The San Felipe Blog

Yes, it has been awhile. San Felipe, in many ways, is still the same, yet in many ways it is very, very different.

The economy has taken its toll on this sleepy little drinking village with a fishing problem, but many residents still enjoy all the regular benefits of San Felipe living.

On the other hand, property values have plummeted and events which used to attract droves of persons now attract handfuls.

Why? Besides the economy, there’s the exaggerations by the U.S media. San Felipe has always been, and for some time to come will be, one of the safest places to vacation or to live. I reside in Los Angeles, and I can tell you I feel more safe in San Felipe than any given day driving around the southland.

If you’re interested in affordable investment properties, now is the time! Many persons are looking to get out of their properties so badly, you can just take over payments. Not all of those deals are great, but there are some real gems to be found right now in San Felipe.

I’m looking myself at the possibility of buying soon…

It’s been awhile since I”ve been to San Felipe. I can tell you that what I hear from the locals is that there is NOT the violence and other mayhem experienced in the border towns and up and down the west coast of baja.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again Thanksgiving Weekend!

Yesterday, I finally made it back to San Felipe! The Mexican 5 freeway has A LOT of construction on it right as you are leaving Mexicali. Expect delays.

The four lane road going into San Felipe from about El Dorado Ranch is nearly complete. It’s open most of the way into town, and I have to say I am loving it.

Now if the Pemex station north of town would just open, we’d be all set.

Heading off to play water volleyball at La Ventana del Mar right now!

Notoriously, the summer’s are scorching hot in San Felipe. This is why nearly all of those living in solar homes take off for the summer. In fact, most of them are gone by mid-May.

Having lived in San Felipe the entire summer last year, I can tell you that — at least last year — the summer’s aren’t nearly as bad as people make them out to be. Now, I wouldn’t recommend staying in a solar home all summer, but if you have a place with air conditioning, there’s no reason to not take summer vacations or live in San Felipe year round. The pool provides plenty of relaxation if you’re at El Dorado or another area with pool access, and the evenings are not as muggy as a midwest or east coast evening (I’ve lived through plenty of those, and while some of the San Felipe residents will complain about muggy summers, they are really NOTHING like the summers out East).

So if you’re thinking about taking a trip to San Felipe… or thinking about staying for the summer… my advice is to give it a shot. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

By searching on the web, you can find some decent vacation rentals in San Felipe. Here’s a website that’s crawling it’s way up in the rankings: San Felipe Property Services

San Felipe Vacation Rentals

They also do long-term rentals and have several homes available.

If you need cleaning services, they are good for that, too.

And, of course, they do all-around Property Management in San Felipe.

The first thing you should know about traveling in Mexico is that your American car insurance is not recognized by the authorities. Your U.S. carrier may or may not cover your car while in Mexico, but you at least need liability insurance from a Mexican car insurance company. The penalty for not doing so is pretty steep (a hefty fine and go directly to jail if you are in an accident without Mexican insurance).

There are several places in Calexico, CA at the border which sell the insurance you need. This is the best border crossing for most CA residents if you are traveling to San Felipe. Rather than wait until you get to the border to get your insurance, however, you can purchase a policy online in a few minutes and actually print it out.

I bought a year’s liability insurance for just under one hundred and forty dollars. If you are certain you will be driving in Mexico several times a year, this is the best and cheapest way to go. I used Adventure Mexican Insurance Services, and the purchase went very smoothly. If you do a search for Mexican car insurance, you will find several other providers. I found the prices to be extremely similar, so I went with the one that I thought had the best website and ranked the best in Google.

Don’t drive in Mexico without insurance! Chances are, you will not be in an accident during your Mexico trip. But if you are one of the unlucky ones and you don’t have insurance, you’ll go directly to jail without collecting two hundred dollars or passing go.

I fell in love with San Felipe in the spring of 2000, and I’ve returned many times since. Currently, I’m living north of town in a nice home on the El Dorado Ranch.

Living and vacationing in Mexico is a bit of an adventure every time. To make things easier, and to keep those interested in San Felipe updated on local news and events, I’ve created this blog.

I’ll be posting “how to’s” and other information to make your time, whether it be long- or short-term, in San Felipe more enjoyable.

As I discover fine eating establishments, I’ll review them and provide directions (as well as pictures when available). A lot of the stands in San Felipe have amazing food, but foreigners are afraid of getting sick if they eat the food. There are some tips and tricks for picking out which stand is okay for eating, and I’ll be sharing that information, too.

I’ll be leaving the comments open, so please feel free to add advice. Just keep your comments relevant to the post, or they may be deleted.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy San Felipe news and views!