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Originally Posted by LivingNBaja

Larry, we have not really looked at anything yet. We visited Rosarito a few weeks ago and drove down to Ensenada, but we didn't look at any houses or condos. We saw some high rise condos and some gated communities (from the road), but didn't see inside and don't have any info. We definitely will be there in October, and we will probably just try to find something small to live in temporarily while we look around. If you have any information about Club Marena, we would love to see it -- and thank you for taking the time to help! We might have to stay in a hotel for a week or so, since we don't have a definite arrival date and we are very hesitant to take something site unseen.
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Later .......... WOW! -- I just Googled Club Marena and it looks great! We have never lived in a high rise or condo .... however, we are really ready to give up a huge garden with all of the maintenance involved. We do need 3 bedrooms, so we thought it would be next to impossible to find that in a condo ........... but maybe not! Thanks again for the lead. We will definitely put this on the list and we do need to find out more "particulars", but it is a great start.

The owners of Club Marena also have the Baja Country Club in Ensenada;

Baja Country Club | Baja México | Mexico Real Estate

Jerry & Maureen Riggs of Club Marena also have a place at the BCC....they are good people. there are also rentals (long and short term) at the BCC

We will be at our place at the BCC in October if you want to stop by.

Originally Posted by Teniente

Ocean front or near ocean front living is a continuing maintenance nightmare.

It is worth it if you, like many people, have always dreamed about living by the ocean. Mexican labor is very reasonable as you know, so the cost to clean and paint anything outside such as the terrace railing is minimal.

Originally Posted by larry

It is worth it if you, like many people, have always dreamed about living by the ocean. Mexican labor is very reasonable as you know, so the cost to clean and paint anything outside such as the terrace railing is minimal.

Don't forget light fixtures, aluminum window fames, door knobs and locksets......the BBQ and outdoor furniture.......and the family car......the costs may be minimal to repaint, but it is a constant issue.

We also wanted to live on/by the ocean but after renting at the beachfront we decided to purchase at the BCC and visit our friends who have beachfront property.

Another option is to get a place somewhere such as Rancho packard that overlooks the ocean/bay without the associated beachfront property issues

Originally Posted by Teniente

Don't forget light fixtures, aluminum window fames, door knobs and locksets......the BBQ and outdoor furniture.......and the family car......the costs may be minimal to repaint, but it is a constant issue.

We also wanted to live on/by the ocean but after renting at the beachfront we decided to purchase at the BCC and visit our friends who have beachfront property.

Another option is to get a place somewhere such as Rancho packard that overlooks the ocean/bay without the associated beachfront property issues

Why do oceanfront properties command the highest price, not only in Baja, but anywhere: location, location, location. If you worry about extra maintenance due to the salt air, you shouldn't live there. The folks moving from Lake Chapala specifically said they would like to live on a beachfront property.

Originally Posted by larry

Why do oceanfront properties command the highest price, not only in Baja, but anywhere: location, location, location. If you worry about extra maintenance due to the salt air, you shouldn't live there. The folks moving from Lake Chapala specifically said they would like to live on a beachfront property.

The money you spend maintaining an oceanfront house you save in utilities to heat and cool an inland house. The temp here increases about 15-20 degrees just five miles inland from the coast. So 70 degrees year round at the coast is just fine. The building materials you select seals your house maintenance fate. Choose your materials wisely. I see people repainting rusted iron gates every six months- I used cast aluminum and never have to maintain them. Choose composite plastics over metals. And remember, stainless steel is not stain proof- it is stain less. It's still a lot of work to polish. Look for those things when buying a house too. Paint is cheap.

Originally Posted by Woooosh

The money you spend maintaining an oceanfront house you save in utilities to heat and cool an inland house. The temp here increases about 15-20 degrees just five miles inland from the coast. So 70 degrees year round at the coast is just fine. The building materials you select seals your house maintenance fate. Choose your materials wisely. I see people repainting rusted iron gates every six months- I used cast aluminum and never have to maintain them. Choose composite plastics over metals. And remember, stainless steel is not stain proof- it is stain less. It's still a lot of work to polish. Look for those things when buying a house too. Paint is cheap.

Woooosh, off original topic, but close. You mentioned cast aluminum gates. In the near future I would like to replace my outdoor iron railing. Do you have a reference to a shop that does custom work such as railings?

Teniente --

I'm confused. Do you live at BCC? Anyway, we do definitely plan to be there (Baja) in October, bu we don't have an exact date yet. We are in the process of selling the contents of our house here ......... and it is going very well, so we should be set to move as planned --- as long as we get our Permanente Visas in time. It's taking 2 months or longer for the paperwork to be processed and so we just have to wait.

Thanks for the invite! We would love to meet you! We look forward to meeting lots of new people and making some good friends there.

Originally Posted by LivingNBaja

Teniente --

I'm confused. Do you live at BCC? Anyway, we do definitely plan to be there (Baja) in October, bu we don't have an exact date yet............... Thanks for the invite! We would love to meet you! We look forward to meeting lots of new people and making some good friends there.

Hey, no problem.....Nothing to be confused about.......yes, we have a place at the BCC. We should arrive there around September 20th for the winter........I am allergic to snow

Originally Posted by Teniente

Hey, no problem.....Nothing to be confused about.......yes, we have a place at the BCC. We should arrive there around September 20th for the winter........I am allergic to snow

We look forward to being able to get together with you. We are a little concerned now about arriving there in October. That is the beginning of the "high season" here, when all of the snowbirds start arriving, and it is next to impossible to find a place to live. We didn't know when the high season (if there is on) starts and ends there. We'll just have to see how it works.

Originally Posted by LivingNBaja

We look forward to being able to get together with you. We are a little concerned now about arriving there in October. That is the beginning of the "high season" here, when all of the snowbirds start arriving, and it is next to impossible to find a place to live. We didn't know when the high season (if there is on) starts and ends there. We'll just have to see how it works.

Get on the Punta Banda Newsletter:

puntabandanewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

And check the long/short term rentals. Also you might want to make a post requesting info. If you are interested, I can check for short term/long term rentals at the BCC. Most of the "summer" people at the BCC who have places in San Felipe start heading east around October, and our snowbirds start arriving.

Originally Posted by larry

Woooosh, off original topic, but close. You mentioned cast aluminum gates. In the near future I would like to replace my outdoor iron railing. Do you have a reference to a shop that does custom work such as railings?

Don't know if they are still in business: Gabriel Gamboa at Lantijuan. 86 06 06 81 1422. They use PO Box 431325, San Diego, CA 92143 for mail.

He made these Kelp Gates for us:

Originally Posted by Woooosh

Don't know if they are still in business: Gabriel Gamboa at Lantijuan. 86 06 06 81 1422. They use PO Box 431325, San Diego, CA 92143 for mail.

He made these Kelp Gates for us:

Attachment 3655

Thanks. Is that phone number in the TJ area? Do you know id Calderon iron works is still in business. They were located across the street from Tampanco.

Teniente --
Per your suggestion, I just joined the puntabandanewsletter Yahoo group. I didn't see any rentals listed, but I will look again later when I have more time. We are in the process of selling our furniture and the phone is ringing off the wall and we have a constant string of folks coming in ........ which is a good thing!

Anyway, my point is that my husband is sort of "set" on trying the oceanfront first. If we don't like it, then we will know. I read your posts about the problems, and we have discussed that factor. However, with a rental, then we don't have to worry too much ......... maybe. We are definitely ready to be finished with a lot of maintenance, though! We have a large house here and there is always something to do or fix or mend or paint, etc., and we aren't on the beach! We do have a lovely view of Lake Chapala, though, so we are a bit spoiled and would like to have a view. Since there is no Lake Chapala there, then we are going to have to "settle" for the ocean! -- which is much superior, in my opinion.

We really do appreciate your kind offer to help us find a rental at BCC, and we might decide later that it is a better place to live than on the ocean. However, we think we would like to try the oceanfront first, which is what you did .......... and then decide which is better for us.

We do realize that we are not coming at the best time of year. It seems that we are arriving at the "high" season there, so we are probably at a disadvantage for finding what we want for at least six months. So what else is new. Life is the way it is and we will deal with it. We are still coming!

Originally Posted by LivingNBaja

Teniente --
Per your suggestion, I just joined the puntabandanewsletter Yahoo group. I didn't see any rentals listed, but I will look again later when I have more time.

Try this:

Baja Bungalows

Originally Posted by DENNIS

Try this:

Baja Bungalows

Thanks so much for taking the time to help! My husband is going to call the agent who has two or three condos available in the Club Marena. Well, I guess they are still available. Some of the listings seem to be expired. Plus, I have emailed the agent twice and have gotten only "canned" responses that did not answer any of my questions. Maybe a phone call will work.

Originally Posted by larry

If you are interested in renting short term, If you google VRBO Listing #276754, you will see a 2 bd, 2 bath, 2,000 sq. foot unit on the 4th floor of the building that we own a unit in. You can email directly from that site the owners, Maureen & Jerry Riggs, great people. For a week, 7 nights, I think they charge $700, less than a 4 star hotel. I consider Club Marena 5 stars.

Also there are units with 3 bedrooms available for purchase. We own a 4,000 sq. ft., 3 bd, 3 bath unit.

Did you read the above post? I gave you exact instructions on contacting the owner of this beautiful rental at Club Marena and personally vouched for the owners as did Tennite.

Yea but I'm just talking about renting a house on the beach in Rosarito or Ensenada for a month, so maintenance shouldnt be much of an issue!

Originally Posted by LivingNBaja

Teniente --
Per your suggestion, I just joined the puntabandanewsletter Yahoo group. I didn't see any rentals listed, but I will look again later when I have more time.

We do realize that we are not coming at the best time of year. It seems that we are arriving at the "high" season there, so we are probably at a disadvantage for finding what we want for at least six months. So what else is new. Life is the way it is and we will deal with it. We are still coming!

Do a "search" on the newsletter for rentals or make a "post" with what you want/looking for.

I really don't think there is a "high season" in Ensenada....except for Easter week, Houses on the ocean or beach might be available in October as the weather starts cooling off and people want to escape the damp and cooler weather.....

Originally Posted by larry

Did you read the above post? I gave you exact instructions on contacting the owner of this beautiful rental at Club Marena and personally vouched for the owners as did Tennite.

Yes, I did read your information. I also looked at the site and at the photos of the condo owned by your friends. It looks very nice and I tried to send them a direct inquiry through the web site, but when I chose the time frame I thought we would need, it told me that it was not available. I do appreciate your help, though! We would like to get something for two to three months while we look for wherever we will be longer term Eventually, we need three bedrooms, but two will do fine for a few months. Thanks to your lead, we are both very interested in the Club Marena. It really sounds nice, so we thought we'd like to give it a try. If we find that we aren't "beach people", then we can move further inland later. Anyway, I really do appreciate your taking the time to help us!

Originally Posted by LivingNBaja

Yes, I did read your information. I also looked at the site and at the photos of the condo owned by your friends. It looks very nice and I tried to send them a direct inquiry through the web site, but when I chose the time frame I thought we would need, it told me that it was not available. I do appreciate your help, though! We would like to get something for two to three months while we look for wherever we will be longer term Eventually, we need three bedrooms, but two will do fine for a few months. Thanks to your lead, we are both very interested in the Club Marena. It really sounds nice, so we thought we'd like to give it a try. If we find that we aren't "beach people", then we can move further inland later. Anyway, I really do appreciate your taking the time to help us!

If you want to rent for 2 or 3 months I am sure there would be several units available at Club Marena. They are some that are up to 5,000 sq ft and 4 bds. If you contact Eduardo Ochoa who is the General Manage there. he might be able to help you. His email is eochoa@clubmarena.com