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This is real Mexico. It’s a small town in the mountains of Michoacan. Everyone here makes and sells guitars. There are hundreds of luthiers here. You could easily spend a week trying out guitars made by different luthiers. I bought a guitar here for 4000 pesos(400$). It came with a case that was custom built for the guitar. It’s my favorite guitar. It was made by Jesus H. Fuerte, a really nice guy who speaks very little engish. He showed me the entire process of how he makes them and spent about 3 or 4 hours talking with me and letting me play different guitars.

If you play guitar or even just like listening to guitar you have to come here. It’s guitar heaven. Most classical guitars you buy in Mexico are made here.

This town itself is not touristy at all. It’s very small. There aren’t many hotels or restaurants but you can find a place to stay and a place to eat if you’re not picky. You could also stay in Morelia or Uruapan and make a day trip here. Morelia is beautiful.

This a beach town north of Merida.
I was in Merida and made friends with some locals and they took me here. There are definitely better beaches to see in Mexico.
It was fun though. The seafood here is great too.

If you want to see Mexico this isn’t the place to go. It looks like Daytona beach with a little Mexican on the side. If you travel for the mental stimulation of learning about other places then I wouldn’t recommend Cancun.
If you just want to relax, spend money, and drink then it’s great.

I lived here for three month’s with some friends. Crime is almost non-existant on the island. The locals are all very friendly. There’s a rumor of a local who was harassing some tourists. They say he just disappeared one day. Cozumelenos love tourists because they bring in the money and they want the island to have a good reputation.

I learned to surf on the eastern side of the island. Chen Rio is a good surf beach. So is Punta Morena. If you’re on the east side and you see some surfers in the water you found it. Chen Rio is just past Coconuts bar heading south.

Don’t let taxi’s overcharge you because you’re a tourist. If you stay in town all fares are 20 pesos(2$).

A great idea I discovered one day: if you’re sick of the vendors trying to get you to buy something from them carry a set of keys in you’re hand. They all assume you’re a local and won’t bother you! If someone does just jiggle the keys a little to draw their attention to it. I think it’s worth it.

Get in a taxi and ask for El Manati. It’s a restaurant in the northern part of town. Lunch there is cheap and very good. It’s 50 pesos(5$) for the whole meal and it’s incredible. I the States the same meal would be double or triple this price. The seafood pasta isn’t on the menu but they’ll make it if you ask. It’s excellent.

Chedraui is the cheapest place to get groceries. There’s also a movie theater upstairs. It’s very modern and comfortable. Go there when you want to get out of the heat. It’s always packed on hot days because it has air-conditioning.

When you go to any restaurant ask for horchata to drink, you’ll love it.