As I mentioned in Part 1, I had found a fabulous apartment! It was spacious, well-lit, and had high ceilings and great ventilation….and a terrace for the puppies! It also had bars on the windows (to keep would-be intruders out) and was on the top floor, which meant no upstairs neighbors. Bonus! The 2 things that kept me from jumping with joy and forking over the cash at that very moment were: 1. The rent was $500 pesos (approximately $50usd) more per month than my last apartment, and 2. It was completely unfurnished. (When a place in Cancun is ‘unfurnished’, don’t expect it to even have lightbulbs.)

We told the owner we’d contact him in a few days and sadly left behind the place we desperately wanted to be our new home. I reasoned that the extra $500 pesos a month wasn’t bad and that I was fortunate to have never had my rent increase in the entire time I’d lived in Cancun. If I took inflation into account, an extra $500 pesos a month wasn’t too much…especially for a place that was much nicer than my current home!

The next day, we started pricing furniture and appliances. The thought of owning such things was a bit overwhelming to me. I mean, buying a refrigerator is a big deal. It’s a MAJOR commitment and will likely last longer than most marriages. Once I got over my fear of commiting years of love and devotion to appliances and furniture, I decided I wanted the new apartment. Actually, I think my love of the new apartment made me get over my fear of making such major purchases.

We soon realized that we could have the things we needed immediately (bed, stove, fridge, and air-conditioner) for around $2,000usd. Up to that point I only had belongings that could be carried in my luggage…granted, it would require many pieces of luggage to attempt such a feat these days. It was all very exciting and a little scary. We called the new landlord to say we wanted the apartment, but that we wanted to see it once more.

We walked through the apartment again and could already see ourselves living there. We asked important questions like “Does the apartment have hot water?”, “Can we add an air-conditioner?”, ” Can we get internet with the cable company here?”, and “Have the power bills been paid up to this point?”. These are things you don’t even consider in the US, but you have to ask here.

Many places do not have hot water. That is not something I have ever considered to be a luxury item in a home, but apparently it is in Cancun. Putting in an air-conditioner requires cutting a hole in the concrete walls so it’s a bit more complicated than simply shoving an a/c into a window and securing it. Cable internet is very wide-spread but always best to make sure they offer it in the place you are considering for your new home. As for the utilities, it’s a rather strange system here. The utilities are not in the name of the individual, but are listed by the address of the house. If a previous tenant/home-owner didn’t pay the bills, you are out of luck unless you pay them all to reconnect the services. It’s hardly fair, but that’s the way it is.

After weighing all the pros and cons again, we made sure the landlord understood we had 3 dogs and that we’d be bringing them along on this little adventure. Once he said that was fine…and gave us satisfactory answers to all of our other questions, we told him when we’d be back to pay the deposit.

Since I had not yet signed a lease, I only told my closest of friends the exact location of the apartment. I didn’t trust the landlord to hold the apartment for us before he actually had money in hand. As it turns out, a friend called the new landlord to inquire about another rental property that was available at the time and the landlord told them about my new place…and that is was vacant!

A few days later, we paid the deposit and set the move-in date. That transaction took place on the front porch of my new landlord and I was still not entirely convinced the place would be vacant on the day I showed up with a moving truck full of my belongings, but I thought positive thoughts and just hoped it would all work out for the best.

Now, the fun was about to start…..packing!

To be continued…

After nearly 3 1/2 years in the same apartment, I decided it was time to move to a new place. When I first arrived in Cancun, I initially had a realtor help me find an apartment. When I found out I would not be having a roommate to share expenses, I had to change my course of action. You see, realtors generally only handle properties that were out of my meager $500US/month price range. I quickly enlisted the help of friends and my apartment search continued. After a grueling 30 minutes of walking a neighborhood inquiring about every “Se Renta” sign we saw, I found the perfect apartment. I met with the landlord that night and, early the next morning, I signed the contract and moved into my first home in Cancun! (New readers can read “Susan’s Story” to find out how I came to live in Cancun.)

Even though I had an awful landlord, I loved the apartment and the location. It was hard to finally make the decision to leave. I suppose some of that was just me being sentimental since it was the first and only home I’d had in Cancun. I was dreading the task of finding a new apartment and doubted I would be able to find anything I liked in the same price range. I also had no furniture of my own, so i thought it would be nearly impossible to find a furnished place with a nice decor that I could actually afford. My lease was to expire at the end of February 2007, so I started my quest for a new, fabulous apartment in mid-December.

Finding and renting a new place in Cancun is not at all like you might imagine. I mean, in the US, we pick up the little ‘Apartment Finder’ guides at the supermarket, drive to apartment complexes we like and take a tour, or search websites to find the perfect apartment to suit our needs and budget. In Cancun, it’s not quite as easy or predictable. Then again, nothing seems to be. Don’t get me wrong…I absolutely love Cancun and can’t imagine ever leaving Mexico, but everyday in itself is a little challenge/adventure.

I started looking for apartments in the newspaper and found a few promising listings. My bi-lingual boyfriend called about them and determined they were either too expensive, or not what they seemed to be in the ads. One sounded fabulous, however. He called to schedule a time to view the apartment and was informed that they only rent to families. Since we are only 2 humans with 3 puppies, we did not seem to qualify. We were happy to be spared from what we imagined to be a building full of screaming children. Needless to say, that was not exactly what we were in the market for.

After reading the newspaper ads for a couple of days, we decided the best approach would be to simply walk around neighborhoods we liked and hope to find something for rent. We set out with our puppies in tow (actually they were dragging us, but that is another story altogether) and found only a couple of places on our first outing. One of them was fabulous place that was just being built….but it was twice as much as we wanted to spend and only about half the size we needed. Obviously, that wasn’t going to work so we moved on to a different neighborhood. After about an hour of walking aimlessly, we stopped a man walking in a park to ask if he knew of places for rent. He gave us his opinion of the apartment buildings on that block and then suggested we walk to the other side of the park to speak with a man about an apartment. The man he was directing us to owned a duplex. As luck would have it, the apartment was vacant, FABULOUS, and in our price range! ……but there is always a catch.

To be continued…

Jenny, one of our Members (and guest Blogger!) recently married her long-time boyfriend! Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Susan & Tim

Xcaret – Nestled amidst the luxuriant rainforests of the Mexican Caribbean and upon the shores of a glittering turquoise sea, lies a place like no other in the world: Xcaret, meaning “small inlet” in Maya, a spectacular eco park in the heart of the Riviera Maya. Discover a new type of endless recreation through its wide range of attractions. The veneration and preservation of the environment, as much as the legacies and cultures of the Maya peoples and Mexico in general, also are of paramount importance to Xcaret. The Eco Park is equally concerned with sensitizing visitors to the imperative need to save the planet, which it does through various interactive activities.

Whether relaxing or exploring, at Xcaret one can enjoy all the wonders such a privileged region provides.

Xel-Ha – The Riviera Maya hosts the most incredible and magical water theme park created by the Mayan gods: Xel-Ha, a place that gathers the best of the Mexican Caribbean nature in the Riviera Maya of Mexico.

Xel-Ha has the most spectacular natural aquarium of the world for you to experience the real aquatic adventure. Explore this theme park and enjoy , adventure activities, natural, ecological attractions and water activities like diving or snorkeling in creeks, lagoons, natural wells and ancient caves fed by subterranean rivers flowing to the beautiful Mexican Caribbean Sea of the Riviera Maya

Xcaret and Xel-Ha have changed the way they determine who is a child and who is an adult. It used to be by age (5 yrs – 12 yrs old was a child, under 5 was free). They now determine status by height (40″ – 55″ tall is a child, under 40″ tall is free). Anyone over 55″, even if they are under 12 yrs old, is considered an adult.

CancunMX.com and CancunAndRivieraMaya.com offer Public ( Bus ) Tours and Private Tours to Xel-Ha and Xcaret from Cancun and the Riviera Maya ( aka: Mayan Riviera ). Both Xel-Ha Tours offer an option to the Mayan Ruins. The Private Xcaret Tour also offers the Tulum Ruins as an option. The only such option available on the Internet.

For more information visit Tours from Cancun or Tours from the Riviera Maya.