Vacation Activities in Lake Chapala / Ajijic

Ajijic Town Plaza

At the Ajijic town plaza, take a look inside the old (circa 1540) Chapel of the Virgin of Santiago on the north (uphill) edge of the plaza. From the opposite side of the plaza, head east one block to the baroque San Andrés parish church, founded during the mid-1500s and completed in 1749.

For nine days during Ajijic’s late-November Fiesta of San Andrés, the church’s spreading front courtyard and surrounding streets overflow with food stands, carnival rides, pitch-penny games, fireworks, and folk dancing. Moreover, Ajijic’s Semana Santa (pre-Easter week) celebration at this same spot is becoming renowned for its elaborately costumed, three-day reenactment of Jesus’s trial and crucifixion.

Neill James Library and Garden

From the San Andrés church, head downhill along Castellanos; after two blocks, turn right at 16 de Septiembre. Not far, at #16, on your left, will be the Neill James Library, a good work of the Lake Chapala Society. Find the library open Mon. thru Sat. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It shares its lovely garden with the adjacent Spanish-language library, open Mon. thru Sat. 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. The garden is a delight for quiet contemplation. Before you leave, look over the notices of local performances, exhibits and fiestas on the walkway bulletin board between the two buildings.

If you visit the Neill James Library in winter, you might be able to join an informative tour of Ajijic’s lovely homes and gardens. Lake Chapala Society volunteers conduct the programs regularly and give the donations (customarily, about $10 per person) to charitable causes, such as the Jocotepec School for the Deaf. Call the Lake Chapala Society, tel. 376/766-1140, for more information.

Continue half a block west along 16 de Septiembre to the corner of Morelos, where you’ll enjoy browsing through the excellent arts and crafts shops clustered here.

Ajijic Lakeshore

Continue another block downhill to the Ajijic lakeshore dock. You can relax, perhaps enjoy a refreshment and take in the scene. Late afternoons, a gentle breeze often cools the lakeshore. Overhead, great white clouds billow above blue mountains bordering the far shoreline. On the beach by the pier, fishermen mend their nets while, at the beach’s uphill edge, a few indigenous women in native costumes weave their colorful wares beneath the great trees that shelter the Restaurant Posada Ajijic.

The restaurant is the present incarnation of the Hacienda de Cuije, founded here by the Saenz family in 1530. In 1938, Englishman Nigel Millet turned the building into a hotel, the Posada Ajijic. By the 1970s, the Posada Ajijic was attracting a loyal clientele, which included a number of artists, writers and film stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Charles Bronson. New owners, the Eager family of Vancouver, Canada, took over in 1975 and stayed until 1990, when they moved to another hotel nearby. The current proprietors, who operate it as a restaurant exclusively, remodeled the Posada Ajijic to its present state of rustic elegance.

The showplace Hotel La Nueva Posada, which the Eager family built in 1990, is a gorgeous neocolonial creation at the foot of Donato Guerra. It spreads from its intimate, art-decorated lobby through an airy, romantic terrace restaurant, climaxing in a verdant, semitropical lake-view garden.

Chapala Pier

Cross lakefront Paseo Corona, past the curio stands, to the municipal pier. In good times, the adjacent anchorage is free of water lilies. Otherwise, boaters must frequently chop a navigation path through the thick green vegetable carpet. From the pier, a number of excursions are possible, from a one-hour ride along the lakeshore to extended lake and island tours. These could include a two-hour visit to Isla de los Alacranes (Scorpion Island), with its regional-food restaurants and bird-watching; or to Mezcala, with its ruins and bird-watching, for four hours. Rental rates run about US$15 hourly per boat while running, US$10 hourly while waiting. For Mezcala Island, bring food and drinks; none may be available on the island, which is a national monument.

Day Trips

Iglesia de San Francisco: This church was built in 1528, and is easy to spot with its blue neon crosses on the steeples.

Parque la Cristiania: On the weekends, this lakeside park fills up with people browsing the souvenir booths and handicraft market.

Isla de los Alacranes: Scorpion Island is a popular trip from the Chapala pier.

Recreation

Balnearios are one of the Lakeside's most relaxing and therapeutic natural attractions. Underground thermal springs are numerous and can be found in remote mountain areas, even occasionally in private homes. The largest and most well-known public balneario is in San Juan Cosala, between Ajijic and Jocotepec.

The three-part complex offers natural odorless thermal water in various swimming pools, three hotels, and a restaurant. Part One, the largest area best suited to family outings, features three pools, a small water slide, snack bars, changing booths, poolside tables and chairs, and hotel rooms which overlook the pools. On weekends this area is packed with children and families who bring picnic lunches and stay through the day and evening. (Expect it to be mobbed during Semana Santa holidays, the week before and after Easter.)

For visitors looking for a more sedate experience, seek out the second part of the complex marked by the Villa Bordeaux restaurant. Here you can spend the day in a country-club-style setting, ordering food and drink from the restaurant, swimming in the pool (directly in front of the restaurant) and sunning on their grounds. The small cache of hotel rooms in this part of the complex are comfortable and face the pool.

Living close to Lake Chapala affords one the opportunity to get out on the water, with activities such as swimming, waterskiing, and boating, as well as a few triathlons each year. The local yacht club even organizes a few regattas for the sailing enthusiasts.

There are two golf courses in the area:

Chapala Area (actually Vista de Lago)

Country Club De Chapala
Address: Fracc. Vista De Lago #1, San Nicholas de Ibarra
Phone: (376) 763-5136
Holes: 9
Course Length: White Tees 3,229 yds. or Red Tees 2,689 yds.
Course Designed by: Bill Atkins

Ajijic Area

Chula Vista Country Club S.C
Address: Kilometro 53 Carretera Jocotepec Chapala, Chula Vista, Jal.
Phone: (376) 5-22-81
Holes: 9
Course Length: 1,800 yds.
Green Fees: US$130 weekdays or US$160 weekends
Caddie: 30 USD for 9 holes (Optional)
Carts: Not Available
Membership:
Life Time: US$40,000
Per Year: US$7,000
Additional Services: Club House and Tennis Courts (US$20 per hour)

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