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RickS

Sep 26, 2011, 9:24 PM

Post #1 of 7 (1706 views)

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San Miguel vs Lake Chapala

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My intent is NOT to get into "I like one better than the other", but......

I have spent many winters in the Lake Chapala area. Love it as far as the climate goes. Coming from Colorado, I can wear shorts and tee-shirts most every day (even though the locals, including some long-term expats are wearing warmer clothes!).

I once visited San Miguel in the winter for a couple of days and found it to be much cooler, even for my thick blood.

My questions: What do you think about the temps in San Miguel, on average, day and night, in December and January?
What about the 'cost' of staying there; short-term housing, eating out, fresh veggies, etc. ?
What about the availability of short term housing (1 month or maybe 2)?
What 'short' trips for sight-seeing are there.... including even staying overnight(s) somewhere of interest?
What am I forgetting to ask?

chinagringo

Sep 27, 2011, 6:57 AM

Post #2 of 7 (1653 views)

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Re: [RickS] San Miguel vs Lake Chapala

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Not being a resident but a visitor to both places, I certainly don't have a "dog in the fight".

"What 'short' trips for sight-seeing are there.... including even staying overnight(s) somewhere of interest?"

To us, the attraction of the Lake Chapala area has been the close proximity to Guadalajara and all that it has to offer. We have been doing that for over ten years but on the other hand, we have only made two trips to San Miguel de Allende, so as amateurs to that area, our observations are that San Miguel offers:
1) More of a true colonial city atmosphere without leaving town.
2) A greater variety of easy day trips to: Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, Queretaro, Bernal, etc
3) More museums and other cultural spots to visit.
4) Greater variety of restaurants and without doing an "apples to apples" comparison, our overall impression is that the restaurants are higher priced.
5) More cultural events

Just prior to our recent trip, I read a Mexican media article which stated that tourism (both foreign and Mexican) had declined 70% since 2007 in San Miguel de Allende. We did see "signs" of this being true with numerous shops and restaurants either not opening on a given day or simply closed for good. Since both of our visits happened in August (2009 & 2011), it was a direct comparison in a month that would probably be defined as off season.

Since I am a member and contributor to TripAdvisor, I receive weekly updates or statistics on just how many people are researching both areas each week. It currently appears that three to five times the number of people are researching San Miguel de Allende versus the Lake Chapala area.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

MsAlex

Oct 9, 2011, 6:07 AM

Post #3 of 7 (1397 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] San Miguel vs Lake Chapala

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I've lived in both San Miguel (for three months) and the Lake Chapala area (for 9 months). Some distinct advantages I've found in living at Lake Chapala is that the Guadalajara Airport (which has lots of conveniently scheduled flights, including non-stops) is only 30 minutes away (from where I live in Ajijic). There is good medical care here locally, but what is even more important to us is knowing that world-class-quality medical care is available in Guadalajara, just an hour away, in case anything really serious happens. There are all the cultural and culinary adventures you might want available in Guadalajara as well.

The superiority of the weather around the lake is an open and shut case: It's truly amazing and is the best in this hemisphere (and the 2nd best in the world, according to National Geographic). Life is also less expensive at Lakeside than in SMA, whether you are looking at long term or short term costs. Great day trips: How about going out to the town of Tequila? They have a tourist train that goes out there, or you can do your own tour by car (sort of like wine tasting in Napa, except it's tequila). Besides Tequila, which is a Pueblo Magico, there are three other very nice Pueblos Magicos I've visited, any of which would be good as a day trip or for the weekend. They are Tapalpa (my favorite), Comala (near Colima) and Mazamitla. And let's not forget that the beach is about 3 1/2 hours away too. (I've known people here to do house-trades for the week or weekend for beach houses from Manzanillo up to Sayulita. Beach people like to come here as a base, from which they can do a lot of shopping, especially in Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque or Tonola -- all of which are good day trips too!)

Lastly, let me mention that before I got here, I had heard a lot of negative things (mostly while I was in SMA) about what living at Lake Chapala is like. I have traveled throughout Mexico over the past decades, and have lived in less gringo-ized Patzcuaro for a year too. My observation is that while there are a lot of gringos here in Ajijic (at Lake Chapala), it is still a "Mexican town". It hasn't been transformed to be some sort of Sarasota-on-the-lake. Although it is true that there are people here who would not be comfortable living in parts of Mexico where there is less of an expat-support structure, I think the same thing can be said about SMA.

One thing that having a large, diversified expat population does do however, is give you options -- socially speaking. ALL the people here aren't going to be of interest to you. However, if you hang out here for any time at all, it is amazing how quickly you find a lot of friends.

That's my "two cents" on the subject! Other opinions may vary.

:)
Alex

cookj5

Oct 9, 2011, 2:05 PM

Post #4 of 7 (1320 views)

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Re: [RickS] San Miguel vs Lake Chapala

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In Reply To

RickS, My wife and I have lived full-time in Ajijic at Lake Chapala for 4.5 years. We considered San Miguel Allende (SMA) as an alternative but decided the costs and the climate were better here. No doubt you will hear from others with different opinions. We also like living in a semi-rural (but still very cosmopolitan) village setting, while being only 1 hour away from the conveniences and activity of a major city and 30 minutes from an international airport. All that said, we loved SMA when we visited. Its large and well-preserved Centro Historico is lovely and fascinating and there are lots of wonderful art galleries and restaurants.

As to places to go while there:

1)You can arrange for tours to outlying ex-haciendas and old colonial convents if that tweaks your interest.

2) For stuff to see and do in SMA you might check out my photojournal blog, Jim and Carole's Mexico Adventure. I have a series of posts on SMA that you might find interesting and fun.

3) In addition, if you look further in the Index of Topics in the blog home page, you will find Guanajuato and Queretaro, two cities within an hour or two of SMA that are also full of wonderful stuff: art, architecture, museums, ruins, great restaurants and hotels, etc. Here is the link:
http://cookjmex.blogspot.com/

robt65

Oct 9, 2011, 4:05 PM

Post #5 of 7 (1281 views)

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Re: [MsAlex] San Miguel vs Lake Chapala

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Hello MsAlex,

I cannot make a comparison of Lake Chapala or SMA for living expierences and even if I could as I have tried to do in other cities that I have visited or lived in for some time in Mexico, I probably would not, as one can certainly find unique characteristics in one city (or region) that the other would not have and vice versa. I can say with experience, that I would much rather use the Queretaro International Airport for NOB destinations, and it does have excellent facilities. It is very easily reached from SMA without even entering the large and sometimes traffic clogged city of Queretaro. The QIA is only a short drive, a little southeast of Queretaro and makes it a really relaxed drive to catch a flight of which there are a good number of everyday.

Having had some experience working at both Medical clinics and one hospital in Queretaro, I fine the medical community in Queretaro quite excellent, especially in different specialties. Grant you Guadalajara is the Medical Hub of Mexico, but Queretaro is not to be dismissed so easily. There is certainly a fair amount of excellent hospital beds available, as well as specialists that compare favorably with Guadalajara in Queretaro. True some of these specialists split their time between both Mexico City and Queretaro and between Guadalajara and Queretaro, but they are the same doctors with the same excellent quality.

I grant you that Guadalajara (and therefore also Lake Chapala) is certainly closer to many fine beaches and Queretaro (ergo SMA) is not, and there are for sure some good trades persons of a higher number in Guadalajara, but I also think that in time and as needed those numbers would probably change. Something called "supply and demand" . . . . smiling In short, in my humble opinion both SMA and Lake Chapala areas are each close to two excellent larger cities in which each have their own distinct pluses and minuses.

Regards,
robt65

MsAlex

Oct 9, 2011, 4:55 PM

Post #6 of 7 (1269 views)

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Re: [robt65] San Miguel vs Lake Chapala

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I don't mean to dismiss Queretaro at all! It's absolutely one of my favorite Mexican cities. I especially love the plazas and the restaurants there.

I do believe however that as Guadalajara is Mexico's second largest city, its airport offers more available flights up north, especially to those flying toward the west.

This is not a contest among cities. It's just interesting to point out the things we like or appreciate. It's all part of our adventure in finding new niches in Mexico. It's a process worth enjoying. There is SOoooooo much of Mexico to enjoy. :)

Alex

robt65

Oct 9, 2011, 6:56 PM

Post #7 of 7 (1238 views)

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Re: [MsAlex] San Miguel vs Lake Chapala

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I agree MsAlex,

I also did not take it as a dismissal of Queretaro at all. So many people that view these posts do not have the firs hand knowledge of the airports that maybe you and I have. I will also agree that the airport has many more flights heading West than Queretaro, but then again (I would imagine solely do to geography) a great many flights from QRO to the East coast.

I also remember at the time I lived in San Diego several years ago, I would much rather have used the San Diego Airport than LAX even though there were fewer choices. After all, many connections went through LAX and with much less hassle (at the time) leaving from the smaller airport in S.D. than trying to drive up to LAX. Personally I dislike flying a lot, from anywhere these days! The time spent before the flight and after the flight exhaust a traveler.

After a while you will get to know me. I just shoot from the hip, without any offences meant at all.

You said: "This is not a contest among cities. It's just interesting to point out the things we like or appreciate. It's all part of our adventure in finding new niches in Mexico. It's a process worth enjoying. There is SOoooooo much of Mexico to enjoy."

I never took it as a contest, just pointing out differences that were not previously mentioned. My feelings exactly, of what I appreciate about Queretaro, over Guadalajara.

Regards,
robt65