It won't be long before there are real Supermarkets in the Hotel Zone. I read in Novedades not too long ago that Chedraui was considering building something in the parking lot between Plaza Caracol and the Convention Center. I also heard that there are negotiations underway for a Superama where the Zocala used to be... While I totally agree that having a car when living in the HZ is the best way to go, taking a bus into Centro and a cab back every couple of weeks certainly wouldn't break the bank.
Cancunscorpio, calm down, I'm just in the process of planning) Just figuring out "what if", collecting the facts. As I said, taking all pros and cons into consideration- renting out in Russia, buy some property for ourselves, living in Cancun (for instance) and work is the best variant. But we need to see the life in Cancun an Maya with our own eyes first. We'll be doing homework very hard before making the final decision, be sure. As for hotel zone- it's only good for renting out with all its additional costs. I'm planning to live in the city. As for Russian life- it's neither good nor bad, as V said, you need to experience it personally. Too long to explain. It's worth a thesis, not a post. Personally I'm fed up with it. I want a brighter future for my family and kids.. Also, want to live a bit longer than 55 years (average living age in Russia, with all its stress)... V, my regards and respect.
There's plenty of worse places we could live than Cancun, plenty of places in which we'd be a lot less happy to be there. Just pick one- Iraq, Southern Sudan, San Salvador.... Of course it makes a difference where you live. The long, intensely cold and dark winters of Russia are enough to make being here better. You'll never have to dig your garage out of a snowbank to get to your car here. One thing about life in a really difficult place is it can make you greatful for the tiniest comforts. One night, waiting for a bus, in the snow, in the dark of winter, to get from Domodedova to the center of Moscow, I remember how thankful I was, tired as I was, that I was one of the lucky ones who got a seat on the bus. Would I trade that life for a wait for a bus from the airport, Cancun? Hmm, let me think about it....
Cancunscorpio you remind me of the Saturday Night Live skit "Debby Downer". Debbie Downer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hey if your life is shit there is only one person who can fix it, and it aint me. But you dont need to bring everyone else with you..... It really doesnt matter, I see Vladi has you pegged already.
Great comment GONZO I would also like to point out a quote by Ayn Rand... “Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.”
Cancunscorpio has come here to work as as Russian speaking tour guide, as I understand it. Scorpio, why not share on this subject, by starting a thread which deals with working as a tour guide here. You're the only contributor with experience with this, it seems to me. If it's working for you, it could work for others if they knew more about it. What do you think? Could you share the experience, the situation with getting permission to work as a tour guide, licensing requirements if any, and what the situation may be in regard to pay, and tips? Etc.
3 units are possible at Solymar and Cancun plaza. Solymar to Wal mart 25 minutes without traffic on bus in either direction. Not rush hour obviously. Yes Solymar fees are correct. Salvia is charging way too much and 2 fee structure is nothing but theft on part of administration or VC. Solymar has no 2 fee structure. Occupation fees are nothing but a scam and Solymar does not charge that.
You should be able to buy a lagoon view for US$55K and an ocean view for US $65K. There are others out there priced higher but you should be able to negotiate them down. Anything over US $85K for ocean front at this point is overpriced. These prices are single units and not double ones. For double ocean front you should be able to get US $120-125K. As for lagoon view they have no doubles since the place is not built in that fashion.
So places that cost $50 to $75K USD are charging $300-$500 maintenance fee a month? That's ridiculous! What do they provide that could justify that kind of money? Do they include electric and water, cleaning etc? That's 1% of the value per month in the extreme case. At our new rented place the maintenance fee is 800 pesos (lets say $70 USD) per month for a place that would cost around 300,000 USD to buy. That's approx 0.025% of purchase price per month. For that we get fantastic security, green areas maintained perfectly including sprinkler system, well maintained roads and cycle paths, street lighting that works and nice parks for kids with modern play equipment. I feel like I have moved to a different country.
