# Merida, Sisal, Progreso friends



## guacamole

Hi!!
I am a 32 years old female from Spain and I want to relocate to Mexico, would love to meet some friends in yucatan area, if you live around please drop me a note!


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## RVGRINGO

Welcome to the forum.
There are a few members who are from Yucatan and they may respond to your inquiry.


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## tortuga

guacamole said:


> Hi!!
> I am a 32 years old female from Spain and I want to relocate to Mexico, would love to meet some friends in yucatan area, if you live around please drop me a note!


Hello. My wife and I are moving from Canada to Merida in October/November, 2010. We plan on staying there for a while and then renting in Campeche for a time as well. We are in our early 30's and planning a full time relocation too. When are you planning on relocating? We'll have to stay in touch if you are there in the fall. I haven't seen alot of blog or forum traffic from younger people in the area.

On that note, does anyone know if there is much of an expat community under 45years old in the Merida/Campeche areas? Just about everything I've read comes from retirees or people in the 50+ range.


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## RVGRINGO

Welcome, Tortuga.
It appears that there are not as many expats in those coastal areas of Mexico as there are in the central highlands and the interior colonial cities. The reasons, of course, are climate related, just as they were when the Spaniards established the major population centers in 'New Spain'. So, before you make a permanent decision on where to settle, be sure to spend at least one or two complete years in the area you think you like. There are a lot of places that are pretty lonely for the hot & humid summer and fall seasons.


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## tortuga

The expat community in Merida seems to be thriving. I haven't seen any numbers but there are enough to warrant some online magazines that have a strong following. I thought the same thing about the area (that it would be quiet through the summer months) but it is just the opposite. The resorts fill up the area through the winters of course but July and August are actually the peak months for rentals (to mostly Americans) and granted it is mostly just vacationers. Rents actually double and triple during the summers. I don't really understand that but I guess that is when kids are out of school and families have the ability to get away for longer periods of time. Quiet time is May, June, September, and October. 
Spending time before you buy (and at all times of year) is definately solid advice. My wife and I love travelling and have been in the Yucatan Peninsula a few times now but living and travelling are most definately two different things. Let the adventures begin!

PS. Great forum. Lots of interesting and diverse information shared.


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## conklinwh

Although there doesn't seem to be a large Yucatan group on this site. There are active groups on other sites for Progreso & the Mayan Riviera. We aren't really beach people alhough we still have a place on the North Carolina coast. We stay away during summers as too hot and too many tourists. This about why we chose our place in Mexico, great weather and few expats.


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## abscissa

We too are retiring in the next 2 yrs. We've bought a new house on the beach in San Crisanto, east of Merida. Summer rentals (July & August) are largely people from Merida getting out of the hot city and flocking to the beach.


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## SaraGrey

Hi Guacamole and Tortuga--- I know I am replying to this post very late, but I have just moved to Merida and am also looking for a younger expat crowd.

-Sara


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## RVGRINGO

Welcome, Sara. Hope you find others in your area. They are there, especially in the winter.


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## MelodyfromWashington

SaraGrey said:


> Hi Guacamole and Tortuga--- I know I am replying to this post very late, but I have just moved to Merida and am also looking for a younger expat crowd.
> 
> -Sara


Hi Sara My family will be going to Merida in June (first time for all of us) to check out the area. We plan to rent either in the Merida or Progresso areas, or near them. I am 51, but I have two daughters, 21 and 13. Plus my oldest daughters (30 yr old) is married with kids, and they are going down too. We dont know anyone yet. My girls are really hoping to meet some other nice girls in the area. I home school the youngest. Does anyone know of any other expat 'familys' with kids, in the area? Homeschoolers maybe? 

Thanks,
Melody


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## MelodyfromWashington

*younger expats in Merida? homeschoolers?*



guacamole said:


> Hi!!
> I am a 32 years old female from Spain and I want to relocate to Mexico, would love to meet some friends in yucatan area, if you live around please drop me a note!


 
My family will be going to Merida in June (first time for all of us) to check out the area. We plan to rent either in the Merida or Progresso areas, or nearby. I have two daughters, 21 and 13 going down with me. Plus my oldest daughter, 30, is married with kids, and they are going down too. We dont know anyone yet. My girls are really hoping to meet some other nice girls in the area. I home school the youngest. 

Does anyone know of any other expat 'familys' with kids, in the area? Homeschoolers maybe? 

Thanks! 
Melody


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## jmkinsman

HI Sara and Melody,

I know your posts are from months ago, but I just moved to Merida two weeks ago and am also looking for a younger expat group. Are you still in the area??

Thanks,
Jennifer


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## MelodyfromWashington

*In Progresso since Sunday... just got here also*

Hi Jennifer,

I havent been on here for a few months. We just got down here on Sunday. We are renting a house in Progresso for June only, while we look around the area to find a more semi permanent house to rent. 

I have three daughters down here with me. The oldest is 30, (she will be here with her family in a week or two, shes married with kids), a single 21 yr old (22 in July), and my 13 yr old. We are trying to find expats in this area to meet up with. I know they are here, just need to find them. My 21 yr old is here now, but leaving just for the month of July, and then returning. She really wants to meet other young expat adults. 

Stay in touch ... and we will find a way to hook up. 
Have a great day,
Melody




jmkinsman said:


> HI Sara and Melody,
> 
> I know your posts are from months ago, but I just moved to Merida two weeks ago and am also looking for a younger expat group. Are you still in the area??
> 
> Thanks,
> Jennifer


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## jmkinsman

MelodyfromWashington said:


> Hi Jennifer,
> 
> I havent been on here for a few months. We just got down here on Sunday. We are renting a house in Progresso for June only, while we look around the area to find a more semi permanent house to rent.
> 
> I have three daughters down here with me. The oldest is 30, (she will be here with her family in a week or two, shes married with kids), a single 21 yr old (22 in July), and my 13 yr old. We are trying to find expats in this area to meet up with. I know they are here, just need to find them. My 21 yr old is here now, but leaving just for the month of July, and then returning. She really wants to meet other young expat adults.
> 
> Stay in touch ... and we will find a way to hook up.
> Have a great day,
> Melody


Definitely! I just turned 27, but I have met quite a few local people here who are between 21-30 so a pretty good range. Let me know when you guys are settled


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## Sisalena

guacamole said:


> Hi!!
> I am a 32 years old female from Spain and I want to relocate to Mexico, would love to meet some friends in yucatan area, if you live around please drop me a note!


While the majority of expats in Merida and surrounding areas do seem to be older, retired folks, I'm sure there must be a good sized group of younger folks, as well. There is a very large expat community, and it's growing very quickly, as housing prices here are lower than in most other areas of Mexico. There is an International Women's Club for English speaking women from all over the world, plus an English Library that has events on a regular basis, including "meet and greet" parties. It seems that every time somebody posts about moving to Merida, the first thing that is brought up is the heat. And yes, it's hot in Merida during the summertime. But if you're lucky enough to live in one of the many beach towns nearby, there's a lovely breeze off the Gulf of Mexico pretty much all day, every day. And hey, there's always air conditioning if you just can't stand the heat!

There are lots of online newspapers and magazines that can give you a good idea of what it's like living in Merida. And plenty of real estate companies as well for finding just the right place to live. Just Google "living in merida yucatan" and you'll get plenty of hits to give you more information.

Merida is a very cosmopolitan city, that has pretty much everything you could possibly want or need. There is a very nice International airport, world-class hospitals, more malls than you could ever hope for, all the major "big box" stores, culture, restaurants, archeological sites and cenotes very close by, in other words, plenty to make up for those hot summers! So come on over, and give it a try. What's the worst that could happen? You don't like it - you leave. But I have a feeling you WILL like it and decide to stay!


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## MelodyfromWashington

*hello again... were in Progresso*

Hello again,

I think I may have responded to you once before. Are you actually in the Yucatan now? I think I may have told you before that I would be moving to that area soon with my daughters. 

We are here now in Progresso. We found a better rental in Telchac right on the beachfront. So we will be moving there this weekend. My oldest daughter will be 31 this summer, the younger one will be 22 in two weeks, and the youngest one is 13. The oldest one is married with 4 little boys. All of the girls would love to meet some younger expats as well. Please let us know what area you are in, and if you would like to meet up sometime. 

The girls would love to meet you.

Melody




guacamole said:


> Hi!!
> I am a 32 years old female from Spain and I want to relocate to Mexico, would love to meet some friends in yucatan area, if you live around please drop me a note!


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## SaraGrey

Hi Jennifer,

I still live in Merida. There are a couple sites you might like to check out. One is called yolisto. com It's a web forum just for the Yucatan area. If you look for me there, you can private message me, if you want. (That doesn't seem possible on this forum, but maybe I'm missing something.)

Also, there is a group of 20's to 30's expat girls in Merida that meets up from time to time. I started going to some of the meetups a few months ago, and I've meet nice people. The website for the group is meetup. com/MeridaGirlsonthetown

-Sara 






jmkinsman said:


> HI Sara and Melody,
> 
> I know your posts are from months ago, but I just moved to Merida two weeks ago and am also looking for a younger expat group. Are you still in the area??
> 
> Thanks,
> Jennifer


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## TundraGreen

SaraGrey said:


> [...] That doesn't seem possible on this forum, but maybe I'm missing something[...]


It is possible here, but only after you have 5 previous posts. The requirement is designed to keep spammers from sending private messages to people.


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## thehoosier

I am moving to the Merida area this fall. I am moving down with my partner and our two dogs. We are just in the final stages of getting ready for the move. We also are going to be interested in meeting some other expats our age.


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## SaraGrey

thehoosier said:


> I am moving to the Merida area this fall. I am moving down with my partner and our two dogs. We are just in the final stages of getting ready for the move. We also are going to be interested in meeting some other expats our age.


Hi! Hope your move goes well. I've found Merida to be nice place to have a dog because they seem to be welcome in almost in park!


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## FreedomLovers

*Friends in the Yucatan*

Hi, my wife and I live in the Yucatan (have places in Merida and on the coast) and if any of you have any questions or need any help, please don't hesitate to ask...we have had lots of positive experiences down here, and have lots of great people and help to share...

If you need any help or advice with building, just let us know.

David


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## Homemaker

*Are you here in Merida?*



tortuga said:


> Hello. My wife and I are moving from Canada to Merida in October/November, 2010. We plan on staying there for a while and then renting in Campeche for a time as well. We are in our early 30's and planning a full time relocation too. When are you planning on relocating? We'll have to stay in touch if you are there in the fall. I haven't seen alot of blog or forum traffic from younger people in the area.
> 
> On that note, does anyone know if there is much of an expat community under 45years old in the Merida/Campeche areas? Just about everything I've read comes from retirees or people in the 50+ range.


My husband and I live in Merida. We are in our early 30s. Are you living here now?


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## lynetteg

guacamole said:


> Hi!!
> I am a 32 years old female from Spain and I want to relocate to Mexico, would love to meet some friends in yucatan area, if you live around please drop me a note!


Hello my name is lynette and i live here in merida.


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## lynetteg

Homemaker said:


> My husband and I live in Merida. We are in our early 30s. Are you living here now?


Me and my husband are in our early thirtys as well and live here in Merida. How long have you been here where are u from originally.


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## Homemaker

lynetteg said:


> Hello my name is lynette and i live here in merida.


Hi, we live in Merida. We have four young boys. We are in our early 30s


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## Homemaker

lynetteg said:


> Me and my husband are in our early thirtys as well and live here in Merida. How long have you been here where are u from originally.


We have been here 6 months now. We moved here from monterrey Mexico. I am originally from Washington and oregon state. I have been in Mexico 9 years now. We have four young boys age 8 on down. How about you?


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## thehoosier

Thanks SaraGrey, our move did go very well. We have been in Merida for just over a month now. Its been very exciting. We are still getting settle in. We have lots to buy to make our place a home. We are also interested in meeting people our age. We like going out a lot, we found the Mayan Pub to be our favorite so far. It kinda reminds us of the bars back home. We are finding that there is lots to discover. We find things that our friends who grew up here don't know about. We are just excited to be here and to meet some new friends!


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## mgalt

*hello*



MelodyfromWashington said:


> Hi Sara My family will be going to Merida in June (first time for all of us) to check out the area. We plan to rent either in the Merida or Progresso areas, or near them. I am 51, but I have two daughters, 21 and 13. Plus my oldest daughters (30 yr old) is married with kids, and they are going down too. We dont know anyone yet. My girls are really hoping to meet some other nice girls in the area. I home school the youngest. Does anyone know of any other expat 'familys' with kids, in the area? Homeschoolers maybe?
> 
> Thanks,
> Melody


Did you settle on an area. We arrive in 2 weeks with our homeschooled kids. My daughter is 13.5
not sure where we will be living yet though


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## meridayanqui

Hello fellow Meridians:

Just celebrated one year in Merida. Once you hook up with other expats either at the Merida English Language Library or other venues, you will find a diverse crowd of Expats.


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## geaaronson

The figure for expats that I have seen for Merida was 7,000, inclusive of Canadians, Brits and Americans. There also seems to be a small number of Dutch.


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## Jmorenez

New to site and not sure if this is best place to post question, but here goes. We are considering the Progreso area to spend the winter and I have some questions about the water. We are beach people, love to spend time at and in the ocean. Can someone give us an idea of ocean conditions Nov thru April. Also, see some reference to Mosquitos...are they year round or only during certain seasons? Thanks for any help. Juanita and craig


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## Sisalena

Jmorenez said:


> New to site and not sure if this is best place to post question, but here goes. We are considering the Progreso area to spend the winter and I have some questions about the water. We are beach people, love to spend time at and in the ocean. Can someone give us an idea of ocean conditions Nov thru April. Also, see some reference to Mosquitos...are they year round or only during certain seasons? Thanks for any help. Juanita and craig


We live just down the coast in Sisal, and unfortunately, wintertime is not the best time of year for the Gulf of Mexico in this area. There are a lot of "nortes" (high wind storms that blow in from the north) that churn up the water and make it quite cloudy. They also bring in a lot of seaweed that is not very attractive. I have seen it pile as high as 4 feet on the beach in the winter! We have personally never been bothered by the mosquitoes, but of course, we stay in the house with the screens closed during their prime times to bite - sunrise and sunset. If you rent a place that has a pool that is not on the ocean side, you should have a nice visit. Wintertime can be very "iffy" - some days are so gorgeous, it feels more like summer, and the ocean is wonderful. Then here comes a norte, and you're looking for your sweater! We have a lot of "snow bird" neighbors who come in from Canada and the northern States during the winter, and they absolutely love it! Right now, the ocean looks more like the Caribbean than the Gulf of Mexico, and it's hard to believe how much it can change. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. If you want beautiful ocean in the middle of winter, my advice - the Caribbean! If your wallet can handle it.


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## Hound Dog

[_QUOTE=Sisalena;1376969]We live just down the coast in Sisal, and unfortunately, wintertime is not the best time of year for the Gulf of Mexico in this area. There are a lot of "nortes" (high wind storms that blow in from the north) that churn up the water and make it quite cloudy. They also bring in a lot of seaweed that is not very attractive. I have seen it pile as high as 4 feet on the beach in the winter! We have personally never been bothered by the mosquitoes, but of course, we stay in the house with the screens closed during their prime times to bite - sunrise and sunset. If you rent a place that has a pool that is not on the ocean side, you should have a nice visit. Wintertime can be very "iffy" - some days are so gorgeous, it feels more like summer, and the ocean is wonderful. Then here comes a norte, and you're looking for your sweater! We have a lot of "snow bird" neighbors who come in from Canada and the northern States during the winter, and they absolutely love it! Right now, the ocean looks Nore like the Caribbean than the Gulf of Mexico, and it's hard to believe how much it can change. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. If you want beautiful ocean in the middle of winter, my advice - the Caribbean! If your wallet can handle it.[/QUOTE]_

Since we live in the Chiapas Highlands some distance due south from the Progreso area and 7,000 feet higher, we are also afflicted with the mid-winter Nortes that blow clouds and cold winds over the mountains from the Gulf so we get alternating crystal clear winter days with the sparkling mountain air and then, unpredictably, those unpleasant Nortes which rarely bring rain as that is the dry season (so to speak) but are uncomfortably chilly and sometimes overcast. The last time we visited the Gulf driving from Dzilam de Bravo to Progreso and then to Merida, it was November and the weather was splendid if quite warm: the water clear aquamarine, the surf modest and pleasant and no noticeable seaweed accumulation on the beach but I presume we missed the brunt of the Nortes which were to come later.

Your post has caused us to rethink this winter´s road trip from San Cristóbal de Las Casas to the Yucatan set for mid-January or the first of February and we have reversed the itinerary. Now we plan to drive from San Cristóbal to Palenque and on to Calakmul, Bacalar, an exploration of the Bay of Chetumal and environs, Tulum, Isla Holbox, Dzilam de Bravo, on the coast to Merida and then on to Campeche and environs before returning home to Chiapas. We really don´t care if the Nortes render the Gulf choppy and murky and pile seaweed on the beach at that time of year but, then again, we will not be stuck in any fishing village or beach town for longer than we find tht place interesting before we move on. We learned our lesson a few years ago when we rented a condo for a month on the beach in Akumal on the Caribbean and, depite beautiful weather and crystal seas, we were ready to move on within a few days of arriving there. 

For us the journey is usually more important than the destination. To each his/her own.


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## Jmorenez

Thanks to both Sisalena and Hound Dog for your replies. They were both extremely helpful. And honest. Certainly has helped with our decision, the Gulf Coast doesn't sound like a good match for us. Having said that, we will definitely go up and check it out ourselves while we are down there. Like Hound Dog, we love to see new places and travel around, however, that being said, it is our first time going down to live and not just vacation so I think for this time, we will stay mostly in one place to get a feel for things. Thanks again, I appreciate the input.


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