Is Ajijic, Mexico a good place to go on vacation?

Question

Are there a lot of Americans? Is it safe and cheap?

Answer 1

As a happy resident of Lakeside, I would beg to differ with the previous posters. There are an estimated 50,000 ex-pats, mostly American and Canadian, living along the north shore of Lake Chapala. It can be as inexpensive or as pricey as you want it to be. There are B & Bs ranging from $35 a night to over a hundred. Two can eat for under $10 or over a hundred. Your choice. There is a low crime rate, but many areas in Mexico have an equally low crime rate.

And there are lots of things to do in and around Ajijic and many day trips to nearby areas as well. There was a recent discussion on the Lake Chapala board when someone asked for ideas for a month long vacation. People came up with hundreds of ideas. Here is a link, click on Web board

http://www.chapala.com/

Get a copy of "The Insider's Guide to Lake Chapala & Ajijic" by Teresa Kendrick and it will tell you everything you need to know.

Answer 2

I have been there and it is a nice place to visit, but to spend your entire vacation there, I do not know...depends on what you like to do. It can be very slow. There a many places that are safe in Mexico. The trick is to play things cautiously wherever you go, especially at night. Check the rainfall history and see if the Lake Chapalla is even drier than before. That will tell you if you can plan on enjoying that aspect or not. if you really wish to see Ajijic, plan on several excursions such as areas and events of Guadalajara. (Tlaquepaque is nice to see) and the main downtown center. Read up on it, fand the surrounding areas for maximum use of your visit.

by the way, Mexico is part of North America. Aren't they Americans too?

Answer 3

If you have friends or family to visit there...ok.  otherwise, no.  It is not a tourist resort...it is a huge American and Canadian retirement place .Wherever there are lots of Americans and Canadians, nothing is cheap.  Just to be sure you know...it is not on the beach.

Answer 4

It's a nice place to retire, but not a lot to do besides hiking, and drinking a beer and looking at the mountains and the lake (you shouldn't swim because of the pollution).  If you're thinking about retirement and want to look at what houses are available, click the first link below and search properties.

A better vacation would be Guadalajara, click the second link to read about 116 things to do and see around Guadalajara.  Then you could take a day and check out Ajijic.

Answer 5

its nice, but not to spend a whole vacation.

Answer 6

Personally, I would mix it in with a couple of days in nearby Guadalajara. The city is a lot more interesting than Ajijic.

Ajijic is very safe. Guadalajara deserves normal big city cautions, but is otherwise a safe city. Violent crime towards gringos is actually fairly rare in Mexico, but non-violent property crime can be a problem.

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In answer to "just a gorilla" comment. It is true that USA co-opted the denonym "American" strictly for their use while it rightfully belongs to the whole hemisphere. However, it is a very old crime. The census bureau uses the term "northern american" which is usually taken to refer to residents of the USA and Canada and Bermuda. Gring-o or Gring-a is usually non-offensive although some people use it to include the white europeans that are increasingly vacationing in Mexico.  Estaunidenses is awkward. It goes back to Ben Franklin's complain the USA was an ugly name for a country. He much preferred Columbia as a name for the new country (i.e. Washington, the District of Columbia). Unfortunately, the argument did not win the day.