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About three years back we decided the UK was too cold a place and miserable for us to live for the rest of our lives. And anyway Europe was a busted flush. We decided to have a look around and went to Australia, Thailand, Greece, France, Mazatlan, and Baja Sur. Jo plumped for Los Barriles and we started to plan. Family commitments popped up and got in the way but now we are ready to go again.
Los Barriles seems to be growing like topsy and very touristy, hence expensive. I think we need to rent for at least six months, probably a year before going firm on location, might even decide it is not for us. I suggested La Ventana or somewhere up there but Jo is determined the Los Barriles is the area for her.
Any suggestions on long term rentals, cost of living, where to start looking, etc would be welcomed
Ivor

Welcome to the neighborhood Ivar!

Barriles is nice, and as you have seen is growing apace. It does get warm there in late summer. Maybe too hot for someone from the misty islands?

There are some folks here from La Paz, and I think some from Barriles and the East Cape. They can give you some first hand reports on summer heat and its associated electric bills.

What are your recreational interests? The smaller towns are limited in some ways, and unbeatable in others, it all depends what you like to do and how you define community.

Good luck, and enjoy your search!!

Surprised that, after such a short visit, she has decided on that specific area. You should definitely look at La Paz and/or Loreto for a new place to settle. And, like someone mentioned, be prepared for some brutal summers.
Succes in your new adventure!!

Bienvenido!

Welcome aboard Ivor...

"Hello Josephine! How do you do?" Oops! Sorry Ivor, I couldn't resist!

There is every possibility that Josephine is a very decisive women who recognizes what she wants & goes for it.....which I admire (not to mention, resemble!).....but to my way of thinking, the Pacific side is just too windy for my taste. I know people who actually enjoy perpetual wind, but I don't fall into that small group & most in this golden age group have left wind surfing, para-sailing, etc., behind as fond memories from our younger years.

There are pluses & minuses to every town or area in BCS. One persons pluses are anothers minuses! Depending on your ages & your current & potential health status.....the smaller more remote areas typically have small clinics & you'd have to travel to Cabo or La Paz for urgent or critical care, as well as for medical specialists or procedures.

What type of lifestyle do you want to live? What type of activities are you interested in? What amenities are important to you & in how close a proximity to your casa? Is it going to bother you if you have to make periodic "stock up" trips to one or the other of the larger more populated areas for imported items not stocked by smaller local tiendas?

Do a Google search for "Los Barriles, BCS long term rentals" (versus vacation rentals, or if you only find vacation rentals, negotiate for much more affordable 6-12 month rates) to get a feel for what's available & for how much. Cost of living is going to vary based on a myriad of reasons from location to location. Again, Google is your friend, use it to search for cost of living by different areas. Google "relocating to Los Barriles", "relocating to La Ventana/La Paz/Loreto/etc." to gain a lot of first-hand knowledge & experience from others who have preceded you. Study the information, weather, temps, amenities, etc., etc., read others threads on this site for questions asked & advice provided.

And one very important new twist which could potentially impact your decision.....are you aware of the new immigration law changes implemented November 9, 2012 & do/can you meet the new requirements.....especially the appreciably higher monthly income requirement?

Once you get some preliminary research under your belts, come back & ask more specific questions & you'll receive more meaningful answers better suited to your unique wants/dislikes/needs. Enjoy your preliminary research on your new adventure!

Thank you for your prompt reply Longlegs
You have given us a whole long list of things to think about and thanks very much for that, working on it for the next while.
We must keep in touch. I'm still getting to grips working on this website, afraid I'm not very good at navigating round it yet so bear with me please.
Best wishes
Ivor

Ivor, this link is to the forums:

http://www.talkbaja.com/index.php

Click on it to see the various forum sections, open an individual forum to see all the individual threads within that forum, open a thread to see all the individual posts within a particular thread.

You can cruise through the forums topics that may apply.....just remember, there are members on this site from the entire length of the peninsula, so not all discussion may necessarily apply to Baja Sur.....but you'll get the hang of it pretty fast.....difficulties? .....just send out a holler & someone or other will send out a Saint Bernard to help.

You'll have visibility of information back through the start of this site.....with the exception of Immigration requirements, most other threads are typically fairly timeless.

Here's a couple important topic areas to get you started:

http://www.talkbaja.com/showthread.php?t=210

http://www.talkbaja.com/showthread.php?t=356

welcome

Wow, will look forward to the final decision on this move Lot's to consider.