Chapala has two old hotels with colorful history. The Nido Hotel, founded in the early 1910s, once housed vacationing elite from all parts of Jalisco. The Villa Monte Carlo, built on a small bluff overlooking the Lake, was once a summertime retreat for former president Porfirio Diaz.

Chapala has several banks, several travel bureaus, an investment company, and the oldest real estate firm in the entire area. Downtown is where almost all economic transactions are made, with people coming from all the villages to do business.

It is also the main seat of government for several Lakeside villages. Inside the township's colonial building are housed almost all of the agencies and departments that administer the legal, civic and ecological life of the area.

Chapala boasts several medical clinics, some featuring the latest and most modern diagnostic equipment. The Red Cross clinic and ambulance service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for medical emergencies. Moreover, Lakeside has a few outstanding retirement homes, with round-the-clock medical assistance available.

For sports enthusiasts, Chapala has a yacht club, several good tennis courts, a few beautifully maintained soccer fields and a bullring, as well as fully-equipped health clubs. In recent years, the citizens of Mexico have become much more health conscious, and the town of Chapala reflects this new trend.

Near the lakeshore sits a quaint quay that sports several of the best seafood restaurants in all of Mexico.

The new and the old are harmoniously integrated in Chapala, and it is not unusual to find a modern facility nestled in between two stately residences whose histories go back several hundred years. The past is well preserved, and hints of village history can be found around nearly every corner.

One example is the former home of the novelist, D.H. Lawrence, who resided here in the early 20s, during the time he was writing one of his most celebrated novels, The Plumed Serpent. Today, the house is one of the best bed and breakfast establishments in Mexico.

Another impressive residence (the three-story red house seen at the top of this article) is the former home of the Braniff family. Built around the turn of the century by the scion of the family who later would establish one of the largest airlines in the United States, it is today a fashionable restaurant.