My better half and I just finished our second magic winter in San Antonio, but not the one in Texas with the iconic Alamo and a very cool Southwest vibe that almost makes the concept of Texas more tolerable.
Ours is tiny, quaint San Antonio Tlayacapan, one of a dozen expatriate communities along Mexico’s largest inland lake, Chapala, a half hour south of Guadalajara.
I’m writing about it because, thanks to a recommendation from old friends, we discovered what will likely be our winter getaway as long as we’re physically and mentally able to get away.
The altitude here is 5,000 feet, we’re surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains and the weather — November through April — is mostly sunny and low humidity, with temperatures in the 70s and low 80s during the day and 50 to 65 degrees overnight.
November is warm, December and January refreshingly cool, February and March warm and getting warmer en route to the delightfully vibrant warm-and-wet June to September rainy season, when it mostly rains in the evening and overnight and sparkles in the daytime.
This is rated one of the world’s best year-round weather locations, with an added bonus of very few bugs, no snakes and no wild animals.
We’ve rented houses here the last two winters and have another rental set up for the upcoming year, in an informally gated expat retirement community called El Parque, which has 100-plus cute, colorful one- to three-bedroom Mexican-style casas — houses — spread out along a dozen quiet streets.
Our guard dog, Bravo, has only three legs after a car clipped him, and he’d rather roll over and beg for treats than snarl, but his dubious vigilance is augmented by a well-trained team of kind, courteous and diligent 24-7 security guards.
For the record, we feel totally safe wandering around the area day and night because street crime is rare, and drug cartels are elsewhere.
Our El Parque community has a heated swimming pool, a hot tub, a community center with a library and enough activities to exhaust even the most energetic geezers, of which there are many: water aerobics, pool volleyball, beanbag, bridge, poker, tai chi, happy hour Friday evenings, and monthly food, drink and festive gatherings to celebrate whatever feels party-worthy.
Most of the residents are retired seniors, and the ratio is probably 80 Canadians to 20 Americans.
So we’re hoping a few more Yanks start buying or renting so every conversation doesn’t end with, “Trump and Elon did what?” Or “eh?”
Many of the residents have families back home that visit occasionally, most spend winters here and summers up north, and a lot do volunteer work in El Parque or the surrounding area in shelters for animals, orphans, abused women, and in a host of civic and cultural centers.
We’re within easy walking distance to the lake, with its scenic “malecon,” or boardwalk; the town’s central plaza and church; grocery and liquor stores; fish and meat markets; a dozen taco stands and restaurants with a variety of tasty ethnic cuisines; hair, yoga, Pilates and massage salons; and drug and hardware stores.
There’s reliable bus and taxi service to nearby towns, including Chapala and Ajijic and a miles-long paved path along the main thoroughfare for walkers, bikers and joggers.
Finally, and a must for a duffer like me, is a quirky little nine-hole golf course — Chula Vista — that’s monstrously hilly, twisting, tree-and-ravine-laden, with impossible slanting greens.
Scores, for the record, on any given hole bear little resemblance to the quality of the shots, but the caddies and the other golf, food and beverage staffers are terrific, and that’s typical of most of the area locals we’ve met.
They’re delightful, and so are the prices for most goods and services — about half of what similar purchases would cost in Chicago.
The only challenges, in the spirit of of full disclosure, are a fierce sun that’s stronger at this altitude, increased traffic congestion, reckless motorcyclists and electric bike riders, the peril of walking on cobblestone streets and cracked, uneven sidewalks, and a lake that is still polluted from earlier industrial runoff.
So who, what or where is perfect?
But after spending most of my lifetime living, working, playing, raising a family and suffering the weather challenges of Chicago and southwest Michigan, our San Antonio in Jalisco, Mexico, is a winter paradise.
Our kids and grandkids who’ve visited us here agree, so the biggest question now is whether to keep renting — our new owner/landlord likes long-term tenants — or buy a house that we can leave to our offspring.
Either way, here’s hoping some of you other Midwestern retirees will check out a place that’s almost too good to believe, at least for us.
Andy Shaw is a former Chicago journalist and good government watchdog. Email him at andyshawchicago@gmail.com.
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