I have been staying in Mazatlan the last 5 years for two to three months during the winter. I would like to go somewhere else because feel I have already explored Mazatlan and the surrounding areas and truly love it. I would be interested in a city about the same size as Mazatlan so there are lots of things going on, would like to rent an apartment in the historical part of town, some place interesting and not tourist ridden. If you have a favorite place in Mexico, please share it with me, I'm anxious for a new experience.

Thank you...

Oaxaca-travel.com best food vibe in Mexico for me

Further afield

Nuhousehotels.com Quito ecuador amazing vibrant city

Guanguiltagua.com for dicounts tour to amazing nature nearby

Haciendapinsaqui.com

Bellaviistacloudforest.com

Huarorani.com

Exploradiving.com and Galapagos truly amazing.

My fav one of the most ecodense natural countries in the world.

Happy Hunting

Puerto Vallarta!! It's exactly what you describe, a little smaller than Mazatlan population-wise, I think. Get an apartment somewhere central in a local neighborhood (if you want to avoid tourists) or near the beach (but there will be more tourists there). I have lots of posts here about PV, if you want to read about my experiences (20 trips).

Ditto Oaxaca. It gets enough tourists so that there's plenty of stuff to do and see, but not a tourist Mecca like PV. The weather's warm in the winter plus Huatulco is only a couple of hours away if you need the beach. Oaxaca probably has the best combination of food, music, ruins, museums, artesenias and Colonial architecture in all of Mexico. #2 would be Chiapas with San Cristobal as a base. IMO.

San Miguel de Allende

Guanajuato

The Oaxaca/Huatulco combo suggestion is good too.

If you want to be near the ocean then La Paz might work for you.

If you are open to the interior then three places I liked when we visited were Guanajuato, San Miguel and Queretaro.

San Miguel has a fairly robust ex-pat community and an arty reputation, with the Institute offering popular classes. But it's pretty small (one traffic light). Has a lot of charm, though some say there are too many gringos. Stayed there several times and enjoyed it.

Guanajuato seemed to have fewer gringos (I don't think I heard English spoken once the three days we were there). There's a big University there and it's closer to an airport.

Queretaro is a larger city and had an interesting 'Old Town' area but we only spent a day there. Seemed promising.

If interested in this area I'd fly to Leon and stay a couple days at each place, checking the vibe. I'd pick San Miguel myself, partly because it's centrally located, partly because my Spanish is weak and you can get by easier there with mostly English, but the others are worth checking out.

All of these are relatively safe, per the US State Dept statistics.

Also agree with Bill on SMA, GTO, & QRO. Lots of stuff to see and do in that area. In fact, we're building a house in SMA. That traffic light is gone now, wherever it was. Most tourists these days are from Mexico. But there are still is an ex-pat community as well.

Oaxaca City

Would anyone have suggestions of apartments in the historical part of Oaxaca. One and two bedrooms, clean with kitchens. We would like a place that is walkable to markets and attractions.

Thank you for your help....

Agree with everything Bill H said about San Miguel, Guanajuato, Queretaro area. San Miguel has great appeal if you have any interest in taking classes of any description. i met more people in San Miguel than anyplace else in my travels. Lots of ex-pats, and very interesting people.

I'd put Oaxaca city at the head of the list.

I haven't stayed at this particular establishment, but it does offer small apartments in addition to guest rooms and I've seen it well reviewed.

http://www.lasmariposas.com.mx/

Oaxaca

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7622882801271/

But I would also consider other colonial cities. You might be interested in browsing this collection:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7623007252716/