The Rise of Upcoming Expat Friendly Campeche México

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Campeche is an upcoming Expat friendly city, a little off the beaten path in México.

It has almost everything you need in a city. A modern air-conditioned mall with all the popular brands, Sam’s Club, a small local airport ten minutes from the middle of the city with commuter flights to Cancun that will get you anywhere.

Hospitals and all the things you require day-to-day.

And 90 minutes away is the big city of Mérida has everything else.

I’ve visited Campeche three times in the last 18-months for a few days each time.

If I hadn’t bought a home on the Yucatán coast, I may have chosen Campeche.

There is a small and growing Expat community enjoying this old Colonial city. In the walled city area, yes there is still a protective wall in place after the pirate days, the streets are narrow, and it looks like an old European town.

For the third time I stayed at Don Gustavo Boutique Hotel right on the nicest walking street, 59th. Right outside the hotel door, which used to be Mr. Gustavo’s home back in the day centuries ago, are over a dozen restaurants and bars. Three of them are literally next door.

The hotel had a free breakfast and the setting is very charming.

And the hotel pool area is gorgeous.

Fine dinning right in the middle of the street.

And at night it’s magical having dinner and watching people enjoy life.

I love having breakfast, lunch, and dinner right in the middle of the street. Watching locals and tourists go about their day. Café life to its fullest.

The sunsets in Campeche are stellar. I love strolling the boardwalk along the coast with the Gulf of México and watching the sun slowly sink into the horizon.

The sunsets are very long since Campeche faces almost directly west.

You can grab a marquesitas, a local treat that was created nearby in Merida in 1938 by Don Vicente Mena, an ice cream vendor. It’s made with a wafer stuffed with, usually cheese or Nutella and sprinkled with cajeta (caramel sauce). It was named after the daughters of the wealthy marquis living in Merida that loved them so much that Don Vincente named them “marquesitas” after the little ladies.

During the heat of the day, I like to buy a cold palatas. A palatas is a frozen Mexican dessert like a popsicle but made from fresh natural fruits such as strawberry and mango or from rich creamy ingredients such as coconut, chocolate, and pistachio.

We celebrated my wife’s birthday with a free brownie from our favorite restaurant.

There is a lot of shopping on 59th and surrounding calles (streets) and street vendors.

The street vendors on 59th can be a little aggressive. I had a Mennonite farmer try to sell me a gigantic piece of cheese around ten times over several days and three times during one meal. An amount of cheese that would take me a year to eat.

Since it’s Christmas holiday time there is a lot of festivals happening.