# Veracruz expats



## ensenada bill (Jun 15, 2015)

I live in Ensenada (6+years) And really enjoy traveling to different spots in Mexico. Veracruz is next on my list. I plan on flying there in December and will stay a few months.
I'd love to talk to anyone already living there. One thing I'll be looking for is a (cheap) place to stay. I'm a single man and minimal is goods. Thanks much.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

ensenada bill said:


> I live in Ensenada (6+years) And really enjoy traveling to different spots in Mexico. Veracruz is next on my list. I plan on flying there in December and will stay a few months.
> I'd love to talk to anyone already living there. One thing I'll be looking for is a (cheap) place to stay. I'm a single man and minimal is goods. Thanks much.


I live in Xalapa. What area in Veracruz are you interested in?


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## ensenada bill (Jun 15, 2015)

joaquinx said:


> I live in Xalapa. What area in Veracruz are you interested in?


I've naturally read and searched on the internet, but, I have never been to the City of Veracruz. It's appealing because it's a major port and one of the oldest European cities in North America. Also the Gulf of Mexico location is interesting since I'm originally from across the Gulf in Tampa, Fla. Your city, Xalapa, is a place I want to visit while I'm there. 
It certainly will be nice to see some green landscape after living in Baja. Actually I have been searching for a new place to live in Mexico and maybe somewhere in the Veracruz area might be the place.
Thank you for your reply. Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

We do not live in Veracruz but pass through the state several times a year driving between Lake Chapala and San Cristóbal de Las Casas in the Chiapas Highlands. We considered both Veracruz City and environs, primarily suburban Boca del Rio and even considered the "Tuxtlas" and Catemaco as places to settle in the state at one time a few years ago. We also considered Merida, Yucatán and parts of the Quintana Roo Caribbean Coast but after looking around those áreas and experiencing the oppressive heat and humidity of Coastal Veracruz State, Tabasco, Coastal Campeche State and The Yucatán, we opted for the colonial center of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas at about 7,000 feet as a southern residence. That part of the Chiapas Highlands has the luxurious greenery you like and is blessedly cool most of the time so that was our choice. The nice thing about that part of the Chiapas Highlands, which has a sort of an Alpine climate with beautiful pine forests, is that we can take the short drive to the lowland jungles around Palenque and experience several varied climates along the way during what is today a five hour tope-filled drive (about 300 topes altogether) but soon to be a more-or-less two hour drive when the new San Cristóbal-Palenque Autopista is finished.

While we opted not to live in the sultry Veracruz coastal climate of the coastal plain, we still drive through there often, usually on the La Tinaja-Minatitlan Autopista but we have also detoured between Papantla, Veracruz and down the coastal road through Veracruz City, Alvarado, Tlacotalpan (a short detour but unique small town worth a stop for exploration and an overnight stay). Santiago Tuxtla, San Andres Tuxtla, Catemaco and back to the autopista heading for Tabasco and Chiapas at Acayucan. 

I can´t tell you what accomodations would cost in these places but I would plan on finding a place to rent in Playa Chachalacas about 30 kilometers north of Veracruz City and an easy drive outside of rush hour, near the Veracruz City Plaza which is a must-see, along the city beaches heading south in the city or, one of my favorite suburbs in Mexico , Boca del Rio just south of the city. If you would rather cool off, you might stay in the city of Xalapa, the capital of the state and near Veracruz City - a hilly, Green city with good restaurants and a notable cultural center but with a climate seasonally prone to often incessant drizzle which, I suppose, is why it´s so green. Xalapa is, in my opinión, a bit of a hectic urban environment and I personally would rather stay along the coast and just visit Xalapa but many would disagree with that assessment.

It´s funny what you say about your longing for greenery after living in Baja. That reminds me of soemthing my sister, who lives in the lush, wooded áreas adjacent to Mobile Bay in Alabama. She once told me that friends of hers who live directly on the Alabama Gulf beaches in places such as Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, love to visit the area to enjoy the greenery in her wooded bayside town north of the Gulf. Now, those Gulf coast beaches are splendid, wide, sugar-white strands abutting the clear aquamarine waters of the Gulf in that región but here we have people fortunate enough to live on these beaches longing for inland green forested towns along the bay. I guess we all need an occasional break from that place we call home and a periodic change of environments. That´s why we live both at Lake Chapala and in the Chiapas Highlands seasonally - for the diversity. One can do that in Mexico relatively cheaply and that is one of the charms about this beautiful and diverse country.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

I have to rule out the northern part of the state. I have traveled through the area but my experience in the north is limited to Casitas which is at the southern end of the Costa Esmeralda. I've been there only during Semana Santa and it is packed with people from Veracruz and Puebla. At the southern end of the state rests Coatzacoalcos and Minatitla, places that I have visited often only because I have friends there. Both places are incredible hot and humid most of the year. A bit northward is the Tuxlas with its star pueblo Catemaco. The lake is a bit polluted from over-fertilization by boarding farms. There is an RV area a few meters from town. Bienvenidos to Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico Villas Tepetapan & RV Park

More northward and a bit inland is Tlacotalpan - a world heritage city. Very busy during Semana Santa and La Candelaria, else empty. On the road a bit to the north is Alvarado, rather large fishing town. I actually like this town over Tlacotalpan, but many would disagree. As Hound Dog mention, Boca del Rio would be the selection over El Puerto (the city of Veracruz) for the beaches, shopping, and restaurants. I've stayed in two hotel in Veracruz. The Colonial on the Zocalo and Hotel Amparo which is a block away from the Zocalo. The fun places and better restaurants are located on Paseo José Martí, or simply Martí to the taxistas.
Beaches are found either in Boca del Rio or Chachalacas (via second class bus).


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## MINIAC (Aug 22, 2010)

It depends on your lifestyle choices whether you want to live in the cool mountains or hot coastal areas. There are many small/ medium size towns around Xalapa that might be of interest, Coatepec, Teocelo, Nailinco where a scattered amount of expats reside. Rentals and resources are less expensive than Ensenada area, but Costco, Home Depot exist in Xalapa. Actually it can be quite windy and cool in Veracruz City during Dec - Jan; the mountain towns are foggy and misty. Have fun exploring.


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## ensenada bill (Jun 15, 2015)

MINIAC said:


> It depends on your lifestyle choices whether you want to live in the cool mountains or hot coastal areas. There are many small/ medium size towns around Xalapa that might be of interest, Coatepec, Teocelo, Nailinco where a scattered amount of expats reside. Rentals and resources are less expensive than Ensenada area, but Costco, Home Depot exist in Xalapa. Actually it can be quite windy and cool in Veracruz City during Dec - Jan; the mountain towns are foggy and misty. Have fun exploring.


Thanks all of this information is very useful. I checked the average weather temps for this area and it is similar to my former home in Tampa, Florida. I know there will be a few cool days here and there, but, generally pleasant.
Thanks again and you're right the fun part will be exploring a new (for me) part of Mexico.


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