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Merida coastline

11K views 83 replies 17 participants last post by  chicois8 
#1 ·
I'm thinking of moving to the Merida coastline. Not really into living in the tourist areas, like Cancun etc.
I have heard great things about Merida, but I'd rather live near the ocean.

Telchac seems a little pricy, Progreso and vicinity seem ok but I'm not sure what that area will look like in 10 years. I liked Sisal. Wherever I go I'm not sure I'd get the first row (on the beach).

Anybody here know about this coast?
 
#5 ·
My Google Maps shows from Centro Merida to Progresso 38KM or 22miles.

There are many small towns along the gulf coast from Sisal to the West of Progreso to Dzilan de Bravo to East of Progreso. Maybe get a hotel in Progreso and explore the area if looking for a place to retire...My favorite town in the area is San Felipe very near Rio Lagartos....link below


The Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
 
#3 ·
I'm also curious about the area as my father would like to move out there. In his youth he went to Quintana Roo several times and really liked it. I'm thinking that it's probably fairly expensive (in Mexican standards) to live out there. I don't know if Merida is a little easier on the wallet.
 
#10 ·
If you don't adjust it's more expensive. If you adjust, it's cheaper.
You have to change eating habits, live like the locals.
When you go to tourist areas, there is a large infrastructure that magically brings goods, internet etc. In my mind Quintana Roo is international tourist area.

The Merida coastline (It's actually called the Yucatan coast) gets a lot of people from Merida in the summer, a lot have beach houses, or rent. So it is mostly an area that is a local tourist area and fishing area.

I have never been there (except when I was 12 years old), so anybody feel free to correct me. ;) In part that is why Im here
 
#12 ·
For me - living on the gulf coast is not anything like living on an ocean. For many years we lived on the Atlantic coast of Florida. We have traveled (just about every road) from Cancun to Xcalak. I have been to Puerto Barrios (too many times), San Pedro Sula ... We spent some time in Texas and ran off to South Padre Island as often as we could. Just doesn't compare to true blue water.
 
#64 ·
So are you saying that the Ocean waters are bluer and nicer than Gulf coast? I always think that the Caribbean waters are magnificent, and all the rest are second best. I have seen both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans but have never seen the Gulf waters. I thought maybe they would be more comparable to Caribbean, but maybe that is not accurate? The oceans don't have the beautiful white sands either?
 
#16 ·
That is good information, thank you! ;)


The Zetas are the primos of Javier....

Federal Judical police call signs started with J or Javier. Mexican slang for Judicial Federal is Javier.
After the US helped train a paramilitary police force, members of that unit took on the letter Z. The commander's call sign was Zeta 1. At one point they started business for themselves.

It would make sense that the people with the most money would send their parents to the safest town. It's kind of a neutral zone because there is little cartel activity. If I were a Zeta I'd either send my parents to a "neutral town" or one that I had the most control in. Problem with the later is they don't want their "madrecitas santas" to witness their brutality.

IMHO it's better to send them to "Disneyland" (Merida).

As you can see I have a mexican sense of humor.
;)
 
#17 ·
Merida is indeed a beautiful city with a lot to see and a lot of places to shop, which is important. The coast is close enough for a day trip but as has been said, there will be sacrifices there. Small coastal villages are charming but lacking in things you may want or need. We love the Poza Rica area just for the atmosphere, but there are no large supermarkets, hardware stores and even internet is spotty if available. Even finding something as simple as diet drinks will simply not be available. Merida has a large open market, clean streets and modern technology without losing the old world appeal. We went there and liked it, why not have the best of both worlds if you like this area? Live in the city and visit the coast?











 
#18 ·
Hi Fox,

Very nice reply thank you. It got my head thinking. Originally I thought about the Golfo area, after deciding that Salina Cruz was too isolated. It's a shorter drive to the border on the gulf side.

I had asked my friend Roberto about the Gulf states .He said Merida and was leaving CDMX next year lo migrate there. He has since hooked back up with a girlfriend from Costa Rica, and may now think Costa Rica. Roberto is like a brother to me and I'd have a place to crash in Merida. Also in the established middle class from Merida escape the heat and rent places on the beach. If you are in the right area on the coast, you can become friends with people in Merida who you otherwise would of meet socially. It's a way to sneak in the social circles.

Another thing about Merida is that people are very nice and polite to visitors, they just don;t like people who move in. I'm not sure about this, nor do I remember who told me. There is a BIG difference between people from "provincia" and "chilangos", since they do not share the same values.

I'm getting divorced and my boys are 17 and 19 and I want to make it easy and cheap for them to fly in. Going back to Merida, Roberto said you ucan buy a house for $70 K. It all reminds me of GUadalajara 30 years ago, a lot of people migrated from CDMX for a better life only to have it become similar to CDMX


My grandmother was from Tampico and I'd go there to pend summers, I remember Poza Rica as one of the last towns before crossing the Panuco river when taking the bus from DF. Another town on the way is Tuxpan.

How do you like the area?

Diet sodas? Try making your own Jamaica! I'm pre diabetic and you don't have to sweeten it up a whole bunch. Make a concentrate and freeze it.

Internet, I've thought about extending coverage I can haul data over wireless for 2-3 kms given a line of sight. Might be a business if I can find a remote area with people needing it and a way to resell\extend bandwidth. I also think that I could get a place in town and on the coast and rent out the coastal area in summer and winter. I'm still thinking...

once again thanks for the post and the pictures
 
#24 ·
We lived for many many years in the Miami area . Whenever we returned to Miami - one of the first things we did was stop and say ahhh - and suck in the humidity and heat. If you are dressed appropriately there is no issue. But - in the house we had two large a/c units - and we lived within a mile of the ocean and had a good ocean breeze.
 
#26 ·
Ocean breeze have a tendency to stop t one point or another and you only get it when you are on the beach in that flat land and when the breeze stops the mosquitoes move in...

Walnut Creek is nothing.. It is dry and the weather cools off at night and the weather is not 100 year round..
 
#28 ·
Thats when you get a couple of Chelas bien heladas, or hang out somewhere that has an AC. :D Or maybe find a location close to a cenote. I don;t have to work.


That's also why I'm not interested in downtown Merida. I'm linking on the coast, not the beach, but with line of sight of the beach. You also forgot the worst part: breathing in diesel exhaust in that heat!

I think that the weather is comparable to Cancan area. I like the heat. I'm older now so I plan on checking it out.
 
#34 ·
When I was 14 that was 45 years ago. Then when I was 19 I lived and worked in Cancun with no AC in august, not on the beach but the town. This was when there were only 17 hotels spaces about 1 km apart...
A goog

I would also have the option to rent out a beach property in the summer to Merida people and go to Zacualpan Morelos for the summer, my Mom and brother both have places there. I could turn a property into revenue generating for a few months...

I lived in Mexico from 8-27 years old. I definitely will rent before I buy. I'm looking for a place without a lot of tourists, judiciales or narcos.... I think heat keeps them away or may help :)
 
#30 ·
It was the mosquitoes, deer flies and horse flies that ran me off there. It was a constant attack from one or the other and the only escape was being submerged up to your hairline in the pool. I did enjoy the cenote tours, the one day swimming in each of the three unique pools reached by mule drawn cart and the deep snorkel tour in another cavern with only flashlights.
 
#35 ·
live in San Cristobal and it is cool to cold as a rule but if you want warm you just drive an hour to Tuxtla and you get heat and humidity there..The highlands are cool and the low land hot and humid and chiapas and everywhere else I guess..
I am always happy to get home after being in the low lands. last week we were in Juchitan and it was 39 and the humidity was through the roof, we got on the mountain it was 14 and 24 in San Cristobal which qualifies for a heat wave here...
 
#36 ·
What is it like in San Cristobal? I've never been to Chiapas. That is one area I know nothing about... I love the salty cheese. Do you like it? How is the ariport\travel situation?
I believe the indians are the Lacandons, correct? How much more expensive or cheap is it?

I once knew a Lt Colonel whose job it was to kill Guatemalan guerillas that crossed the border into Chiapas. He must of be stationed there in the mid 1970's.
 
#38 ·
well in the jungle there are Lacandones, Cholesm Tzeltales, Mayas from various parts of Guatemala, indigenous from Oaxaca and other areas.. The jungle area is very nice and the rivers and waterfalls are beautiful during the dry season.
The highlands and the surroundings of San Cristobal are green as it rains a lot and usually cool , the weather on the mountains changes several times a day you get warm in the sun
, cold in the shade , rained on.. in the fog etc.. during the same day, you never know what to expect.
The salty cheese comes from Ocosingo which is halfway between the highlands and the jungle
The prices are low in comparison to Quintana Roo.
The area has lots of indigenous , it is the poorest state in the union and there are lots of conflicts , road blocks etc.. It is a colorful and beautiful state.
 
#40 ·
Just to ad to citali's excellent post, The Lacanddon Maya live in the jungle near the ruins of Bonampak and Yaxchilan along the Usumacinta River which separates Guatemala and Mexico.
Near San Cristobal / San Juan Chamula lives the Tzotzil Maya ( Population 300,000 ) and in the Ocosingo area live the Tzeltal Maya ( Population 500,000 ).. By the way the last two do not get along with each other.
 
#46 ·
Even kids have machetes, it means nothing but it is a nice way to defend yourself if attacked.. This week I was working in a Tzeltal village and a young kid was going to the hills with his machete and coming back with wood on his back for his mother but on one of the trips he cut himself with his little machete, they did something I had not seen before, rubbed the wound with lime, then put on savila from a plant they cut , then did a bandage with spider cobwebs, that was a new one on me and it seemed to work..Yes everyone going out carries a machete and it means nothing, the area is vey safe..
 
#56 · (Edited)
yes the jungle is rarely nice.. It i beautiful but lots of creatures that can hurt you.. People are not unfriendly , I stay with Lacandones and they are very friendly, I also stay with other ethnic groups and they are very nice.. Most of the conflicts are about land so if you do not own chances are that you will not be involved in the problems . The towns are isolated and poor, just not places where I would enjoy to live in Chiapas.. I do not know about The Yucatan Peninsula.
The Zapatistas are not worst than the others either, let's face it there are no good guys or bad guys in all those conflicts just humans trying to survive.
The indigenous will leave you alone if you respect their customs but you better respect their customs and unless you are willing to accept their ways , an indigenous village is not a good place to live.. remember the saying small town big hell.. you get the idea..

Yes the jungle is full of bugs,, there are also dangerous caterpillars..Yesterday one beautiful blue and green one fell on my shirt and all the women started screaming "".. I do not know how painful that one was but they sure were upset about it..
The humidity destroys everything, clothes , books electronics etc.. people in the villages where I go do not have a/C ..they sometimes have fans but often not even that.. the electricity does not always work and the phone signals come and go and sometimes there is no internet so it is not my idea of paradise no matter how beautiful the rivers are during the dry season and how beautiful the vegetation is.
In CHiapas we have dengue, zika and chikungunya , none are very nice either..
 
#58 ·
After an extencive recon for a retirement home in Mexico I decided on the area north of Puerto Vallarta because I had family, friends and it was only 3 hours by air to SFO in case of emergency or just a visit.

I did not mention the rat problem like Tundra brought up, as in many parts of Mexico there is a pole with a basket in front of many homes for garbage, for some reason in La Penita, Nayarit plastic bags of garbage are deposited in the middle of an intersection, well then the street dogs tear into the bags to get to food and as soon as it gets dark the rats come out to get to the garbage the dogs have provided a doorway for them............NICE
 
#63 ·
I live in Merida from Canada. I know the coast here well. East of Progreso are the nicest clean beaches & water. Progreso with the port is busy and murky water. Also west to Chelem is similar and has some Erosion issues as well as dirty town. East is the future on this coast, most all the new development is happening east as well. We are building in San Crisanto just east of Telchac, it is very affordable and a beautiful area more laid back. Sisal is a tad far out there.
 
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