Glad you found it helpful. We’d love to hear where you decide to go.

Couldn’t agree more with all you’ve said. After our initial six month visit to Mexico in 2013 we knew we were in love and would keep returning. We’ve been back several times since and have explored much of this amazing and diverse country and have never had any major issues. There’s crime all over the world and Mexico is no exception but in our experience, it’s nothing like the US media portrays. As with anywhere you go that is unfamiliar it’s always good to do your research and be aware of any situations or locations that may be best avoided…it’s just common sense.

Mexico is a beautiful country with so much to offer and it’s our absolute pleasure to tell the world!

We’re hoping to make it to the Lake District on our next visit to England. We’ve heard it’s absolutely beautiful!

The sad thing is that as was stated above the animals are mainly sent to Canada. This is because residents of the United States are petrified unnecessarily of Mexico but the Canadians do not get the same media generally and therefore when you go to a tourist area in Mexico you will see many more Canadians than US citizens despite there being almost 10 times as many US residents than Canadians. As I have been there almost 10 times and have ventured far and wide around Mexico I have not had any issues regarding safety. Going to Mexico is like anywhere else…if you look for trouble it will find you so you use your head and not draw in problems. The issues you heard of on the US news are the drug cartels killing one another. Are you going to join a drug cartel? Welll….you will be fine. When I was at a lounge in our hotel in Mexico in the evening we met some tourists (I forget if they were US or Canadians) they almost fell on the floor when we told them we just got back from a day trip to a small town down the road…and loved the trip! they were astonished we went beyond the gates of the hotel compound. Um….that was why we went to Mexico!!!! You don’t leave your brain at the border and you will be fine.

As far as costs…if you stay in the tourist areas you could see prices almost equal to the US but once you literally go 2-3 blocks off the ocean or the water or where the center of activity is located you will see prices at about half to possibly less for everything. There are several vloggers who are traveling all over Mexico and posting their adventures on youtube…including prices. Go search for “Mexico vlog” and see what they see through their youtube accounts. And as a side note we ARE moving to Puerto Vallarta as we are building a home there in 2-3 years. We are looking for a seriously improved quality of life in every aspect and yes it is just a 3 hour flight to several major US airports if we truly need (but we see no reason why) to return to the US for potential family issues. We will be spending FAR less….living in a bigger home….eating out more often and doing more adventures than we could ever do in the US….and we generally are able to retire while in the US we were not able to retire as comfortably.

Vacationing in Mexico is a slam dunk….do it! Just like any vacation research activities….study the map…know where things are…look at youtube tourist videos and if you can learn a little Spanish it will make life easier but you don’t need more than the basic 20-30 sentences…and if you are going to a tourist location you don’t need Spanish.

I definitely think PV is more liveable than Playa although I do love them both. Old Town is awesome but tends to be more expensive and gets really busy in high season. It’s a great choice for a vacation but when we stay in PV longer term we prefer to be a bit outside of the centro and zona romantica for cheaper rent and a less touristy neighborhood. Our last long term rental was in Palmar de Aramara and we found it to be very central and convenient but also quiet and with local neighbors which was nice.

Question. Obviously I’m not going to ask you where you live in PV, but what area would you suggest I start looking that’s quieter. I’m thinking Old Town, but that’s from a vacation point of view. Stay in the hotel/marina area last time, nice – but seems more transient – like only there for the winter expats. What area would you suggest?

Any suggestions on expat meet ups for book clubs? Learning Spanish places?

Thanks!

I completely understand your dilemma and Dubrovnik is definitely a very special place. However, with only 4 nights I’m confident in saying that Split is the right choice.

Thanks for the feedback Craig! We love this hike and are looking forward to doing it again in a couple of months so will update the conditions.

So much more than I expected!

No we didn’t. Will have to put it on our list for our next trip!

:) Thanks and bookmarked