Local Information

Our favorite places in Paradise!

• La Paz
• Puerto Vallarta
• San Carlos
• Todos Santos
• Mexico v.s. USA cost and living comparison

La Paz

The laid back capital of Baja California Sur, known for its stunning sunsets and beaches. The city is perfect from which to explore the magical surroundings. it has excellent beaches, a tranquil Mexican port with a colonial town atmosphere. It is a 'real' city where locals go about their daily business among the shops, fancy restaurants and tour operators. The most romantic feature in the city is the waterfront malecón, around which the city life revolves. This stretches for several kilometers along the beaches. the dining and nightlife along the walkway is the best place to catch one of the city's famously spectacular sunsets. It is the eco-tourism capital of the country, surrounded by desert and situated in a large bay on the Sea of Cortez, A variety of outdoor tour guides offer excellent array of trips. Beautiful offshore islands offer hiking, as well as amazing diving and snorkeling from pristine beaches with hammerhead sharks, dolphins, sea lions and the gigantic whale sharks. The islands are the destination of kayakers, sailors and boat cruises. The bay is a popular yachting stopover. La Paz is a fisherman's paradise and its international fishing competitions are world famous. To the north of the city are some magnificent beaches, backed by mangroves and the cactus-studded mountains. the city boasts plentiful shopping, a varied nightlife, excellent fish and seafood, and comfortable accommodation, offering visitors everything they need for a relaxing and stimulating vacation.

Shopping — From small, exclusive boutiques lining the Malecon to the department stores of busy downtown La Paz, known as 'El Centro', the city offers plenty of options for lightening the pocket, with high fashion and upscale branded goods aplenty. There are also numerous stores selling locally produced Mexican arts and crafts to delight souvenir hunters, supermarkets on just about every street corner for self-caterers.
Restaurants: There are delicious treats to suit all tastes available in the many restaurants of La Paz, from the highly rated street corner hot-dog and chocolate clam stands to mouth-watering lobsters from the Sea of Cortez served up in classy seafront restaurants. The cuisine of most nationalities is available, including Chinese, Italian, French and Korean, but traditional Mexican remains the hot favorite.

Nightlife — La Paz has no shortage of lively nightspots, most being located along the Malecon. This brightly lit promenade and adjacent pier is abuzz with strollers and party-animals after dark, entertained by groups of street musicians known as 'mariachis'. Shops stay open late to cater for evening browsers. Like in most Mexican cities, the party action does not start hotting up until late in the evening, from around 10pm, but continues until the early hours of the morning. Discos offer all kinds of music, and many of the bars and restaurants offer dancing to live music.

Activities — The most popular recreational feature of La Paz are its lovely beaches, all covered with soft sand, which slopes gently into clear blue waters. Most offer water sports rental facilities. Coromuel Beach is closest to the city center while further along the Trans-Peninsula Highway are Tesoro Beach, Pichilinge, Balandra and El Tecolote. La Paz also has a reputation for offering more extreme water adventures, such as big game fishing, kayaking, windsurfing, kite surfing and scuba diving. Whale-watching excursions and eco-tours to the mountains to the south of the city are also popular diversions.

Attractions — The mountains south of La Paz provide a rugged home for an incredible diversity of animal and plant life, many of the species endemic. The mountain lion is the largest predator, but more commonly seen are the coyotes and foxes, as well as smaller mammals such as kangaroo rats, desert mule deer, gophers and badgers. This magnificent area was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1994 and is sparsely inhabited, attracting hikers, mountain bikers and naturalists. It is an ecological treasure house where cacti, palms and pine trees grow side by side and rock pools form underneath towering granite boulders. Several well-known hiking trails traverse the mountain range.

Puerto Vallarta

Located on the Pacific coast of Mexico, Puerto Vallarta's charm remains fairly undiscovered. with cobblestone streets, stunning beaches to lush jungle, marine life, Sierra Madre Mountains surrounding the bay, exceptional restaurants, 8 golf courses, Friendly people, vibrant culture. Puerto Vallarta is a vacationers paradise that has maintained its unique Old Mexico charm despite the addition of these modern conveniences.

Beautiful beaches, lush jungles and sparkling waterfalls offer many opportunities for the adventurous, while five star resorts, world-class shopping and gourmet restaurants satisfy even the most sophisticated traveler.

Accommodations around the Bay of Banderas range from well-known international hotel chains and luxury condominiums in the hotel zone, Marina Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, and Punta Mita to moderately priced hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, apartments and condominiums in Old Town Vallarta.

The rich cultural diversity of Puerto Vallarta is reflected in the cuisine that its many restaurants have to offer. From the most casual taco stands, to tropical beachfront palapas, to upscale rooftop restaurants with panoramic views, there are literally hundreds of restaurants serving exactly what you are hungry for.

Puerto Vallarta has many activities and excursions to keep you entertained. The adventurous can hike or mountain bike in the hills, explore the jungle and hidden trails on horseback, take a jeep safari, soar above it all in a multicolored hot air balloon, snorkel, scuba dive, charter a yacht or sailboat, or take a cruise on one of the many party boats.

Banderas Bay, one of the largest and deepest in the world, may be admired from many of the surrounding hills exuberant in lush vegetation. Located right at the mouth of the Bay, straddling both sides of the River Cuale lays a charming and picturesque little town with true Mexican spirit, Puerto Vallarta.

heading North, the hills give way a little. Here you will find mile long stretches of golden sand beaches, rich plantations of papaya and mango and, tucked back along tumbling rivers and streams, small villages where life seems to move at a different pace.

Heading South, the hills cascade towards the sea creating a rich palette that mixes the vivid green foliage with the deep blues of the water. At their feet nestle secluded coves and small fishing villages, many of which are only accessible by boat.

East, the jungle clad Sierra Madre Mountains, which quickly rise to over 8,000 feet, encircle and protect the town from the winds and regulate the semi-tropical and humid weather.

And West, the Bay of Banderas is home to a wide variety of aquatic life. Humpback whales come here to mate every year from December to March, and sea turtles nest on the beaches from May to October. Schools of dolphins and giant manta rays also inhabit these waters. The Bay and the Marietas Islands offer an amazing kaleidoscope of tropical fish, attracting snorkelers, scuba divers and sport fishermen.

those who just want to relax, Puerto Vallarta's many golden sand beaches offer one of the best ways to experience the beauty and magic of the Bay of Banderas. In short, whether you prefer fashionable luxury, strenuous adventure, or something in between, Puerto Vallarta is a paradise that will keep you entertained, You will be sad when its time to leave.

San Carlos

Located on the Sea of Cortez, the lovely Mexican resort community of San Carlos offers something for everyone. For water sports enthusiasts, there are beautiful sand beaches, spectacular diving and snorkeling, kayaking, and offshore fishing. San Carlos is only a 250 mile, 4-hour drive from Nogales, AZ on Hwy 15, a four-lane divided highway.

The community hosts an 18-hole championship golf course, tennis courts, a bowling alley and numerous gift shops and galleries for shopping and browsing. For the boater, two marinas are available with paved launch ramps, dry storage facilities, complete marine repair and maintenance services, fuel docks and reasonable rates for slip rental. Numerous restaurants featuring seafood, Sonoran beef, Mexican dishes and American cuisine are located throughout the town. Prime real estate is available for sale and there are motels, hotels, RV Parks, condominiums and private home rentals to fit every group and budget.

If you have not experienced the ambiance and relaxing lifestyle of a Mexican seaside resort, you owe it to yourself to visit San Carlos.
You may never want to leave.

Todos Santos

This unique town is located 1 hour south of La Paz & 1 hour north of Cabo San Lucas at the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains. Baja California Sur, Mexico.

The town looks towards the Pacific Ocean amongst the greens of rich farm crops, palm groves, mango & avocado-trees.

Only a mile from the Ocean, visitors can enjoy the nearness of beaches & surf, in town stroll past colonial buildings, the mission of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, beautiful gardens & much more.

Todos Santos is wonderful destination year round. Offers world-class dining, fine art galleries & interesting shops plus wonderful outdoor recreational activities & beaches.

The beaches are a popular spot for surfing, boogie boarding, swimming, fishing.There is a long stretch of beach that perfect for walking or running.

Mexico v.s. USA cost and living comparison

Home prices in the U.S., v.s. home prices in Mexico

Example of Living costs in Mexico