How good are the medical centers, hospitals and health clinics in Yucatan: Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Merida, etc, and how close are they?
Andy James
There are excellent health facilities in Yucatan. My wife is having some medical services here in Yucatan, and I know other people who have as well. The medical facilities in Yucatan are certainly on par with the United States, Canada and the UK. The cost of health services in Yucatan are between 10 and 20% of what they would cost in the United States, Canada, or the UK, and I would have no problem recommending them to anybody.
There are two medical...
There are excellent health facilities in Yucatan. My wife is having some medical services here in Yucatan, and I know other people who have as well. The medical facilities in Yucatan are certainly on par with the United States, Canada and the UK. The cost of health services in Yucatan are between 10 and 20% of what they would cost in the United States, Canada, or the UK, and I would have no problem recommending them to anybody.
There are two medical centers that are large facilities in Merida with all the services you’d expect, both within 10 minutes of the center. If I had a serious issue, I would feel comfortable going to these facilities. I can’t speak for anywhere else because I’ve never seen or been to any of them.
I know of somebody who had a heart attack and received care in a private facility. His bill was US $35,000, and it was estimated that the bill for the similar thing in the United States would have had another zero on the end of it. He may have had some insurance, but here in Yucatan, they don’t change the bill depending on who’s paying, which tends to happen in other countries. The cost is the cost and they don’t care how they get paid.
(University medical facility for the La Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in Merida, Yucatan, pictured.)
What's it like to live in the Pedasi, Azuero, Panama area?
Jose Enriques Flores S. - Panama Discover Expeditions
The geographical location of Pedasi is the best because it’s a town around the coast with beautiful virgin beaches. There are no big developments on the beaches so there are a lot of places where you can enjoy and at the same time have some privacy.
What’s even more beautiful here are the people. The people of Pedasi are friendly and are very respectful.
It’s nice to live here because it’s nothing like a...
The geographical location of Pedasi is the best because it’s a town around the coast with beautiful virgin beaches. There are no big developments on the beaches so there are a lot of places where you can enjoy and at the same time have some privacy.
What’s even more beautiful here are the people. The people of Pedasi are friendly and are very respectful.
It’s nice to live here because it’s nothing like a big city. You will not experience a traffic jam here. You can have everything necessary to live a nice life. There is a hospital and other emergency services. There are nice schools, stores or nice supermarkets to shop in. There are also plenty of different restaurants here. You can also fish, dive, snorkel, go whale watching, or see monkeys or horses. There are a lot of different activities that you can do.
Another nice thing about Pedasi is that it is very rich in Panamanian culture. The people in Pedasi still follow old traditions especially in celebrating the festivals at different times of the year.
Pedasi is a great place to go to. The mix of these things together is what makes Pedasi a safe, comfortable and fun place to live in. It’s a nice place for retirement, too. If you want to have fun, there are casinos and a discotheque in Las Tablas, which is about 30 minutes away by bus from Pedasi. Chitre has casinos too and it’s about 45 minutes away.
What do I need to know about living overseas and retiring abroad?
Keila Mulero - Savvy Link
Hi I moved to Panama a year ago and I love it. I have lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, Miami, Atlanta, Indiana and Panama is by far the best choice for retirement. You must remember, and a lot of people often forget, that Panama is still a third world country. BUT with lots of advantages like currency, cost of living, life style, and much more. It's a lot safer than Puerto Rico and Miami. You can have a maid for $350 a month. Fruit and vegetables are always fresh. I even became...
Hi I moved to Panama a year ago and I love it. I have lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, Miami, Atlanta, Indiana and Panama is by far the best choice for retirement. You must remember, and a lot of people often forget, that Panama is still a third world country. BUT with lots of advantages like currency, cost of living, life style, and much more. It's a lot safer than Puerto Rico and Miami. You can have a maid for $350 a month. Fruit and vegetables are always fresh. I even became vegetarian in Panama. If you like sports, every weekend there is at least two sports events in the City or at any of its provinces. Panama has a lot of beauty. I do agree that the service industry needs a lot of improvement. When it comes to people and manners the average Panamanian is behind. However, my close Panamanian friends are well educated with manners, very good people. Traffic is an issue, like any cities such as Miami, New York, Atlanta. I have learned 'short cuts' and always managed my way out of it. One more thing, I have visited 75% of the country, I have been to places like Torrijos Carter, San Miguelito for business as well as Boca Chica, Las Lajas, Boquete, San Blas and great resorts. In summary, I know Panama very well and my experience has been fantastic.
I am permanent resident of Panama and US citizen. During my 15 years career in Corporate America I was expatriated to the US, Peru and the Dominican Republic. With the world economic situation, I found Panama as “the land of opportunities” and decided to move abroad. My family and I have experienced the whole process of relocating ourselves. We have learned the Panamanian “system” and requirements. I must admit it was frustrating and disappointing. Finally, after loosing lots of time and money, we met the right people and were able to process our residency. There are lots of scam out there, lots of attorneys that just take your money and disappear.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW - THIS IS HOW WE DID IT!
Executive Decree No. 806 October 9, 2012 - If you are citizen of any of these countries you can opt for residency like we did. The process takes 6 - 8 months depeding on how soon you present the paperwork. COUNTRIES: Canadá; Confederación de Australia; Confederación Suiza; Corea del Sur; Estados Unidos de América; Estado de Japón; Estado de Israel; Gran Ducado de Luxemburgo; Hungría; Latvia; Nueva Zelanda; Principado de Andorra; Principado de Liechtenstein; Principado de Mónaco; Reino de Bélgica; Reino de Dinamarca; Reino de España; Reino de Noruega; Reino de Suecia; Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte; Reino de los Países Bajos; Región Administrativa Especial de Hong Kong; Republica de Argentina; Republica de Austria; Republica de Checa; Republica de Chile; Republica de Chipre; Republica de Croacia; Republica Eslovaca; Republica de Estonia; Republica Helénica (Grecia); Republica Federal de Alemania; Republica Federativa de Brasil; Republica de Finlandia; Republica Francesa; Republica de Irlanda; Republica de Lituania; Republica de Malta; Republica de Montenegro; Republica Oriental de Uruguay; Republica de Polonia; Republica Portuguesa; Republica de Servia; Republica de Suiza; Republica de Sudáfrica; Republica de Taiwán; Serenísima República de Marino.
How good are the medical centers, hospitals and health clinics in Nicaragua, and how close are they?
Juan Carlos Espinosa - Hacienda Puerta del Cielo Ecolodge & Spa
Within the last six or so years, in Managua, Nicaragua, they just opened the largest hospital in Central America, a private hospital called Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas. By North American standards, it’s very inexpensive and its very, very good; state-of-the-art.
To give you an idea of the care you can receive in Nicaragua at Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, I recently came back from a trip that included a very long plane ride, which caused me some...
Within the last six or so years, in Managua, Nicaragua, they just opened the largest hospital in Central America, a private hospital called Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas. By North American standards, it’s very inexpensive and its very, very good; state-of-the-art.
To give you an idea of the care you can receive in Nicaragua at Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, I recently came back from a trip that included a very long plane ride, which caused me some symptoms of numbness. I went to the emergency room of the hospital and saw medical personal immediately. Three hours later, after putting me through several tests, including a scan, they determined that nothing was wrong with me. The total cost to me was $46. The care was first rate.
What's the dress code in Algarve? What clothes do they wear in Algarve?
Luis Teixeira da Silva - Algarve Senior Living
The dress code in the Algarve is “smart casual” or “casual.” There’s no one with a tie here unless that person works in a bank. If you come along with a tie then we’ll know that you’re from another city or another part of the country.
Our clothes style here in the Algarve is generally very relaxed—chinos, beige slacks, and so forth. We also fit in with the season and a very bright...
The dress code in the Algarve is “smart casual” or “casual.” There’s no one with a tie here unless that person works in a bank. If you come along with a tie then we’ll know that you’re from another city or another part of the country.
Our clothes style here in the Algarve is generally very relaxed—chinos, beige slacks, and so forth. We also fit in with the season and a very bright environment, even though the Portuguese tradition is one of wearing fairly dark clothes, particularly in the winter, including a lot of burgundy and black clothing. Generally in Algarve you’ll find a lot lighter colors—the blues, the beiges, the pinks, etc. It’s a very laidback, relaxed environment.
You won’t find the truly sloppy like you would see in Central America with shorts, flip-flops and T-shirts. You wouldn’t have the sort of the rag tag of people mulling about unshaven and with long hair. Having said that, we have a lot of wealthy people who just choose to walk in flip-flops. They will, however, look very proper as they walk in their flip-flops and nice shorts and maybe nice jersey or cardigan hung over their shoulders if it’s a cold evening.
(Traditional Portuguese clothing for women-- not what they wear every day, pictured.)
Hi, I’m Jackie Lange. I have lived in Boquete, Panama for almost 6 years now. I moved after deciding I was just sick and tired of the heat in Texas. One summer we had 90 days straight of 100˚ weather. I lived on a private 500 acre lake. It was too hot to get out on my boat, so it was just too hot to stay in Texas.
I spent two years exploring about ten countries other than Panama, including Mexico, Belize, Uruguay,...
Patritzia Pinzon lives in the fabled city of Casco Viejo, the oldest quarter of Panama, where formerly neglected buildings are restored to their historic grandeur, and where Patrizia's active participation has helped to infuse the community with vibrancy and modernity, qualities reflected in Patrizia’s personal outlook. Jet finally gets to meet her favorite House Hunter’s International star, whose blog she regularly reads and enjoys. And we...
Weddings have always been a big deal for everyone. It is a very special day for every couple that makes a deep commitment in their lives. I think that is universal thinking...
BUT... it´s really amazing what a wedding involves, and, in Panamá, this is very much the case.
Panamanians take very, very seriously the fact that a marriage is a Sacrament; not merely a social issue. Marriage has to be...
There are excellent health facilities in Yucatan. My wife is having some medical services here in Yucatan, and I know other people who have as well. The medical facilities in Yucatan are certainly on par with the United States, Canada and the UK. The cost of health services in Yucatan are between 10 and 20% of what they would cost in the United States, Canada, or the UK, and I would have no problem recommending them to anybody. 
The geographical location of Pedasi is the best because it’s a town around the coast with beautiful virgin beaches. There are no big developments on the beaches so there are a lot of places where you can enjoy and at the same time have some privacy. 
The dress code in the Algarve is “smart casual” or “casual.” There’s no one with a tie here unless that person works in a bank. If you come along with a tie then we’ll know that you’re from another city or another part of the country. 
As told to Best Places: