Looking for advice during our first visit to Chapala.

We are soon coming down for our first visit. We will be in town the 3rd week of April staying at the Lake Chapala Inn. We would like to get some recommendations on restaurants, bars and things to do within walking distance of the hotel. We are eager to meet other expats while we are in town and figure that hanging out at the preferred establishments would be a good place to start. Also, we are very interested in checking out Ajijic but would need transportation to get there. We have read of safety problems with Taxi drivers in other parts of Mexico. Are they safe in the area? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I wouldn't worry about safety problems with the taxis here,but you should settle on a fare before you get in the taxi.

viajero wrote:I wouldn't worry about safety problems with the taxis here,but you should settle on a fare before you get in the taxi.

Or at least don't be afraid to argue. A trip from anywhere in Chapala to anywhere else in town shouldn't cost more than about 40 pesos. If you go to San Antonio, maybe 50-60. Walmart or Ajijic, 60-70. Add at least 10 pesos after dark.

There are a few decent places in Chapala to eat, depending on your mood. There are some nice little restaurants in the plaza for lunch. Cucumbers comes to mind. Coffee Hour has decent food (just don't order the hamburger imo) and probably the best coffee in town. Great desserts too. Lots of folks, including yours truly, hang out there. I hear the Beer Garden has good burgers, but they are bit more pricy. At the end of the malecon are several more expensive restaurants. I've eaten at Cozumels and the food there is good. Also entertaining, as you can people watch. La Oficina has good food, but they may only server dinner club people, honestly not sure. Don't worry, there will be plenty to do and see while you're here. Also, don't be afraid to stop by the American Legion on Saturday if you like fish, or Sunday if you like a hamburger. They serve food every weekday till 3 as well, including a pretty decent American-style breakfast.

No reason to not take the bus to visit Ajijic during the day and early evening.
Hard to get lost as the big buses just go back and forth along the lake and the
little buses turn off the highway and go down into the villages and back up
to the same highway. Walk to the bus station in Chapala and say Ajijic and
they will give you a piece of paper with time and bus no. Bus shows up get
on and get off at the downtown Ajijic station. Be glad to give you a tour and
show you a few things you normally can't see. PM me for more info. Enjoy
your visit.

Z

Bajavet wrote:We are soon coming down for our first visit. We will be in town the 3rd week of April staying at the Lake Chapala Inn. We would like to get some recommendations on restaurants, bars and things to do within walking distance of the hotel. We are eager to meet other expats while we are in town and figure that hanging out at the preferred establishments would be a good place to start. Also, we are very interested in checking out Ajijic but would need transportation to get there. We have read of safety problems with Taxi drivers in other parts of Mexico. Are they safe in the area? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

If you're coming from the GDL airport and taking a taxi to Chapala, you'll see a taxi booth in the international arrivals area. You'll tell them your destination and be given a ticket. Take the ticket outside and show it to the guy who is directing the taxi traffic. The fare is not negotiable at the airport.

As far as taking a taxi from Chapala to Ajijic, there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Like someone else said, just get a firm price before entering the taxi. You might want to consider the bus. I think it's about 6 pesos and there's one every 10 minutes or so.

recommend Il Giardino, about 1/2 block north of the plaza, west side. Open air seating, lots of steps to the top, good ribs, good hamburgers, good fries.Also Superior's, at the main light in Chapala
Never had any problems with taxi's, buses are certainly cheaper and you get a tour of all the places.

Zedinmexico wrote:

... on and get off at the downtown Ajijic station. Be glad to give you a tour and
show you a few things you normally can't see. PM me for more info. Enjoy
your visit.

Z

Where's the bus station in Ajijic? I've never seen one.

Not really a station. Just a room on the carretera a few doors west of Colon on the lake side. There's a board on the wall with the schedule on it. I don't think I've ever seen anyone actually inside the room.

Go out the door of your hotel on the lakefront any morning Mon-Sat after 7:30 AM and walk to the left to the corner in front of the Beer Garden. There's a group of gringo morning dog walkers/chatters sitting or standing around there, many of whom have lived here up to 15 years, and they're a great bunch to ask questions of. They're a very friendly bunch and love to have new visitors join them...you can also get invited along to their routine group restaurant forays throughout the week so you can get to know the community at the same time.

Thanks for all of the great advice. We will also spend some nights in Ajijic at the Real de Chapala. Is there any night life around there? If so, where are the recommended hang outs?

We stayed at Real de Chapala our first time down. Just an FYI - there is a big jug of "safe water" in the bathroom - use it for brushing your teeth and drinking. DO NOT drink the tap water there! The breakfasts are good and the waiters delightful. Also, even though the voltage is the same as US, you do need a prong adapter. They sometimes have them at the front desk. Check out the Lake Chapala Society for events and get togethers, plus it's a beautiful property.

Bajavet wrote:Thanks for all of the great advice. We will also spend some nights in Ajijic at the Real de Chapala. Is there any night life around there? If so, where are the recommended hang outs?

real de chapala is in la floresta and there ain't nothing around it,cancel that if ya can and stay put. in any event, your home base is only 5 miles away from ajijic and as others have said-ya kin bus it. my wife does it all the time.
alicia that runs lake chapala inn is mexican canadian and actually lived in etobicoke,ontario where i spent my formative years. we also stayed there in 2000 when we came here to scope things out. our house is about 300 yards west of there. i have invited a few like you to mi casa and given them the lay of the land according to pedro,right juanrey?
bonus,yer a biker too.
added: they're too young for lake chapala society. the water anywhere is just fine fer brushing unless yer a bubble boy/girl. i got lotsa 3 prong converters to 2 prong so i'll give ya one if ya need it.

Real de Chapala hops on week-end when the Tapatios are in town. It is pretty quiet during the week. It is a nice place to stay,and you can walk around that pretty area or walk to the plaza in Ajiic.

Try differnt place do not stay put in one area, this is how you find out what you like.
Stop by the Lake Chapala Society and decide for yourself if it is for you, you will meet people there too.

we have a 70 year old female friend that power walks to chapala from mid ajijic about 3 times a week but look at these people brigitt. and read what they wrote before. they ain't old and they ride motos fer thousands of miles.
if they're only gonna be here fer 3 weeks,they only need one home base ta check out all kindsa things . good grief it's only a 25 minute ride to jocotepec on a bad day fer me on my moto and 17 minutes to mezcala the other way.
they have coldwell banker real estate right across the road from the inn and i'm sure butch harbin wouldn't mind taking them to a few places as i would as well. don't need ta do things yer old folks way-now do they?

It is not a question of age. If you change hotel change scenary you meet different people and that what I expect people who want to see the area and have different types of experiences to do. Don´t you?
Staying put in one area is boring no matter what area it is. Hell they can even stay in Guadalajara and meet people there too or spend time at the beach.

Pedro wrote: i have invited a few like you to mi casa and given them the lay of the land according to pedro,right juanrey?
bonus,yer a biker too.
added: they're too young for lake chapala society. the water anywhere is just fine fer brushing unless yer a bubble boy/girl. i got lotsa 3 prong converters to 2 prong so i'll give ya one if ya need it.

Correcto Sr. Pedro, met you and your lovely wife, and look I've been here for 21 months already.

Bus and Taxi, meet as many people as possible, have a realtor run you around to the various places to live, eat well, drink plenty of margaritas and have a good time. If it works for you, you will know it, if it doesn't you will know that also.

Not mentioned thus far are my two favorite restaurants in Chapala: José's just to the south of the Mercado across from Cucumber's and El Zapote on Morelos just around the corner.

José's is famous for their BBQ ribs but everything is good (Pollo a la Mexicana or the port in red sauce if you don't mind it a bit picante). One of the best Lakeside restaurants. Husband cooks, wife serves, all made to order so not fast food.

El Zapote is open from 2-10 so mostly an evening place. Try the carne en su jugo (mild delicious stew with beef, beans and bacon), the pozole (hominy and pork stew/soup that is a Jalisco classic) or anything really on the menu. Very authentic, clean, bilingual service.

Hope you enjoy your stay.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Pedro - We can only stay for a week, so unfortunately no time for checking things out on bike, though that IS our preferred way to travel!

It sounds like the hotel in Ajijic is walking distance to central, so we may just stay there all week to keep it simple. We would like to be closest to some night life. Is there any? Also, there was mention of being too young for the Lake Chapala Society. You were kidding right?

Bajavet:

As you have probably picked up on, there is a Chapala vs Ajijic overtone that has appeared on your thread. The fact is that the Lake Chapala Inn offers a location whereby you can walk to any number of restaurants in Chapala. On the other hand, we have stayed at Real Chapala and there isn't a great deal close at hand. Not that walking into centro Ajijic is that much of an ordeal! We all have different likes/dislikes and we would certainly never take another's advice on whether or not something is right for us. Granted LCS doesn't appear to be right for us but we would never suggest that it isn't right for someone else. To each their own!

As far as nightlife and restaurants go, Ajijic tends to have a farily interesting variety of international foods whereas Chapala tends to be more Mexican, which we also really enjoy.

Bajavet wrote:Thanks again for the suggestions.

Pedro - We can only stay for a week, so unfortunately no time for checking things out on bike, though that IS our preferred way to travel!

It sounds like the hotel in Ajijic is walking distance to central, so we may just stay there all week to keep it simple. We would like to be closest to some night life. Is there any? Also, there was mention of being too young for the Lake Chapala Society. You were kidding right?

The Lake Chapala Society is like having a tea party at your gramma's house. Nightlife around Ajijic, past 10pm, is kind of limited to El Bar Co and The Chameleon. If you want to get together for a few drinks give me a call. We live in the village almost right beside the LCS and would love to show you what the younguns do around here.....jaja.

casi nada wrote:

Zedinmexico wrote:

... on and get off at the downtown Ajijic station. Be glad to give you a tour and
show you a few things you normally can't see. PM me for more info. Enjoy
your visit.

Z

Where's the bus station in Ajijic? I've never seen one.

Colon and the main road.

CanuckBob wrote:

Bajavet wrote:Thanks again for the suggestions.

Pedro - We can only stay for a week, so unfortunately no time for checking things out on bike, though that IS our preferred way to travel!

It sounds like the hotel in Ajijic is walking distance to central, so we may just stay there all week to keep it simple. We would like to be closest to some night life. Is there any? Also, there was mention of being too young for the Lake Chapala Society. You were kidding right?

The Lake Chapala Society is like having a tea party at your gramma's house. Nightlife around Ajijic, past 10pm, is kind of limited to El Bar Co and The Chameleon. If you want to get together for a few drinks give me a call. We live in the village almost right beside the LCS and would love to show you what the younguns do around here.....jaja.

I guess we won't be seeing CB at the line dancing class eh?

All joking aside they do have a very good Library including English books, DVD's for rent, Puzzles and magazines to swap and Booksales and that
is just the library.

Z