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Ajijic/Chapala subdivisions


ccw

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Hello all.

My wife and I are from Baltimore MD and will be visiting Lakeside in February 2018. I found an incredible online map of all the villages, subdivisions, streets.  I have a question below that my be too broad for simple answers:

Can everyone give me comments or feedback on subdivisions in Ajijic and Chapala?  We are looking for a quiet neighborhood, 2-3 bedroom, house (maybe a closed apt), reliable internet, garden, possible access to a pool. We will not have a car. 12 month rental around $1100. I am not looking for specific rentals, just areas to research.

Thanks, CCW

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3 minutes ago, ccw said:

Hello all.

My wife and I are from Baltimore MD and will be visiting Lakeside in February 2018. I found an incredible online map of all the villages, subdivisions, streets.  I have a question below that my be too broad for simple answers:

Can everyone give me comments or feedback on subdivisions in Ajijic and Chapala?  We are looking for a quiet neighborhood, 2-3 bedroom, house (maybe a closed apt), reliable internet, garden, possible access to a pool. We will not have a car. 12 month rental around $1100. I am not looking for specific rentals, just areas to research.

Thanks, CCW

I suggest you do some Googling re real estate in the various towns.  That way, you'll get an idea of the differences.  You can also Google Rental Agencies.

Unless you want to live in a gated community, the towns around  Lake Chapala are characterized by large, beautiful properties which may be next door to a very sorry dwelling and everything in between.  Most neighborhoods that are not near the main road running from Chapala to Jocotepec are reasonably quiet except of the various festivals.

Mexicans love their fireworks, and the festivals are good and noisy.  You can beat 'em with ear plugs or you can go on down and join 'em!

Welcome.

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I have been googling real estate in Chapala and Ajijic until my head hurts...lol.

When I find listings, I do not know which areas may fit my needs (Villa Nova/La Floresta, Rancho Del Oreo..etc). We would like to be connected to the culture.

 

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What I recommend you do is come down and stay a week or so in a hotel and get to know the area a little better.  But February may be a difficult month to find that perfect rental since that is considered high season here.  And if the winter is anything like this summer has been like we may very well see a dramatic increase of visitors and newbies.  It seems like so many people, of lately, are curiously trying to get out of Dodge for some reason.

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16 minutes ago, ccw said:

This will be our first trip and we will be staying for 2 weeks to research. We don't plan on renting until the end of 2018.

I am going to resist making a comment on the snarky suggestion one poster made, based on knowing little or nothing about you.  Hard to resist.:rolleyes:

Here's a hotel suggestion that will put you right on the lake in a quiet neighborhood where, if you're reasonably mobile, you can walk to everything:  Hotel Nueva Posada in Ajijic, with an upstairs roon with a lake view.  I stayed there during house renovations for several weeks.  Very pleasant, quiet, and although the food is not the finest in town, it's good enough and the setting is lovely.  Breakfast is included.  February is a very busy month, so early reservations are suggested.  On the 10th, there is a great two day event called "Open Studios" where you can visit artist's homes and studios all over the area and have a good opportunity to get some one on one feedback since they are a friendly bunch.

Good luck!

 

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Mirasol is good, right outside San Antonio. Convenient, mixed neighborhood so you have a middle class Mexican experience. Sometimes kids play in the streets, they ride bikes, chase balls. We walk our dogs on the streets, etc. Walking distance to WalMart and Laguna Mall. Bus stop right near the subdivision entrance. Between Chapala and Ajijic.

 

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CCW, if you live in Mexico, you are connected to the culture.

I, too, would say to ignore the snarky comment.

Connection to culture means many things to many people. YOU get to decide what it means for you. Perhaps you will want to volunteer at one of the many charities, perhaps you want to just observe some of the fiestas.

Exposure to culture does NOT mean you must live in a barrio and have chickens roaming the streets, feral cats and fighting dogs out and about. You can, if that pleases you.

You can have a high end experience, as many financially well off Mexicans do. You can come by helicopter and bring your security guards.

You can have a middle class life, as I chose. My neighbors are Mexican and Gringo. Some are retired professors and teachers, some are working airline pilots. Some are doctors, some own restaurants, some live here part time. some live here permanently. Some are from Europe, some from the US, some from Canada, some were born Lakeside, some came from Mexico City, some from Asia.

You can choose a simpler life, a smaller house, less amenities. 

The beauty is that YOU GET TO CHOOSE ! Come down and investigate. No other way to find out.

 

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1 hour ago, ccw said:

This will be our first trip and we will be staying for 2 weeks to research. We don't plan on renting until the end of 2018.

LaFloresta is a great location and area for a first time visit to lakeside and from which to check out lakeside areas for long term. A very popular area. You are doing your homework. Good for you.

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22 minutes ago, Al Berca said:

LaFloresta is a great location and area for a first time visit to lakeside and from which to check out lakeside areas for long term. A very popular area. You are doing your homework. Good for you.

It is a beautiful area with tree lined streets.  You picked a good place.

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I chose lower Chula Vista when I first moved here--La Floresta is similar--both prevent excessive culture shock, as one does not have to realize "Oh, God, I'm in Mexico" until one drives out of the fracionamiento. I love quiet, so this was perfect for me. If you like a livelier atmosphere, and more variation in residents, the village of Ajijic may suit you. You did not mention whether you speak Spanish--I did not, and I found it friendlier in a gringo enclave. Living in the village of Ajijic is fun, it is multi-cultural, but I would not have done well with all the noise of peddlers coming around, roosters crowing--I am very noise-sensitive. Take your time and find what works for YOU.

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Being in La Floresta, you will get a taste of life without car. It is 2.4 K from SuperLake to Aquiles Seradan, western part of Ajijic Village. La Floresta, depending on where you are, at the traffic lights, would be about 1/3 the way to SuperLake and 2/3 the way to Aquiles Seradan. And that is at the traffic lights and some variable distance from lower or upper LF to get to the carretera. There are reportedly 3 or 4 Uber drivers lakeside, with me being the 4th or 5th although I haven't signed in yet to drive! There will be people who say you can get along nicely here without a car but they would be the first ones to admit they hitch rides with others to Costco, etc.

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I live here without a car. Occasionally I ride to CostCo with my neighbors who have a car. They have the car, I have the CostCo card. Works out all around. Now, we use the Lakeside Shopping Service and it definitely curtails that impulse buying !

We chose a location with easy access to the bus. That is usually my mode of transportation. I can walk to WalMart or ride the bus, and take a taxi back with a full trunk. I walk to Riberas and SuperLake, too. For visits to GDL, I know how to take a bus from Chapala and take taxis in the city. For the airport, I have a regular driver, and for major DR appointments when I can't take the bus, I have the same driver.

Living without a car can be done, and it isn't that hard. We had no car for 11 years before we came here, so it was not a big deal. We certainly do miss the marvelous train system of Tokyo, but that was another world and a long time ago now. As we age, we are considering a golf cart, as from where we live, we can get many, many places by the back roads. 

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Wow,, this is a lot of information that helps. My wife lives at Costco so we will be hitching a lot of rides!

My wife will be doing telecommuting from home so a reliable, semi fast internet will be needed. I know we cant get the connection we have here (125mbps). I am sure we will need around 10mbps for her to work.

I have been reading a lot about the buses and the routes they take. I am building up a lot of notes here.

Thanks.

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47 minutes ago, ccw said:

Wow,, this is a lot of information that helps. My wife lives at Costco so we will be hitching a lot of rides!

My wife will be doing telecommuting from home so a reliable, semi fast internet will be needed. I know we cant get the connection we have here (125mbps). I am sure we will need around 10mbps for her to work.

I have been reading a lot about the buses and the routes they take. I am building up a lot of notes here.

Thanks.

10 mbps internet will probably be the the first filter then for locations. That is fairly restrictive. If you check the forum, you can see us complaining from various areas about how lousy our broadband is. One community or part of a community can be poor,  down to 1-3 mps, and then a couple streets over might be terrific.

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I think you have to start your quest by coming here first and driving around to all the different areas. Then ask questions and the answers will have much more meaning for you. Your quality of life will be much lower without a car.

 

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