The World's 8 Best Places to Retire in 2014

Yeah, it's the ubiquitous Kathleen Pedicord at it again. International Living magazine is in the business of persuading expats to squander their money on real estate and is anything but a reliable source of info.

Having been to most of the places they recommend, a few comments:

Coronado, Panama: hot and humid all year round, with heavy rain.

Languedoc, France: lovely but cold, wet winters and you will be an unwelcome outsider even with fluent French (and unable to function without same).

Ambergris Caye, Belize: hot, humid, buggy and expensive - and must get to Mexico for medical emergencies and care.

Cuenca, Ecuador: cheap but cold and do you really want to live in a place where roasted guinea pig is haute cuisine?

Chiang Mai Thailand: unbreathable air due to burning March-May, xenophobic (you’re welcome to visit but not wanted as a resident) , very difficult to get long-stay Visa, few foreigners capable of learning the language.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: hot, rainy and buggy May through October. A seasonal destination not a place to live.

New on her list are Granada, Nicaragua (a lovely country with poor infrastructure and lousy food) and Medellin, Columbia (because dodging cartel bullets keeps you young and frisky?).

I'll stick to Lakeside, thanks.

Medellin is quite nice now and as safe as we are here.  Yes it was dangerous at one time. When I went there to work I had a guard with machinegun at all times years ago. Columbia is just normally dangerous anymore like here. Check out Cali or Bogata both worth a visit. Cali is where you go to be warm and dance Cumbia!! Bogata and Medellin are much cooler temp wise. New climate in Bogata is it rains in afternoon most days. New rainy season is about year
around now.

We visited friends in Cali last Feb., it is very nice.

If authors of these recommendations wished to have any kind of credibility, they would use a standardized listing of factors to make comparisons rather than making their evaluations based upon costs. There was very little mention of medical facilities, ability to travel to/from, crime rates, demographics, ease or trouble in dealing with governments, availability of consumer products which foreigners might consider to be necessary, etc., etc.

What drives International Living's promotion of places Neil is their desire to promote (and inflate the price of) real estate. If you look at their history they've gone from promoting Costa Rica, to Panama, to Ecuador, and have lately moved on to Nicaragua. It appears that what we need to do is find out the next place they plan to ruin and buy in just before they get there.  

When IL was active in the Lake Chapala area, they expected "referral fees" from the real estate entities they let participate in their trip/seminars based out of the Quinta Real in Guadalajara on any sales made....hence their interest in promoting real estate.

Kathleen called County Waterford, Ireland her home for many years....not many people's idea of ideal weather or economic viability for retirement.    

slainte39 wrote:

Kathleen called County Waterford, Ireland her home for many years....not many people's idea of ideal weather or economic viability for retirement.    

   but a great place ta visit!!!

hockables wrote:

slainte39 wrote:

Kathleen called County Waterford, Ireland her home for many years....not many people's idea of ideal weather or economic viability for retirement.    

   but a great place ta visit!!!

Plenty of     

coffeeguy wrote:What drives International Living's promotion of places Neil is their desire to promote (and inflate the price of) real estate. If you look at their history they've gone from promoting Costa Rica, to Panama, to Ecuador, and have lately moved on to Nicaragua. It appears that what we need to do is find out the next place they plan to ruin and buy in just before they get there.  

Actually, IL was in Nicaragua many years ago, heavily promoting it as the 'next great thing' for retirees. They had developments centered along the coast south of San Juan del Sur which they pushed heavily, right up until Daniel Ortega of Sandanista fame got himself re-elected to Presidente and fear of his anti-American ways killed sales and put an end to any notions of any new expats settling there lest they even look like Americans.

There is a long-standing expat base (albeit rather small compared to Chapala) centered in Granada, where IL had an office which I visited some years back when considering moving there. I love Granada and have always made a point of spending time on each of my 5 trips to Nica, but even at the coolest time of year it is hot, and in the hottest time of year, look out! Not much for expats to do but gather on the terrazas of the hotels and restaurants around the plaza and get schnookered every afternoon. Kind of sad. It is a fascinating place and quite beautiful in a raw, untamed way, hasn't been spoiled by turistas yet so nice place to visit but to live there, not so much.