Best Places In The World To Retire

The expats in Mexico are a little more adventurous because if they're not really adventurous, then they wouldn't leave the States, where they are used to the way things are and they wouldn’t leave their comfort. Coming to live in Mexico may not be as comfortable as living in the States of Canada. 

 

I find the expats who live in Mexico to be a little friendlier, easier to talk to, easier to get along with, more flexible, easier to make friends...

The expats in Mexico are a little more adventurous because if they're not really adventurous, then they wouldn't leave the States, where they are used to the way things are and they wouldn’t leave their comfort. Coming to live in Mexico may not be as comfortable as living in the States of Canada. 

 

I find the expats who live in Mexico to be a little friendlier, easier to talk to, easier to get along with, more flexible, easier to make friends with, and they are good people. 

 

There are foreigners who come to Mexico to try to live here. We've got people who come to our hotel to check the Chapala and Ajijic area. I know of two people who only lasted one day. They came, went around, and said, "This is not for us." These people have never gone outside the States apart from this trip to Mexico. They heard about the Chapala and Ajijic area, came here, and it was culture shock for them because everything's different. It doesn't work for everybody.

 

(Dog agility participant at Hotel Perico, Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)

Your neighbors in Coronado, Panama are going to range in age from about 40 to 80 years. There are some people who are younger, but you’re typically getting not just the retirees, but the pre-retirees. People who have a job that allows them to work from home or maybe they have reinvented themselves in Panama. There are a lot of people who come and go; who live in Panama for part of the year, and then somewhere else for part of the year.

 

I am often...

Your neighbors in Coronado, Panama are going to range in age from about 40 to 80 years. There are some people who are younger, but you’re typically getting not just the retirees, but the pre-retirees. People who have a job that allows them to work from home or maybe they have reinvented themselves in Panama. There are a lot of people who come and go; who live in Panama for part of the year, and then somewhere else for part of the year.

 

I am often around expats. Certainly, there are native Panamanians who live there. The Panamanians who go to Coronado tend to live in Panama City and go to Coronado on the weekends. You will make friends who are Panamanians, but it’s easier to make friends who are other expats because they’re going to be there during the week. They’re going to speak the same language. They’re going to have gone through the same relocation process that you’ve gone through. The connection is going to be easier to make with the other expats.

 

Also depending upon where you live, there are certain buildings that are international buildings. You’re going to have neighbors from Europe. You’re going to have neighbors from Brazil. You’re going to have neighbors from Canada and the US.

 

Because there are people who live in Coronado who have more than one residence, you’re going to have more affluent neighbors. One of the things that I love about living in Panama is you have a new family. Someone who lives next door to you may not become your best friend, but if you need to borrow a cup of sugar, if you need someone to drive you to the store, if you need to borrow US $20 to pay your maid because you forgot to go to the bank, people here are so giving and so willing to help that it’s unlike anything I ever experienced when I lived in the US.

 

(Melissa Darnay, expat and relocation expert living in the Coronado area of Panama, pictured.)

Due to our Barrier Reef (which we have the second largest in the world), our waves are not big enough for wave surfing.

 

You can, however, so wind surfing. We do not have huge waves but we do have a lot of wind.

Due to our Barrier Reef (which we have the second largest in the world), our waves are not big enough for wave surfing.

 

You can, however, so wind surfing. We do not have huge waves but we do have a lot of wind.

The construction standards in Portugal are not on par as the standards in Scandinavian countries. The main concern here in Portugal is to build houses that will withstand an earthquake, so from that point of view, the basic structure is world class. The finishing and the insulation is where they fall short of the world class standard. They could not be compared to the Dutch standards, for example. Basically, Portuguese houses are cold in winter and hot in summer!

 

The construction standards in Portugal are not on par as the standards in Scandinavian countries. The main concern here in Portugal is to build houses that will withstand an earthquake, so from that point of view, the basic structure is world class. The finishing and the insulation is where they fall short of the world class standard. They could not be compared to the Dutch standards, for example. Basically, Portuguese houses are cold in winter and hot in summer!

 

Some builders or contractors who have permits but do not have work, “rent” those permits up to other builders or contractors who don’t have permits. In a situation like that you have “cowboys” free to operate in the market. Fortunately, because of the severe recession in the building industry since 2007, most of these guys have run out of business. 

 

In the US, you can rest assured that the home that you are buying met certain minimum standards because the contractors have to pull permits and the building gets inspected. That is not the case in Portugal. You don’t have to pull permits for electrical or any sort of requirement here in Portugal in order to build something. If you sell or rent a property, you have to get an Energy Certification, which is done by an engineer but it doesn’t really tell you much about the quality of the electrical installation of the building or the house.

 

It’s the local government that issues construction licenses and building permits, as opposed to the central government. Most of these guys are as corrupt as they come. You could find a builder who pays someone at the local municipality not to come around. If you are having an argument with your neighbor, you could probably go to the municipality and say, “Hey, look, these guys are putting this swimming pool in. Is this on the building permit?” It’s sort of like the “wild west.”

 

(Traditional houses in Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)