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Seeking advice prior to visiting Ajijic


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Hello,

My wife and I live in the US.  She is a Mexican citizen and I am a US citizen. We are planning to drive to Mexico for the first time so that she can visit her family in San Augustin and I would like to rent a place in Ajijic for a month.  I feel renting in Ajijic would allow me to be able to go do things without having to drive, take the bus, or need to be fluent in Spanish while she is off spending time with her family.  I will do things with her family as well, just not every day.

Our initial plans were to come in April/May but that changed to June which is why I am looking to the board for advice.

1.  I know June is considered rainy season and I don't mind the rain, but is the rain constant such that you cant go out and do anything or is the rain just from afternoon thunderstorms moving through the area?

2.  If you could put off your trip until a later time due to the rains, would you?  (I am not into doing a bunch of tourist type stuff, mostly just hanging out and seeing some sights here and there and relaxing / rain isn't a concern for the wife).

3.  Due to the rainy season, if June were our only option for travel, would we better off looking for a place to stay on the outskirts of Guadalajara or near Santa Anita or does the rain affect basically the entire area?

4.  What is  a realistic drive time from Ajijic to San Augustin?  Not having driven the route before, I am open to all recommendations.

I am open to any and all thoughts and advice you may have for this first time road tripper so please type away.

Thank you for taking the time to read and provide advice.

Have a good day.

 

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San Augustin should be less than an hour drive from Ajijic, via Tlajomulco de Zuñiga.

The rainy season at Lake Chapala begins in mid-June, but the vast majority of the rain occurs at night, allowing you to enjoy the daytime outside.  It seldom interferes with planned activities. That might not be the case on the other side of the mountain, closer to Guadalajara, where it may rain in the daytime more frequently.

Enjoy your visit.

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We picked June for our very first exploratory visit to Lake Chapala. As the previous poster mentioned it basically rained during the night. And was nice during the day. That was 11 years ago. We have been living here 10 years now. The weather has changed some and in my opinion we have more rainy/cloudy days during the rainy season. But I still feelbthat this is the best climate for us.

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I think you will find that many full-timers here really look forward to the rainy season and think it is the best time of the year.

As previously stated, the rain happens mostly at night and the lightning and thunder are great shows.

Find a place where you can walk into the village and get around and enjoy it.

Have a great time

 

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Also, renting in the 'off season' at Lake Chapala will be no problem as there will be many furnished places that would like to have you for the month. No real reason to try and get a place before you land there either (as there might would be if you were coming in the winter).

 

 

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4 hours ago, kiowa58d said:

  I know June is considered rainy season and I don't mind the rain, but is the rain constant such that you cant go out and do anything or is the rain just from afternoon thunderstorms moving through the area?

2.  If you could put off your trip until a later time due to the rains, would you?  (I am not into doing a bunch of tourist type stuff, mostly just hanging out and seeing some sights here and there and relaxing / rain isn't a concern for the wife).

3.  Due to the rainy season, if June were our only option for travel, would we better off looking for a place to stay on the outskirts of Guadalajara or near Santa Anita or does the rain affect basically the entire area?

Hi Kiowa, and welcome to the board. I'll add my 2 cents...

1. June is traditionally the month when weather transitions from dry to rainy, although rumbles and showers can start (and have already) in May. The mountains usually start greening in late June after we've had some rain. So weather might be a bit variable while you're here. Don't worry about rain spoiling any plans. As others have said, it TENDS to rain mostly at night and maybe early morning, but things clear off and dry out in the afternoon. So when it's raining you get a freshly washed day to enjoy, with sunshine later on. Not a hard and fast rule, of course, but...

2. NO, I'd never put off a trip here because of rain. We love the rainy season! It can make things a little exciting at night when you're trying to sleep if a storm kicks up, but you can always siesta during the day if you have to get up and close windows in the middle of the night. :D

3. I'm not sure, but I think when it's rainy, the weather pattern covers a fairly wide area around here. Some other areas might get more rain during daytime than we do, but I'm not sure. Again, don't let the rain concern you or change your plans. 

We have lived here for nearly 4 years now... pretty new by some standards. The long-time folks may have more input for you. If you'd like to check some historical weather info, the site in Riberas has data for a few years. Check them out: http://www.chapalaweather.net/

A couple of our villages have fiestas for their patron saints in June... you may want to check those out. Here's an article about Summer festivals, and you can find an event calendar elsewhere on this same website: http://www.ajijicnews.com/pages/ajijic_summer_fiesta

Enjoy your stay!

Heather

 

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The first half of June is still part of the dry hot season. Rains begin in the middle of the month usually at midnight on the last day of the San Antonio Fiestas Patronales (tongue only partly inserted in cheek).  It rains for a few minutes or an hour or so each day then stops. All local earthlings then get happy. 

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19 hours ago, bontepar said:

Do not forget to get your TIP temporary import permit for your car and RETURN IT! when you leave.

Many toll roads do not accept credit cards an do not accept Dollars, be prepared with cash..Pesos.

Have a nice trip!

First few hundred miles in Mexico on the toll roads use to take dollars at a very bad exchange rate.   Get Pesos from bank if possible.

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Hello All.  Thank you very much for taking the time to read and respond to my questions.  Definitely received some advice I had not considered which will make our trip easier.

 

RickS mentioned that we should just wait until arriving and then rent a place since it will be the off season and there should be plenty of rentals available.  We intended to set something up ahead of time through Vacation Rental By Owner but of course it would be better to see a place in person prior to paying.  

Does anyone else recommend this and if so, could you suggest a few property management companies?  This website has rentals but not for only a monthly terms.

 

Thank you!!!!!!

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2 hours ago, kiowa58d said:

Hello All.  Thank you very much for taking the time to read and respond to my questions.  Definitely received some advice I had not considered which will make our trip easier.

 

RickS mentioned that we should just wait until arriving and then rent a place since it will be the off season and there should be plenty of rentals available.  We intended to set something up ahead of time through Vacation Rental By Owner but of course it would be better to see a place in person prior to paying.  

Does anyone else recommend this and if so, could you suggest a few property management companies?  This website has rentals but not for only a monthly terms.

 

Thank you!!!!!!

Very much agree with RickS, and we have lived here 18 years. I would spend 2-3 days in a B&B, or hotel and check the bulletin boards at SuperLake and the Lake Chapala Society and be sure to make a lower counter offer, as that is how things are done here, as everything is over priced. If you must put up a deposit, chances are you may never get it back, so do your best to NOT to pay any deposit.

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Use VRBO, or check the internet for a B&B (there are many) and let that be your base of operations while looking.

I have not had the experiences HUD has.  I have put up security deposits, plus first and last month rents, but have always gotten all my deposits back upon leaving.  It will depend upon the landlord.  If you do a lease it should be in Spanish & English, but should be identical.  I had Spencer's office review both of my leases before signing.  Never had any problems.  Had Mexican landlords both times and never had any problems and all problems with the houses were taken care of according to the lease provisions.

I will add that I may have been fortunate as there are numerous instances of people having problems with landlords and tons of horror stories with both Mexican and Gringo landlords, so just be careful.

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It basically depends on how much you want to spend, generally speaking the houses you find on-line tend to be much higher on the price scale then if you were here in person checking the bulletin boards or walking the streets looking for se renta signs.  Walking the streets is where you can get the best deals.  Remember Chapala is just down the road, it is bigger and flatter than Ajijic, with wider streets for much easier walking and has much cheaper rentals.  Another good thing to point out is that it is very easy to find the perfect house which could easily be in a not-so-good location when you are looking on-line, since you might not be very well aware of the geography and the layout of the different neighborhoods.  Houses always look different in pictures than they look in real life!

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There is also a lot to be said for using the services of a respected rental agency.  Chances are better that you and your landlord will have a solid contract, an arms-length relationship and repairs will be done when needed..  I have used Roma Property Management in Ajijic and everything went smoothly.

Making a blanket statement such as Bigd;s" I would spend 2-3 days in a B&B, or hotel and check the bulletin boards at SuperLake and the Lake Chapala Society and be sure to make a lower counter offer, as that is how things are done here, as everything is over priced. If you must put up a deposit, chances are you may never get it back, so do your best to NOT to pay any deposit." is simply not accurate.

When dealing with a rental agency, the price is usually the price and reflects similar ones across the area.  No landlord with any business sense is going to let a tenant move into the property without a deposit, either.  We have all heard the horror stories about bad tenants and the destruction derby they can create.  My neighbor rented her casita with a "no pets" caveat and "no painting without landlord permission". In fact, two noisy barkers appeared, along with a full "nursery rhyme" themed wall mural.  She had a real learning experience in getting them out.  Next time, she went with an agent.

 

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Also, as unbelievable as it may sound, it is true that we get the bulk of our rain at night and the early hours of the day or late evening.  Sometimes when we get hurricanes on the coast, it will change our weather up a bit and cause it to be misty and sprinkle during the day but the heavy rain usually comes mostly at night! 

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2 minutes ago, dichosalocura said:

Also, as unbelievable as it may sound, it is true that we get the bulk of our rain at night and the early hours of the day or late evening.  Sometimes when we get hurricanes on the coast, it will change our weather up a bit and cause it to be misty and sprinkle during the day but the heavy rain usually comes mostly at night! 

...and the amazing thing is that it's true.  Almost Camelot.  If you're lucky and have a covered outdoor area, it's a real pleasure to sit out on a summer evening (May is summer) and enjoy watching and hearing the rain fall.

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Another cool thing is, instead of seeing violent lightening rip across the sky like I always remember seeing it back in North Carolina, here it tends to be more like a light show, you see repeated flashes in all directions of the sky lightening up back to back.  Its weird, different ,and cool!

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14 hours ago, dichosalocura said:

I think Gringal was referring to the weather, I don't think she was opining on the condition of the roads or opining on the local garbage pick up waist management services.  Just the weather!

Just the weather, folks..........just the weather.  Someone else will have to be in charge of the bitchin and moaning about the rest of it.:rolleyes:

(I'm assuming most people have heard the line from "Camelot":  "it only rains at night in Camelot".....si?  There's no record about garbage pickup or road maintenance in Arthurian times.  Probably disgusting conditions)

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