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Herman

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Go to Charter Club Tours (IMHO the best travel agency here) and take the 1-day tour around the Lake -- it is well worth it and gives you a real overview of the Lake Chapala area (starting early in the morning in one of the poorer pueblos and ending up on the other side of the Lake where the pelicans feed around 4 pm if there are still any around).  It is a great tour stopping at a nice restaurante for lunch (not included in price).

I personally would not advise driving rental car in Guadalajara -- just my opinion.  Good for getting around Lakeside though.

Balenarios in San Juan Cosala for the day is a must.

Have fun....

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Speaking of Charter Tours:  Every time a NOB relative or friend visits us for the first time, we line them up with the Sunday Charter Tour of historic Guadalajara, which introduces them to a new idea of Mexico than they've heard of back home.  The tour around the lake Dancing Queen suggested is another good one.

I also like the Mezcala island tour, with the good Italian food on the way home.

 

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We try to take visitors to the mountain town of Mazamitla. Look around see the alpine like cabins and houses which are quite a change from here. With lunch this will be 6 hours or so. We take them to the town of Tequila for a Curevo tour and a side trip to Magdalena to see the opals and beautiful obsidian. This is an all day sucker. Leave at 7:30 and get home around 18:30 hrs. The zoo in Guadalajara is really nice and lunch at the zoo snack bar on the edge of a great barranca (canyon) with nice vistas. We always get in a trip to Liberatad Mercado with a walk to the Cabanas to see the murals it's a good day trip as well. When we were first here we would drive to Guadalajara on Sunday morning (the traffic less intimadating) and learn the city this way. There is a Sunday Morning Antiques market in the center of the avienda on the "Neutral Ground" as thery say in New Orleans, on Avienda Mexico at the corner with Chapalita. There are some good little neighborhood rest close by for lunch.

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Please please re-consider the Danza!!!   Our first trip to Ajijic for 7 weeks we were booked there!  It has lovely grounds, is spacious and yet is still a dump if you are from CA or the USA      There was no lampshades, black mould in the bathroom, no mattress covers, worn stained couches, stained and pitted MELMAC for dishes..ugh...and pots.  Not even a match to light the gas stove to make coffee water...in a fry pan....the first day with my own one cup coffee filter system!!  Front desk spoke non or little English and were rude!  I wanted to go home every day...even if I lost my money!  

Luckily for us...maybe not them..haha..but Canadians came along and wanted to see our apt.  Later they became our still to this day good friends, and they rescued us literally from never returning to Ajijic!  They drove us to GDL, we bought tea towels and dishes for 3....wine supplies, etc etc.  

We would not have returned ever had they not stepped up.   Our travel agent went to bat for us and we got $50CA each when we returned for the supplies we had to purchase just to make it liveable to our standards!  The pool is lovely, but after a weekend when many Mexicans come here, it is beyond use....and garbage spread all around.   We never went to the pool on a weekend!  Mel's restaurant used to be on the premises which saved us also, run by Canadians who were very helpful too.

Things may have improved, but I felt I should warn you...they staged a lovely apt/hotel picture for us too, but the suites were nothing like the staged photos.  Our agent in Canada was appalled too.   Please re-consider.  

But here we are now 10 years later owners of a luxury condo on the mountain side and happy to spend 6 months a year here.  All thanks to our 'rescuers'....now friends....because the Danza could have changed our plans forever!!  All of the posts above recommend great ideas to learn and see the area, explore well future rental or owning property before you commit.  Get good legal advise too.      Please PM me if you need further info.....   Good Luck.....

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Agreed!  Stay at one of the BnBs in Ajijic!   Drive to Joco and Chapala and check them out.  Also, check out the shopping in the many mini malls and the larger ones such as Plaza Interlago and Centro Laguna.  Also, visit the "gringo grocery" SuperLake and the shops nearby.

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Don't forget to check out some of the suburban communities here. Some of the gated ones might not let you in. Ask a realtor to leave your name at the gate for a property you might be interested in, but at this stage you do not need a showing, just want to drive by, get a feel for the community. It might work, it might not - this is Mexico, anything can happen - anything.

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6 hours ago, El Saltos said:

Agreed!  Stay at one of the BnBs in Ajijic!   Drive to Joco and Chapala and check them out.  Also, check out the shopping in the many mini malls and the larger ones such as Plaza Interlago and Centro Laguna.  Also, visit the "gringo grocery" SuperLake and the shops nearby.

 

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You all missed the best thing here, the Ajijic malecon.  It is magnificent in the morning and evening before the sun is over the lake and when the sun is just coming over the lake as well as the sun sets;

This year we have seen a double rainbow come from behind Mt Garcia and across the lake ending by the rock mountain on the north side.

We also saw the volcano erupting behind Mt Garcia.  It was awesome.

GO to the malecon during the weekday mornings.

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Charter club is good for newbies.  Once you have lived here you will realize they specialize in newcomers or visitors. For the area they are expensive.  As to driving in Guadalajara unless you are from a small town and have never driven in a large city then do not go otherwise it is no problem.  Easy to drive to Tonala and Tlaquepaque.  We drove there while visiting here for the first time and yes with a rented car.  Do not be afraid. It is a wonderful place.

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1 hour ago, Herman said:

Any hotel recommendations?

Yes, please check out Casa Flores guest house. It is lovely and run by Steve and Fernando who give so much back to our community. Also, Steve is a realtor and give you lots of good information. The property is in a great area just a few blocks from the main Ajijic Plaza. If you are coming soon it will be off season, so be sure to ask for an off season rate. 

http://www.casafloresajijic.com/

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