Best Places In The World To Retire

Your lifestyle here in Ajijic and Lake Chapala can be as active or as inactive as you want it to be, but there is certainly no reason to be bored. Many expats volunteer with local organizations in the day time and at night because of the low cost of good quality food, many expats dine out often meeting up with friends.

 

There is an active theater scene with several venues and an auditorium that features top class visiting entertainment which in the...

Your lifestyle here in Ajijic and Lake Chapala can be as active or as inactive as you want it to be, but there is certainly no reason to be bored. Many expats volunteer with local organizations in the day time and at night because of the low cost of good quality food, many expats dine out often meeting up with friends.

 

There is an active theater scene with several venues and an auditorium that features top class visiting entertainment which in the past has often featured Grammy winners etc. and one new development is the Lakeside Little Theater streaming performances on huge screens, of plays, concerts and orchestral recitals from around the world.

 

We are part of a lively cocktail party circuit that is extremely welcoming of new people and often these are in private homes and in fact sometimes it is so active we have to take a few nights off!! Like I said there is definitely no need to be bored.

 

(Pictured: Amazonas, a house in Rancho del Oro, Ajijic, outside entertaining space.)

Nicaragua has some very nice golf resorts. We have a client who administers a golf course. There are also various resorts with golf courses. I believe one is even designed by a famous European golf course designer. 
 
There are lots of golf courses on the Pacific side of Nicaragua, which is where by large all the expats are.  There are golf courses north of San Juan Del Sur, all the way up to the beaches of Managua, and in Managua itself.  In these areas there are...

Nicaragua has some very nice golf resorts. We have a client who administers a golf course. There are also various resorts with golf courses. I believe one is even designed by a famous European golf course designer. 
 
There are lots of golf courses on the Pacific side of Nicaragua, which is where by large all the expats are.  There are golf courses north of San Juan Del Sur, all the way up to the beaches of Managua, and in Managua itself.  In these areas there are many, many places to play golf, some of them world class.

 

(Oceanside golf course in the Gran Pacifica master plan community, Nicaragua, pictured.)

The Weather

One of the worst reasons to retire overseas is to do it because you want to be in a place with good weather. There are times when people decide to visit a certain place at a specific time of the year because somebody told them that they will experience the best weather. The same is not always true if you live in the same place for a whole year since the weather will change during the year. However nice the weather is at a certain time of the year, remember it can...

The Weather

One of the worst reasons to retire overseas is to do it because you want to be in a place with good weather. There are times when people decide to visit a certain place at a specific time of the year because somebody told them that they will experience the best weather. The same is not always true if you live in the same place for a whole year since the weather will change during the year. However nice the weather is at a certain time of the year, remember it can also can be the complete opposite during another season of year. Weather is a big factor when people make a decision to move to a different country but I think it also can be a letdown. The culture and the community are more practical factors with bigger benefits.
 
The Beach

A lot of people want to retire on the beach or live on the beach and that is great. The beach is beautiful and it has a lot of things that are attractive but it is particularly suited for visiting rather than living. The air on the beach is salty, which makes properties wear down. The sun is normally very hot on the beach and it gets uncomfortable. So if you live on the beach, you might find yourself constantly looking for shade.
 
There is not a lot of agriculture that can be supported at the beach. Vendors come to the beach on trucks in order to sell to the people there. That adds to the hustle and bustle brought about by visitors that come to the beach all the time. It is not ideal to be at the beach the whole year because it starts to wear on you after a while. I’ve known a lot of people who end up being more stressed out than any other time in their lives because they just had an impression that moving overseas and living on the beach was going to be perfect. Nothing is perfect, not even the beach. 

The worst reasons to retire in Panama is if one cannot adapt to the culture or way of life. Tolerance and adaptation is all important. Do not expect the same service or attitudes that you have in your own country.

 

Also consider what you intend to do once you are retired. If you like nature, beaches and the associated hobbies then you will be fine and kept occupied.

 

Learn the language as there are many centers where you can enroll. Someone...

The worst reasons to retire in Panama is if one cannot adapt to the culture or way of life. Tolerance and adaptation is all important. Do not expect the same service or attitudes that you have in your own country.

 

Also consider what you intend to do once you are retired. If you like nature, beaches and the associated hobbies then you will be fine and kept occupied.

 

Learn the language as there are many centers where you can enroll. Someone once said to me "The Panamanians don`t like us foreigners, they don`t talk to us".  I replied that it was merely the case that they could not talk to them if they did not speak Spanish! So very important to adapt. 

Belize respects the rule of law but property rights are difficult because even squatters have rights. For the most part, title to property is pretty straightforward in the sense that there is title insurance. I would only buy something with a clear title myself. Belize is a safe haven for investment, most definitely. Of course it is “buyer beware” anywhere, but if you do your due diligence and request clear title,  you will be fine; no doubt about it.
 
If you...

Belize respects the rule of law but property rights are difficult because even squatters have rights. For the most part, title to property is pretty straightforward in the sense that there is title insurance. I would only buy something with a clear title myself. Belize is a safe haven for investment, most definitely. Of course it is “buyer beware” anywhere, but if you do your due diligence and request clear title,  you will be fine; no doubt about it.
 
If you have a contract in Belize and there is a dispute, you can count on the Belizean judicial system to be fair, but you cannot expect the process to be speedy, just as it is not speedy in other places, either. The justice system of Belize is based on the British system so I have confidence that it is fair.
 
In regard to property rights, the government of Belize will not just take your property and nationalize it like what happens in some South American nations. Belize is a safe investment. I personally made the investment myself, so I can say that it is a good place to invest.