NARROWING OUR SEARCH FOR A RETIREMENT HOME IN MEXICO: San Carlos? or Mazatlan, Maybe?

How Did We Decide When We Enjoy So Many Places?

Totonaka RV Park Cactus Garden in San Carlos

      Jon and I made one big decision about our retirement during the past year while we lived full-time in our motorhome: We were ready to choose our favorite city in Mexico and settle down. We were tired of driving the motorhome long distances around Mexico. In addition, the cost of gasoline and the wear and tear on the motorhome were cutting into our funds. We needed to narrow our search for our retirement home and choose one, but we had so many favorites in Mexico. Where would we begin?

     We listed our top nine choices for our future home and started discussing the pros and cons of each. We decided to start evaluating the first two cities that we always stop at as we leave Tucson, Arizona and head south along the west side of mainland Mexico, San Carlos and Mazatlán. As we talked about our good memories of each of these towns, we decided to list the “Pros and Cons” of each and we knew that our decision would come clear.

San Carlos, Sonora
     San Carlos is a resort town on the Sea of Cortez, about 265 miles south of Nogales, Arizona. When we drove into Mexico in our motorhome, this was always our first stop, with Totonaka RV Park our destination. Often when we arrived in November, the weather was too cool for us, rarely reaching 70 degrees. When we reached San Carlos just before Christmas in 2014, the weather was perfect! On Christmas day, the sky was blue, the temperature was 75 ° F and the breeze was light. It was my kind of winter day! In November 2015, though the sky was clear blue and sunny, we couldn’t get warm enough, especially when we were sitting on the beach at one of our favorite hangouts, the Soggy Peso Bar. We enjoyed watching the kite-surfers, but the wind coming off the sea was cold. The water was even colder and the surfers had to wear wetsuits to stay warm enough. We had no desire to swim in the water on either side of San Carlos. The small resort town of San Carlos, in the state of Sonora, was always a peaceful, beautiful place to spend our first week in Mexico, but we started to think it was not warm enough for us to choose to retire there.
     To read more, click this link:  http://retirementbeforetheageof59.blogspot.com/2016/04/narrowing-our-search-for-retirement.html

Mazatlan Beach on a Quiet Day

Mazatlán, Sinoloa

   We love Mazatlán! We could definitely envision living there for nine to ten months of each year. Is this the city we will ultimately choose as our retirement home?

     Jon and I usually go to Mazatlán once each year and often twice. Each time we visit, we fall in love with this city. But this was not always the case. The first time we were there I disliked our experience so much that I told Jon, “I never want to go back to that place again”. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we were only there for one afternoon as a port stop on a Mexican cruise. Cruises really don’t give a fair exposure to cities. That’s part of why we no longer take cruises.

     We found that when we stayed in Mazatlán for at least two weeks in a stretch, we had time to get our fill of relaxing on the beach and people watching and then strike out to explore the real city. That’s when we found out how beautiful the Historic District is, how exceptional the Malecón (the promenade along the ocean) is, how many good restaurants there are, and how much music and entertainment there is to choose from. The Pacific Ocean off Mazatlán is generally warm and mellow enough that we could boogie-board there, but not smooth enough to do Stand Up Paddleboard. The opportunities for exercise are very good. The city has an exceptionally good bus system. Health care is good and inexpensive. We felt safe walking, even at night, in the Golden Zone and usually walked to and from restaurants in that area for dinner. Shopping for groceries and supplies is convenient, whether in the downtown market, neighborhood tiendas, or supermarkets such as Wal-Mart or Mega.

     To read more, click this link:  http://retirementbeforetheageof59.blogspot.com/2016/04/narrowing-our-search-for-retirement.html

Plaza Machado in Mazatlan's Historic District

     To read more about cities in Mexico that we have traveled to in our search for our retirement home, take a look at my ebook, available on Amazon.com, by clicking this link:  "Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico" eBook available on Amazon.com

Cover Photo of La Mujer Mazatleca in Mazatlan