Estamos Aqui!

[BruceWedding]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to drop a note to say, my wife and I have arrived in Cancun to start our business. Despite the hurricane, everything is going well. It sure helps to know important people when trying to get business licensing, and luckily we do.

We rented a condo in Villas Marlin. It is small but we had to at least start with an ocean view and it is near our center of operations. We did find some very nice apartments in town but elected to try the hotel zone for a while.

We are very social people so if you want to get to know us, drop me a line and we will meet.

I cannot discuss more about my business yet but will soon.

Bruce y Xiomara

[T.J.]

Good luck Bruce.

Jajaja. Most of us would not go to the HZ to meet Kim Kardashian or Tom Brady. Too risky to drive back after a couple of beers. Too expensive for the same beer, wine, food or whatever, and too long of a drive, especially to the other side of Party Center, where 3 am traffic jams are not unusual.

You may have to venture to that dreaded downtown to meet the really cool folks.

Enjoy Cancun. The weather is unusually rainy the past 3 ro so weeks. Probably will be sunny and bright by the weekend.

[TraceyUk]

TJ - listening to your comments about the hotel zone and us living here makes me feel like we all have leprosy !!! JUST STOP NOW !!!!!!! We know you dont like it but to some of us its "Home !"

[T.J.]

Sorry Tracey.

Not sure I said anything that was not true but I sure did not mean to hurt any feelings.

[CancunMole]

Truly, some of us would never think of living 'downtown' in a "City" the size of Cancun whether it be in Mexico or anywhere else in the World...

To each their own and IMO some who post here are way too defensive of their own choices and not very tolerant of the choices and opinions of others, both those of us who live here, FT and PT, and especially of tourists.

IMO, some of the best posters with the best information have been driven away from this Site by others with attitude and a lot less knowledge about the true Cancun.

[Steve]

Congrats on your move Bruce, hope all works out well for you. Apologies for the shitty weather - it does get better, trust me!

Re the hotel zone vs downtown debate, each to their own as CancunMole says. Imho there are definite advantages and disadvantages to both options.

Let's not knock others for making a different decision to the one we did. Everyone has their reasons for choosing where they live, and we all live in the same city. We are all in the same boat .

[V]

Too risky to drive back after a couple of beers. Too expensive for the same beer, wine, food or whatever, and too long of a drive, especially to the other side of Party Center, where 3 am traffic jams are not unusual.

Truly, some of us would never think of living 'downtown' in a "City" the size of Cancun whether it be in Mexico or anywhere else in the World...

Both these quotes illustrate how personal, and individual such things as a choice of where to live truly can be when there is real freedom of choice. They also represent at least two who found what they were looking for, in Cancun!

We revel in the beauty of that part of the world that resulted in the the development of the HZ and consider mini vacations there to be a great treat for those, like us, who live minutes away. Cancun centro, on the otherhand, is an eyesore in many respects, but we never found the combination of price and quality we were looking for in housing in the HZ- and settled for a view of the sea, Isla Mujeres and a bit of the HZ, from high ground in the city!
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[Cancun Fun]

Congrats on the move! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

As far as the HZ vs. downtown debate goes...we live way out in the jungle and LOVE it. That being said if we could afford to live in the HZ and be on beach we would for sure be there. I wouldn't knock anyone's choice to live there just because I can't afford to live there (or unwilling to part with that much money to do so).

[BruceWedding]

Wow, did not mean to start a debate. My agent also tried to talk me out of living in the HZ but for me and my wife, to live so close to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and not live near it would be torture. We are beach people.

Also, our work will be IN the HZ so we need to be close. I understand it is expensive, the taxis are outrageous there compared to downtown, but we will have a car soon. I also know the electricity is higher but that is something we are willing to pay.

Anyway, we will be in town often. I am typing this from downtown as I do not have net at home yet.

[V]

Also, our work will be IN the HZ so we need to be close. I understand it is expensive, the taxis are outrageous there compared to downtown, but we will have a car soon. I also know the electricity is higher but that is something we are willing to pay.

Taxis do charge more, both coming and going, but there is frequent bus service that can get you into town cheaply and quickly; then, you can hop on a taxi and ride across town for as little as 25 pesos.

That electricity is more expensive there seems to be some kind of urban myth: the HZ in general is in the same tariff class (1-C) as downtown Cancun (both are Benito Juarez Municipality); but, there may be a part of the HZ that is served by a private electric company, not the CFE, and the rates there could be higher. Just ask to see the last electric bill for any place you're considering renting or buying. This will let you see both who is providing the service, and what the tariff class is.

As long as you moderate your use of electricity, this will not be a big part of your budget, I expect. Our largest bill for a two month period during the summer, in three summers here, has been 1,400 pesos.

[BruceWedding]

Originally Posted by V

Taxis do charge more, both coming and going, but there is frequent bus service that can get you into town cheaply and quickly; then, you can hop on a taxi and ride across town for as little as 25 pesos.

That electricity is more expensive there seems to be some kind of urban myth: the HZ in general is in the same tariff class (1-C) as downtown Cancun (both are Benito Juarez Municipality); but, there may be a part of the HZ that is served by a private electric company, not the CFE, and the rates there could be higher. Just ask to see the last electric bill for any place you're considering renting or buying. This will let you see both who is providing the service, and what the tariff class is.

As long as you moderate your use of electricity, this will not be a big part of your budget, I expect. Our largest bill for a two month period during the summer, in three summers here, has been 1,400 pesos.

We've been taking the bus into town and then hopping taxis, just as you suggest. It looks like you're right about the bill, we are CFE and tariff class 1C Hilos 2, whatever that means. The last bill was 461 and historically, august was about 3X that.

The truth is, we got this condo for less than the apartments in town, though they were much bigger. They were asking 11,500/mo and we got it for 10,000 by paying 6 months cash. The ones in town were more like 14,000 and up for the type of apartment we wanted, with furniture.

[TraceyUk]

Bruce re rent for your apartment- we also pay less here for smaller houses/apartments we have found downtown. Yes electricity is higher - but we barely use it as we have a constant breeze off the Lagoon. Taxis are too expensive- we have a car so that doesnt effect us much and the buses are better anyway !
I really hope your move here is a success .

[V]

Tracey, do you know if your electricity is supplied by the CFE, or by some other company? I ask because I¨ve heard that a part of the HZ is supplied electricity by a private company, rather than the CFE, and the rates are higher.

[TraceyUk]

CFE definately .

[CancunMole]

We too have CFE in the HZ which I thought was Goverment owned or at least goverment supported/subsidized and therefore similar to a monopoly?????

I've never heard of, nor seen any other trucks from any other Power Company servicing the HZ. If true, wouldn't a bit of competion bring a choice and the possiblilty of lower rates? I have seen a number of different Gas trucks servicing the area as well as water companies delivering.

In the US, utilities have franchise areas that are regulated (LOL) by various State Commisions. Didn't think that has ever been here in Cancun...

[V]

The CFE is wholly owned by the Mexican Federal Government, so far as I know (I could look it up, thanks to the internet, but it doesn´t really matter). It's rates for anything above a very moderate usage are extremely high, 2.5 pesos/KWH. I'm convinced the principle reason for this is theft of service, which is rapant.