a few drinks during the couple of hours we were there.
The beach was littered with Horseshoe Crab shells, but no live ones in sight.
We misjudged the tides just a bit. So did the beach club, so it seems. Full moon will do that.
We wondered how we’d be able to rinse off before getting back on the bus. But luckily bathrooms and showers at a nearby restaurant were included in the price of our loungers.
By day’s end, I can’t say I was smitten by Progreso. It’s hard to compete with so many great beach towns in Mexico. But all in all it was a pretty fun day at the beach with beautiful weather.
Back in Merida, we were treated to an equally idyllic evening walking the Paseo Montejo.
…and one of the tastiest dinners we’ve had in a while at Apostol. And yes, those are indeed Birria Fries. Muy rico.
