The San Felipe Blog

Although I’m not yet living in San Felipe, I’d like to provide some information on this blog about full-time (or part-time) life in San Felipe. So I’ve started a new category called, “San Felipe Living.”

Being full-time in San Felipe for even part of the year brings certain challenges. The various places you can live in and around this little fishing village have their own unique quirks.

For example, if you choose to live in an area which is solar power only, you’d better be well versed in the basics of solar energy! Even those who have had solar power for years find new challenges as their equipment ages or some appliance starts draining more power than normal. In El Dorado Ranch, there are restrictions on how late you can run a generator, so it’s good to be over cautious when it comes to the use of your power. Even if you have an energy efficient washer and dryer, for instance, it may be better to take your laundry to Playa de Oro or Cachanilla than to use your power.

Solar probably deserves its own category, so I think I’ll add that right now. I’ve been doing a little research on solar power as I will most likely be buying a solar lot in the very near future.

If you have tips on living in San Felipe, feel free to leave a comment here!

For those of you who wish to enjoy the best of San Felipe’s fine dining, you need to know about Paco’s. Paco is a chef, trained in France, who has been serving up his delicacies at various locations around San Felipe for years now.

Recently, Paco set up a restaurant in the Ejido (the property right before El Dorado if you’re going North out of San Felipe towards the U.S.). Every thing I’ve tried from Paco’s has been amazing.

Last Sunday night I enjoyed a pork appetizer (I don’t remember the name… sorry) which was an absolute thrill for the taste buds. The main course I tried was the lamb and beef skewer which did not disappoint.

I also had a taste of a friend’s scallops appetizer (served cold and like everything else at Paco’s was delicious). Everyone in our group was very satisfied with their meal, and I give it a hearty two thumbs up.

The one drawback to Paco’s is the location. It’s not the easiest place in the world to find. I wish I had better directions than this, I really do (if you ask some of the persons living in San Felipe, especially el dorado tenants, they’ll surely have heard of Paco’s and be able to point you in the right direction).

In the Ejido, the streets don’t seem to be named. You have to look for one of the side streets (really close to where the del sol campo is on the other side of the Mexico 5) which has a large tree right in the middle of the road a few blocks in. Turn down that road and pass the tree. Take the next left, and Paco’s is right there on your right!

It’s worth the trouble in finding. Trust me, you can’t go wrong with Paco’s.

For the time being, the construction of the excellent condos in La Ventana del Mar has been halted. Workers were laid off, and there’s nothing going on.

Rumors abound when something like this happens, and I’m sure it doesn’t do much to bolster confidence in those who may already be a little gun shy about property in Mexico.

I’ve heard everything from Pat Butler is going bankrupt to it’s just a dispute over interest rates. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

From what I can tell, all the bank notes came due and interest rates are higher. So the cash flow isn’t there until the refinancing goes through. Who knows what would happen if they can’t get something worked out within the budget…

The Mexican version of Mardi Gras is Carnaval, and it’s going on right now in San Felipe.

On Saturday, I went to watch the parade down on the malecon. It was no Rose Parade, but it was much better than I expected and a whole lot of fun.

Of special note the El Dorado Ranch float had an African tribal theme and their presentation was outstanding. El Dorado hired a choreographer and used local San Felipe residents for the dance. I was extremely impressed by the job they did in putting it all together. The float certainly drew a nice crowd.

If you’re in the San Felipe area, you can check out the El Dorado float and all of the others on fat Tuesday itself. The parade runs Saturday and Sunday, already passed, and again on Tuesday.

Carnaval and Mardi Gras are celebrations in Catholic regions where they let it all hang loose prior to Ash Wednesday and the season of sacrifice during Lent.

Pictures coming soon! I used my camera phone, but Verizon does not work in San Felipe, so I have to wait until I get back to the States to get the pics off of my phone.

Well, there was no tournament, so I didn’t have to make a decision about whether to play or not. Evidently, they’re going to be doing tournaments on a monthly basis this year. You’d think they’d have the common sense to put it on a holiday weekend

I’ve been stateside a little longer than expected, so I haven’t had much to see about the sleepy little drinking village with a fishing problem lately.

I’m looking forward to spending some time in the sun, playing some water volleyball at el dorado ranch, and hanging out with friends old and new.

President’s Day weekend offers a nice excuse to get away for a little excursion, and if you haven’t yet made plans, consider San Felipe!

I’ll take some pictures for the blog and have some restaurant reviews ready to go. A property deal I’ve been looking at could get finalized pretty soon, and then my time in San Felipe will greatly increase.

For those of you who are in town this weekend and have access to the El Dorado pool, a holiday weekend always means a volleyball tournament. I’m working on getting confirmation, but unless Jorge has drastically changed the pattern there will be a v-ball tourny starting at noon on Saturday with sign-ups at 11 am. You usually have to get there pretty close to sign-up time, but this isn’t as big a holiday as some of the others. And the last tournanment I played in, there weren’t as many people as expected. Perhaps others are getting fed up with the stupid points system that’s been around way too long. Although I love water volleyball, I’ll probably sit the tournament out and let others enjoy playing a tournament where you can lose all your games and still get a trophy (a plaque, that is)

Sorry for the lack of posting. The server this site lives on got hacked, and since it’s my server, I’ve spent a lot of time restoring websites. This one got back up really quickly, but I’ve been working on others.

I realized this blog comes up number one for “sandrail pizza” in a search, so I wanted to help all you all out by giving you the number. If you’re in San Felipe, Sandrail Pizza is 576-0441. In the U.S. (I don’t know why you’d call a pizza joint from outside of San Felipe, but here goes anyway) dial 011-52-686-576-0441.

Sandrail Pizza is very good pizza, and they deliver to El Dorado Ranch and the Ejido. It’s pricier than Chumpo’s, my San Felipe favorite, but it’s very convenient when you’re staying at El Dorado.

Sandrail Pizza is located at Playa de Oro on the Mexican 5.

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.

Since I’m usually out somewhere in El Dorado Ranch somewhere, I haven’t tried the breakfast at this restaurant. But you have to love the sign as you enter San Felipe:

“Only Breakfast - Beer, Mixt Drinks”

Ahhh, San Felipe. That sleepy little drinking village with a fishing problem.

At least once a week, I stop in at Don Fidel’s for one of the best, if not thee best, tortas in San Felipe.

Being a creature of habit, I’m almost always compelled to get the torta de pollo (chicken torta). The last time, mostly because I knew I’d be posting about Don Fidel, Jr. and his scrumptious tortas, I tried a torta de machaca (beef). While I still prefer the chicken torta, the beef torta was also excellent.

Don Fidel’s “restaurant” is an outdoor stand with a few plastic tables and chairs. Don’t let this scare you away. I know a lot of persons who visit or live in San Felipe who’ve eaten at Don Fidel’s and none have ever gotten sick. One of the best ways to decide whether to eat at a stand is if they have running water or not. Don Fidel’s does.

When you’re taking the Mexican 5 into San Felipe, it turns into Chetumal. There are two circles on Chetumal in San Felipe (only one has roads going off of it, the first is by the arches at the beginning of the town). Right before the second circle on the right hand side is Don Fidel’s Tortas. There are two Don Fidel’s, his dad also runs a hamburguesa and hot dog stand in the evenings. So enjoy great Tortas for lunch and the best hamburgers and hot dogs in San Felipe during the evening!