What about Lake Chapala?

Let’s look at what is good, what is great, what to avoid, what to do and when to go.

Lake Chapala, Mexico

Ajijic is located just 35-45 minutes from Guadalajara. It is village of approximately 11,000 to 20,000, depending on the time of year and that number can be debatable as well. Many residents from Guadalajara weekend at the lake as well to escape the heat and air quality of the city.

Ajijic is a haven for expats and snowbirds hailing from the USA and Canada making up to 40% of the inhabitants. What makes it so desirable? Well, the weather and climate is pretty unbeatable and combine that with relative low cost of living makes for a great landing pad for many folks.

This is our third trip to Lake Chapala. The previous two trips coincided with winter. We ambled down looking for a respite from cold, snowy Bend, Oregon. We were not disappointed. The weather is mild and warm. This venture we journeyed down in August and the weather was wonderful. A bit warmer than winter, but still very comfortable. We decided to give it go in the summer to see if it truly is a year round destination and to experience the rainy season there. More on that below!

So what’s the story behind Lake Chapala and Ajijic? Glad you asked! The lake itself is Mexico’s largest freshwater lake and was formed from a volcanic crater. You will find geothermal pools near and around San Juan Cosala. The lake and surrounding towns are approximately 35-45 minutes from Guadalajara and nestled in the mountains with an elevation of approximately 5,000 feet. This elevation makes the climate so perfect. Not too warm and not too cool. For example, a 75 degree day feels like it’s in the 80’s after you plug in the humidity as well.

The largest town on the lake is Chapala. It has a population of about 50,000 people. It has many of the same attributes as Ajijic, but larger and far fewer expats.

Other towns along the lake that are noteworthy include; San Juan Cosala, Jocotepec, and Vista Del Lago (Chapala Country Club for golf).

What is good about the Lake Chapala area.

First and foremost this is a great area in Mexico that has a very temperate year round climate. It does have a “dry” and “rainy season” as many subtropical locations have, however the climate keeps even humid days during the rainy season very comfortable. That being said many outdoor activities are year round.

The town (village) of Ajijic has a substantial population of expats, so English is widely spoken and most restaurants have dual language menus. You will find dual language movie theatres and for gringo shopping there is a Walmart in just outside of Ajijic. To further extrapolate about the expat scene, there is the Lake Chapala Society that is club formed and based in Ajijic to help guide and answer questions regarding life and living in the area. The society was established approximately 70 years ago! They are a remarkable resource for information.

The restaurant scene in Chapala and Ajijic hits the mark on many scorecards. There are dozens of options for specialties. One could literally eat out every night. You will find not only casual Mexican cuisine choices, but upscale as well. Other options of note are Steakhouses and Italian. There is also, BBQ, Thai, and of course- American burgers!

What is great?!

The very best thing about Lake Chapala is of course the weather! Winter it is not hot, but it is WARM and there is nothing better than escaping cold snowy weather from northern locations. Summers are about the same temperature as winter, however, it feels a warmer due to the humidity. May and June, I have heard is not pleasant though.

The other super lure of a visit here? The food scene is amazing!

The local people. We have never met any local person that isn’t incredibly friendly and welcoming. The town and lakefront in Ajijic is very clean albeit rustic. There is a sense of pride in this little town and they embrace visitors. There really isn’t a language issue with most people in Ajijic and if so, Google Translate is there for your rescue. If you get outside of Ajijic, you may find that conversing is more challenging.

Lastly, the ultimate lure is that it is AFFORDABLE! It may not be inexpensive to stay. Home, hotel, B & B’s, etc, are not inexpensive, however, everything else is. Food, activities (mostly) and shopping are very affordable.

Where to stay?

Where you stay while visiting Lake Chapala completely depends on the experience you’re looking for. We have found that Ajijic fits the bill for our tastes. It does have the highest expat population, so you will see lots of gringos and gringas! What makes this our favorite town is the vibe of the streets, the friendliness of the locals, ease of communication and the food!

Full disclosure though, we haven’t stayed anywhere else on the lake, however, we have traveled to all of the main towns and explored the options and have still felt that Ajijic is the place to stay in or near.

You will find many lovely little hotels and B& B’s to choose from, however, what you won’t find is large destination resorts. Resorts here at the lake will be much smaller. You will find a much larger choice of accommodations on AirBnb or VRBO, which can range from a lovely home mountainside in Chula Vista to a wonderful casa in town behind one of those beautiful, mysterious gated walls!

What to avoid, what to do and when to go.

You will definitely want to avoid at all costs swimming in the lake or any activity where you may inadvertently consume lake water. They have tried (still are) to clean up the lake, however, there is a lot of agricultural and farming activities around the lake and unfortunately many chemicals leach into the water. Also, the lake is surrounded by the mountains so there is a natural runoff that pours straight into the water.

If you have mobility issues you may find this entire area is not ADA friendly. Cobblestone streets of the towns, narrow and broken sidewalks, stairs…. you get the picture. All of those reasons along with dealing with the hills from the lake make it a challenge. I do need to add that what they do have is a walking, biking path that runs all through the town of Ajijic to Chapala. It will eventually extend Ajijic to San Juan Cosalá.

Activities that we can speak about are golfing, walking, pickleball and tennis. There’s golf to be had at Chula Vista (Ajijic) and Lake Chapala Country Club (Vista DeLago). Chapala Country Club is about a 30 minute drive from Ajijic. It is a private club and they offer memberships, however, there is public play as well with some limitations to time of day and you can purchase a punch pass for 10 rounds that includes a golf cart. Even better!, there is a full service restaurant and their margaritas are good! Caddies are extra and may be required during the summer. Chula Vista is a public course and is very narrow, walking only and located on the mountain side of Ajijic.

We have visited the area three times. Twice in the winter, and once in August. Visiting in winter is a no brainer, especially if you’re looking to escape the cold. However, even in winter, it can rain and be a little chilly (remember the elevation!). A light jacket or sweater and jeans at night does the trick. Still no need for your down parka! There are fewer bugs (love that) and there is a lot less humidity.

There are plus’s and minus’s to visiting in the summer. It primarily rains at night (nearly every night) and the thunderstorms and lightning shows are amazing. It does dry out quickly by mid morning. Some places do not dry out we found. The golf courses were basically underwater and sloppy. They allow play, but carts have to remain on the cart path and guests are required to hire a caddy. Do not bring golf shoes that you would be devastated to ruin. Yes, it was that muddy. Not the staining kind of mud though like the clay mud in Kauai, but still mud. The only other negative about a summer visit is the bugs. If you are inclined to get bug bit, bank on it happening. I was chewed up after our 2 weeks there. I can only imaging how much worse it would have been had I not purchased bug repellent and reapplied every 4-6 hours.

I have learned from the locals that May and June are not the best months. There is a lot of rain and it is hot.

Lastly, we have not hiked through the mountains, however, I have learned that the hiking is great. We may have to do that on our next visit. I’m not sure the hiking during the rainy season is the best thing to do for novice hikers such as ourselves. What we did enjoy is the visiting one of the hot springs spas. There are a couple of places to experience the hot springs. We pre-visited Balnearios, Thermal Tlalocan and Monte Coxala. We visited on a weekend in August and were turned off by the carnival vibe of Balnearios and Tlalocan. Hawkers at the entrance to urge drivers and people into their facilities. Ultimately, we chose to go to Monte Coxala. This spa offers lodging, dining and a full service spa. The thermal pools are located around the property and also boasts an infinity pool. In comparison to the other thermal spas, this one is on the spendy side. We purchased massages that included breakfast and a day pass to access all the thermal waters. With the dollar conversion it came out to approximately $150.00 each. Note: English is definitely a challenge.

Restaurants and accommodations

We have stayed in three different types of accommodations. The first was the B & B, Hotel Lindo. Our second visit we did an AirBnB in Chula Vista Norte and lastly we did a house exchange through PeopleLikeUs home exchange.

Hotel Lindo is a small B & B and is located mountainside on the western end of Ajijic. The rooms are lovely and all have a wonderful view of the lake and the sunsets are amazing. They offer a cooked to order breakfast daily.

The AirBnB in Chula Vista Norte was wonderful. It is owned by a Canadian couple and our stay there could not have been better. It is a large home with a beautiful pool with full views of the lake. The pool and hot tub were solar heated at that time and thus the hot tub was really not usable after dark due to no heat for the water. The listing is #33562283. Contemporary Casa, Infinity Pool, Amazing views. The owners are also superheats.

The home exchange we did through PeopleLikeUs was a great start to home exchanging. The exchange went well without any hitches. The home she has in Ajijic Centro is lovely. We found the walkability to anywhere in the Centro area to be so incredibly easy from her house. The detail to note about staying in the town central area is that many homes are on several floors. Two to three floors is not uncommon. Typically on the uppermost floor is the outdoor patio area and in our case, had a lake view and partially protected by a mirador.

Let’s eat! These are restaurants we have been to and loved.

Fine dining:

Bruno’s. Steak is king here and everything is so fresh. The service is friendly and knowledgable. Simply wonderful. Liz was our server on this last visit. We would put this restaurant at the top of your list! We highly recommend this restaurant and make a reservation. Note: They will most likely be back in their original location by the time this is published.

Alex’s Pasta Bar. Italian cuisine. We have been to this restaurant a few times and have not been disappointed. They also have a live musician on the weekends.

Barrio de Quilmes. Located right on the pier, adjacent to the Malecon. Not super fine dining, but their food is great and the view can’t be beat! This restaurant is located right on the lake. It is the only restaurant in Ajijic that has views of the lake AND the food is great. The service is really awesome too.

LaVita Bella located at the Racquet Club development, San Juan Cosalá also has amazing views and great food. Definitely worth the short drive.

Teocintle is by far, heads and shoulders the best fine dining for Mexican cuisine. The Oaxaca mole is rich and velvety. Honestly, everything at this restaurant is awesome! Service, food, drinks, atmosphere is great! This is a must and make sure you make a reservation!

Casual spots and coffee.

Bakery Savta is our go to place for fantastic coffee and baked goods. They also serve breakfast and lunch. We had tried numerous other places, but this one really hits the mark.

Chile Verde is authentic Mexican cuisine. It is located right in the town square. The albondigas soup, fajitas, chilli relleno are among our favourites.

Las Palmas is also a great choice for casual dining. Mexican cuisine with the addition pizza.

Interestingly, pizza is on many menus at many of the restaurants.

Getting there.

Fly into Guadalajara International airport. From there either rent a car or taxi to your location of choice in Lake Chapala. Average price in peso’s for a taxi is 500 -550. Uber’s are available, however, as you exit customs, the taxi counter is right there on your right and you pay for your ride there and as you exit the airport are directed right to your taxi. Simple. Ride share pick ups are located away from the airport at this time (2024), due to airport expansion and construction. If you are arriving at sunset or later and plan on renting a car we highly suggest either spending the night near the airport or taxing to your location and renting your car locally. Driving at night is not advisable. There are topes (speed bumps on steroids), of which some just appear randomly and animals that meander on the roads and highways.

Ajijic and Lake Chapala, Mexico