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Hi Theresa!

Welcome to ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Armand

hello, i think you should also try Playa del Carmen in the same State, there´s a lot of foreigner people living there

Hey there Theresa.   My wife and i moved down here with our kids about 2 years ago.  There are a lot of English speakers here.  For the most part we are all spread out.  You will want to look over at the hotel zone to live.  There tend to be a lot of English speakers there. There is a community in an area called Pok D Pok.  A few of my fellow Americans and some english speaking Europeans live in that area.  I personally live downtown so we can be close to the schools.   

Cancun is kind of a unique place.   Most pf the people here either speak English or understand English.  It is not to hard to get around.  a lot easier here than Mexico City or even some of the pacific coast cities.  Most of the schools here teach english and have for years so it is slowly becoming part of the culture.

  If I can be of any help let me know.  This last move was our 2nd time here and I would be more than happy to point you in the right direction on whatever you may need.

Craig

Thanks for your replys everyone.  Someone I met down there also mentioned Pok D Pok but said it was expensive? but I'll check it out.  What do you like best about moving?  What do you miss the most about the U.S?  Are you happy in general with your decision?

Yes Pok D Pok can be expensive.   You can get a place in the hotel zone for around 1500 USD a month from what I hear.  The problem we had with it is that everything you need in terms of services, shopping and dining is downtown.  So when you live in the hotel zone, you will find yourself doing a lot of going back and forth and that was something we did not want to do.

    I love living in downtown because everything we could possibly need or want is about a 15 minute walk, buses are 65 cents and taxis downtown are about 2 dollars.  Everything in the hotel zone is priced for tourist which is kind of crazy.

    Just like living any where there are pros and cons.   We love the weather, the cost of living, the schools for our kids, the way everything here is more centralized so you do not need a car, the Caribbean Coast, the culture, people, laid back life style, the abundance of activities , things to do, being in a 3rd world country really makes you appreciate life more and gives you a sense of really being grounded.

   Things I miss about the USA are water pressure, real hot showers, certain health foods, variety and selection when it comes to shopping, quality clothes in the stores, certain brands in groceries that you get used to.  We have Costco and Wal Mart so a lot of things are becoming popular here to.    I miss good quality Chinese food, good pizza and BBQ.   Stuff that maybe I did not eat a lot of but when you go with out for a while you think about it.

  All and all we are very happy with our decision and have no plans to return to the USA to live.  When we go on vacation we stock up on what we miss or when people come here to visit we always have a wish list we email them to bring down stuff we may need or want.

   I think the key to being a content expat is not expecting to bring the usa here with you but to accept and appreciate the country you live in for what it is.  When you see stuff from home or over hear someone speaking English at Costco I try to look at those things a treat or a bonus.

craig

Hi Craig.  Thanks for that response.  That is exactly what I was looking for. Taking that leap is difficult, especially when you've lived in the same place for your whole life, but the way you described it is exactly as I see it when I visit.
Also, like you said, you still get to see your friends and family.  Maybe there is even more of an appreciation when you see them less often, and less petty day to day bickering that means nothing in the long run anyway.

If you want a real "gringo" community, consider Puerto Aventuras; about 5 miles south of Playa Del Carmen.  LOTS of American and Canadian expats, plus it's quite a bargain due to a glut of condos and houses there, and its gated.

Nemo

Oh, our timeshare has a small hotel at Puerto Aventuras.  We were going to spend a few days there in February when we come down.  Do you think it is safe to drive around Puerto Aventuras and also Puerto Morales on our own to check things out, during the day of course, or would that be foolish considering we know nothing or nobody in those towns.  Thanks so much.
Theresa

No worries in either , day or night.  Especially Puerto Aventuras, there are security guards and it is a gated community.

I love Puerto Morelos.  My fav place to go on the weekends.  very safe pretty much everywhere here.  I have driven across country here in Mexico in both car and on motorcycle.  My personal rule is I try to stay off the road at night fall when I am outside of a city or community.