Author Archives: Thomas Lloyd

Do You Want to See More of Coco Beach? Community Gallery, Part II

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A couple of weeks ago, Tom shared an introduction of Coco Beach, with a description of this beautiful and trendy new beachfront neighborhood just at the north end of downtown; of course, Coco Beach itself – i.e. the actual beachfront – is simply gorgeous!

 

This is one of my favorite communities in town – trendy and modern, yet relaxing and picturesque, happening and “hip,” yet quiet and residential.  Fifth Avenue and Playa’s main shopping and dining a very close – you can easily walk. It’s simply a place I love to go for a stroll, enjoy a coffee or a nice lunch, head to the beach and relax! Today I want to share another set of pictures.

 

Top Beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

Top Beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

Top Beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

Top Beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

Top Beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

Top Beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

I hope you enjoyed seeing these pictures as much as I enjoy visiting Coco Beach!

 

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Splendid Beach Views! Wouldn’t You Like to Be in Playa?

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I’ve heard that in Ontario, they’re getting cold rain on top of a couple of feet of snow – lots of slush, and mucky water …

 

Just as a little antidote for anyone who happens to be enjoying such lovely weather, here are some pictures of Paradise – Playa del Carmen’s lovely beachfront:

 

White, sandy beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

White, sandy beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

White, sandy beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

White, sandy beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

White, sandy beaches in Playa del Carmen

 

White, sandy beaches in Playa del Carmen

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Art, Crafts and Local Shops on Playa del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue – In Pictures

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Part of the charm of Playa del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue is that alongside of international restaurants, upscale boutiques and trendy bars, there are local artists working on site, handmade crafts from local artisans and small shops selling a variety of items.

 

The following are some pictures I took a while back.  Enjoy!

 

The first is a picture of an artist, working with spray paint! It’s nice to be able to buy art directly from the artist, and know that the cash is supporting local creativity:

 

Living in Playa del Carmen

 

This shop sells hand-made local artisan blankets, scarves and panchos:

 

Living in Playa del Carmen

 

And finally, here is a cowboy boot shop:

 

Living in Playa del Carmen

 

Living in Playa del Carmen

 

TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely

 

First Time Mexico Real Estate Buyer – 7 Steps

Living in Mexico Tip – Should I Eat in the Local Restaurants?

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Living in Playa del Carmen
When it comes to food and traveling, the rule for tourists is pretty clear; stick to the restaurants in the resort/hotel or the bigger, nicer restaurants in the tourist areas.  No need to spoil the vacation because you got sick from eating in a sketchy little restaurant.  After all, even in the nicer places, prices are still excellent compared to back home!

 

However, once you actually settle down and begin living in Mexico as a retiree, either full time or part time on the longer term, it’s nice to try something different, something a bit more adventurous.  Most people know that you can find nice little gems in the local restaurants with excellent food and even lower prices.

 

The question is: How do you know which ones are good?  How do you know you won’t get sick?

 

While trial and error may not be the most appealing approach (and could leave you shut in your home when you should be out enjoying the beach), there are tips you can follow, such as the following:Living in Playa del Carmen

    • Ask other expats. Word spreads, and most expats have their regular hang-outs that usually NOT the main tourist spots.  In most communities where there are expats, a good portion of them will be adventurous; they’ll already have been out there and discovered which places have good food. Why reinvent the wheel?
    • Ask Mexicans. Once you get to know Mexican neighbors and you know their individual tastes, ask them for suggestions.  They’ll usually know a good number of local places and can even suggest less commonly known Mexican food.  Many Mexicans will even err on the side of caution when making recommendations to Americans and Canadians.
    • Look it up on the Internet.  While the smallest places won’t be online, sites like TripAdvisor or Foursquare include reports for surprisingly unknown places.  As I said, adventurers are everywhere, and these days most of them can post on the internet instantly.

Living in Playa del Carmen

  • Look at the crowd. In all likelihood, if a restaurant, cafe, bar or even taco stand is full of people every day, it’s probably safe.  If there are regular problems, word spreads quickly and people stop going.  This isn’t a guarantee, but if you’re just walking by on the street and you’re hungry for that taco, it can be one indication.

 

 

Of course, now and then a random adventure can be a fun way of being the first among the expat crowd to discover a great place for enchiladas; especially for new places that are just opening, sometimes it’s not a bad idea to give them a chance.  You might do best leaving the more adventurous undertakings for later on, once you know your community and have a better feel of how things work (or know at least basic Spanish.)

 

The bottom line is that you can try restaurants, cafes, etc., that are not on the main tourist strip, and do so pretty safely.

 

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Life on Fifth Avenue, Playa del Carmen

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I always say if a picture is worth a thousand words, than a video is worth a thousand pictures.  We’ve written about Fifth Avenue a few times, and even shared a video (see Out and About in Playa: Fifth Avenue – New Video Tour of Dining and Nightlife!).  Today I’d like to share another video.  A few people in the office put this together for Quadra Alea Condos, a beautiful, spacious condo complex downtown; the video is great for anyone interested in life on Playa’s Fifth Avenue.

 

Just remember: Everything in the video is within a short walking distance downtown!

 


(If you can’t see the video, click here.)

I hope you enjoyed watching it as much as we did making it … and hopefully, you will soon be enjoying Fifth Avenue in person!

 

TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely

 

Mexico Condo Hotel Kit

Mexican Food, The Spice of Life! What’s Your Favorite Mexican Food?

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Mexican foodPersonally, I love Mexican food! While there are dozens of other important reasons that motivated me to make Mexico my home, the great food here is most certainly near the top of the list!

 

If I had to choose one favorite, I’d be kind of hard pressed – I love tamales, sopa azteca (a kind of “tortilla soup”,) pozole (another kind of soup), enchiladas … the list could go on.

 

Now for the important part: What’s your favorite Mexican food? Take a couple of minutes to complete this survey, and then see what other people have said:

 

(If you can’t see the survey, click here.)

 

Well, this has all made me a little hungry; I think I’m going for some tacos now

 

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Cuernavaca -The City of Eternal Spring

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As I mentioned on Friday (in my post about Tepoztlan,) last week I had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful city of Cuernavaca.  The city is located about an hour south of Mexico City.  I used to visit this city now and then back when I lived in Mexico City.

 

Cuernavaca has a small but beautiful colonial city center, and the entire city is defined by traditional Mexican architecture, fountains, parks and plenty of trees and green areas.  With warm, sunny days (almost always!) and comfortably cool evenings, it really deserves the name of “city of eternal spring” as many Mexicans know it.  The steep, hilly landscape marked with many buildings made of volcanic stone make the views of the city very picturesque!

 

The following are some pictures. Enjoy!

To start off, these two pictures are of the hotel where I stayed:

 

 

This is the main city square …

 

… and the main gazebo in the adjoining park:

 

Hernan Cortez, the famous Conquistador of central Mexico, built a palace in Cuernavaca, which still stands in the heart of the city and is now a museum:

 

These two are typical colonial streets in the old town:

 

 

This is one of the many beautiful old churches:

 

Fountains like this adorn many corners, parks and streets:

 

If you ever get a chance to do some sight-seeing in Cuernavaca, I suggest you do so!

 

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The Village of Tepoztlan – Part 2: Markets, Shops and Cobblestone Roads

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living in MexicoEarlier today, I wrote about the village of Tepoztlan, a truly magical village just south of Mexico City – an area which I just happen to be visiting right now for my work with AMPI. I focused on the hill with the mysterious ancient pyramid on top and the old convent.  I would also like to share a bit more about the town itself.

 

Living in MexicoThe Town

The main street and a few of the roads surrounding the convent are the center of the town, with artisan shops, colorful restaurants and cafes.  The cobble-stone streets of the entire town are lined with adobe-brick houses with red, clay-tile roofs.  The town is worth walking through just to enjoy the picturesque scenery and quaint atmosphere.

Living in Mexico

The Market

Another feature of the town center is the market, which is located right next to the church.  While it is probably the least picturesque part of the village, there is something very attractive about.  Living in MexicoVendors offer very fresh and tasty fruit and vegetables at amazing prices.  There is also an area where they prepare food, and you can enjoy everything from quesadillas to roasted grasshoppers, to full meals of traditional Mexican dishes like “mole” (a think black sauce that is both spicy and sweet usually served over chicken.)

 

Living in Mexico

 

One of my personal favorites is mushroom quesadillas; all the tortillas are freshly hand made.  There are also some shops that sell charcoal roasted chicken and rabbit.

 

 

While I’ve never seen a UFO or had a witch put a spell on me here, I most certainly feel a different kind of magic standing on the pyramid overlooking the town, seeing the centuries-old paintings in the convent and church, walking in the streets of the town or just enjoying good food!

 

 

Living in Mexico

 

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The Village of Tepoztlan – Part 1: UFOs, Witches and Convents

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Living in MexicoJust yesterday, I arrived here in Cuernavaca (a beautiful colonial city about 1 hour south of Mexico City). While the trip is for the swearing-in ceremony for the 2013 board of directors of AMPI (the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals), being back here in central Mexico reminds me of some of my favorite places that I used to visit.

 

Living in MexicoOne of those places is the village of Tepoztlan, about 30 minutes east of Cuernavaca, or about 45 minutes south of Mexico City.  This village is nestled in the rugged hills that separate the capital from the state of Morelos, where both Cuernavaca and Tepoztlan are located.

 

The Mysterious Pyramid on the Hillside

Tepoztlan has been named one of Mexico’s official “Magic Towns” (I believe there are about 30-35 of them these days.)

living in Mexico

The people of the village really seem to feel there is something magic about the hill just at the edge of town with the ruins of an ancient pyramid on top of it;

UFO sightings abound, and many people who live at the base of the hill report hearing strange noises or even seeing unusual characters lurking about at night.

 

One friend said it is the place where “UFOs and witches live in happy harmony.”

 

Living in Mexico

Coming back to reality, there is something magical about climbing up the narrow stairs which wind their way up the hillside through a narrow gully to the old pyramid; from there the view of the village and surrounding hills is absolutely breathtaking!

 

The Convent

There also definitely is something magical (in another sense of the word) about visiting and walking through the streets of this village.

Living in Mexico

The town center is defined by a beautiful old convent which is now a museum; it is worth visiting both for the historical information about the village and area, and to see the grand stone architecture; in recent years, some original frescos on the walls have been uncovered that are also an interesting glimpse of the past.

 

Living in MexicoThe church itself, which is attached to the convent, is a beautifully maintained colonial church, complete with original decoration, which has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Tomorrow I will share a bit more about the town itself.

 

TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely

 

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La Ceiba Park – Where Jungle and Community Meet

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Living in Playa del CarmenJust on the other side of the federal highway in Playa del Carmen there is a beautiful little park known as “La Ceiba”, or “Parque la Ceiba,” its full name in Spanish.  I’ve written about this park before – Top 5 Places to Experience the Day of the Dead, for example.

 

The park is very natural, preserving the area’s original vegetation and landscaping; at the same time, trails, playgrounds and other community spaces make the park a central part of Playa del Carmen’s community life, as well as the many cultural events which are hosted there.

 
The following are a few of the features and events to be found in Parque la Ceiba.

 

Cafe –  There is a nice little out-door cafe which sells a variety of drinks and snacks, and offers a very pleasant, relaxing atmosphere.

Theater – There is an outdoor theater where plays and presentations are made.

 

Weekly Market – Every Saturday there is a “tianguis” where natural food and local arts and crafts are sold.

 

Day of the Dead – Every year at the beginning of November, Parque La Ceiba hosts a series of events to celebrate Mexico’s Day of the Dead (which coincides with Halloween but lasts longer and has much deeper cultural roots.)

 

 

Recycling Drop-Off – For many expats, the lack of recycling collection in Playa del Carmen (as well as other parts of Mexico) can be frustrating.  This park has a drop-off center making it easier for residents to be environmentally responsible.

 

Plant Nursery – Besides the natural vegetation, which covers about 75% of the park, there is an area where plants native to the area are grown and potted to be sold.  Residents do well buying these plants because they are the most suited to the area’s soil and climate, and grow very well.

 

Living in Playa del CarmenAnnual Xcaret Market – Xcaret is a nearby theme park focusing on Mexico’s culture and history; every year they have a market in which they sell out the previous year’s left-over stock.  There are some great deals on very nice clothes!

 

Many Cultural Events – There are many monthly, annual and one-time events offering things to buy and close contact with the area’s rich culture.

 

Living in Playa del CarmenI look forward to posting more about specific events and visits in La Ceiba.  It’s certainly one of my favorite places just to walk around or sit down and relax in a very natural setting while the kids enjoy playing!

 

 

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