Best Places In The World To Retire

One of the best things to do here in Puerto Vallarta is go to the beach. Some of my clients like going to the riverside and going bird watching in the estuary in Lo de Marcos (about an hour by car north of Puerto Vallarta).

 

We also have horseback riding in Lo de Marcos, which is another popular activity for anybody who comes here. I went horseback riding in Lo de Marcos for the first time I had ever ridden a horse in my life. I couldn’t move for a...

One of the best things to do here in Puerto Vallarta is go to the beach. Some of my clients like going to the riverside and going bird watching in the estuary in Lo de Marcos (about an hour by car north of Puerto Vallarta).

 

We also have horseback riding in Lo de Marcos, which is another popular activity for anybody who comes here. I went horseback riding in Lo de Marcos for the first time I had ever ridden a horse in my life. I couldn’t move for a week but the experience was totally worth it!  We rode across the river, to the mountains, then we went back from the mountains, down to the beach, and on the beach. It was a beautiful experience. The sightseeing was great. Riding the horse along the river was awesome. One week of not working because my body was sore was totally worth it! 

 

If you are a golfer, one of the best things that Puerto Vallarta offers is golf. We have three Jack Nicklaus golf courses here. There are other golf courses in Puerto Vallarta, which are not Jack Nicklaus golf courses but they are also of very good quality.

 

(White sand beach with thatched umbrellas at  Punta Mita Resort and Residences near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, pictured.)

In Granada, we celebrate Dia de los Muertos, or "Day of the Dead" on the 2^nd of November, and that is a very traditional celebration here. It is a day to remember your loved ones who have died. We visit their graves, clean them, and put flowers. You can even get a day off from work to be at the cemetery on that day and bring flowers to the graves of your loved ones. On this day, you will see a lot of people selling flowers in every corner of the city of Granada. The...

In Granada, we celebrate Dia de los Muertos, or "Day of the Dead" on the 2^nd of November, and that is a very traditional celebration here. It is a day to remember your loved ones who have died. We visit their graves, clean them, and put flowers. You can even get a day off from work to be at the cemetery on that day and bring flowers to the graves of your loved ones. On this day, you will see a lot of people selling flowers in every corner of the city of Granada. The whole town is full of flowers. The Day of the Dead is different from Halloween. It is not about costumes, but it is about remembering the people you love. It is a sad day where you will see a lot of people crying, remembering their loved ones who have passed away.

 

One tradition that is unique to Granada is to use a horse and carriage made of wood and glass for funerals. That is specific to Granada, and you will never see that in any other city in Nicaragua. They put the coffin along with flowers inside this box made of wood and glass. There is also a traditional flower arrangement for funerals. Then we take the coffin from the house to a church to have a Mass, since most Granadinos are Catholic. After the Mass, people walk with the family of the person who passed away, behind the carriage all the way to the cemetery. You will see the streets full of people. The traffic stops and nobody will pass until the carriage and all the people following the carriage have passed. You will see that on the main streets of Granada until they get to the cemetery. Anybody who knew the person can join the family.

 

There is also a car with a bull horn that goes around town to make a public announcement of the person’s death. They use that to announce the name of the person who passed away, so that anyone who knew the person may go to the funeral or the vela, which is when they go to the person’s house and stay there with the family all night until the next morning for the funeral. The family of the person who passed away rents chairs in order to accommodate the people who will come that night. Some people bring food, but it is very common in velas for the family to give out coffee and bread for the people who come. Some people bring coffee, bread, and sugar, so that the family has enough for everybody.

 

For weddings, we also use a horse and carriage, but of course it is different from the one used for funerals. The carriages used for weddings are usually white. They look like a princess carriage. Brides use a horse and carriage to take them from the house to the church where the wedding will be held. In Granada, we use a lot of horse and carriages for different things. We even use them for tours around the city.

 

We also have Via Cruz, which is a tradition that is unique to Granada. This is done on the lake, and happens during Holy Week. What people do is bring different statues of Jesus on the cross and they go around different islands with the Jesus statue on the little boats. This is like Stations of the Cross, but it is done on little boats and they go around the lake in a parade. Locals who live on the little islands on the lake always have little boats as their main mode of transportation. They use these boats to go around the lake for Via Cruz. They stop from one island to another and they sing and play some music.

 

(Lake Cocibolca (Lake Nicaragua, Lake Granada) with ferry approaching Moyogalpa, pictured.)

 

The crime rate in Portugal is probably the lowest in the world. Whatever crime exists in Portugal is mostly petty crime or drug-related. Some guy would break the window of a car to take a bag or whatever valuable thing he could find, for example, or some guys would break into a house and go after the TV of a Hi-Fi system. Most of the crimes here are non-violent crimes and more of petty crimes. 

 

I live in Cascais (a high end area about 30 minutes west...

The crime rate in Portugal is probably the lowest in the world. Whatever crime exists in Portugal is mostly petty crime or drug-related. Some guy would break the window of a car to take a bag or whatever valuable thing he could find, for example, or some guys would break into a house and go after the TV of a Hi-Fi system. Most of the crimes here are non-violent crimes and more of petty crimes. 

 

I live in Cascais (a high end area about 30 minutes west of Lisbon) and I do not worry at all about my safety here. This is one of the safest places in the world I’ve been in. I think read once that Portugal was in the Top 10 in safety, taking several factors into account such as police population, army population, etc. 

 

It is very difficult to get a gun here in Portugal. The process to get a gun in Portugal is not as fast as it is in the UK, for example. We read and see horrific murders and shootings in the US and all we can say is, “Thank God we don’t live in a country like that.”

 

(Tile plague on Avenida Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales in Cascais, Portugal, pictured.)

The best things about living in Corozal would certainly be the weather, the family orientation of the people who are from here and live here, the laid back pace of life, and people who are generally unaffected by materialism and consumerism.

 

The worse things about living here in Corozal are that Belize doesn’t have the same level of customer service that we North Americans come to expect. However, I don’t even think that that is a negative. I...

The best things about living in Corozal would certainly be the weather, the family orientation of the people who are from here and live here, the laid back pace of life, and people who are generally unaffected by materialism and consumerism.

 

The worse things about living here in Corozal are that Belize doesn’t have the same level of customer service that we North Americans come to expect. However, I don’t even think that that is a negative. I have actually come to appreciate it and get a kick out of it because why do I need to impose a certain level of customer service? There is no Wal-Mart here to walk in where somebody would greet you. It’s the exact opposite. Sometimes you feel like you’re inconveniencing the workers at the store but they are not being unkind; it is just not in their DNA to go over the top for you. You have to probe them. You can’t just come here with that consumer instant gratification mentality because you will be dissatisfied and you won’t like it. You have to eat that up and roll with it because it is just part of the charm of the place. I don’t want them to be like a developed country and have that consumer mentality. I don’t want to be bombarded with advertisements, so I like it this way. Yes, it does inconvenience me sometimes when I need to get things done. If you don’t get a handle on that, you’re going to be frustrated and not enjoy your experience here in Corozal.

 

(Corozal and the Caribbean Sea, Belize, pictured.)

Hi I moved to Panama a year ago and I love it. I have lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, Miami, Atlanta and Indiana and Panama is by far the best choice for retirement. You must remember, and a lot of people often forget, that Panama is still a third world country. BUT with lots of advantages like currency, cost of living, life style, and much more. It's a lot safer than Puerto Rico and Miami. You can have a maid for $350 a month. Fruit and vegetables are always fresh. I even became...

Hi I moved to Panama a year ago and I love it. I have lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, Miami, Atlanta and Indiana and Panama is by far the best choice for retirement. You must remember, and a lot of people often forget, that Panama is still a third world country. BUT with lots of advantages like currency, cost of living, life style, and much more. It's a lot safer than Puerto Rico and Miami. You can have a maid for $350 a month. Fruit and vegetables are always fresh. I even became vegetarian in Panama. If you like sports, every weekend there is at least two sports events in the City or at any of its provinces. Panama has a lot of beauty. I do agree that the service industry needs a lot of improvement. When it comes to people and manners the average Panamanian is behind. However, my close Panamanian friends are well educated with manners, very good people. Traffic is an issue, like any cities such as Miami, New York, Atlanta. I have learned 'short cuts' and always managed my way out of it. One more thing, I have visited 75% of the country, I have been to places like Torrijos Carter, San Miguelito for business as well as Boca Chica, Las Lajas, Boquete, San Blas and great resorts. In summary, I know Panama very well and my experience has been fantastic. If you like more information about Panama, moving or relocating, feel free to contact me. I am US Citizen and permanent resident in Panama.