Best Places In The World To Retire

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Recently Answered Questions

What’s the architecture like in Puerto Vallarta?

Ron Morgan - Ron Morgan Properties

Puerto Vallarta is originally a fishing village so the older architecture is primitive; concrete block houses and very simple living environments. I came to Puerto Vallarta in the late 60s and the major buildings were religious and church buildings, city halls, and other government buildings.

Puerto Vallarta does not have a great deal of older architecture as you would find in Guadalajara, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, and Mexico City, which are more...

Puerto Vallarta does not have a great deal of older architecture as you would find in Guadalajara, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, and Mexico City, which are more cultural and economic centers. Puerto Vallarta was and still is, in essence, a fishing village. Now, it's become a little more glamorous, but at one time you crossed the river in a wagon.

There are newer buildings. These are mostly under 10 stories, clean, simple, but with nice designs; units that usually have gardens or very nice entrances to them; and, most of the spaces have some commercial spaces on the first floor. These buildings do not have Mexican or Spanish styling. One example is the Icon building in the marina, which is very contemporary and designed by Philippe Starck.

There are still a lot of the red tile roofs on the original buildings in Puerto Vallarta. You have different architectural looks that blend in and work very well together.

Some of the residents of Puerto Vallarta have been a bit upset about so much new construction going on. This new construction is replacing old construction that probably needed to be restored or replaced anyway. Now, you're seeing some improvements. With these improvements, of course, the city is going to have to work on their electrical, sewage, and water systems, which is being done now. These problems of growth are being addressed, although difficult.

(Icon building by Philippe Starck, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,pictured.)

How are Americans in Granada, Nicaragua treated? How are expats in Granada, Nicaragua treated generally?

Carlos Roman Gutierrez Solis - Casa Granada Properties

Nicaraguans have no problems with Americans living in Granada. If you treat people well, they get back to you very nicely. If you pretend to be smarter than them, they will not help you or they will not go with you. How you treat others is how you are going to be treated.

Nicaraguans do not discriminate so expats are treated just the same as locals are treated. We go out with expats and do business with them. If you help and you are a good person, people are going to notice right away and will appreciate that. However, just like anywhere, there are people who will try to steal from you and you have to be cautious. There may be some people who will try to take advantage of you and another Granadino (a "Granadino" is a person from Granada) will warn you not to hang out with these people.

I have a friend, Darrel Bushnell, who is the best example of someone who tries to interact with the local community here. He is a person who teaches and motivates people to do well and make something out of themselves. He always talks with Nicaraguan parents, he play movies every Friday, and people love him because he is very nice but he never gives things away. He always makes people work. Whenever you do him a favor, he will give you something. Just like anywhere in the world, if you treat kids well, and you teach them, people will notice and they will appreciate what you did.

Parents in Granada are very conservative. So they love to see you interact with their kids. They also pay attention to be sure that you are not the kind of American who only comes to look for kids, or have sex or do bad things, because those things happen here, too. Therefore, we pay attention to be sure that you are not that kind of person. Nicaraguans do not have the same level of experience as people do in other places, so they may not be as cynical and maybe a little more naive and trusting than people in other places.

In general, there is no built in prejudice against foreigners at all. In my opinion, there are no specific judgments about what expats are like. Nicaraguans’ perception of Americans is influenced by their experience. Some Nicaraguans will have more worldly experience like living in the United States, while others who have lived in Granada their whole life just take it that Americans come and like it here in Granada because it is cheap and the Americans have a lot of money.

What are the worst places in the world to retire?

Linda Jensen

With some of the fantastic deals available in foreign countries people really need to do their home work before deciding to live there.

Some countries are not foreign friendly in that there is political unrest, anti-American sentiment and difficult languages to deal with. Money exchanges add to the likelihood you can be taken advantage of.

Sometimes laws are at odds with a foreigner's comprehension. A person should do some homework to...

What's the food and cuisine like in Belize?

Wendy Miller - RE/MAX Property Center South

stewed chicken rice and beans – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

This little jewel of the Caribbean isn't that small when it comes to cuisine. Belize's menu is a wonderful combination of Mexican, American, African, Mayan, Spanish, Indian, Chinese and Creole dishes.

"Belizean Rice and Beans" is the signature plate of the country. Fresh coconut milk is the secret to the great taste of this traditional dish. Rice and beans is accompanied with stewed chicken, potato salad and fried plantains.

...

Are there natural disasters like flooding, earthquakes, fire or hurricanes in Algarve?

Luis Teixeira da Silva - Algarve Senior Living

Lisbon before the Portuguese earthquake in 1755 – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

There are natural disasters in Algarve but we have not had one for many centuries. The entire country of Portugal is actually on an earthquake zone. The last major earthquake was in 1755, so it was clearly some time ago.

The Algarve gets tens, if not hundreds, of little ground tremors, which are sometimes too weak to be felt by a human being, but they do happen because we are on an earthquake zone.

The Algarve is...

The Algarve gets tens, if not hundreds, of little ground tremors, which are sometimes too weak to be felt by a human being, but they do happen because we are on an earthquake zone.

The Algarve is not a flooding zone. The biggest risk or the biggest natural disaster, I would say, that the Algarve faces is brush fires. There are a lot of natural areas that are fairly dense with shrubs and bushes. Unfortunately, we have bush fires every 5 to 6 years. The bush fires here are not at the scale of the bush fires that happen in Australia or California but nonetheless, it is probably the biggest natural disaster on a local level. However, very rarely does a home get damaged by bush fires. The last that I remember where a house got burned or damaged by a bush fire happened around 10 years ago when there was a bush fire in the Eastern Algarve. Because the fires mostly happen in the densely foliated areas, the density of homes in these areas is also very low. The loss of property is fortunately low and the loss of life is very rare. There could be a loss of sheep or cattle, which are generally a loss of natural environment rather than a physical, material, or human loss.

Relevant to flooding, about two months ago, Algarve had probably one of the worst floods that occurred in Albufeira in living memory. Generally, flooding is not common here in the Algarve because we are in an area where there is very little rain. We are always praying for rain. What happens in some coastal towns, because they built their buildings very close to the water, is that they get flooded when it is a high tide and it is a full moon. This is what happened in Albufeira a few months ago. There are other villages that are prone to flooding such as Ferragudo, and the downtown area of Tavira. So, overall, there are one or two towns or villages that can be flooded but flooding is not a common thing.

Relative to hurricanes, they don’t happen here in Portugal. We send them towards the US; we don’t receive them. The hurricanes start typically in an area near the Cape Verde Islands, then tend to go towards the West Coast of Africa, and then towards the East Coast of the US. We have high winds and we sometimes have windy days but gale force winds are very rare.

( Tile mural of Lisbon before the Portuguese earthquake in 1755, pictured.)

Is Panama Safe?

Alonso Cornejo - ASA, Inc.

Panama currently has the fastest growing economy in Central America and is considered as one of the safest countries in Latin America, but petty and violent crime targeting foreign nationals have been on the rise in some areas of the capital, Panama City and particularly in the city of Colon, due to the activities of youth gangs.

The political situation in Panama is generally stable. However, frequent demonstrations by civil groups and citizens over...

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Overcoming the 5 Big Obstacles to Retiring Abroad

Pier in Placencia, Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

After a year and a half of reading over 4,700 answers and 200 stories posted by the expat experts who contribute to Best Places, I've learned a thing or two.

Below is an article I was asked to write for Next Avenue, a website whose media partners include PBS, Huffington Post, etc., and run by very talented and accomplished public television people and journalists.

This article represents the distilled wisdom of...

Advice to Anyone Moving to Panama

Here is some advice for people moving here from other countries:

The path is always easier here if you get to know people. Knowledgeable locals can give valuable advice on how best to do something, and they can also mention you to people who make a difference such that, when your situation comes up, they don't say to themselves, “Hmm, another gringo situation I can just toss into the basura,” or, “Another gringo I can exploit for a little extra...

HOW I CAME TO BUILD A HOUSE IN GUATEMALA -2-

I DO feel proud of building a house in Guatemala. I'm not going to get into the doing here, but lay the groundwork for WHY I did it. This is one of our views of the house and one of what we see out the windows.

First, why I came to Guatemala, then how the construction happened. Everyone asks, so here is the quick answer I’m tired of giving (because we have had many so guests in our bed and breakfast business who always ask). I...