La Perota RV Park on the Mexican Riviera awaits your visit

Wi-fi, super hot solar-heated showers, plenty of water with a redundant second well, community terrace area with kitchen, sink, and electricity, cement site pads and grass patios, plenty of palm trees, and a beach front location are what you will find at one of Mexico's newest RV Parks.

La Parota RV Park is located in the state of Nayarit on the Pacific coast of Mexico on the Mexican Riviera.

Not as well known as other vacation towns along the Riviera such as Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta, Lo de Marcos (official population less than 3,000) until the late 60s and early 70s was swampland whose residents survived by harvesting coconuts and fishing.

Today you can experience the amenities most RVers enjoy stateside or in more developed areas while still retaining much of "Old Mexico". La Parota RV Park is located on Route 200 (Puerto Vallarta-Xalisco Highway) north of Puerta Vallarta.

Bahia Conception is a Mexican paradise for winter weary RVers

Playa El Coyote, Bahia Conception

Once you've been to the coastline along Bahia Conception, located on Mexico Route 1 south of Mulege on the road to Loreto, you can understand why RVers from the Pacific Northwest and Canada endure the Mexico border crossing and then drive an additional 625 miles to snowbird here.

Bahía Concepción, one of the most beautiful spots in Baja, is just over 20 miles long and varies in width from two to five miles. Many first timers arrive and just cannot manage to leave, often extending their vacation plans by days or even weeks.

The dramatic scenery along the western coastline of Bahía Concepción is the ultimate photo opportunity for almost all Baja visitors that travel this far south. This giant bay, within the Sea of Cortez, offers travelers a close up of what "The Real Baja" is all about. The 28 miles of highway that hug the coast below Mulegé offers direct access to what are considered by many to be the finest beaches in all of Baja.

Bahía Concepción is one of Baja's best kayaking locations, especially good for novice kayakers as the sea is usually glassy smooth with light winds and no strong currents.

There are beach side campgrounds, with varying degrees of services for RV's and campers scattered along the coast below Mulegé. Some of these campgrounds offer complete services and even a restaurant or two. Most others offer no services at all and many camping spots are open for boondockers.

Bring in most of your supplies as you may well end up staying longer than you had planned, and the few small local stores keep irregular hours and may be closed for days at a time.

New RV park welcomes guests on the southern Baja

Yearning for a quiet beach on Mexico's Pacific? Warm days, cool nights in winter? A veritable "oasis in the desert," as one writer puts it, Pescadero is a little village of a little over 2,000 souls bordered by the Sierrra de la Laguna mountains on the east side, and the soothing sounds of the Pacific Ocean on the west. Surfers call Pescadero a paradise, and now RVers can use the same term for their own activities. Think Cabo without the crowds.

Las Palmas Tropicales RV park is open for business. Having a fulltime RVing background in a RV park owner is a sure fit for the kind of park that travelers would want to visit, and Bobby and Wendy Cain fit that bill. Their dream of having their own RV park is fulfilled south of the border.

"We built Las Palmas because we truly fell in love with this area and wanted to share this little piece of paradise with others," says Wendy Cain. "We have been blessed to make some great friends along the way and we look forward to meeting new ones."

RVers will find plenty to do, aside from sipping margaritas and putting down tacos. Pescadero happenings include:

• Whale watching from November until early March
• Natural sea turtle sanctuary. Sea turtle hatchlings are released in August and December.
• World class surfing and boogey boarding from December through April
• Art and film festivals in February
• Todos Santos Historical Tours – all year
• Five star restaurants, exquisite art galleries, and of course,
• Great taco stands and taquerias.

Contact Las Palmas Tropicales RV Park by calling Wendy Cain at 044.612.1333.3880 or e-mailing tropicalcasistas@hotmail.com.

Algodones: Dental capital of the world

If you are in the desert this winter near the Arizona and California border,  turn off I-8 at the Algodones exit a few miles inside the California border and head south for Mexico.

This small but bustling border town is known as the dentistry capital of the world, but also has eyeglass stores, doctors, dermatologists, and a lot of other medical related services that cater to Americans--at well below US prices.

You won't find the plush offices you're accustomed to stateside, but for routine dental, medical, and eye care--not to mention deep discount pharmacies--Algodones providers offer the care you need.

Park in the large parking lot on the California side of the border and walk across. The town begins just inside the Mexico side. Take you time to walk around and enjoy the flavor of a foreign country so close, check prices on pharmaceuticals that most stores post in their windows--and there is even some wiggle room from those prices if you want to bargain--the common practice in Mexico.

Most of the dental and medical offices have English speaking employees and will quote you prices. You will find lots of Americans--mostly seniors--walking around. Don't be afraid to ask them for recommendations to dentists as most of them are there for that purpose and can give you some good tips and references.

Prepare to wait in line when crossing back across the border--the town gets a lot of cross border walk-ins and the process when returning--though fast--still takes time. And don't forget your passport since they are now required.

A great place to spend the winter: Snowbirding in Puerto Vallarta

If you've ever had the desire to spend the winter in balmy Mexico but were concerned about crossing the border, what happens if you have a breakdown, or the negative news about drugs, take a look at this video. The RVers in the video are Canadians that have been coming to Puerto Vallarta for many years. They talk about these concerns as well as how much they enjoy the country.

Tips on shopping for Mexican insurance

Thinking about taking the RV or your car into Mexico? You probably already know that the policy you have on your rig in the states won't cover you in Mexico--you'll need to purchase a policy with coverage specific to Mexico. But how do you sort out those policies? Here are some things to look at closely when shopping for Mexican insurance.

Labor repair rates: Many policies issued will pay for damage repairs based on Mexican labor rates. If you want your rig repaired back in the states, you'll be stuck paying the difference on your own. Look for a policy that pays for labor at US hourly rates--and you'll likely find this is an "option," that will cost you extra.

Out of country repairs: Some Mexican issued policies simply won't allow you to have damages repaired outside of Mexico. Make sure the policy you buy isn't one of them.

Who is issuing the policy: If you have a claim and don't speak the language with fluency, you're best off having an advocate who does. Purchasing a policy from an agency or managing general agent licensed in your home state will go a long way to making sure you'll have help if you need it. Make sure they have bilingual support on staff in case there's a dispute over the claim or other problem.

stock photo: RVWithTito on flickr.com

Puerto Penasco is an easy winter RV escape

It may be Margaritaville to the college set, but it is also a winter escape for snowbirds, a dose of salt and sea air, and bargain shopping. Puerto Penasco, Mexico lies 66 miles below the border at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, 212 miles southwest of either Phoenix or Tucson.

Here you can revive nostalgic memories of those lost weekends or semester breaks, enjoying a cold Dos Equis, watching the parade of bikinis cruising the broad sandy beaches, or plying the streets in search of the perfect taco.

Near the northern tip of the Sea of Cortez, Rocky Point is the closest saltwater beach to Southern Arizona. Choose from several campgrounds with hookups where you can step from your RV right onto the sandy beach.

And who needs to be told about the bargains among the numerous streetside stalls offering Mexican-made goods from leather purses to colorful blankets, and rows of fishmongers line the sea front offering the catch of the day.

You can find Puerto Penasco at the end of Arizona Highway 85 (which becomes Mexico Highway 8).

--Bob Difley