Where are the best beaches in and around Puerto Vallarta?
Armando Contreras - Galvan Real Estate and Services
There are so many great beaches in the Puerto Vallarta area that it’s hard to name just a few.
The beach in Mismaloya has always been a favorite of mine. It’s small, peaceful and beautiful with a few beach restaurants, a few vendors and a beautiful beach.
The beaches in San Pancho (also known as “San Francisco”) and Lo De Marcos each hold special delights. The beaches in Nuevo Vallarta are known for being calm.
...
There are so many great beaches in the Puerto Vallarta area that it’s hard to name just a few.
The beach in Mismaloya has always been a favorite of mine. It’s small, peaceful and beautiful with a few beach restaurants, a few vendors and a beautiful beach.
The beaches in San Pancho (also known as “San Francisco”) and Lo De Marcos each hold special delights. The beaches in Nuevo Vallarta are known for being calm.
What's the overall cost of living in Ambergris Caye?
Christian Burn
Ambergris Caye is most definitely cheaper than some of the other Caribbean Islands. Compared to places like Saint Barthelemy, The Cayman Islands, and Barbados, Belize is absolutely a deal.
Belize is an English-speaking, Commonwealth country where the prices are not to the level of these other Caribbean nations yet. It is not as inexpensive as its neighboring countries such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador; living in those places would be less expensive. ...
Ambergris Caye is most definitely cheaper than some of the other Caribbean Islands. Compared to places like Saint Barthelemy, The Cayman Islands, and Barbados, Belize is absolutely a deal.
Belize is an English-speaking, Commonwealth country where the prices are not to the level of these other Caribbean nations yet. It is not as inexpensive as its neighboring countries such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador; living in those places would be less expensive. However, those places are not as nice as Belize. They do not have the Caribbean feel.
As a point of reference for North Americans, Ambergris Caye is less expensive than Vancouver and Toronto, Canada, where I come from.
The cost to rent a house or apartment here in Ambergris Caye is at par with Vancouver rentals, but the cost to buy a house or apartment is considerably less.
The cost for car insurance and related items in Ambergris Caye is minimal compared to what we pay in Vancouver or Toronto. They use golf carts here as transportation. Gas is more expensive but the golf cart does not use nearly the same amount of fuel as a car so getting around town in your own transportation is considerably less expensive than in North America.
The cost of food in Ambergris Caye unfortunately, is rather high, because we live on an island that is pretty much tourist- oriented, so you are not going to get a lot of variation on food cost. Medical and dental expenses are much less expensive in Belize than in North America.
Will Portugal make me pay income tax on money I earn in Portugal?
Luis Rodrigues - Gouveia Pereira, Costa Freitas & Associates, Law Firm, RL
A. Employment or self-employment (for activities within the official list of high added value activities)
Individuals who qualify as non-habitual residents benefit from a special flat tax rate on Portuguese-source employment and business income derived from high added value activities of 20%.
High value added activities include a wide range of scientific, artistic or technical character performed...
A. Employment or self-employment (for activities within the official list of high added value activities)
Individuals who qualify as non-habitual residents benefit from a special flat tax rate on Portuguese-source employment and business income derived from high added value activities of 20%.
High value added activities include a wide range of scientific, artistic or technical character performed in Portugal as per the list of activities published by the Portuguese Government (which includes architects, engineers and similar technicians; fine artists, actors and musicians; auditors; doctors and dentists; professors; psychologists; sole traders, technicians and similar; Investors, directors and managers), for a ten year period.
B. Other types of income
Regarding the other types of income that are received from a Portuguese source (capital investments, dividends, interests, etc.) the tax regime for the non-habitual residents will be the same as for any other Portuguese resident.
(Live band at Stevie Ray’s Blues Jazz Bar in Lagos, Portugal, pictured.)
What's the food like in the markets in Granada, Nicaragua?
David Smith - Farmland Assets
In Granada, Nicaragua, you have the normal fare. You can buy all different kinds of fruits and vegetables and grains. You can buy meats and similar items.
The local market (the central market; not the American-style grocery store), however, is much more extensive than just having food. For example, you may have shoe repair service, clothes, leather; a mishmash of everything. It’s an open area with stalls. Produce is...
In Granada, Nicaragua, you have the normal fare. You can buy all different kinds of fruits and vegetables and grains. You can buy meats and similar items.
The local market (the central market; not the American-style grocery store), however, is much more extensive than just having food. For example, you may have shoe repair service, clothes, leather; a mishmash of everything. It’s an open area with stalls. Produce is stacked everywhere and lots of people are shopping. You’ll also have other food items. It’s a typical South American-style environment of a general market. This is where the native Nicaraguans shop. In addition to the local market, there are pharmacies everywhere.
In Granada you also have established grocery store chains like you would be familiar with in the US. In these grocery stores the prices are slightly higher than in the US on imported things and lower on local items. I may go there if I want, for example, some American cereal or some other item they don’t sell in the market. They don’t sell imported items in the market and they don’t sell alcohol.
For the purchases you would make for normal, every day living, you’re pretty self-sufficient here in Granada.
If you want to buy locally grown items like bananas, there’s people walking around the neighborhoods in Granada who sell them. I, personally, will buy at the grocery store and from the street vendors. If the street vendors happen to be coming by my place and I hear them, I’ll just walk outside on the sidewalk, and buy my items there. If you want, the street vendors will come by when you want them to, and you’ll just meet them on a schedule and make your purchases.
How bad are the mosquitoes and other bugs and insects in Panama?
GISELLE SOCARRAZ - Real Estate Chiriqui
The three biggest annoying pests in Panama are in no particular order:
Political Solicitors
Bad Scooter Riders
People Who Loudly Discuss Their Gastrointestinal Diseases In Restaurants
But enough about human pests. Let's talk about the kind of insect pests you'll encounter in Panama.
1. Fire Ants
Most likely encountered in: cities and homes.
While Panama is host to many ant species,...
The three biggest annoying pests in Panama are in no particular order:
Political Solicitors
Bad Scooter Riders
People Who Loudly Discuss Their Gastrointestinal Diseases In Restaurants
But enough about human pests. Let's talk about the kind of insect pests you'll encounter in Panama.
1. Fire Ants
Most likely encountered in: cities and homes.
While Panama is host to many ant species, the Panamanian Fire Ant is the one best adapted to plaguing heavily inhabited areas, stealing food, stinging folk and generally proving to be poor house guests. Their sting, while not dangerous (unless you are allergic) is still irritating and the welts they leave behind are itchy enough to make their visit an unpleasant one.
Counter:
For the welts, I often use zinc oxide cream to alleviate the annoying itching.
To get rid of them, I suggest scrubbing their trail with detergent. Without a scent trail to follow they will not repeat the same path again. But to really end their visit, you have to find their nest and hand an eviction notice to their queen (if it's on an area away from my lawn, I usually just pour a pot of boiling water on the mound. In my lawn, I usually use boric acid crystals arranged around the mound).
2. Mosquitos
Most likely encountered in: wetlands, jungle
The mosquito has been a bane of Panamanian living for centuries. In fact, much of the difficulty in building the Panama Canal was because of the Dengue and Malaria these aerial annoyances like to carry. Fortunately, the Panamanian people aren't ones to falter under insect invasion, and as such have been regularly spraying, drying areas, and otherwise driving the bugs off. As of this date, it is hard to find a mosquito in a city.
Counter:
Zinc oxide for the bite. Coconut oil as a repellant (odd but true, pure coconut oil seems to annoy the bugs).
3. Sand Flies (aka Chitra)
Most likely encountered in: beaches, islands
These little, hard to see pests bite hard and bite often. If you have beachside property you will learn to loathe the life out of these tiny terrors. Fortunately, they fear fire and smoke more than most flying pests (so if you ever plan to have a beach BBQ, you'll find that the chitras will give you a wide berth.
Counter:
Benadryl for the bite.
To repel them, I usually mix up baby oil, citronella oil, and alcohol hand sanitizer.
I felt sweaty, and my left arm was sore - I thought it was because: A) I live in the beach area of Panama, and B) I had scrubbed the sides of our swimming pool yesterday. However, even after sitting in the air con with a fan, and I was still sweating profusely, I Googled: "Symptoms of a Heart Attack" The final symptom struck home: An overwhelming feeling of doom".
Mistake # 1: I drove myself to the medical clinic in Coronado instead of...
Since my last post I had to return to Australia to sort out finances and final arrangements, after 13 months in Chiang Rai.
Lesson 1- When you are fully committed to a permanent move, settle all that stuff well in advance of departure date; I left behind a property which in retrospect had become a burden. I should have sold up before leaving, since the ensuing sale was close to being a nightmare of new rules and bureaucracy. Banks & settlement...
Would you want to live in a city that is arguably one of the hottest in Central America? (And we are not talking about "hot" in the sense of "explosive growth," but in temperature!) A city that is over 90 degrees practically year-round? A city that can at times give new meaning to the words "hot and humid"? Yes, there are places with even more heat, most of which are located near the equator. Many people have...
There are so many great beaches in the Puerto Vallarta area that it’s hard to name just a few..png)
Ambergris Caye is most definitely cheaper than some of the other Caribbean Islands. Compared to places like Saint Barthelemy, The Cayman Islands, and Barbados, Belize is absolutely a deal. 
A. Employment or self-employment (for activities within the official list of high added value activities) 
I felt sweaty, and my left arm was sore - I thought it was because: A) I live in the beach area of Panama, and B) I had scrubbed the sides of our swimming pool yesterday. However, even after sitting in the air con with a fan, and I was still sweating profusely, I Googled: "Symptoms of a Heart Attack" The final symptom struck home: An overwhelming feeling of doom". 
