Best small-medium sized Mexican town to winter in

There are lots of small to medium sized towns that are interesting.

I would examine your health care needs closely.  It sounds like you have some chronic condition, perhaps?

The best health care is going to be in the bigger cities.  Mexico City and Guadalajara both have an excellent hospital, for instance. It isn't that Mexico has poor health care, it's just that it isn't so universally available. So you will have to balance your health care needs with the size of the city in mind.

I would check out San Miguel de Allende.  It is a smaller town in the central highlands, with a great climate and a large expat population.

Not far from there are Guanajuato and Queretaro, both great cities.

A little farther south and west, Patzquaro is an interesting place. It is still in the highlands with a cool climate, but more rainfall occurs there, and it is blessed with an almost alpine environment.  By that, I mean that conifers are the dominant tree type.  I like this town for it's lack of expats. It is a popular tourist destination for Mexican tourists, but has been unaffected by outside tourism and has an "authentic" feel, if you will.

I have spent a great deal of time in Mexico, but nearly all of it was spent in the central highlands.  Hope this helps.

Thanks mjplatt for your reply. Yes I do have chronic health conditions so I need to be in close enough to doctors to have easy and affordable access to them. In spite of these conditions I'm still reasonably healthy and very mobile. I've looked in to St. Miguel quite a bit and must admit it looks great but it seems to be more spendy than some other places I could live that also have the colonial feel. Is it close to good doctors? The other cities you mention, Guanajuato & Quertaro as well as Patzquero, I've done a bit of research on and all seem interesting. One of my health conditions makes it very important that I locate in a warm climate...not too cool. So I'm not sure how cool it gets there when you say it's cool in the highlands? 70-80's during the day and not below 50 at night sounds pretty comfortable to me. Patzquero seems intriguing to me since it has fewer ex-pats but from what I read it may not have very easy access to healthcare? If you have anymore to add please feel free to share.

Gracias

In the highland area of central Mexico the daytime temps in the summer are in the 70's with an occasional day in the low 80's.  In the winter months the nighttime temps are usually low 60's to low 50's and a couple of nights will plunge into the mid 40's.

The areas with the most expats will always be the priciest places. 

My choice would be either Patzquaro, for it's local flavor, or Guanajuato for it's vibrant nature.

Guanajuato has two hospitals, that I know of, one near the central district, not far from the Mercado.

I think a road trip is in order for you.  Spend several days in each town, do a lot of walking, and ask lots of questions.  It is impossible to get too specific from an arm chair perspective, if you know  what I mean.

If those places seem too cold for your condition, consider the Pacific coast. The area surrounding Puerto Vallarta is mountainous and you can live on the beach or choose a higher elevation to moderate the summer heat.

Sounds like very good advice. This winter I'm spending 2 months in Costa Rica to get away from the cold, my first time there. Who knows maybe I'll fall in love with CR. It is however a very long way away, flying time due to poor connections from Oregon. I also have a soft spot in my heart for Mexico, even though I've never been there. I have quite a few Latino friends here who are from Mexico.

Good luck with your search.

If you have any questions, my email is: [email protected]

I sometimes go for long periods of not being on the blogs.

Feel free to email me directly.

Milton

San Miguel, Guanajuato, and similar altitude places can get gold in the winter. I have scraped frost from the windshield serveral times, had to wear a winter coat when going out to dinner (typically at an open aired restaurant, and slept under multiple blankets.

I'd suggest checking out the Puerto Vallarta area - they have serveral good hospitals and once outside of the main town, e.g. Pittial, Mezcales, and to some extent Bucerias. You won't feel that you are in an expat or tourist area but you'll still be close to good medical facilities.

Thanks jhaslewood for your suggestion. It does make sense at least temperature wise but I'm wondering about affordability. Looks like I'll have about $1,000 a month to live off of and that's with trying to save a little.

jhaslewood makes a good point. And I don't think the prices are going to be any higher in PV unless you want to stay in a trendy area

There's only one place in my view - San Miguel de Allende. I am moving there myself. It's probably easier for you to Google it than me to go into great details.

It has a very small town feel and the center of all activities is El Jardin in the center of town. Expats tend to meet there in the mornings and then later in the day you find more locals. The expats only make up about 10 per cent of the population but they are all around and are mostly people with intellectual and artistic leanings.

Property is pretty cheap and you get a lot more bang for your buck.

The locals are the friendliest of people but you'll need to spruce up or learn a little Spanish. You might want to consider doing a course at one of the many language schools.

And of course I shouldn't forget the many, many festivals. There is always some thing going on. The biggest month for that is September when there is literally something going on every day in El Jardin.

You don't need a car. Taxis are abundant and cheap but you mostly need them if you are being lazy. When I lived in the Atascadero area I used them a lot because its a tough hill climb whereas my fiance never used them. This time I stayed in El Centro because I wanted to be closer to the action and neever used a cab once.

They say Mexicans are noisy but this is a very quiet, relaxed town. I have travelled all over the world and this is where I have chosen to settle.

Well. Have I sold you on it?

By the way don't consider going until April because at this time of year it is very difficult to get a house rental or a hotel room. I don't know why. I think people prefer the climate at this time when it's cooler than summer. But summer is not so terribly hot and in September you can be assured of a refreshing downpour every afternoon which usually lasts about an hour.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Oops I just reread your posting and see that I missed a couple of things. Obviously Spanish is not a problem and I missed that you want to winter there only so just make sure you make a rental early.

Also there is an excellent hospital in SMA where most of the expats go. It has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years and has virtually every specialty covered.

Hi,
In my opinion Mazatlan is the best spot, has all the big city benifits but still a great coastal spot, great medical care and a lot of expats already living here, especially from your part of the world! Look into it, certainly worth your while!
Chers Andy

San Miguel de Allende is a truly magnificent location, and is becoming a locale of choice for American and Canadian expats. There is a highly developed infrastructure that supports a very large and sophisticated English speaking community here. Culture abounds, and there is extremely active social calendar. There are easily forty or more art galleries in town. The climate is among the best, with warm, dry temperatures year round. Real estate here is among the most beautiful in the world, and your dollar can buy you so much more house than in North America.

I lead exciting home buyer trips to San Miguel. Join me on one of these exciting tours to view and buy real estate in San Miguel.

Living In San Miguel

HI - folks, she says she has 1000 a month to live on, I highly doubt if that is possible in upscale San Miguel! It is chilly in winter, I was there a long time ago when it was affordable and I huddled by the fireplace in the evening - I am actually trying to find a place myself right now for immediately - I put an ad in but no one replied - I am not well and need to be warm and that is a real problem in Mexico, there is no heating and it is really quite cold (I dont like super hot either, and in any case the hot places are really busy and expensive in winter!) - I was in San Cristobal last winter and struggled, and I remember seeing pictures in the paper of people in DF bundled up in winter coats - My cousin was working there and said it was hard on her - So...her concerns are real - I am wondering about Guanajuato - what are the temps, and is it really so vibrant?? thanks, Jean

By the way, no one has mentioned San Cristobal - one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico, it has a great cultural life and has a small but nice expat community - is it because you doubt that there is good health care? that might be true! However, Chiapas is wonderful and you are near Guatemala - so it should be on the list of wonderful medium size towns - with cold winters of course!

Guanajuato is about the same temp as San Miguel. I have spent time there both in Summer and Winter.
It does get cold at night. I usually need a sweater or light jacket. Another poster said they saw frost, but I never did. Just the luck of the draw, I imagine.

Best advice is to spend time down there in several locations in the highlands and on the coasts and get a feel for what you like.

Asking people what the best town is in Mexico is like asking them what the best town in the USA is....how many different answers do you think you would get?

I can say this, it would be wise to ignore posts from people who are in the business of selling real estate.

So save up some cash, rent short term, and explore.

A sensible reply indeed! thanks for my part - in any case, I am pretty dependent at the moment on the offerings on craigslist, and Guanajuato does not have much! have a good day...

Another city people like a lot that has not been suggested is Oaxaca - just to put it on the list - It is cooi there in winter although warmer than San Cristobal - However southern Mexico being less developed than northern Mexico, the health care situation might not be as good, I dont know - Just thought I would mention it, while we are making a list! A long windy but scenic road leads to beaches that are becoming very popular and are less pricey than the famous ones - And of course who would be tempted by Oaxacan cuisine, esp those fried grasshoppers and iguana tamales?

I meant to put a not in there but since I was being ironic, the truth came out right away -However adventurous eaters might - enjoy the adventure! And Oaxaca does have a great cuisine, and the hot chocolate is yummy!

I want to thank everyone for their input. I'm sure it's true that I ultimately need to spend time down there exploring different areas. None-the-less I appreciate those who have taken time to be a part of this dialogue.

BTW...maybe I forgot to mention that I'll be leaving soon to spend 2 months in Costa Rica. Never been there before either so maybe I'll fall in love with it. The one drawback is that it's so very far, flying distance, and rather expensive to get there and back from Oregon.

You are BY NO MEANS restricted to Craig's List for places to stay.
Google Mexico and the name of the city or town and you will find more listings than you can ever imagine.  If you want to stay cheaply, Google "Hostels" or try this link for starters:

vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/mexico

Here is a link for the place where I stay in San Miguel most of the time when I go there:

tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g151932-d779888-Reviews-Casa_de_la_O-San_Miguel_de_Allende_Central_Mexico_and_Gulf_Coast.html

It was $40 per night per person, including breakfast, two years ago, but the prices may have crept up a bit.
Not the cheapest, but not stupidly expensive. All rooms have fireplaces. Lilia, the owner, is great.

Cheap monthly rents in real apartments and houses are very very rarely found on google - there are mostly expensive vacation rentals - 40 or 50 a night comes to 1200 to 1500 dollars a month, way beyond my means. plus where is the kitchen so I can eat what and when I want to? (I hate hotels and restaurants, by the way)  I am a very experienced traveler so I know what I am talking about! Sometimes agents like those on Lake Atitlan have monthly rentals, yes, but there are very few of those around, believe me! I have looked and looked, in Mexico it is mostly big fancy gringo vacation villas that show up, and believe me, if I could afford them, I would cruise freely where I wished!
No, it is not so easy - Knowing someone helps. For instance, when I was thinking of San Cristobal, a friend already there told me about some local Mexican agents and I wrote them - but they do not turn up online on a google search! And I ended up renting through someone...on craigslist...as I did when later on I went to Tepoztlan, after searching vainly on google  - I am talking 500 rather than 2000 a month. and these people generally don't have websites...they go on craigslist! Of course there are exceptions; the article in this blog on Catemoco shows up online - but trust me, someone who looks and looks a lot: google is for the well off, which unfortunately I am not!

You don't need a vacation rental, just a clean room. A youth hostel would work if you want to live on the cheap while you look. The best deals are usually word of mouth. I wasn't trying to imply you seek long term Rentals (not even a full month) on these sites and agree that most of the stuff is too pricey.

I have located numerous hotels that were spartan, but clean by searching on Google. I usually budget about $30 to $35 per night, but try to beat that when I can. For instance, in the historic area of Mexico City, I have stayed in Casa de Los Amigos, which is operated by the Quakers. If memory serves, it was about $7 per night. Two more dollars got you breakfast. That was for a bed in a dorm room. They had several private rooms for a higher cost. Maximum allowed stay was two weeks. They host and support peace activists and humanitarian aid workers.

These places will let you stretch your stay while you are exploring and looking for longer term arrangements.
More permanent housing is best pursued on the ground, not through any sort of Internet site.

In Mexico, I have also never had a problem just walking the streets, backpack and all and finding numerous acceptable places to hang my hat.

Hi Milton - I just checked your profile to see your age! You sound like a youngster with your backpack - I could never stay in a dorm room but I do like the idea of staying in special places with good vibes - Of course one can always find cheap hotels but as I said I hate not having kitchen facilities -for short term I look sometimes for hostels with such - but I have really moved around a bit too much recently to enjoy such a prospect - I sort of did what you mentioned in Bulgaria this spring, for instance, improvising - but Bulgaria is cheaper than Mexico! (Is it the expats driving up prices in Mexico?)  Anyway I like landing in a temporary home and have had luck with craigslist in the past, in various parts of the world (they love it in Budapest and Istanbul, for example, there are tons of offers, much more than in Latin America) - Right now I need a rest so I am looking for that - and some warmth of course. Well, wish me luck! have a good day, Jean