We have spent considerable time in Puerto Penasco (easy to drive to from Phoenix) definitely a weekend vacation town and the expats that live there tend to be on the income extremes. We found some lovely people but we didn't really fit in. Not walkable in most areas.
San Carlos. I loved it there. On the water but cooler than puerto Peñasco. We made fast friends and had community almost immediately from volunteering at the thrift shop and the parrot head group. 5 hour drive from Tucson. Guymas was nearby with a Sam's club and other bigger stores. Dessert climate but also surrounded by mountains.
Cozumel. Completely walkable or taxi and bus is easy to get. Gets busy on cruise ship days. Loved our time there and did some scuba. Probably wouldn't go back for extended time.
San Miguel de Allende. Beautiful city, beautiful architecture. Lots of expat meet-up but we never really found our grove here. Too much expensive dinners. We also stayed too far in the outskirts so a walk to town center got boring. It's cool in the evenings in winter. I was not prepared.
Ajijic we have been here twice now and plan to come back. Proximity to the Guadalajara airport and drivable to other towns makebit an intriguing spot. But traffic has gotten crazy bad just since we were here in 2023. A bike or walking is the way to go, IMO. We "plan" to return next year for 9 months. Will use as a base for week long exploration in Mexico. We plan to bring our bikes but the rental we are looking at also comes with a car.
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