Service Clubs

Service clubs looking to make a difference internationally, will find Chacala to be the perfect pueblo. The Chacala Project Committee, led by Trini Moya, has created a list of projects that will directly benefit the children and students and indirectly benefit the entire pueblo. Chacala has a proven project history of success and accountability. Rotary clubs have included: Berkeley, El Cerrito, Rio Vista and Santa Cruz, California; Omaha, Nebraska; and Shawnee, Kansas; Oriental, North Carolina and Kalispell, Montana. Education with a View, Alaska; Berkeley YMCA and St. Andrews Church, Pittsburg are a few of the youth groups that interact with our scholarship students.
The service clubs provide the funds. Often some of their members come to work side by side with the Chacaleons. An advance team sometimes comes to review and select the project. The service club, Trini, her committee and a local North American work together in the planning of the project. Reservations for lodging, meals, excursions and transport are all handled locally. The volunteers are met at the airport and brought to Chacala. The workday starts at the Mauna Kea Café for breakfast. The volunteer workers arrive at the job site, tools are distributed at the tool lending library. Most of the workers hang up their tools at about 1:00 pm. Then they are off to rest, swim, take a hike, relax on the beach or visit. Often they gather at sunset for margaritas. A dinner is served at different restaurants each night, sometimes with entertainment. The last day of work is followed by a lunch served by the townspeople and an interactive live theater presented by our children.

The Nayarit Coastal town of Chacala is unique: year round velvet green jungles and mountains, white sandy beaches, clean blue ocean water, lush and varied plant life, ecological convergient birding zones, twelve months of surfing, and abundant fishing and snorkeling. The majority of properties offer sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean. North Americans are leaving the city of Puerto Vallarta and exploring north. They are tired of areas like Puerto Vallarta and now even Sayulita. Chacala does not share the traffic, noise, crowds, pollution, and high prices of many areas to the south.In the exodus north, the small towns of Bucerias and Sayulita have been the first to be “discovered”. Now their streets are noisy and congested with the price of real estate and the cost of construction virtually the same as the United States. More and more visitors, retirees, investors, and expatriates are pushing out to the northern towns like Chacala. Chacala sits overlooking secluded Chacala Bay, surrounded by palm trees dotted with palapa restaurants. There are only about 400 residents. The attraction is both the seclusion and quiet but also the future potential. Real estate prices are climbing, though more on the realistic side than the ridiculous. Marina Chacala, a devlopment located between Chacala and Chacalilla Bay has a wide variety of lots and homes for sale. The town of Chacala offers vacation rentals and numerous services as well.One can obtain all necessary information and make reservations through this website as we offer a full range of concierge services. See Contact Us to resolve any questions you may have. Once arriving in Chacala, the visitor will be able to gather person-to-person information at the Chacala Information Center (CIC). It is located in downtown Chacala. CIC offers information about real estate listings, vacation rental listings, services and referrals. The visitor can make reservations for: transportation (land and sea), excursions, Spanish lessons, and guides. See our Activities page. Real estate, property, vacation rentals and services in Chacala accommodate the budget to high-end traveler, visitor, retiree and investor.

Marina Chacala, Luxury Gated Community

There is in Chacala a gated community called Marina Chacala. The development offers a good selection of lots and homes. Its southern border runs along Chacala Bay, curving into the Pacific Ocean, which leads into Chacalilla Bay. Marina Chacala is a planned community offering view and waterfront lots and homes. It has 24 hour security, a beach club with three pools, a tennis club, walking paths and best of all, a white sandy beach with coconut trees swaying in the breeze nesteled within Chacalilla Bay.
Some of the property in Marina Chacala is for sale as individual lots. Some of the property is for sale as planned homes and lots. There is a team of professionals to meet the buyer’s needs. Financing is done from the buyer’s side. The CC&Rs are available in English as is a sample of the purchase contract.

To learn all about Marina Chacala go to CasaPacificaChacala.com

Living In Chacala

Banking – The larger banks: Bancomer, Bital, Banamex, etc. offer familiar services such as checking, savings accounts, wire-transfer services, currency exchange, loans, etc. Many U.S. citizens living in Mexico use Lloyds which offers deposit accounts that are interest bearing. Lloyds also offers additional services to their customers such as insurance coverage on homes, cars, and health care.
Insurance – A Homeowner’s Policy for cars, boats, and homes can be secured through Lloyds Bank in Puerto Vallarta. Coverage is available for fire, theft, wind, flooding and earthquake damage.
Health Insurance – Medical care in the larger Mexican cities is comparable to care in the U.S. – at one quarter the cost. That’s good, because Medicare pays for nothing outside the U.S. Foreigners may enroll in the IMSS plan (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social), which covers progressively more over a three-year period, costs only a few hundred dollars a year, and is renewable for life. It has no age restrictions but won’t cover people with chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. Inexpensive private Mexican or international medical coverage is also available. The smaller towns usually have a health (emergency-type) clinic. While not equipped to handle major medical situations, they can stabilize a patient and prepare them for a journey to Puerto Vallarta, Tepic or Guadalajara.
Shopping – Major shopping exits in Guadalajara, a very modern city of some 6 – 8 million. Much nearer, in Puerto Vallarta or Tepic (the cosmopolitan capitol of Nayarit) are large grocery stores, a Wal Mart and a Sam’s Club. Many in rural areas visit these cities to stock up on bulk or specialty items -.usually finding whatever they want.. Near Chacala, Las Varas and La Penita. provide the basic necessities: groceries, hardware, auto parts, laundry/dry cleaners, hair salons, furniture, clothes, appliances, household goods etc. Currently, Chacala has two convenience stores - with items similar to those found in a convenience store in the U.S.- as well as a hardware/building materials store, a church, a school and a couple of B & Bs. More is coming as the government plans to install a marina in Chacala Bay.
Financing Property Purchases –Financing property in Mexico is not as easy, nor as cheap, as it is in the U.S. Because of the considerably greater cost, it’s advisable to limit your search for financing to U.S. lenders (who are showing an ever-increasing interest). It is a bit difficult to find ready sources for the financing of single-family home purchases. But financing is readily available for the purchase of residential building sites, fractional ownership and time-share purchases; however, the rates will exceed those in the U.S. Down payments range from 10 - 20%, the balance usually amortized over 15 years.
Property Taxes –Property taxes in Mexico are very low compared to similar valued properties in the U.S., (maybe $200-300/yr.for a $300,000 house).
Utility costs – Electricity costs about 13 cents per kilowatt hour. Other than lights, pool equipment, refrigerator and electronic devices (A/C is optional in the November through May season) you won’t use much electricity. Propane bottles cheaply fuel stoves, outdoor grills and the domestic hot-water.
Transportation – Travel to most villages, the ones that are on the map and even some that aren’t, is easily achieved with buses and cabs that are virtually everywhere and inexpensive. Rental cars are available at the airport in Puerto Vallarta, but cheaper to book from the U.S. Be sure to shop prices.
Restaurants – The village of Chacala has 8-10 beachside restaurants that serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. The fare consists of seafood, and most other basic menu items and a sufficient variety of drinks. These restaurants are clean and inexpensive. There are also some very inexpensive restaurants a couple of miles south in both Las Varas and La Penita. Rincon de Guayabitos boasts an even larger variety of restaurants. The possibilities increase as you travel to Punta de Mita or Bucerias. The ultimate for night-life and restaurants is Puerto Vallarta – it has over 700 licensed restaurants.