Re: 10 Countries where Retirees are Living Large

by MexicoPete Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:07 pm

How about the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa. At least it's high enough to get some cooling. It has an elevation between about 3,300 to almost 4000 feet I was there once maybe 8 years ago for a few days. It looked nice. What I don't know is anything about the expat community down there

by Trailrunner Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:47 pm

Don't even think about it Pete. I have a blogger buddy there and I asked her about that about 6 mos ago when I was really looking for another place to live. She said: Anybody with a visa and 2 bux has already left, and everyone else is lined up to get a visa.

As mentioned earlier, it's the murder capital of the world.

by gringoman Sat Jun 23, 2012 7:33 pm

Any thoughts on Nicaragua?

by viajero Sat Jun 23, 2012 8:04 pm

gringoman wrote:Any thoughts on Nicaragua?

Yes,it's much better off without Somoza,just kidding,
I lived in Costa Rica in the late 70s,now I hear that Nicaragua is the next Costa Rica,worth checking out IMO.

by johninajijic Sat Jun 23, 2012 8:08 pm

I saw an interesting piece on HGTV about Ecuador that made it look nice. I've been told by people who visited Quito, that it's beautiful. Don't think there are many ex pats in Ecuador.

by ferret Sat Jun 23, 2012 8:19 pm

My mum had to be evacuated out of Quito because of the altitude. It's not for everybody.
BTW, Boquete in Panama is at a very pleasant altitude with spectacular scenery and sometimes views to both oceans. Alas, it's in the middle of freakin' nowhere with nuthin' to do. Not my cuppa.
IMHO, there are places where you vacation and there are places where you live...they are most definitely miles apart in requirements.

by Guest Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:04 pm

georgetoo wrote:Never did Belize but knew about it as a tourist place from the mid 60's when I was stationed in Panama. The one thing I can remember, at a much later time and on a trip to Costa Rica , was the military look (British)of the airfield. Sand bagged military bunkers etc.

The reference to Costa Rica got me to googling an old acquaintamce who I visted at his hotel in Playa Naranjo (Oasis del Pacifico) and at his bar in the Hotel Balmoral on central ave in San Jose (Luckys Piano Bar). This was mid to late 80"s . Beware of what you google for.

Lucky (Percy Wilhelm, a retired sea captain, mostly tankers) was murdered iin 2003 at his home in Playa Naranjo. Apparent home robbery.

Costa Rica had always been my place to retire but my next to last trip there I was staying at the El Presidente accross the street from the BalMoral.
Lucky called and said he was bringing a boat over to Golfito and would I like to join them. I jumped at the chance and put most of my luggage in the hotels storage room. I returned 4 or 5 days later. El Presidente was under new management and my room which had been $29 a night was now $82 a night. Thats when I decided that Costa Rica was to expensive for me. Later medical problems had me looking closer to home.

Honduras........Went mainly to La Ceiba with Jose, a friend of mine. Those were my Flor de Cana days. Great rum. I think the last time we went down for a month was 1995. Jose knew the owner of the local hotel and we had air conditioned rooms for $9 a night. La Ceiba weather would make Puerto Vallarta look like a summer cool spot but my friend had a long time girl friend there and property on one of the smaller offshore Bay islands (Guanaja not Roatan) and anyway those were Flor de Cana days and all we did was drink and take Norma (Jose's girlfriend) and her two kids out to eat or whatever the kids wanted to do.. Boy Juan Carlos, girl Yammi.
Talked to Jose on Saturday. Norma had called and told him that Juan Carlos had been car jacked and killed for his battered old taxi.

I can't imagine anyone retiring to Honduras unless it was the Bay Islands and that is expensive territory.

The rest of Honduras is the murder capital of the world.

I lived in Costa Rica for 12 yrs. Starting going there in 1985. From 1985 to 2005 when I left CR and moved to Panama, I knew 10 people who had been murdered, personally, including Lucky Wilhelm. The last happing this March. My daughter's uncle.Murdered in Puntarenas on the Pacific Coast. Of the 10, there were 4 Americans, 2 Canadians, 1 Polish, 2 Costa Ricans, and 1 Nicaraguan. Also I spent time in La Ceiba,Honduras, it wasn't to bad, some-what dangerous, but liveable. I wouldn't go anywhere in Honduras now. Panama isn't to bad. Quite hot and humid, unless you choose to live in the mountains.

by viajero Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:23 pm

La Ceiba,liveable,you've gotta be kidding.

by hockables Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:26 pm

jon macdonald wrote:
georgetoo wrote:Never did Belize but knew about it as a tourist place from the mid 60's when I was stationed in Panama. The one thing I can remember, at a much later time and on a trip to Costa Rica , was the military look (British)of the airfield. Sand bagged military bunkers etc.

The reference to Costa Rica got me to googling an old acquaintamce who I visted at his hotel in Playa Naranjo (Oasis del Pacifico) and at his bar in the Hotel Balmoral on central ave in San Jose (Luckys Piano Bar). This was mid to late 80"s . Beware of what you google for.

Lucky (Percy Wilhelm, a retired sea captain, mostly tankers) was murdered iin 2003 at his home in Playa Naranjo. Apparent home robbery.

Costa Rica had always been my place to retire but my next to last trip there I was staying at the El Presidente accross the street from the BalMoral.
Lucky called and said he was bringing a boat over to Golfito and would I like to join them. I jumped at the chance and put most of my luggage in the hotels storage room. I returned 4 or 5 days later. El Presidente was under new management and my room which had been $29 a night was now $82 a night. Thats when I decided that Costa Rica was to expensive for me. Later medical problems had me looking closer to home.

Honduras........Went mainly to La Ceiba with Jose, a friend of mine. Those were my Flor de Cana days. Great rum. I think the last time we went down for a month was 1995. Jose knew the owner of the local hotel and we had air conditioned rooms for $9 a night. La Ceiba weather would make Puerto Vallarta look like a summer cool spot but my friend had a long time girl friend there and property on one of the smaller offshore Bay islands (Guanaja not Roatan) and anyway those were Flor de Cana days and all we did was drink and take Norma (Jose's girlfriend) and her two kids out to eat or whatever the kids wanted to do.. Boy Juan Carlos, girl Yammi.
Talked to Jose on Saturday. Norma had called and told him that Juan Carlos had been car jacked and killed for his battered old taxi.

I can't imagine anyone retiring to Honduras unless it was the Bay Islands and that is expensive territory.

The rest of Honduras is the murder capital of the world.

I lived in Costa Rica for 12 yrs. Starting going there in 1985. From 1985 to 2005 when I left CR and moved to Panama, I knew 10 people who had been murdered, personally, including Lucky Wilhelm. The last happing this March. My daughter's uncle.Murdered in Puntarenas on the Pacific Coast. Of the 10, there were 4 Americans, 2 Canadians, 1 Polish, 2 Costa Ricans, and 1 Nicaraguan. Also I spent time in La Ceiba,Honduras, it wasn't to bad, some-what dangerous, but liveable. I wouldn't go anywhere in Honduras now. Panama isn't to bad. Quite hot and humid, unless you choose to live in the mountains.

Now those numbers would worry me.... targeting foreigners, no doubt for their perceived wealth.

I remember a story I heard... seems State of Florida no longer allows advertisement stickers on Rental Cars
Tilden, Discount, Hertz, etc...
Junkies would wander down conjested freeways looking for Rental Stickers... reach in thru the window, shoot
the driver, and pat down the body for the wallet...
Those stories worry me....

by Mainecoons Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:53 pm

We feel like we're living pretty large here. Great climate, access to a great city and the country's second busiest airport, easy access to the U.S. Nothing's perfect but this sure comes close for us.

by johninajijic Sat Jun 23, 2012 11:05 pm

Mainecoons wrote:We feel like we're living pretty large here. Great climate, access to a great city and the country's second busiest airport, easy access to the U.S. Nothing's perfect but this sure comes close for us.

MC - I think most all of us living here would agree with you.

by slainte39 Sat Jun 23, 2012 11:16 pm

viajero wrote:
gringoman wrote:Any thoughts on Nicaragua?
Yes,it's much better off without Somoza,just kidding,
I lived in Costa Rica in the late 70s,now I hear that Nicaragua is the next Costa Rica,worth checking out IMO.

Where abouts were you in those days?
I spent a year or so up near Liberia in Guanacaste...78 and 79.
Back then when you went to the big city, San Jose, your biggest worry was pickpockets and purse snatchers.
Things must have really changed down in Ticoland...too bad, because it was a nice little country (and I mean little). Then, the worse things that could happen to you was, to wander to far north and wind up in Nicaragua (war going on), or too far east and wind up in Puerto Limon (hot, humid, dirty, and crime). It wasn't easy to get to Puerto Limon as the only way was an all day train...no hiway to the east lowlands in those days.

No crime, other than what I mentioned, because nobody had any real money or wealth, except Robert Vesco, and he lived in a fortress.

by slainte39 Sat Jun 23, 2012 11:23 pm

Mainecoons wrote:We feel like we're living pretty large here. Great climate, access to a great city and the country's second busiest airport, easy access to the U.S. Nothing's perfect but this sure comes close for us.

Mainecoons--I think this is one time all of us liberals, conservatives, and libertarians can agree and I second your post wholeheartedly.
Good way to end the day...agreeing (even tho' it might not last long) Very Happy

Hasta mañana

by binky Sun Jun 24, 2012 7:37 am

Mainecoons wrote:We feel like we're living pretty large here. Great climate, access to a great city and the country's second busiest airport, easy access to the U.S. Nothing's perfect but this sure comes close for us.

I agree with everything else you said, but Cancun is 2nd busiest airport in MX. See all airports in MX ranking here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_Mexico

by Trailrunner Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:10 am

I spent some months in CR in the early 90's on 3 different occassions. You could then drive to Puerto Limon and the heavy duty crime was just beginning. While we were there a wealthy German (they had an exotic wood farm) woman had been kidnapped and whisked off into Nicaragua and a small sloth rehab and eco hotel on the east side where we stayed had been home invaded one night the week before and all the guests had been robbed. We were warned of pickpockets and purse snatchers too. After exploring the country we spent most of our time at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in a cabina in Mal Pais. We absolutely loved everything about the country and Ticos.

At the time, foreigners (Italians, Germans, Americans) were arriving in waves, they bought much of the coastlines, built McMansions and resorts, and CR responded with upgrading the infrastructure - with the exception of the roads!

So a few months ago when I was exploring another place to move to CR was at the top of my list. I began examining it again, reading the Tico Times, blogs of people living there, and web boards. People complained about the cost of living incessantly. Finally, after following a thread on the web board regarding a 40 dollar bag of potatoes, I gave up on CR.

My cousin has a beautiful little resort up in the mountains by Monteverde for sale, if anyone is interested. . .

by plumlake Sun Jun 24, 2012 9:02 am

We tried Panama too.....to be honest...the people are wonderful..most speak English...the restaurants in Panama City ,,great...tried every part of the country. but no one at International Living tells people about how.humid it is all the time...even in January...could not go out the door by noon....but what is really missing.. in that country is the color..the music, and arts of Mexico..just was not there. Panama is doing wonderful promotions for Seniors...reduced taxes...airfares...and great medical much lower costs
It is safe...clean....great roads...much better than Costa Rica...maybe we did not find the right microclimate there.

by viajero Sun Jun 24, 2012 10:38 am

slainte39 wrote:
viajero wrote:
gringoman wrote:Any thoughts on Nicaragua?
Yes,it's much better off without Somoza,just kidding,
I lived in Costa Rica in the late 70s,now I hear that Nicaragua is the next Costa Rica,worth checking out IMO.

Where abouts were you in those days?
It wasn't easy to get to Puerto Limon as the only way was an all day train...no hiway to the east lowlands in those days.

I lived in Villa Colon outside of San Jose but traveled all over on my motorcycle.That train must have stopped every 200 yards or so but the scenery was simply amazing.

by gringal Sun Jun 24, 2012 10:51 am

You said it, Ferret. In my own travels, I've been charmed up to the eyeballs by certain places, both in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. Then, one starts to think about the "dailyness" of the place, finds out about the year around climate, the facilities and.........well, here we are in the best place we could find.....lakeside. Nothing's perfect, but some places suit better.

by Zedinmexico Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:09 am

gringoman wrote:Any thoughts on Nicaragua?

Two different weather pattern for each coast so study your weather patterns before
deciding which ocean to live on. Air fare being high in Nicaragua was why the place
didn't make our short list.

Z

by Zedinmexico Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:14 am

plumlake wrote:We tried Panama too.....to be honest...the people are wonderful..most speak English...the restaurants in Panama City ,,great...tried every part of the country. but no one at International Living tells people about how.humid it is all the time...even in January...could not go out the door by noon....but what is really missing.. in that country is the color..the music, and arts of Mexico..just was not there. Panama is doing wonderful promotions for Seniors...reduced taxes...airfares...and great medical much lower costs
It is safe...clean....great roads...much better than Costa Rica...maybe we did not find the right microclimate there.

Yea but if you get up in altitude in Panama you are living in the middle of nowhere and have a 30 minute 4wd ride on a dirt road to the
nearest store of any kind. Lowlands are just to hot and humid for us. So you can get the right climate in Panama you just can't have
climate and amenities at the same time. It was very frustrating and took Panama off our list.

Z

by sandykayak Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:47 pm

Anyone researching Ecuador might want to check on Cuenca. (Guayaquil is hot and muggy). (My mother is from Ecuador and a cousin just bought an apt. in Cuenca).

Ab 2-3 years ago someone on TOB posted that they have moved to Ecuador but didn't like it and moved out. I think there aren't many pockets of expats. And there are also crime and government issues.

by Mainecoons Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:35 pm

binky wrote:
Mainecoons wrote:We feel like we're living pretty large here. Great climate, access to a great city and the country's second busiest airport, easy access to the U.S. Nothing's perfect but this sure comes close for us.

I agree with everything else you said, but Cancun is 2nd busiest airport in MX. See all airports in MX ranking here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_Mexico

Ah, you have to be right, I forgot about Cancun. When we flew there it was obviously one very busy airport and had far more airlines operating than GDL. Had this thought that it would be a good way to go to the U.K. or Europe without going near the U.S. and putting up with their TSA and immigration BS. Looks like there were flights to every major city in Europe on the boards there.

With steady improvements in the roads, we now find we can drive to McAllen/Pharr in under 11 hours, and the last big improvement between San Luis Potosi and Lagos de Moreno will open soon and probably knock another half hour off that. Just in the last year or so, a faster, better way between Mex 57 north of SLP and Ciudad Victoria, a very fast bypass around Ciudad Victoria itself, and an even faster direct route to the Pharr bridge from well south of Reynosa has opened.

So we don't fly a lot these days when going to Texas.

by bobnliz Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:22 pm

San Carlos has it down for accessibility, I think. Three hundred miles south of Tucson. Not a bad drive, and we have a vehicle and our bikes.
It's a thousand miles from our summer digs... quick trip, even meandering along the way we do. Lizzy

by hound dog Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:56 pm

I don´t know about flying to Europe from Cancun but we too avoid the United States with its Nazi goon like TSA Brownshirts like the plague but ordinarily we fly to Europe through Mexico City. The Aeromexico/Air France nonstop from Mexico City to Paris on a 747 is eleven hours and a pain in the ass but the only way to go without traveling through the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Latter Day Nazis". While we always fly to Paris when going from Mexico City to Europe, there are many alternative flights to Europe from Mexico City so consider those as well. Since Cancun is a destination for European tourists, perhaps a deal is available from there. If so, we´d like to hear about it so please inform us.

We´ll do anything to avoid flying through the U.S.

by E-raq Tue Jun 26, 2012 11:49 am

bobnliz wrote:San Carlos has it down for accessibility, I think. Three hundred miles south of Tucson. Not a bad drive, and we have a vehicle and our bikes.
It's a thousand miles from our summer digs... quick trip, even meandering along the way we do. Lizzy

It may be accessible, however I have spent quite a bit of time there in both summer and winter. The closest store of any reasonable description was in Guaymas. After 11 a.m. you couldn't go out in the summer. The houses up on the Caracol were built with salt water in the cement. People deny this but friends owned a factory (maquiladora) there and swore up and down it was true. Everything rusted in nanoseconds. There was one guy who did a border run for veggies and Costco stuff, once he was sold out you were toast. Maybe things have changed, but it sure wouldn't be on my list. Nice sailing though.

by Mainecoons Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:44 pm

And hot as hell in the summer.

by Sponsored content