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San Blas Article
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San Blas Retirement Profile

San Blas is a fishing village of 12,000 located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Only the numerous jejenes (sandflies) have kept this village from becoming a major tourist attraction.

Swimming
Ocean Swimming, Arroyos, Swimming pools

Surfing
Las Islitas was once famous for the longest wave in the world - now a good jetty and shore break at Borrego Beach. Best surf is in the summer. Surfers hang out at Pompis Ramada on Borrego.

Snorkeling
The water is murky

Diving
The water is murky

Bike Riding
Completely flat - everybody rides bikes.

Fishing
Deep sea fishing in lanchas. Fishing on beach and estuary. Anuual sportsfishing contest.

Hiking
Good hiking places along beach and in nearby Sierra Madres.

Walking
Very nice beach walks

Golf
No golf courses

Kayaking
Would be good in Matachen Bay on a calm day. Excellent in the mangrove wetlands

Boating
Estuaries plus ocean

Sailing
The new marina is complete and at $12 a night one of the cheapest in Mexico. Anchor at the beautiful Matanchen Bay or sail to Isla Isabel

Good Food
A few good taco places

Art
Huichol crafts on a good day; local gringo amature artists

Club Scene
It's either Billy Bob's or the San Blas Social Club

Reading
Nice place to kick back on a hammock

Ruins
San Blas is an historic town with an old church and fort on the hill overlooking the town.

Sightseeing
La Tovara jungle boat ride

Handicrafts
Huichol art; artisan stalls

Shopping
Very little shopping -best gift shop at Hotel Garza Canela

Sporting Events
Local baseball team - occasional boxing - karate for kids

Birdwatching
256 species - annual festival of migratory birds in January

Cultural Activities
At lease half the days are holiday - parades - dances - dancers in the plaza.

Jungle
Surrounded by jungle

Mountains
Beautiful backdrop: Sierra San Juan

Colonial
An historic town with a few colonial buildings left standing.

Ocean
The plaza is a mile from the beach

Rivers
Two large estuaries with lagoons.

Ranch
Ranches outside of town

Village
Small friendly town with a village sensibility

Town
Still feels very Mexican, despite ex-pats

Humid
Break a sweat before brunch

Nature
Jungles - Mangroves - Long deserted beaches - and Crocodiles

Charm
San Blas has a funky charm and it is still a bicycle town.

Simple
San Blas is a simple town - great for a simple lifestyle

Middle Class
Not your middle class dream

Winter
Perfect - 75 to 80 degrees

Summer
Hot, humid and buggy

All Year
Buggy, muggy and rainy in the summer

Gringos-mixed
Lots of interesting gringos

International Airport
Nearest international airport is in Puerto Vallarta

Border
About 1000 miles

Remote
A real end-of-the-road town

Mid-Range Hotels
Hotel Flamingos is a very beautiful traditional hotel.

Budget Hotels
Several budget hotels - around 200 pesos per night - Huts on beach also very cheap.

Buy/Rent House
Many cheap house for rent - some for sale

Camping/RV
Can camp on the beach - also there is a trailer park - Coco Locos

Weather
Muggy and buggy in the summer, it starts to cool down in November and by January you might be wearing a sweater in the plaza at night. Starts to really heat up again in April and by June or July it can be really hot . When the rains start in August the storms provide some temporary relief. In the summer or 2008 it rained 8 feet .

Bug report: Advoid the beaches in late afternoons especially when there is no wind. Not many bugs this year. Perhaps they drowned in the summer rains.