Best Places In The World To Retire

The restaurants in Chapala and Ajijic offer good service, good prices, and good food. There are many people opening Argentinean and Italian restaurants because they see that all the foreigners go out, but there are just a few ones that stay. Many people try, but not too many of them succeed and keep their restaurants, so the restaurants that stay are confirmed to be good ones. These restaurants become places where you can find good food, good wine, and good service- ones that you will...

The restaurants in Chapala and Ajijic offer good service, good prices, and good food. There are many people opening Argentinean and Italian restaurants because they see that all the foreigners go out, but there are just a few ones that stay. Many people try, but not too many of them succeed and keep their restaurants, so the restaurants that stay are confirmed to be good ones. These restaurants become places where you can find good food, good wine, and good service- ones that you will definitely go back to. 

 

In Chapala, I’ve noticed that Americans and other foreigners usually have their specific favorite places. When foreigners find a place that they like, they will be very loyal and go back on the same day of the week, at the same time, on the same table, with the same order. That’s what restaurant owners have to pay attention to. They should try to maintain the same level of service. 

 

We Mexicans, get bored, so we want to go to a newly-opened restaurant and see what they have. There’s a big possibility, though, that we won’t go back, even if we liked it, because there’s a new restaurant that opened, and we would want to go there instead. Mexicans like to move around, even when we have our favorite places. We are always chasing options. 

 

Some of the foreigners here in Chapala like the routine, and that’s something good to know. Almost all of the restaurants here in Chapala close on Tuesdays, except Adelita’s. 

 

There are a bunch of options in Chapala and Ajijic where you can get good Mexican, Argentinian, Greek, Japanese, Thai, and Spanish food. The restaurants I’ve mentioned are good restaurants. For example, there are two restaurants here that serve very good Spanish paella. There’s another with Greek options, and there are 2 or 3 very nice Italian options. There’s also a food truck with Arabic food, which is lovely, but it’s a food truck so you’d have to find it. I love it.  

 

(Best Places in the World to Retire contributor Mark O'Neill celebrates his birthday at Alex's Pasta Bar with Chuck Bolotin and Jet Metier, Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)

In general, foreigners such as North Americans are very satisfied with the construction standards in Panama homes and apartments, including the finishings and the social areas where people spend most of their time to relax.

 

I used to be the CFO for Grupo Verdeazul, a development group that, among other activities, developed high-end projects in Panama such as Buenaventura (in the Coronado area), and the Bristol Hotels. As a result of my experiences there,...

In general, foreigners such as North Americans are very satisfied with the construction standards in Panama homes and apartments, including the finishings and the social areas where people spend most of their time to relax.

 

I used to be the CFO for Grupo Verdeazul, a development group that, among other activities, developed high-end projects in Panama such as Buenaventura (in the Coronado area), and the Bristol Hotels. As a result of my experiences there, I became familiarized with the highest standards in Panama for homes and hotels, which are consistent with the highest international standards.

 

In the central provinces of Panama, like here in Chitré, the standards are usually a bit lower than in Panama City.  In contrast with the local standards, we wanted our Cubitá development project here in Chitré to be above the standard of all the projects in the area and more consistent with what people would expect in Panama City.  (Chitré is about 160 miles west of Panama City and 110 miles west of Coronado, at the northwest corner of the Azuero Peninsula.  From Chitré, you could get to Pedasi, which is at the far southwest corner of the Azuero Peninsula, in about an hour and twenty minutes by car.)

 

The standards in “the provinces” (those areas away from Panama City) are in general in line with much simpler construction and finishes, with the exception of certain beach areas (generally around Coronado) were, for example, Buenaventura is located, or Pedasi, which have marketed towards the international clients for years now.  In contrast, in Chitré or Santiago or other medium sized cities in Panama, there aren't very many high standard home or hotel projects.

 

Before a development can go through the construction permitting process, they have to comply with the zoning regulations.  In Panama in general and even here in Chitré, the trend is to require much more formal compliance with regard to what type of construction can be done in particular areas. Zoning requirements have come a long way in Panama, to the point where foreigners can be comfortable with the process and the outcome.  As the years have gone by, Panama has become stricter.  However, it's always useful for foreigners to become familiarized with the local laws and requirements so they can compare to their own standard. 

 

Regarding permitting and government inspections, Panama has moved a long way towards a more formalized process and one that a North American would be more accustomed to seeing. It is very common that projects in Panama have to go through to all the legal requirements with regards to construction permits and occupation permits.

 

(Single family home in the Cubita Development, Chitre, Panama, pictured.) 

In Cayo, there is good and bad architecture like everywhere in the world. Certainly the majority of houses reflect the low standard of living. Many people come here with very distinct ideas of their homes. Some of them even bring drawings. The problem is that many people come from moderate or cool climates. Now they see the opportunity to build the home they have been dreaming of their entire lives. But if you build a house in Cayo that is optimized for Chicago, it is going to be a...

In Cayo, there is good and bad architecture like everywhere in the world. Certainly the majority of houses reflect the low standard of living. Many people come here with very distinct ideas of their homes. Some of them even bring drawings. The problem is that many people come from moderate or cool climates. Now they see the opportunity to build the home they have been dreaming of their entire lives. But if you build a house in Cayo that is optimized for Chicago, it is going to be a total failure because of the different climate. You must build in a different way. This is where the good architect comes in.

 

There are certain building rules that you should follow here. For example, make sure that the sun never shines on your walls. If they don't heat up during the day they do not radiate the heat to the inside at night when it gets cooler outside. The classic solution to the problem is a wrap-around veranda.  Turn your house in the wind like a sailboat. Make sure that the natural breeze goes through the house. Do not build many walls inside that obstruct the airflow because it will not be livable unless you use air-conditioning all the time. Build on stilts to catch the breeze, if your property is not on a hilltop. Choose big windows that go down to the floor so that you have some airflow even if you sit on the sofa. You need to build high ceilings with some opening so the hot air can escape. These are some very basic rules, which are very different from optimizing houses in the North.  

 

Of course these rules are not something that I invented. Study the old houses in the Caribbean from back in the day, when air-conditioning did not exist yet. You will find that this is how they optimized their floor plans. Of course it is much easier to design a house that just pleases the North American taste but I do not stop to preach these rules when I design homes. I want to make sure that my clients spend their money on a house with a modest energetic footprint that will work here in the tropics. 

 

(Franklin Syrowatka designed Tuscan home with tropical modifications in tropical Cayo, Belize, pictured.)

I am not certain if there is a known or published crime rate against expats in San Juan Del Sur. Expats are definitely targeted more than usual because If you are blonde and have white skin, it is pretty easy to know that you are not from there.  However, crimes have a lot to do with where you are, the time of day, and your alcohol level.

 

Many Americans live in San Juan Del Sur and I do not think they would prefer living here if they...

I am not certain if there is a known or published crime rate against expats in San Juan Del Sur. Expats are definitely targeted more than usual because If you are blonde and have white skin, it is pretty easy to know that you are not from there.  However, crimes have a lot to do with where you are, the time of day, and your alcohol level.

 

Many Americans live in San Juan Del Sur and I do not think they would prefer living here if they felt that they were in danger.  But of course, if you come into town and start acting like you own the place, then somebody might see that and will not like it. If you behave and act in a civil manner, then you should absolutely not have any problem here in San Juan Del Sur.

 

The crime rate may be higher against those types of people who are maybe rowdy, drunk or acting out. The houses in San Juan Del Sur are pretty close to each other, so if you are loud in the streets, about five or six families are going to hear you. So you will not be dealing with thugs or kids who will try to rob you; you will be dealing with actual families and households who want peace and quiet. I have seen this happen. If you are loud in the streets at 2 AM, then you will see people come out of their houses and try to settle you down. Obviously, if you are in that state and you don't back off, that is where the problem begins.

 

If you are in San Juan Del Sur vacationing, having fun in a responsible way and having a great time interacting with the locals, you will have zero problems.

Banking overseas is becoming more and more difficult for US citizens thanks to the HIRE Act and the regulations placed on foreign banks.   Many foreign banks have simply stopped serving US citizens as a way to comply with the HIRE Act.  Banks that do accept US citizens for accounts have increased paperwork and due diligence fees.  Many banks will not open an account for a US citizen unless they are a permanent resident of the country they are living in.  Some...

Banking overseas is becoming more and more difficult for US citizens thanks to the HIRE Act and the regulations placed on foreign banks.   Many foreign banks have simply stopped serving US citizens as a way to comply with the HIRE Act.  Banks that do accept US citizens for accounts have increased paperwork and due diligence fees.  Many banks will not open an account for a US citizen unless they are a permanent resident of the country they are living in.  Some countries like Belize still allow US citizens to open accounts and some banks do not require a physical visit to open an account.  That list is getting shorter and shorter.   

 

It is possible to live overseas without a local bank account.   Friends of ours lived in Nicaragua for 3 years without a bank account.  They paid all their bills and shopped with credit cards and withdrew cash from the ATM to pay their rent.  It is possible but can be challenging as they related from time to time.   

Yes, it safe to drink the water in Portugal in most areas. Sometimes, if you’re out in country houses, a lot of people will have their own wells and then they say not to drink the water or they’re just fine because people will have their well water filtered.

 

A lot of people buy bottled water, but, I, for example, drink from the tap. It depends on how you respond, but on average, it’s fine.

 

(Ancient Roman...

Yes, it safe to drink the water in Portugal in most areas. Sometimes, if you’re out in country houses, a lot of people will have their own wells and then they say not to drink the water or they’re just fine because people will have their well water filtered.

 

A lot of people buy bottled water, but, I, for example, drink from the tap. It depends on how you respond, but on average, it’s fine.

 

(Ancient Roman aqueduct near Tomar, Portugal, pictured.)