Quiet places to retire in Mexico

[shari]

ooops OK, well anyway, if you want more info on our area you can email me at infoasuncion@gmail.com (is this allowed?)

[phil&sue]

There is a small fishing village about 30 miles from Merida called Sisal. There are two developments currently in progress. We purchased a lot there and if you are interested PM me.

[RVGRINGO]

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[El Toro Furioso]

Originally Posted by shari

We are sooooo happy living in our little paradise....a small fishing village but lots of services, stores, hospital, gas station, internet, water and power real cheap...wonderful locals and only a handful of canucks and gringos here...mostly part time in the winter. The climate here is awesome year round...not too hot because of the pacific breezes...outrageous fishing...ya gotta come and check it out for yourself...we've had a few auzzies guests and they totally loved it.

You never say that I can see where your "little paradise" is. Where are you?

[RVGRINGO]

Shari has posted her contact information as infoasuncion@gmail.com and I think she has a B&B at Bahia Asuncion. Perhaps she will get a Premium Membership to make it easier for interested travelers to find out about the area.

[YaVengo]

Hola,
I'm new the this forum. Thinking about retiring to Mexico in 2 years after 30+ years of teaching. Recently divorced guy who will get a lot less from my pension due to divorce so lower cost of living is important. Speak fairly good Spanish from teaching in the bilingual program (students mostly Mexican American). I'm a fairly active person and like the water/coast. Enough of being landlocked! Looking to hang out, play my guitar, maybe snorkel, kayak, bike ride, run. That sort of thing.
I get the the weather is pretty nice in most areas Nov. thru April/May, but what is a tolerable coastal location during the summer months?
Also, what's the real deal on scorpions? I read somewhere that there are scorpions on the beach in Puerto Vallarta.
Hope to vacation someplace down there next year to start checking it out.
Any info will be appreciated.
Rich

[RVGRINGO]

Welcome to the forum. I'm glad you are 'already here' and you will probably get lots of suggestions by just reading through all of the existing posts, as well as new responses to your more specific questions.
You are right about the 'tolerable' season on the coasts. Personally, I would prefer the Pacific coast climate over the eastern coast for both weather and access. April through September are considered 'intolerable' by many on either coast and we, in the central highlands, all know of several folks who have tried to live there year round and have returned to a milder climate. Younger folks with 'beach bum' lifestyles may survive the summers, but not retirees who generally want a climate which allows activities of all sorts throughout the year. We have friends who moved to Lake Chapala several years ago, after a few very lonesome summers in a coastal location. One must also consider the civilized amenities that are desirable in retirement; everything from theaters to operating theaters. If you can afford it, two homes are nice, but most of us can't do that and are forced to compromise. Personally, we like living in Lake Chapala's microclimate and taking occasional trips to the Pacific coast in the winter months. After all, Manzanillo is only half a day away by 'autopista', for example. The entire 'Costa Alegre' is within comfortable reach.
Scorpions are very territorial, so you either have them, or you don't. Fortunately, at our house, we don't. I've seen three in more than eight years here and stomped them all.
To explore, you should vacation in the good and bad seasons, at several locations. Be sure to stay at places away from the beach and without air conditioning to simulate how you will probably live. Only the rich and famous can afford either beachfront property and/or air conditioning. Study up on how CFE charges for electricity at various levels of consumption.
In any event, welcome again and come on down and do your homework. Life is good!

[shari]

Hi Rich...i tried to private message you ...email me will ya? One of the main factors about choosing where to live for me was a decent comfortable year round climate...nice folks, not touristy, ocean front, affordable living...and i found all of that and more here in Bahia Asuncion. Living on a budget is easier in a smaller village...and land prices here are still very cheap.

[El Toro Furioso]

Hi Rich. Out of curiosity, if you are thinking of retiring to Mexico in two years, why do you list yourself as an "expat in Mexico"? Anyway, after living on Lake Chapala for almost four years, my wife and I bought a house in La Manzanilla on the Costa Alegre 18 km north of San Patricio Melaque. We have, however, kept our rental on Lake Chapala. The tourist season from at least Manzanillo to the south and well into Nayarit to the north is usually considered to be December 15 to April 15. Comfortable weather runs conservatively from November 15 to June 15. Today, July 7, the temperature is 30 C. (about 87 F.) and the humidity is quite mild. There isn't a cloud in the sky and there is a mild breeze off the Tenacatita Bay. The morning was spent transplanting and moving a full-grown lime tree from a friend's granja to our home...with a little help from Ramon and the use of Antonio's camioneta. (Yesterday was way humid and not too pleasant for much of the day.) We have stayed here in early November with the weather being quite nice. Surprisingly, October can be the most brutally hot month. So, notwithstanding short bouts of humid heat and the occasional hurricane, one can live pretty comfortably on the mid-Pacific coast from November 1 to July 15 or even July 31. After that it depends on the individual. So there is a minimum of three and more like three and one-half months a year when only the very hardy, the very proud and the very poor stick around. We will be returning this month to spend most of the time until the beginning of November lakeside. We may just keep our lake rental, either subletting during the "tourist" months or just paying the rent. But we already have an offer to house sit in Riberas del Pilar every July and August (lake views, no less). So if we can find another month or two of year-to-year house sitting, we'll probably give up the house lakeside after this year. You may be able to find a similar situation house sitting, but probably only after you have established yourself in Mexico. Most home owners want someone who is familiar with the area and who knows the rudiments of paying utilities, working with help, etc.

My point is that one can consider living on the beach, at least for most of the year, without suffering miserable weather, social isolation, and a dearth of amenities. We have DSL service, satellite radio, satellite TV, our own La Manzanilla web board, numerous opportunities to volunteer our time and money to worthy causes, and an English-language "libreria" (it is not free, ergo not a biblioteca). Not to mention friends. The theaters, operating and otherwise, are an hour plus away in Manzanillo. (However, a new IMSS hospital is being constructed 30 km away in Cihuatlan.) Overall, healthcare lakeside and in Guadalajara is greatly superior to that along the coast (with the possible exception of Puerto Vallarta).

Hope these ramblings help you put things in perspective. !Que le vaya bien!

[YaVengo]

Originally Posted by El Toro Furioso

Hi Rich. Out of curiosity, if you are thinking of retiring to Mexico in two years, why do you list yourself as an "expat in Mexico"? Anyway, after living on Lake Chapala for almost four years, my wife and I bought a house in La Manzanilla on the Costa Alegre 18 km north of San Patricio Melaque. We have, however, kept our rental on Lake Chapala. The tourist season from at least Manzanillo to the south and well into Nayarit to the north is usually considered to be December 15 to April 15. Comfortable weather runs conservatively from November 15 to June 15. Today, July 7, the temperature is 30 C. (about 87 F.) and the humidity is quite mild. There isn't a cloud in the sky and there is a mild breeze off the Tenacatita Bay. The morning was spent transplanting and moving a full-grown lime tree from a friend's granja to our home...with a little help from Ramon and the use of Antonio's camioneta. (Yesterday was way humid and not too pleasant for much of the day.) We have stayed here in early November with the weather being quite nice. Surprisingly, October can be the most brutally hot month. So, notwithstanding short bouts of humid heat and the occasional hurricane, one can live pretty comfortably on the mid-Pacific coast from November 1 to July 15 or even July 31. After that it depends on the individual. So there is a minimum of three and more like three and one-half months a year when only the very hardy, the very proud and the very poor stick around. We will be returning this month to spend most of the time until the beginning of November lakeside. We may just keep our lake rental, either subletting during the "tourist" months or just paying the rent. But we already have an offer to house sit in Riberas del Pilar every July and August (lake views, no less). So if we can find another month or two of year-to-year house sitting, we'll probably give up the house lakeside after this year. You may be able to find a similar situation house sitting, but probably only after you have established yourself in Mexico. Most home owners want someone who is familiar with the area and who knows the rudiments of paying utilities, working with help, etc.

My point is that one can consider living on the beach, at least for most of the year, without suffering miserable weather, social isolation, and a dearth of amenities. We have DSL service, satellite radio, satellite TV, our own La Manzanilla web board, numerous opportunities to volunteer our time and money to worthy causes, and an English-language "libreria" (it is not free, ergo not a biblioteca). Not to mention friends. The theaters, operating and otherwise, are an hour plus away in Manzanillo. (However, a new IMSS hospital is being constructed 30 km away in Cihuatlan.) Overall, healthcare lakeside and in Guadalajara is greatly superior to that along the coast (with the possible exception of Puerto Vallarta).

Hope these ramblings help you put things in perspective. !Que le vaya bien!

My bad about the flag. When I signed up the option was pick a flag to show the country to which you have already moved or to which you plan to move. I understand the confusion and so I have taken the flag down and posted my current midwestern US locale.
Thanks for all the info from my first post.
Muy amable.
Rich