The van life phase was never going to be forever for us. It was an escape hatch from Covid and a way to travel through North America in a different way. And explore we did! We made it to about three dozen states, the western half of Canada, and pretty much everywhere in Mexico but the Yucatán peninsula.
As we’ve traveled we would often think about whether we’d want to live in a place. We’re very fortunate that we can entertain many options. We’ve loved our travels in Australia and New Zealand but their immigration policies don’t provide a great option for people our age who have retired but didn’t spend any time working there to earn the social benefits (primarily healthcare). Plus they’re very far away from family and friends. Portugal and Spain are both very attractive places to live, and we may one day give it a shot. We really loved Valencia. It’s more than a beach town – it’s a city of ~800k people on the Mediterranean. Plus, the waters of the Mediterranean are about 80 degrees F in the summer whereas the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Portugal tops out in the high 60s.
But for now, Puerto Vallarta has captured our hearts. Like Valencia, it’s a city on the water. While it is certainly a tourist destination there’s a lot stuff going on. There are loads of great restaurants. The airport is easy to get to and provides easy access back to the US. We’ve found some great hiking along the coastline and will be exploring some of the jungle hikes.
We’ve already made some great friends here. I found a golf league that plays once a week. Leena’s found multiple Facebook groups that do happy hour meetups and other activities so we’re frequently heading off to something.
When coming down to Mexico this time (fall of 24 through spring of 25) we decided to spend the entire time in the Puerto Vallarta area and look for a home. We were referred to an agent so I emailed off our basic criteria of two en suites along with our budget. The first place we saw fit our criteria, but as I’ve come to refer to the majority of condos here, it was a concrete box in a concrete tower. It lacked charm. It also lacked any private entertaining space. The TV and dining areas could only accommodate 4 people. If you wanted to host a dinner party you’d have to do it on the rooftop deck. And while some of the rooftop spaces are amazing – giant pools and beautiful outdoor kitchens! – they’re still communal spaces and detached from your living space.
The second place we saw instantly won my heart. It’s the top unit in a building with just 3 units. It has two en suites plus a half bath in the common downstairs area. It’s three blocks up the hill from the main road which removes us a bit from the neighborhood bustle. It has views of the ocean from each level including the private rooftop terrace. I will never tire of this incredible view.
The rooms are spacious with high ceilings and loads of architectural details.
We were lucky enough to have my aunt and uncle (Anne and Brian) in town for a visit for our second visit to see the place. They loved it as well and encouraged us to make an offer. One of our main concerns was the kitchen. The current configuration makes it crowded for two people to cook together (yes, I help sometimes!).
Brian’s an architect, and a few brainstorming sessions and back-of-the-napkin sketches convinced us that a kitchen renovation could turn the space into something much better for us.
Closing a home sale in Mexico as a foreigner is a bit complicated. It took 3 1/2 months to get possession, but we finally have it and are spending our final few weeks of the season here before returning to the US for the summer. With Brian’s help we have our kitchen renovation all planned.
We’ve hired a contractor who will do the renovation over the summer while we’re away. We’ve been promised plenty of video calls to review the work and ensure everything turns out the way we intend.
We have a house-sit set up in Portland from June 13 to August 9. While back we’ll put the van up for sale and figure out how to ship the stuff we’ve been storing in Portland (it’s not much!) down to Puerto Vallarta. We’ll apply for Mexican residency at a Mexican consulate in the US. We plan to return around the beginning of October to start living here full time. Now that we have a home for the first time in 7 1/2 years we look forward to hosting lots of guests. Please reach out and plan your visit! When it gets cold up north, the whales come here to breed and play so you just may get to see something like this.
