"Susan, I know you don't think it lives up to it but I'm just saying, as I always do, Posada de Roger *is* a Mexican 3-star hotel. See the sign out front to prove it."

The sign means nothing, officially. "Stars" are assigned by theh property-owner him/herself - not by Mobil, AAA, etc. The exception to this is the "Gran Tourismo" hotels where the federal government hands out the designation. A Mexican 3-star hotel is almost often a 1 or 2 star property as we think of them in the USA. That's been my experience.

g13,
We think Queretaro with 1.2M folks a bit much and SMA too expensive, but you might also want to consider Guanajuato and Zacatecas.

An interesting website by an expat is

http://www.rollybrook.com/

There are two distinctly different expat communities in Mexico:

(1) beach community (PV, Mazatlan, etc.) or
(2) central / mountains (San Miguel, Lake Chapala, etc.).

The weather in the mountains is beautiful year round and can be chilly in the winter. Most people do not have any heat in their houses or apartments so it can be chilly at night and lots of blankets are needed. The weather by the beach is hot and humid in the summer and can be oppressive without air conditioning.

They seem to attract quite different types of expats.

Of all of the locales, PV is definitely the most Americanized and the most overrun with tourists. Personally, I don't know if I would be happy living in such a tourist city, but that is just MHO. It barely seems like Mexico any more.

I think the biggest decision is deciding if you are a beach person or if you would be happier in a colonial town in the mountains. Spend some time in a couple of locations.

Trouble is I like both the beach and the mountains.

Degas - I love the beach and mountains too.
I have a few years before retiring but I often wonder myself where I would be happiest: on the beach or in the colonial cities in the mountains.

I guess I still have a while to decide.

San Miguel is so beautiful but it is pricey.
Many of the colonial towns / cities are designated historic sites and are totally different that the beach cities. They seem to attract more expats that are writers/artists/etc.

Travel around Mexico and visit both types of areas.

It would be a shame to only know one side of Mexico like the beach towns.

I would get it down to your top 3 places and go spend 1 month in each of them. If none of them feels right, then try the next 3. Continue until you find a good fit for yourself.

Nothing wrong with the Baja either. We've stopped talking about that one. Lots of retired US folks there too, either full-time or as "snowbirds" or RV-ers.

suze, LW is suggesting a cruise to the Mexican Pacific coast out of San Diego.
Seems like a tease with only one day in each port, but she says its a sampler for longer trips to come.

Hi degas:
We moved lock, stock, barrel (and three cats and a bulldog) to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico two years ago. No regrets. We have a personal blog about the move and our life here if you care to see: http://playazone.wordpress.com/about/

Tony and Cheri
Luna Blue Hotel and Garden

Nothing wrong with a cruise as a sampler and a nice vacation!!! Just realize you won't get to see much of the towns, and I know at least in PV, where the cruise ships dock is an ugly part of the city. Also local people are more aggressive with the cruise ship passengers (selling stuff, jacking up prices). Point being, if you don't like Vallarta from the point-of-view as a cruiseship passenger, doesn't necessarily mean you would not enjoy it under different circumstances.

I may have missed it, but I don't see Oaxaca mentioned. This town is our favorite in Mexico, so far. Beautiful colonial center, up in the mountains, ruins of Monte Alban, a famous cuisine, ex-pats as desired. I gather it is best to avoid after late spring -- annual protests, of which last years were by far the worst -- so the political situation bears watching. However, I had one of those gut reactions; looking over the valley I thought, "I could live here."

We are probably heading to Guanajuato, Zacatecas and environs in a few weeks. I'll post a report.

Queretaro doesn't have a population of 1.2 million people. There are many inaccurate statements being tossed around here.