# Considering Mexico



## a1adiver (Mar 22, 2016)

I am due to retire soon and considering Mexico as a location to retire. I would like to hear suggestions from people as to locations. We would like to hear about living on or near the beach or the mountains. Both being in the mountains near the beach would be great. Looking forward to your suggestions comments.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

a1adiver said:


> I am due to retire soon and considering Mexico as a location to retire. I would like to hear suggestions from people as to locations. We would like to hear about living on or near the beach or the mountains. Both being in the mountains near the beach would be great. Looking forward to your suggestions comments.


You are going to have to travel around some yourself and choose for yourself. Maybe rent a spell.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

a1adiver said:


> I am due to retire soon and considering Mexico as a location to retire. I would like to hear suggestions from people as to locations. We would like to hear about living on or near the beach or the mountains. Both being in the mountains near the beach would be great. Looking forward to your suggestions comments.


I am also a mountain and beach person as is my spouse. We have been through the adventure you anticipate undergoing soon. Perhaps I can share our experience with You. We reside in a mountainous area that provides reasonably easy access to beach areas with varying characteristics. We can and do drive from our highland home in Southern Mexico alternatively to Caribbean, Gulf or Pacific waters all of which have very different characteristics and all appealing for different reasons. We also live on Mexico's largest natural lake in the highlands of Central México with access to often isolated broad beaches perfect for long homes or running the dogs if you are into that

First, tell me; are you conversant in Spanish? Of not, that may limit your practícal choices. Your finances are none of my business so I will assume that is not an issue


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

chuck846 said:


> You are going to have to travel around some yourself and choose for yourself. Maybe rent a spell.


 I'll second that, it's too big a decision with lots of personal variables. I live on the beach of Colima, a compact state easy to know quickly. For me finances were a concern in that I preferred to retire early. Still get a small oceanfront home in Cuyutlán on a 50' x 150' for $200K U.S., half that a block inland; with the most expensive beach palaces on double lots going for $500K. Expats here were either priced out of Manzanillo or simply prefer a more tranquil environment--somnolent in fact with the notable exception of Easter Week. If you like mountains, Comala is only about an hour away, lovely traditional artsy town that's starting to attract attention of NorthAm retirees. Best wishes.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

a1adiver said:


> Both being in the mountains near the beach would be great. Looking forward to your suggestions comments.


I chose Xalapa, Veracruz (1,400 meters) for this and other reasons. There is a four lane autopista leading from Xalapa to the coast. 40 minutes maybe to the beaches at Chachalacas, a more built up beach area. A few more minuted to Villa Rica where Cortés first landed.

Choice of Xalapa or near by pueblos of Coatepec or Xico.


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## a1adiver (Mar 22, 2016)

*Thanks*

I appreciate the responses. We do plan to rent and stay a while to discover what suits us. In this retirement move, I am 57 and should be retired sometime this year. Finances are dependent upon rental costs, costs of living and/or house purchase. My initial game plan is to eventually purchase home for less than 300K. I would also be interested in any realtor suggestions you may have. Anyone have an idea of the average income for the people living in the area or can you provide me with approximate costs for utilities, food, cable/satellite, internet?


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## dwwhiteside (Apr 17, 2013)

I am also in Colima, actually the northern part of the City of Colima. That makes it about a 30 minute drive to Cuyutlan, the nearest beach, or an hour to Manzanillo for more upscale beach resorts. We're also just about 15 minutes from Comala and 30 minutes or so from even higher elevation places just across the state line in Jalisco.

I do not know about average incomes here. I've heard that Colima is on the high side of average for Mexico. I can tell you that 300K USD, which is about 4.7 million pesos, would buy you a fantastic house here. We live in a very nice, "upper-middle class" neighborhood here where the average house price is probably about 2.2 million pesos or less than $150K USD. Now, there are some really upscale, gated communities around with golf course, etc. that would be considerably more expensive, but probably still within your price range, if that is something more desirable.

When you are able to, after you make at least 5 posts I believe, send me a PM and I will provide you with some details on some furnished accommodations available for short term rental, if you are interested in this part of the country.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

dwwhiteside said:


> I am also in Colima, actually the northern part of the City of Colima. That makes it about a 30 minute drive to Cuyutlan, the nearest beach, or an hour to Manzanillo for more upscale beach resorts. We're also just about 15 minutes from Comala and 30 minutes or so from even higher elevation places just across the state line in Jalisco.
> 
> I do not know about average incomes here. I've heard that Colima is on the high side of average for Mexico. I can tell you that 300K USD, which is about 4.7 million pesos, would buy you a fantastic house here. We live in a very nice, "upper-middle class" neighborhood here where the average house price is probably about 2.2 million pesos or less than $150K USD. Now, there are some really upscale, gated communities around with golf course, etc. that would be considerably more expensive, but probably still within your price range, if that is something more desirable.
> 
> When you are able to, after you make at least 5 posts I believe, send me a PM and I will provide you with some details on some furnished accommodations available for short term rental, if you are interested in this part of the country.


We have only been to Manzanillo once - checking it out for a possible retirement spot - and perhaps it was 10 years ago. But at least when we were there the surf was rather on the rough side (there were no storms or such). Can a person really - sanely - swim in the ocean off Manzanillo ? There were good walking beaches - but they were really steep and it seemed like there was quite a rip tide. Am I being fair ?


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## dwwhiteside (Apr 17, 2013)

chuck846 said:


> We have only been to Manzanillo once - checking it out for a possible retirement spot - and perhaps it was 10 years ago. But at least when we were there the surf was rather on the rough side (there were no storms or such). Can a person really - sanely - swim in the ocean off Manzanillo ? There were good walking beaches - but they were really steep and it seemed like there was quite a rip tide. Am I being fair ?


When we go to Manzanillo it is typically to one of the beach resorts; either Karmina Palace or Las Hadas. Both resorts have nice beaches for swimming but the one at Las Hadas is significantly better. The rip-tide issue is definitely for real although it is better at some times than others. We have not visited any of the public beaches in Manzanillo so I cannot comment on them directly.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

dwwhiteside said:


> When we go to Manzanillo it is typically to one of the beach resorts; either Karmina Palace or Las Hadas. Both resorts have nice beaches for swimming but the one at Las Hadas is significantly better. The rip-tide issue is definitely for real although it is better at some times than others. We have not visited any of the public beaches in Manzanillo so I cannot comment on them directly.


As I remember Barcelo's Karmina Palace - where we stayed - they have a rather small 'cove' for wading. We generally like Barcelo's - but of them all - that one was the worst - but I think we were there mid-week and they didn't offer as much as on the weekends. I remember writing Barcelo and recommending that the staff in Manzanillo be required to intern at the Mayan Palace.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

Off topic question (kind of). We live in the Sierra Madres at about 5900 ft. What is the name of the foothills range (first one inland) that goes all the way from Mexico down through at least Costa Rica on the Pacific side ? Isn't that just about where a person would have to live and still commute reasonably to the beach for a day's outing ? Oaxaca <-> Huatulco is like 5 hours one way, Cuernavaca <-> Acapulco is 3.5 hours or so, Cuernavaca <-> Veracruz is 5 hours.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I would not call a 3 to 5 hour commute to the beach reasonnable. In Puerto Vallarta you can live in the hills and still be near the beach but you do not get the nice climate of the higher altitudes.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

citlali said:


> I would not call a 3 to 5 hour commute to the beach reasonnable. In Puerto Vallarta you can live in the hills and still be near the beach but you do not get the nice climate of the higher altitudes.


Is there any infrastructure in/around Salina Cruz ? That is the nearest built up beach to Chiapis, no ? How long is that commute ? I've been to the beaches on the Pacific coast of Guatemala and they are black sand. Do you know where along the Mexican coast the beach turns black ? I know Huatulco has white sand.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

No the nearest beach is Puerto Arista 2 h from Tuxtla, A rnice road was built a few years ago and it is a h trip from Tuxtla. 
The infrasctructure is really not great. Ther eis one nice hotel in Puerto Arista, or what I consider nice the others are mostly the cheap motel types you see on many beaches.
There is a nice beach, this is what I heard I do not know if it is correct around Puerto Chiapas near Tapachula and you could live in coffee country there on the Tacana flanks and not be too far from a beach.
All the beaches I have been to are black beaches there are many swamps of mangroves and lagunas with sand bars that have some nice hotels, maybe 2 on the whole coast and papala type places and cabañas. The coast is funky and underdevelopped with great seafood shacks,

I have not been on the beach at Salinas Cruz, , I do not like Salinas but there is a beautiful white beach at the end of a dirt road north of there called Playa las jaibas or cangrejos, I forgot. you can rend a cabin there and there are fishing shacks and palapa restaurants and during the wekk no one there but it s further than Puerto Arista.

Again I am not talking about the area near Tapachula I hav not checked but hear nice things about, I have a feeling it is all a question of perspective and the climate in the Soconusco is known as the lobby to hell because of the heat..so not my kind of place.


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