Best Places In The World To Retire

The nightlife in Yucatan varies a lot. My point of reference is the beach areas.  There are a lot of places at the beaches that are the gringo hangouts, so you have five or six big places where everybody goes and they really pack you in when all the snowbirds come down. There are a lot of local places here at the beach areas of Yucatan that you can go to for nightlife.
 
The entertainment places here fill up much later. People in Mexico do not even go out to start having...

The nightlife in Yucatan varies a lot. My point of reference is the beach areas.  There are a lot of places at the beaches that are the gringo hangouts, so you have five or six big places where everybody goes and they really pack you in when all the snowbirds come down. There are a lot of local places here at the beach areas of Yucatan that you can go to for nightlife.
 
The entertainment places here fill up much later. People in Mexico do not even go out to start having dinner until it’s about 8 PM to 10 PM. We have a square here in Chelem where the park is dead at around 7 PM and at around 10 PM, you will see people at out with their children. If you want to go to a totally dead restaurant, you can go to Tony Roma’s at 8 PM to 9 PM and I could almost guarantee that you would be the only person in there. At around 11 PM, you will not be able to find a table. The same is true for most restaurants in Merida.
 
In Cancun, it’s always “happening.” The last time we were in Cancun, in Playa Del Carmen, you could walk into anywhere and there would be lots of people. It’s because of the big difference in the density of population between Merida and Cancun. The beach is very quiet but in Merida, there is heavy density. Because of tourism, Cancun has a very heavy density.

 

(Blue Parrot Inn 1989, Playa del Carmen, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)

For me the answer is easy: Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

 

While this answer may not apply to you, the way that I reached it may help you find your answer. When I first visited Costa Rica almost 15 years ago, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. It simply was one of those happy accidents that travel brings. Having lived many years in Miami, I found the cultural similarities and differences attractive, and I set out to explore Costa Rica in search of the perfect...

For me the answer is easy: Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

 

While this answer may not apply to you, the way that I reached it may help you find your answer. When I first visited Costa Rica almost 15 years ago, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. It simply was one of those happy accidents that travel brings. Having lived many years in Miami, I found the cultural similarities and differences attractive, and I set out to explore Costa Rica in search of the perfect place for me. Without organizing my thoughts all that well, I found that my guidelines for the best place in the world to live boiled down to three boxes to check, the three Cs: climate, culture and convenience.

 

I was used to a warm subtropical climate in Miami. I loved the heat, the humidity not so much. So climate was my first box to check.  After wandering around Costa Rica, that led me to Guanacaste, hot but not too humid. Check. From late November through March, sunny with no chance of rain. From April through early November, partly cloudy with chance of showers.

 

My second box to check was convenience. I wanted to live no more than an hour's drive from an international airport. Liberia International Airport (LIR) is exactly 48 minutes away from my home and offers direct nonstop flights to Miami and many other gateway cities. Check. That is important to me for my convenience and also for the convenience of other Americans that I knew would be buying or renting condominiums at my resort (which I had not yet developed; that mission was accomplished almost ten years ago).

 

My third box was culture. I had come to love the Latin culture, and also the multinational culture, in Miami. I was looking for the same, only a slower, more relaxed, peaceful version, both Latin and multinational. I found that in Guanacaste, with a local population that is slow-moving and friendly, with one of the world's Blue Zones where people live the longest, healthiest lives. It is a plus that I speak Spanish, but English, French, Italian and German also can be found within 500 meters of my home.

 

For me, Guanacaste, Costa Rica is the best place to live in the world. For you, create and check your own boxes, and in so doing discover your own best place in the world to live. We might become neighbors.

Being the multi-cultural country that Belize is, most of the doctors here are multi-lingual, with English at the top of the priority list of languages spoken. In addition to this, English is also the first language of Belize.

Being the multi-cultural country that Belize is, most of the doctors here are multi-lingual, with English at the top of the priority list of languages spoken. In addition to this, English is also the first language of Belize.

The cost for a vacation rental in Portugal varies on the size of the property. A villa with three or four bedrooms and with a pool would cost €1,600 (US $1,750 or £1,100) a week in the high season; self-catering. If it’s without a pool it costs about €1,200 (US $1,300 or £865) a week. This is in Cascais, which is the most expensive places in Portugal.
 
The high season in Portugal is from June to August. If you get the same villa without a pool on the...

The cost for a vacation rental in Portugal varies on the size of the property. A villa with three or four bedrooms and with a pool would cost €1,600 (US $1,750 or £1,100) a week in the high season; self-catering. If it’s without a pool it costs about €1,200 (US $1,300 or £865) a week. This is in Cascais, which is the most expensive places in Portugal.
 
The high season in Portugal is from June to August. If you get the same villa without a pool on the low season, it would cost around €1,200 a week. The closer you are to the coast, the more expensive vacation rentals become. If you go to the interior, where it would take about an hour to go to the beach, you would pay for the same type of place around €500 to €600 (US $540 or £360 to $650 or £430) a week.  

 

(Plaza at night, Cascais, Portugal, pictured.)

There are plenty of American or Canadian and British English speaking DJ's  on the different radio stations locally in Panama.  I would also advise to download "TuneInRadio" on your computer, that way you can tune into anywhere in the world over the internet.  Works like a charm.  I am listening to German Radio right this moment. . .

 

89.3 is Cool FM and has a great 3 hour broadcasting from 7am to 10am Mondays to Fridays with British...

There are plenty of American or Canadian and British English speaking DJ's  on the different radio stations locally in Panama.  I would also advise to download "TuneInRadio" on your computer, that way you can tune into anywhere in the world over the internet.  Works like a charm.  I am listening to German Radio right this moment. . .

 

89.3 is Cool FM and has a great 3 hour broadcasting from 7am to 10am Mondays to Fridays with British moderator Jerry D, very informative on anything happening in Panama from news translations to interviews of interesting people here in this country.

 

Other than that I recommend to listen to some local stations, get the beats of our latino music, including the Panamanian Tipico music (accordeon)... which also introduces all the happenings in the music scene here in Panama. 

 

Again, American or Canadian radio stations can be listened to on the internet...