# Recommendations on Mexican Towns



## Barb/Ben (Jan 13, 2016)

We will be taking our RV to Mexico next fall to check out areas where we might choose to live. 
We like small towns of under 20,000 people, not too hilly as I have COPD and can't easily navigate hills. We love historical areas with some Expats mixed with locals. We are retired and don't have a huge monthly budget. I guess we may like to live in an RV park to start and then possibly rent a property after that. A moderate temperate would be perfect for me.
Does any one have an recommendations on towns that we can consider?
Thanks!!


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Jocotepec on Lake Chapala. Perfect weather, smaller town, close to many things and Roca Azul RV park

ROCA AZUL - Bienvenidos


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## miguelge (Jan 14, 2016)

Hi,

I'm traveling to Mexico form California next weekend. Our plan is to buy a condo, since im near to retire age, we thought about this move...any feedback will be really appreciated


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Better to start your own thread for the purchase question

Best advice is don't buy anything until you have lived here for at least a year ..... and never buy in a new and incomplete complex


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

COPD is, sadly, the major reason that I had to consent to move to a lower elevation than our home at Lake Chapala, where we spent 13 great years. Now, at 2500 feet lower, I am off oxygen but still cannot enjoy even a short walk. So, I also suggest that you stay at Roca Azul and explore with your “toad“. I hope you have as many good years as we did.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

I don't know what your budget is but Paamul is a trailer park community with a pool, restaurant, hotel and dive shop right on the ocean between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. It is all Americans and Canadians.


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## Barb/Ben (Jan 13, 2016)

RVGRINGO said:


> COPD is, sadly, the major reason that I had to consent to move to a lower elevation than our home at Lake Chapala, where we spent 13 great years. Now, at 2500 feet lower, I am off oxygen but still cannot enjoy even a short walk. So, I also suggest that you stay at Roca Azul and explore with your “toad“. I hope you have as many good years as we did.


Thank you for the reply and I hope that you enjoy where you are now living - we are also considering the Gulf coast.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> I don't know what your budget is but Paamul is a trailer park community with a pool, restaurant, hotel and dive shop right on the ocean between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. It is all Americans and Canadians.


Wow, the perfect for folks from NOB who want to spend time in Mexico but don't care to have Mexicans for neighbors.


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## Barb/Ben (Jan 13, 2016)

Isla Verde said:


> Wow, the perfect for folks from NOB who want to spend time in Mexico but don't care to have Mexicans for neighbors.



So, what is NOB????


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Barb/Ben said:


> So, what is NOB????


Sorry. NOB = North of the Border = those two countries located north of the Mexico/US border.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

North of the Border = NoB.
We did not consider either coast, as the heat and humidity are oppressive in the long summer months. However, if you keep your RV on the Pacific coast in winter, it is only a 4-5 hour drive to Lake Chapala/Roca Azul for the winter. The best of both worlds.


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## Barb/Ben (Jan 13, 2016)

RVGRINGO said:


> North of the Border = NoB.
> We did not consider either coast, as the heat and humidity are oppressive in the long summer months. However, if you keep your RV on the Pacific coast in winter, it is only a 4-5 hour drive to Lake Chapala/Roca Azul for the winter. The best of both worlds.


We can't live in the Lake Chapala altitude as I have COPD so we are now checking out the Yucatan as it is sea level. We are impressed with the Paamul Rv park in the Yucatan but the fees that we've found range from$600 - $1200 a month - way to high for us and I can't seem to get an accurate cost.

Would still like to hear recommendations on small towns with nice RV parks that aren't in a mountain area.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> Wow, the perfect for folks from NOB who want to spend time in Mexico but don't care to have Mexicans for neighbors.


Actually Pepe the owner won"t allow Mexicans to live in Paamul. He had one that lived there and had a small store on the corner. After 7 years the guy claimed he now owned the land by "squatting" on it. Pepe bulldozed his store. The guy sued and won a substantial amount of money but somehow Pepe kept his land. Squatters are common on the Yucatan on either side of Paamul. A piece of land that is behind on taxes or not titled properly is up for grabs. A wealthy party will pay them to squat, live on the land then give them jobs once the resort is built.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

The Pacific coast is much prettier than the Gulf as far as the ocean goes ..... and the only mild weather on a coast will be northern Baja


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Prices in Paamul are around $600.00 a month but that includes rent, electricity, water, daily garbage pickup and security. Pepe is currently looking very hard at the abusers who go back to Canada for 6 months out of the year and leaving all 3 AC's on to prevent mold. Rumor was everyone would be getting an electric meter.
The Caribbean is every bit as beautiful as the Pacific. Tulum is the fastest growing community on the Yucatan right now.


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## Barb/Ben (Jan 13, 2016)

Thanks - that is exactly the kind of info that we are looking for.........


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Barb/Ben said:


> Thanks - that is exactly the kind of info that we are looking for.........


Pepe's daughter Andrea runs the place. She will give you prices on rhe phone or by email. Paamul empties out during the summer as the Canadians must return home or lose their health care. There is a supermarket very near by and a lot of entertainment and good places to eat in PDC 15 minutes north. I enjoyed my time there.


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## TJGUY (Jan 5, 2016)

Barb/Ben said:


> We can't live in the Lake Chapala altitude as I have COPD so we are now checking out the Yucatan as it is sea level. We are impressed with the Paamul Rv park in the Yucatan but the fees that we've found range from$600 - $1200 a month - way to high for us and I can't seem to get an accurate cost.
> 
> Would still like to hear recommendations on small towns with nice RV parks that aren't in a mountain area.


You might want to check out the Baja Coast. The climate is very good.Lots of good beaches. The cost is very affordable. After you become familar with the area you could even purchase a lot of land and have your own private RV spot.
Also you are close to the US border if you require USA medical attention. I would ;look around Rosarito area to start.
good luck.


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## Barb/Ben (Jan 13, 2016)

Thanks, I'll check it out - it may be too close to the US border for us but definitely worth looking at.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Paamul empties out during the summer as the Canadians must return home or lose their health care.


I would imagine that the high levels of heat and humidity are another reason that the Canadians abandon Paamul in the summer months.


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## Barb/Ben (Jan 13, 2016)

So where would you suggest that someone, who can't live at high altitudes, could reside -with a moderate yearly temperature?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Barb/Ben said:


> So where would you suggest that someone, who can't live at high altitudes, could reside -with a moderate yearly temperature?


Unfortunately, in Mexico the great majority of places with moderate year-round temperatures are at the higher altitudes. Hopefully, someone on the forum may have a suggestion that proves my statement wrong.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

That is true. The good year-round weather in Mexico is generally at 5000-7000 ft. elevation. Higher than that and it is cold in the winter; lower, it is hot and humid in the summer. Mexican homes do not generally have AC or heat. That is why I suggested the RV lifestyle with winter and summer locations. In the last couple of years at Chapala, though, I did frequently use oxygen as my COPD worsened. So, you might want to consider exploring RV locations from Lo de Marcos, Nayarit, northward on the mainland, or something in Baja, in the Ensenada/Rosarito Beach area. Personally, I find nothing attractive about the east coast/Yucatan, etc.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

I never found the heat to be a problem in Paamul as there was always a strong breeze. It is right on the water. When we sell here we will move to Aguascalientes. The climate us great, a very high standard of living and great fishing.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> I never found the heat to be a problem in Paamul as there was always a strong breeze. It is right on the water. When we sell here we will move to Aguascalientes. The climate us great, a very high standard of living and great fishing.


Other than fishing, how do you occupy your time in Paamul?


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

As an old blue-water sailor, I can appreciate how nice it is right on the beach with the breeze; but, a block inland where the breeze is blocked, life can be very different. I love those kind of places for a vacation, but the OP is asking about living and one can tire of the beach ambiance and what the salt air does to your electronics, etc. The high cost of living among large numbers of expats at quasi-resort areas or tourist destinations can also affect the choice of where to settle. It is not an easy choice.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> Other than fishing, how do you occupy your time in Paamul?


My friend owned the dive shop so I went diving almost daily. There is a nice cove and a private beach where you could gather lobsters. Playa del Carmen was 15 minutes away and there was plenty to do there. Puerta Advevturas was right down the road so you could eat at the dolphin enclosure.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Remember......COPD severely restricts what one can do. Having had it for well over a decade, I am now no longer able to travel and am stuck in the house, unable to walk a block. It is doubly hard, since my failing eyesight prohibits driving.
So, I hope the OP can find a way to use their RV in Mexico, and stay flexible as long as possible, short of finding a satisfactory place to settle. We loved Chapala for 13 years, but, no more.


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## Barb/Ben (Jan 13, 2016)

It's hard for people who aren't familiar with COPD to imagine how much the altitude affects us..our children live in Calgary, Alberta, at 4500 feet, and I have a really hard time breathing there. We are at sea level here in Nova Scotia and are used to the salt air 
The cost of living is very high here in Canada especially now with our dollar crashing.
I want to explore every avenue in Mexico before we leave so that we have a plan (subject to adjustment) and an area to concentate on... guess we'll study the Baja and Pacific coast now.


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

Barb/Ben said:


> It's hard for people who aren't familiar with COPD to imagine how much the altitude affects us..our children live in Calgary, Alberta, at 4500 feet, and I have a really hard time breathing there. We are at sea level here in Nova Scotia and are used to the salt air
> The cost of living is very high here in Canada especially now with our dollar crashing.
> I want to explore every avenue in Mexico before we leave so that we have a plan (subject to adjustment) and an area to concentate on... guess we'll study the Baja and Pacific coast now.


Alamos, Sonora has RV parks and expats, but is a bit remote. Less than 1400' altitude. Also you might look at Todos Santos in southern Baja. On the Pacific side so milder climate, not far from Cabo San Lucas with a good airport. Do you have the Church's Mexican Camping guide? They also have a Baja guide. I gave mine away otherwise I could look something up for you. There's supposed to be a very nice park in Chetumal next to Belize. Online there's a good RV site called "On the Road In" (with an active Facebook group) and RV.net has a huge RV forum with a very active Mexico sub-forum.


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## Barb/Ben (Jan 13, 2016)

Thanks so much for the tips - I have ordered the 2 church books and I'm sure that they will offer lots of good information.


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