Best Places In The World To Retire

Historically, Puerto Vallarta was a fishing village. The beach area is one of the largest bays on the continent. Whales come in every winter because it's a birthing area for them. The Bay of Banderas is the eighth largest bay in the world. Fishing villages were around this bay and there were probably five or six villages that merged to form what is now Puerto Vallarta. This area went from being a fishing village to a resort-type, simple village where a few Americans came. ...

Historically, Puerto Vallarta was a fishing village. The beach area is one of the largest bays on the continent. Whales come in every winter because it's a birthing area for them. The Bay of Banderas is the eighth largest bay in the world. Fishing villages were around this bay and there were probably five or six villages that merged to form what is now Puerto Vallarta. This area went from being a fishing village to a resort-type, simple village where a few Americans came. 

 

The movie "The Night of the Iguana" was filmed in Puerto Vallarta with actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and director John Huston. There were a number of films done in this area. This changed the demographics of people coming to visit Puerto Vallarta to more celebrities and more Americans. Many of these tourists eventually built homes in Puerto Vallarta as did Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. John Huston had a couple of homes here. His descendants have had properties here.

 

 

 

Over the last 40 to 50 years, the movie industry catapulted Puerto Vallarta to its current popularity as a tourist and retiree destination because people understood more about it.

 

In the '60s, we could fly from Dallas to Puerto Vallarta needing only a driver's license to get in the country. It wasn't uncommon for us to fly from Dallas to Puerto Vallarta to stay here for three to four days. 

 

I came to Puerto Vallarta in 1969 and paid US $14 for a hotel room at The Rosita, which is a small hotel. There was also the Oceana Hotel, which is in the corner right off the malecon that had $12 to $13 rooms. There was one phone in the lobby. There were always a lot of writers and celebrities in the street-level bars at that time. The rooms were above the bars. In those times, there were no drinking age restrictions and all of us were under age. 

 

I moved to Puerto Vallarta in 1999 and purchased a condo after I retired. In 2003, I started working again in the real estate business, and then opened my offices shortly thereafter. I have an office in Bucerías, which is 45 minutes north and also an office here in Old Town, Puerto Vallarta.

 

Puerto Vallarta has changed a lot since I moved here. The population is obviously bigger. There are more medical facilities. At one time, Puerto Vallarta didn't have Costco and The Home Depot, but it always had grocery stores. Back then, you would go to the markets to buy fruit, vegetables, meats, and whatever you needed. 

 

It was difficult then because there were no real large hardware stores and you would bring back items from The Home Depot in the States like male bolts to hang paintings because you could never find these in Puerto Vallarta. Currently, you still see a lot of mom-and-pop-type businesses in Puerto Vallarta, but now there are Costco, The Home Depot, and large appliance stores. There are beautiful shopping centers that have every brand imaginable. Puerto Vallarta is much more metropolitan now than it was in the late '60s.  

 

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, pictured.)

Nicaragua offers all different types of cable services like Claro TV, Estasa, Direct TV, and Dish Network. At home, where I live, I get all the TV channels that I want such as HBO, ABC, NBC, Fox News, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and a lot of the other channels that I watched when I was still in the US.

Nicaragua offers all different types of cable services like Claro TV, Estasa, Direct TV, and Dish Network. At home, where I live, I get all the TV channels that I want such as HBO, ABC, NBC, Fox News, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and a lot of the other channels that I watched when I was still in the US.

The things you would be most happily surprised by when moving or retiring abroad might depend on what country you ended up in. I’m from Ireland. I’ve lived in different countries and every country has its own idiosyncrasies.

 

For example, in Panama, I love the weather, not when it’s raining, but most of the time. In Germany, I love Christmas, which they call “Weihnachten.”  They do a wonderful Christmas in Germany, and I...

The things you would be most happily surprised by when moving or retiring abroad might depend on what country you ended up in. I’m from Ireland. I’ve lived in different countries and every country has its own idiosyncrasies.

 

For example, in Panama, I love the weather, not when it’s raining, but most of the time. In Germany, I love Christmas, which they call “Weihnachten.”  They do a wonderful Christmas in Germany, and I also the summer there, as well as all the seasons.

 

I love London because of the nightlife. I like to eat out. London’s just a fabulous place to shop generally, except that it’s extremely expensive.  Visiting London is like having a complete change. “Change is as good as a rest,” as they say. From time to time, you need to go recharge the batteries.

 

(House over the water in Bocas del Toro, Panama, pictured.)

The number one reason I live in Panama is because I feel much safer in Panama than I do in the US.  I moved down here to Panama specifically to raise my children and have my family here in Panama as opposed to the United States of America because I feel that Panama is safer than the US in general and Coronado, Panama is safer in particular.

 

Why do I feel it’s safer in Coronado Panama than the US?  The reason is that you have two types of...

The number one reason I live in Panama is because I feel much safer in Panama than I do in the US.  I moved down here to Panama specifically to raise my children and have my family here in Panama as opposed to the United States of America because I feel that Panama is safer than the US in general and Coronado, Panama is safer in particular.

 

Why do I feel it’s safer in Coronado Panama than the US?  The reason is that you have two types of crimes here in Panama: 1) domestic violence, which is everywhere in the entire world and doesn’t affect me; and you also have 2) crimes against property (theft).

 

The reason for this second type of crime is because of the difference in wealth. Those who do not have much see what is, from their perspective, the massive amount of wealth of those who do have material goods, so you may find that someone may want to steal your “stuff”.  I’m OK with that, because I don’t care about “stuff”.

 

What scares me and what you don’t have here in Panama and specifically in Coronado are random acts of violence like you do in the US.  I never have to worry about taking my children to the mall or movie theaters and be concerned or worried that someone will come in and just start shooting.  That just doesn’t happen here in Panama.  There aren’t school shootings.  People don’t get patted down or have to go through a metal detector to go to school.

 

Here in Coronado, we live in a gated community complex in which our 11 year old son knows he can go anywhere inside those gates all by himself.  I know we wouldn’t let him have that much freedom to run around inside the United States, for fear of all the different types of possibilities that could happen to him.

 

The most important things to note about pet travel to Portugal are vaccinations, pet passport, quarantine requirements, and the shipping requirements.

 

You have to make sure that your pet is fully vaccinated and that the vaccines are up to date. You also have to make sure that your pet has an international pet passport. In addition, you have to take into account all the quarantine requirements that may occur in your country, which depends on the country...

The most important things to note about pet travel to Portugal are vaccinations, pet passport, quarantine requirements, and the shipping requirements.

 

You have to make sure that your pet is fully vaccinated and that the vaccines are up to date. You also have to make sure that your pet has an international pet passport. In addition, you have to take into account all the quarantine requirements that may occur in your country, which depends on the country from which the pet is being shipped or transported. In Portugal, the Department of Veterinary Services issues a procedure that must be complied with that stipulates the exact requirements of importation of any pets including any quarantine requirements.

 

Also, you have to determine which transportation company you will use, whether it is an airline or a shipping company and whether they have the relevant facilities to house your pets, including in quarantine while they are in transport.

 

(Cao de agua portugues, the Portuguese water dog, pictured.)