You raise some good points temeculaguy, but we’re not talking about “investing” in Mexico. We’re talking retirement.
I like Zihuatanejo a lot, too. Not Ixtapa, but Zihua. But I tend to like the sleepy places no matter where I go on the planet. I lived in Cabo San Lucas when it only had one paved street and horses and burros wandered through the center of town; it was inconvenient to live there, but I liked it. Don’t like it so much any more, lol.
Mazatlan also has its own gringo newspaper, as do a few other Mexican cities I know of. The place where the most expats live in Mexico is the Guadalajara/Lake Chapala area, by far. (In that area you can own property outright just as you do in the States, whereas along the coasts you own your property via a bank trust; you own it, but the bank holds the title in trust for you for a 50-year period [renewable].)
Retirees need to think in terms of affordability, health care (very important), and preferred lifestyle. In terms of health care, Guadalajara, Mazatlan, PV and Los Cabos stand out. San Carlos/Guyamas is an hour away from a fine health care system in Hermosillo, though it is not “American”, and little San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez side of the Baja has a first class little hospital with the added advantage of being fairly near the California border cities of Calexico and El Centro.
I certainly wouldn’t choose Manzanillo as my preferred vacation spot, but for living it is quite fine. I know that some percentage of PV expats who are disenchanted with how big and crowded PV has gotten are now looking at Manzanillo as an alternative.
Acapulco. Ah, Acapulco. Once the darling of the jet set. Its decline began with the rise of Cancun and Los Cabos, which gave foreigners brand new fancy places to visit. I dislike Cancun, but love Cozumel; dislike Cabo San Lucas but love San Jose del Cabo and the East Cape.
