Best place to live in Mexico when its Winter in Canada?

My wife and I are looking at wintering in Mexico for 5 months or so during cold winter here in Canada. We love the ocean as we are both sailors, so renting on or near the ocean is very important. Also we are wanting a community that is away from the average tourist and not too expensive. A place where we don't really need a car. We are a good health and love to walk and or bike. Any recommendations would be most appreciated. Cheers!
Roberto

PS: I cannot find where I should enter my personal profile info. Can someone pls assist. Tks

Hello,
How wonderful that you will be able to be in Mex for the winter!
May I suggest the Emerald Coast (La Costa Esmeralda) of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. It satisfies all of your criteria. It is an out of the way place, safe & tranquil with no malls, no fast food places and no working at a fast rate. :-)
I say this not only because I do have a home for rent in Escondido, also because it is right on the ocean, it is away from the average tourist, it is not too expensive with great food (remember to try the "mole"), it is a place you do not need a car (if you need to, the taxis are pretty cheap (25-35pesos in town) and, like most everyone who comes here, you will fall in love with the place, the people and the personalities. Have a great trip filled with memorable experiences!

Hello good day my name is Ivan, I recommend my city Merida Yucatan where it is 30 min port progress

To rent a nice place on the ocean how much are we looking at in terms of total cost, including utilities? Gracias

Hello Rolllingstone,

To enter your personal profile information i would suggest that you simply click on your username :) you will be redirected to your profile page then, which you can edit :)

Regards,
Gavind

Hola Etira   I would need access to a kitchen  and  could  share some facilities if other  folk are gregarious and also respect privacy.  I have been to San Cristobal de las Casa and as I recall Pt.Esc. was a 6 hour bus journey from there?  How much $ would be amenable to you ?I may  only stay a month if the location is not what I prefer,if acceptable it would be 5-6 months.  Toronto has been growing like crazy, way too many condos and traffic. Harper is not to my liking either. Always exciting though.  Philip

Merida would be my suggestion also to meet all your requirements. It is a large but laid back colonial town near the ocean But far enough from the beach to not suffer as did PV during a severe tropical storm. I live in San Luis Potosi now but even here we received some of the PV rains. Enjoy.

I have to recomend Melaque where I live in southern Jalisco ..... on the beach

Cost is going to depend on your lenght of stay .... so a month is going to be a lot more than 5-6.  Probablly should consider a bungalow with kitchen which you can rent for short periods while you check out the area. Very few places here without a kitchen. Motels and some apartments often have a shared outdoor kitchen

How much are rental houses?

Sounds great!

Make a few trips to Mexico and discover an area you like.  Then try it out. Important also your ability to speak Spanish.

jparson wrote:

How much are rental houses?


From cheap to more than you can afford.   Cheap only with a year lease unless it's a dump

Mexico has many, many beautiful places, and they are very diverse. My favorite would be Huatulco bar none. touristy enough to have a variety of things not normally found in typical villages. Barra De Navidad would be My second best choice. Barra De Navida being more affordable then Huatulco, but not even close to be as expensive then Cancun or Playa del Carmen.
What do you call being a sailor ? Do you own and live aboard, or just rent from time to time.or have a trailer-able week-ender. That also would dictate where best to look. Mazatlan is very touristy, but very boat friendly also. it can be cheap or expensive. From $300 a month to multiple thousands for rent, what do you want a casata or a mansion ? Is Mexico your only option there are other country you could look at Belize nice but very expensive. Guatemala very nice, but not too many beaches. Honduras "Bay Islands"Nice and safe not like the mainland. Nicaragua, dirt cheap but a bit iffy on security except in certain parts.
I love Mexico, But Me I focus on the boating aspect of life, and unfortunately the best places to keep a boat are getting just as expensive as in Canada. In Vancouver I was paying $850.00 a month to moor a 43 footer, now in Isla Mujeres it is the same, so is La Amada, Puerto Juarez is a bit cheaper but not by much.
Send Me your e-mail and We can talk some more.
Ever thought of buying a boat and cruising 6 months a year ?

Where is the best place to stay in Huatulco?

Susan McCrary wrote:

Where is the best place to stay in Huatulco?


Pretty hard to answer without knowing your tastes or budget

The most affordable and still good hotel would be the Castillo, then the Pacific hotel but a bit of a party place with younger people Las Bria's very expensive and a bit of a cattle drive.
PM me for more info. Also the Canadian is good but more expensive than the Castillo.
Good luck

Campeche very nice. Off tourist trail right on Gulfo

Mahahual Costa maya also is a nice place, everything is close and cheap and many retirees live there.

I would second Puerto Escondido especially over Merida! PE is amazing so many beautiful beaches! Merida is a huge, hot, bustling city full of traffic the nearest beach, progresso is not the nicest! Just my two cents!

My family and I have been going to Manzanillo for a long time and I know may people from Canada who have been going there for years.
There are lots for places for sailing and there are many places to go to.
Sightseeing, beaches, ecotours, culture, etc.
If you stay in Manzanillo, you can go to Barra de Navidad, Comala, Colima, and other nearby towns, each one is different from each other.
Visit Trip Advisor for places to stay. I have friends who have been going to Santa Barbara Suites and Hotel for years and they love it. There is a community of Canadians who wouldn't go anywhere else.

Just a reminder.  When considering any Mexican resort or places Mexicans go for holidays, it might be best to schedule your visit for a holiday date to get an idea of how it is getting around at peak times.  Maybe a few days before or a few after to get a feel for the difference.

The main drag in Manzanillo, for instance, was wall to wall congestion on December 28 but very different on Jan 2.

Do you know if this is true of Merida?  I have not yet been there in the summer months.

Forecast for Merida today:
Current temp 82
High 96
Humidity 90-100%
May-June are supposed to be the hottest months.

I'm not aware that Merida is a Semana Santa (Holy Week) or other holiday destination.

www.wunderground.com  for decent forecasts and good weather history.

I would suggest Chelem outside of Merida, capital city of the state of Yucatan.  It is very inexpensive to rent and live there and no need for a car.  Lots of Canadiaans winter there but there are other beach towns less occupied.

The map at the link below shows the geographic relation between Merida/Chelem and where I live in Coatepec.  Coatepec varies between hotter & humider than it used to be versus colder and rainier that ever before.  It's only only 62F at 3PM and likely to rain later today.  We've had temps over 90 and humidity around 100% several times in March.  The rainy season was supposed in November, it didn't.  If you do visit, get the best information on current weather you can if my description is not what you are looking for.

Map