How are the stores and shops in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico? How's the shopping in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Richard Tingen - Coldwell Banker Chapala Realty
If you’re going to walk in the central part of Ajijic down Colon Street from the main highway (the carretera) to the pier (which is just six blocks), make sure you leave your wife at home because there are a lot of boutiques and jewelry stores. Just tell your wife to hide because she will spend all your money! We have a lot of shopping and a lot of artisans.
They have boutiques that manufacture clothing for women. They have clothing for men,...
If you’re going to walk in the central part of Ajijic down Colon Street from the main highway (the carretera) to the pier (which is just six blocks), make sure you leave your wife at home because there are a lot of boutiques and jewelry stores. Just tell your wife to hide because she will spend all your money! We have a lot of shopping and a lot of artisans.
They have boutiques that manufacture clothing for women. They have clothing for men, jewelry, and a lot art. We are an art community. A lot of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans come here as part of that community and they have been doing that for 50 years. Ajijic is an artist community.
Chapala is not as much of an artist community. Chapala is more like of a service center for maids, gardeners, electricians and plumbers. There are some expats there and some very nice homes.
(Ad for art classes at Zaragoza Art Gallery, Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)
We have two good places to golf in and around Managua:
Gran Pacifica Beach and Golf Resort is one of this places. Located 45 minutes from the center of Managua, Gran Pacifica has some of the best golf in Central America, with all the facilities you would expect from a world-class course, set among stunning ocean views. You can make a variety of 18 hole courses by combining the three 9 hole courses.
You can also golf at...
We have two good places to golf in and around Managua:
Gran Pacifica Beach and Golf Resort is one of this places. Located 45 minutes from the center of Managua, Gran Pacifica has some of the best golf in Central America, with all the facilities you would expect from a world-class course, set among stunning ocean views. You can make a variety of 18 hole courses by combining the three 9 hole courses.
You can also golf at the Nejapa Country Club, a private, 18 hold club built in 1940 located about 30 minutes from the city that also has tennis courts and a swimming pool.
For more info about our Panama Pacific Ocean Beach Communities visit playa community dot com - I just visited this website and found that there are a whopping 52 restaurants located in or near Panama's Pacific Ocean Beach Gold Coast Communities.
In fact just the other day I had my lunch at Bamboo Express which is located in the Coronado Mall - my lunch was Chow Fun Carne (Carne is the Spanish word for meat) and what FUN my meal was indeed! I'll...
For more info about our Panama Pacific Ocean Beach Communities visit playa community dot com - I just visited this website and found that there are a whopping 52 restaurants located in or near Panama's Pacific Ocean Beach Gold Coast Communities.
In fact just the other day I had my lunch at Bamboo Express which is located in the Coronado Mall - my lunch was Chow Fun Carne (Carne is the Spanish word for meat) and what FUN my meal was indeed! I'll return to Bamboo Express manana... have the Chow Fun again and take a picture for you of my lunch with a price of $5.00... (It's convenient to do because our new office is in the Coronado Mall right near Bamboo Express)... Until tomorrow -
What’s my best strategy for health insurance for retiring in Belize?
John Acott
Most expats don’t bother getting health insurance here in Belize. I am British and I would have free healthcare in England but I am not entitled to it now. I don’t have private insurance here; nothing. But saying that, healthcare is free here in Belize for Belizeans and for foreigners. If you need healthcare, no one is going to ask if you are Belizean because it is not an issue. For more serious health issues, people go to...
Most expats don’t bother getting health insurance here in Belize. I am British and I would have free healthcare in England but I am not entitled to it now. I don’t have private insurance here; nothing. But saying that, healthcare is free here in Belize for Belizeans and for foreigners. If you need healthcare, no one is going to ask if you are Belizean because it is not an issue. For more serious health issues, people go to Cuba, Guatemala City, or to Merida in Mexico.
Last year, I had a twelve and a half hour spinal surgery in a private hospital and the total cost with the surgeon, the hospital, the anesthesia, and the medication was US $6,500. The public hospitals will cost you zero but sometimes I recommend for people to go to the private hospitals they provide better service.
Can I use my Medicare outside the US, and if not, what are my alternatives?
Catherine Burdine - American Insurance for Expats
Medicare coverage is primarily designed to cover you within the U.S. Medicare supplemental plans C, D, F, G, M and N offer 60 days of coverage outside the U.S. with a maximum benefit of $50,000.00 within that 60 days. After 60 days outside the U.S., you are uncovered. For this reason, ex-patriots who live half the year or more outside the U.S. purchase an international private, major medical plan.
An international major medical...
Medicare coverage is primarily designed to cover you within the U.S. Medicare supplemental plans C, D, F, G, M and N offer 60 days of coverage outside the U.S. with a maximum benefit of $50,000.00 within that 60 days. After 60 days outside the U.S., you are uncovered. For this reason, ex-patriots who live half the year or more outside the U.S. purchase an international private, major medical plan.
An international major medical plan will allow you to be hospitalized in Panama, or any other foreign country you may visit, without worrying about the final cost. After your deductible is met, your costs are covered.
It is always recommended you keep your Medicare coverage in the U.S.
The cost to rent a home in Portugal depends on several things such as the size of the property, whether it is furnished or not, whether it has a pool or not, and whether it is with a garage or without. It is really relative.
As an example, in Cascais, a two-bedroom, furnished apartment without a pool would cost around €1,200 (US $1,300 or £865). The same apartment but unfurnished would be about €800 (US $870 or £587). If it has a pool and a garage, it would...
The cost to rent a home in Portugal depends on several things such as the size of the property, whether it is furnished or not, whether it has a pool or not, and whether it is with a garage or without. It is really relative.
As an example, in Cascais, a two-bedroom, furnished apartment without a pool would cost around €1,200 (US $1,300 or £865). The same apartment but unfurnished would be about €800 (US $870 or £587). If it has a pool and a garage, it would go up to about €2,000 (US 2,180 or £1,450). You pay for the utilities separately. The rental contract would be for one year.
The further away from Lisbon you go, the cheaper everything gets. Cascais and Estoril are the most expensive towns in Lisbon. It is even more expensive in Cascais than in the Algarve. Cascais and Estoril are the Beverly Hills or the Park Lane of Lisbon. Estoril is where the ex-kings live, such as the previous king of Spain, and most of the previous kings of Europe.
From an interview in July, 2016 by Chuck Bolotin, Best Places' VP. Business Development:
Chuck: Bill, you are a real legend and pioneer here in the La Ventana area, which we should let everyone know is a little seaside village about 40 miles southeast of La Paz. Everybody knows “Mr. Bill.” Please let our visitors know your story in the area.
Bill: My story starts in 1982. I had been to Mexico and I wanted to open a wind surfing school. I looked around all...
Coiba Island really is a hidden paradise in Panama. The largest island in Central America, it is located between the Azuero Peninsula and the Costa Rican boarder. A former jail and surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, it is an oasis to intellectuals, adventurers or scientists who want to really discover a beautiful place.
Coiba Is an isolated, protected island that can only be visited with special permit from the ANAM, (the...
Biodiversity in Panamá is well known worldwide. Case in point: Panamá's prime humid forests, especially in Darién, with one of the oldest jungle areas, as well as Gamboa, Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro. Rainforest tours are very popular, and many adventure tour operators offer them, in combination with bird watching.
But there is a place, almost unknown to visitors and foreigners, called the Summit Botanical Park, situated 30 minutes from the city, with an area...