Electric Bills in Playa del Carmen
By Editor | September 15, 2007
The cost of electricity in Playa del Carmen and throughout Mexico is suprising to many. It’s not cheap and for some of us, something to consider when renting or buying a place to live here. Of course your bill will vary with your usage. I’ll share what we have experienced and you can make a judgement on your own usage.
We live in a condominium apartment with a small galley style kitchen, a combined dining and living area, two bedrooms, and two baths. I estimate that it is no larger than 900 square feet, perhaps a little less. We also have a 5 x12 balcony, obviously with no effect on our electric bill. We have central air conditioning, which is somewhat unusual. Split units or window units are more common. Our apartment is total electric meaning that we have an electric hot water heater and electric stove. Many apartments have a propane gas stove and hot water heater. We have modern aluminum framed thermal windows that close and seal well. The windows also seem to be lightly tinted. The balconies and orientation of the windows largely protects them from direct sunlight. We used foam sealing tape to improve the seal on the wooden front door, but it still needs to have a door sweep added to the bottom. (On my honey-do list.) There are three in our family, which has some effect on our bill as our son runs his ceiling fan and floor fan constantly. We try to conserve air conditioning by using our two ceiling fans and a floor fan in our living area when it is occupied. Occasionally, we will open the windows on cooler nights. We haven’t had many of those since we arrived on June 1st, 2007.
Our electric bill from July 10, 2007 to September 10, 2007 was $6,614 MN or about $660.00 USD. These were most likely the hottest months of the year, so we are anticipating that this will be our highest bill. However, we still expect the average to run between $250 and $300 over the course of the year.
The electric bill from June 1, 2007 to July 09, 2007 was $3,857 MN or about $385.00 USD. During the eary days of June, there were a few days when we were able to sleep with our windows open. The humidity is a big factor and the air conditioning keeps the humidity down even when set at a higher temperature at night. We opted to buy a floor fan and turn up the AC a bit at night but keep the humidity down. My theory is that the AC will run more during the day when the windows are open at night because of the increased humidity in the house. Maybe true, maybe not, but I like the justification to run the AC at night when it’s warm out. 
A note on the bill below. The graph compares 2006 to 2007 from the previous five billing periods and one future billing period. The wide range in electricity cost reflects not only seasonal variations in consumption, but also occupancy of the apartment.
The CFE website can be found at www.cfe.gob.mx/en/
Topics: Phone & Utilities | No Comments »
Any Expats Around?
By Editor | September 14, 2007
One of the best ways to get the scoop on Playa del Carmen, Mexico is to sit down with some expats in person and coax them for information, but where to do you go to meet English speaking expats in Playa?
I’m sure there’s many different approaches and there is no one place where expats hangout. After all, expats are pretty independent and don’t fit any particular mold. Some are busy with local businesses, work, or family while others keep to themselves or hang with a close group of friends. However, after being here for a few months I’ve found some places where where you’re likely to run into English speaking expats. English speaking does not necessarily mean American. There are expats in Playa del Carmen from all over the world, and many who do not speak English as a native language speak excellent English as a second language.
If I were in Playa del Carmen looking for expats, the first place I would look is Bad Boys on a Saturday between 4:00 and 8:00 PM. Bad Boys is a beach club and bar located between 2nd and 4th street (Calle 2 and Calle 4) on the beach. On Saturdays, and sometimes Thursdays, JJ and The Nasty Bastards Band play live rock-and-roll music which generally draws a fair number of English speaking expats from their beach chairs. Besides, the music is great, the beer and margaritas are cold and it’s a great way to spend a Saturday evening. The burgers are great too!
During the week, there’s generally a handful of English speaking expats at Bar Ranita on Calle 10 between 5th Avenue and 10th Avenue after nine. Jez, a Brit who has lived all over the world, or so it seems, manages both the Hotel La Rana Cansada and the Bar Ranita. Look across and down the street at the Beer Bucket, for another possibility. The Beer Bucket is popular with locals and tourists and is owned by Captain Ron and Sharkey, two characters you’ll want to meet. (Don’t forget to check the upstairs bar.) In the north end of Playa, we have met expats at Pinche Gringos Sports Bar on 1st Avenue at 26th Street.
If you prefer coffee instead of beer, get up early and grab a fresh cup of brew and a breakfast sandwich at Java Joe’s on 10th street one half block west of 5th, just a few doors from Starbucks. Java Joe’s has been here for 10 years and any self respecting expat would choose Java Joe’s over Starbucks anytime.
Topics: Living Here | No Comments »
Banking in Playa del Carmen
By Editor | September 5, 2007
If you’re going to live here for an extended period, you might want to think about your long term banking arrangements. It’s easy to withdraw money from your US bank accounts using ATM machines here. They are conveniently located and you can withdraw up to 5000 pesos. Even so, there are some things you will want to consider before your leave the US.
First you might want to let your bank know that you will be using your debit cards in Mexico, particularly if you have never used your cards internationally. This should prevent any security measures from restricting access to your funds while you are in Mexico. You will want to also make sure your daily withdrawal limit is where you want it to be.
Second, consider completing a wire transfer agreement so you can wire funds internationally over the phone. Even though you may not intend to wire funds in the future, it is a good idea to have the option in case something comes up. Most banks will not let you wire funds by phone without a completed wire transfer agreement and most require your physical presence when completing the required application forms. This is a process that generally two to three weeks to complete so plan ahead. Typically your bank will mail you a wire transfer passcode that you will have to confirm receipt of by mail and by phone before wiring funds. It’s best to get this all taken care of before you leave the states. Just a reminder, always keep your phones numbers current with your bank.
You may or may not want a checking account in Mexico considering all accounts are peso accounts. We decided that we preferred to wire funds once a month from our US account instead of dealing with mulitple ATM charges. It also makes sense to have a local bank statements to validate our income for our FM3 rentista when it comes up for renewal. It certainly can’t hurt.
To open a bank account in Mexico, you will need
- a FM3 or FM2 Visa
- a local address
- a utility or phone bill
- your passport
- two local references with phone numbers
We chose Scotiabank because of their Canadian roots and large international presence. We chose the branch near Juarez and 5th because we knew that the banking officer there could speak a little English. Your experience at other banks may be different. At Scotiabank you can choose between a debit card account and a checking account. We recommend the debit card account. It will take a week or so to get an imprinted debit card. Once you get your debit card, you can go back to the bank to make an online banking agreement for Internet access to your account. While it is easy enough to check your balance and transaction record online, a good knowledge of Spanish would be helpful.
There are other options for banking in Playa del Carmen. Obviously the greater your financial resources, the more you will want to diversify your banking relationships. There is a Monex branch in the La Antiqua building at the end of 10th Avenue. Monex is an investment bank offering a number of financial instruments including US dollar money market accounts. I understand that with an established account in good standing, Monex will cash your US checks.
Topics: Living Here | 1 Comment »
Don’t Drink the Water (and Other Things You Should Know)
By Editor | August 31, 2007
Yes, we have all heard that phrase, and yes, it is generally true. However, the water used in the restaurants in Playa del Carmen is safe bottled water. The last thing the restaurants here want is a bunch of tourists getting sick because of the water in a particular restaurant, expecially in this day and age of fast communication via the Internet. A few of the restaurants have their own water purification systems, but water you drink in restaurants and the ice that is in your drink is safe. You can also eat fruits and salads. They have been washed in a bacteria fighting solution with bottled or purified water.
You should not drink the water from the faucet unless you have a filtering system in your condo or hotel room. The same, of course, is true if you move to Mexico. Okay, I hear you asking, “But, why?” Although tap water in Mexico is notorious worldwide for not being entirely drinkable for travellers, the people who live here often do drink it with no ill effects. This is mainly because they have built up a tolerance to it from drinking it all their lives. However, a visitor here can become violently sick for 24-48 hours if they drink it. The reason is that the water is home to many and various single-celled organisms. Approximately 80% of cases are caused by bacterial infection. The notorious consequences (diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, dizziness and fever) have become known as ‘Montezuma’s Revenge’ in honour of the Aztec king whose hospitality to visitors from Spain was so rudely repaid. We tell our friends and relatives who come to visit us here that they should not even rinse their mouths after brushing with it. Just keep a bottle of water in the bathroom for that purpose. Also, contact lens wearers should use bottled water to clean their lenses. Wash your hands before you eat, or if this is not feasible, use a hand sanitizer. Most cases are mild and are best treated by Pepto Bismal, and drinking liquids to replace fluid loss, combined with a light diet as soon as possible. In the event that the worst happens, and a member of your family becomes seriously ill, Playa del Carmen has good medical facilities, and hotels and pharmacies (farmacias) can direct you to reputable doctors.
There are other things that one should be aware of when visiting or moving to Mexico. This is not the United States. Things are different here. This is a different culture where almost everything is written or spoken in Spanish. Simple tasks like buying food, special medicines, shoes (sizes are very different) or snacks you are used to may become almost impossible. When we first moved here, I remember we stood staring at the different meats in the deli trying to figure out which one was turkey. We could have asked the person behind the counter if we had known how to ask in Spanish. We soon found out that pavo is the word for turkey and pecho is the word for breast. We also soon found out that everything you store in your kitchen should be in sealed containers or they will get weevils in them.
The tastes, smells and sensations are different here. Mexican food is not TexMex or what you find in a Mexican restaurant in the U.S., but we think the food here is absolutely delicious, and with the European influence here, one can find wonderful Italian, German and Argentinian food, as well. If you are a little finicky, stick to familiar meats, fruits and vegetables, and explore as you become more accustomed to the new environment. Even the sunshine can be brutal and cause a terrific sunburn because we much closer to the Equator here, so sunscreen is a must! However, if you forget to bring some, you can find it all over town, including in our local WalMart.
I guess the main point I am trying to make here, is just don’t expect things to be what you are used to. Mexicans are much more “laid back” than most people in the U.S. They don’t get in a hurry and the typical answer you get if you ask when you can expect something to happen, is mañana, which may mean tomorrow or may mean sometime next week. If you can “roll with the flow”, you’ll be much happier here. You will soon get used to the differences, and that’s when you begin to feel “at home.”
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Where’s My Mail?
By Editor | August 28, 2007
Mail can be a problem. It’s been difficult for us to get our local cable, electric, and telephone bill, let alone anything from the United States. We have received letters mailed from the US, but it took about four weeks. They were never actually delivered to our apartment, we found them in a pile of mail left on a chair in the lobby of our apartment. Apparently, others receive mail the same way, but we have little confidence in it. I’ll share our approach to handling snail mail.
First, we minimized the amount of first class mail we receive by using online statements and billing whenever possible. We also cancelled all our magazines subscriptions. However, we were not able to totally shut down our U.S. mail.
We have used a PakMail address for years as a matter of privacy and convenience. Basically, they provide us a street address and a mailbox, similar to a Post Office box. The cost is about $20.00 a month. We also opened a DHL account in the United States. DHL has an office in Playa del Carmen located on 20th Avenue and 12th Street. That’s nice for us as it’s only a couple blocks from our apartment.
Once a month PakMail packs up all our first class mail and ships it to us in care of the DHL office here. They only send documents and it cost us about $50.00 US from Tampa, FL. Yes, they could forward packages, but so far we have resisted the tempation. The cost of shipping escalates and Mexico customs will add a solid tariff on any goods you import into the country. Everything inbound and outbound goes through Mexico City. It’s better to have someone mule goods for you in their luggage, which will generally pass through customs without any tariff.
For outgoing mail, we send a package of letters back to PakMail, they apply postage and mail them for us. An outgoing document package costs about $300 pesos to Tampa, Florida from Playa del Carmen.
You could just as easily use a family member to collect your mail and forward it to you. We still recommend DHL as your courier. They are the dominate International carrier in Playa.
To forward mail through the DHL office here, use this address:
Your name
Calle 12 Norte Numero 172
Entre 20 y 15 Avenida
Norte Centro 77710
Playa Del Carmen Q. Roo
Mexico
There are a host of mail forwarders in the United States. One with an interesting twist is USAbox. They will not only receive and forward your mail and packages, but they also scan your mail so you can accept or discard it via the Internet. You still might want them to forward to your mail to the DHL address above.
There is also a PakMail office here in Playa del Carmen. Their contact information is:
PAKMAIL PLAYA DEL CARMEN
Av. 10 Nte # 244 esq. 12 Nte Loc. 4
sobre la 12 Nte. PCN Centro
Playa del Crmen, Q. Roo CP 77710
Tel 01 (984) 8034251
Fax 01 (984) 8034481
Topics: Mail | No Comments »
What about phone service?
By Editor | August 28, 2007
I’m writing in response to Kathy’s comment about phone service. We made a couple of mistakes at first about phone service here, so it’s a very good question.
Cellphones first. One, we thought we might be able to use our Verizon cell phones here. We could, but because we were on roaming, we had difficulty with voicemail, local calls, and cost. The 611 customer service was also not available so it was very difficult to resolve these problems. Our opinion is that US cellphones are a bad option if you are going to live here.
Cellphones are available from TelCel from about $50.00. They are pay-as-you-go phones like the throw away phones you’re familiar with in the United States. Nextel is also available here, plus some small providers I’m not familiar with. Telcel is the most popular and most logical cellphone provider. We bought a $50.00 Nokia, but could have spent as much money as we wanted for a more advanced or tricked-out phone. There is an almost endless array of choices. The locals love their phones.
If you go with TelCel, we recommend you buy the $500 peso calling card. You’ll get double minutes when you activate so it’s the best discount available. Texting is very popular here, and is cheaper than voice calls. Your minutes will expire in 60 days, but you don’t have to use them in 60 days. Your minutes will rollover once you purchase another card.
For example, you purchase a $500 peso calling card and you get 1000 minutes when activated. You use 800 minutes in the 60 days and your phone locks up. You go buy another $500 peso card and get 1000 minutes plus the 200 minutes you had remaining at the end of your 60 days, so you now have 1200 minutes to use in the next 60 days. Unused minutes always rollover on expiration of the 60 day calling period. A good deal for Telcel. They keep you coming back to the trough at least every 60 days for more calling time.
Next, calling the United States. The preferred method is Voice over IP, acronym VOIP. The best solution is Vonage, but it is not available in Mexico. The work around is to subscribe to Vonage in the US, get your equipment shipped to you before you leave, and bring it with you. You can then set it up using your Internet connection here, whether you use Cablemas (the local cable company) or TelMex DSL for Internet service. There is a rumor that Cablemas will soon be offering VOIP to their subscribers for about $200 pesos a month. The catch is that it only includes 100 minutes of International calling, or so we were told by a Cablemas representative.
We’re currently using Skype for international calling on our TelMex DSL line. It works great, call quality is good, and the cost to the U.S. is 2.1 cents per minute. We use it for both family and business calls and $15.00 USD a month in Skype credit has been more than adequate. We also have a SkypeIn number (small additional charge) in Florida so our children can call us using a local number. Again, had we planned better, we would have brought a Wireless WiFi Skype phone with us. As it is, we are tethered to our computer with a headset, but it’s a small inconvenience for the money saved.
Skype and Vonage equipment is not yet available in Playa del Carmen or even Cancun. TelMex is very protective of its monopoly in Mexico. So again, you must get your equipment while in the U.S. and bring it with you or ask someone to mule it down here for you.
There are many Internet and international phone centers in Playa. Walk down any street in the tourist area, and you’ll probably see one. The cost is in the 2 to 4 peso per minute range. For a permanent resident, this is usually a service rarely used. However, we have stopped in to make a quick call on occasion when it was more convenient than going home. When we first arrived, we used our laptop at some of these Internet centers for email and Internet access. There are also many places to get wireless Internet access in coffee shops and restaurants.
Calling the U.S. from either your house phone or TelCel mobile phone is expensive and probably something you will not want to do on a regular basis.
Topics: Phone & Utilities | No Comments »
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