What's the price of a home, condo or apartment in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Mark O'Neill
Depending on your personal desires, you can get a small condominium or even a small home in Ajijic starting as low as around US $50,000. This would not be a huge space perhaps at that price point be it a condo or a home. It would have one or two bedrooms, a small lawn or yards (shared ones for condominiums). You can get something nicer starting around $100,000 for a two or three-bedroom home with a bit of a yard.
You also have to decide if you want to be...
Depending on your personal desires, you can get a small condominium or even a small home in Ajijic starting as low as around US $50,000. This would not be a huge space perhaps at that price point be it a condo or a home. It would have one or two bedrooms, a small lawn or yards (shared ones for condominiums). You can get something nicer starting around $100,000 for a two or three-bedroom home with a bit of a yard.
You also have to decide if you want to be close to the lakeside or the village area. There are wonderful mountains within a quarter mile of the lake that afford you a view of the beautiful Lake Chapala.
My personal purchase was a rather large space. It is a 5,200 square feet with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. We have a huge mirador, a 1,350 foot rooftop patio with a full bar and a barbecue. It has a swimming pool, a hot tub, and a 850 foot entertainment section for parties. Next to it is an 850 square foot apartment, which is a separate building from the main house. We have the avocado orchard and a lime orchard next door that I purchased as well, all for $330,000. The size of the lot is just a hair over half an acre. It’s not huge, but it is certainly very spacious and it has beautiful trees, with birds of paradise and bougainvillea all over the place. We have hibiscus trees and a wonderful environment. Our real estate property tax is only $420 per year.
(Mark O'Neal's pool and steps uo to the mirador, Ajijic, Mexico, pcitured.)
What are the sports and games in and around Belize?
Christian Burn
Soccer is very popular in Belize and there are a lot of men’s recreational leagues. As far as the other sports go, darts is also popular. There is certainly some basketball here, but I am not certainly up to speed on it. I know that we have a basketball team.
If you want to watch live sports, you can do that here in Ambergris Caye, but they aren’t professional games. You would go to the high school gym if you want to go see basketball, and you could go to the local...
Soccer is very popular in Belize and there are a lot of men’s recreational leagues. As far as the other sports go, darts is also popular. There is certainly some basketball here, but I am not certainly up to speed on it. I know that we have a basketball team.
If you want to watch live sports, you can do that here in Ambergris Caye, but they aren’t professional games. You would go to the high school gym if you want to go see basketball, and you could go to the local field here if you want to see the men’s recreational soccer league. We do not have a stadium or anything like that, but you certainly would have access to a live game.
The public doctors in Portugal are not very good because the public health system here is almost the same as the rest of Europe. You have to wait a month to get an appointment with a doctor and once you get one, the checkup is all done very quickly and is not very thorough. They give you lots of medicines because they want to get rid of you quickly. If you need tests done, you have to go to the National Health System and the queue is very long. You have to wait a week to get an...
The public doctors in Portugal are not very good because the public health system here is almost the same as the rest of Europe. You have to wait a month to get an appointment with a doctor and once you get one, the checkup is all done very quickly and is not very thorough. They give you lots of medicines because they want to get rid of you quickly. If you need tests done, you have to go to the National Health System and the queue is very long. You have to wait a week to get an appointment for the test. Then you wait another week to get the results and you have to wait another month to book an appointment with the doctor to show your results. It’s a long process. If you need an operation, you have to wait for almost a year in order to get the operation through the public health systems. This doesn’t only happen in Portugal. It is the same thing for the rest of Europe.
State doctors are state doctors, but private clinics are good. People who have private health insurance go to a private clinic that is covered by their insurance and they are very good. Anything private in Portugal works efficiently and well. I deal with a lot foreigners here in Portugal and most of them are pretty amazed by the service that they get from private doctors here. Even those foreigners who travel here and only stay for 6 weeks, prefer to be treated here than in England because medical care is cheaper and is of better quality here in Portugal.
How's the hiking and camping in and around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?
David Smith - Nicaragua Sotheby's International Realty
I have seen people go camping in San Juan Del Sur, but there isn’t as much camping to do as there is hiking to do here.
There is a lot of hiking here in San Juan Del Sur. There is lots of places to room and board for US $6 to $10 per night. Most people don’t camp, but they stay at these places (which are all over the country of Nicaragua) where there is room and board and then hike from there.
There...
I have seen people go camping in San Juan Del Sur, but there isn’t as much camping to do as there is hiking to do here.
There is a lot of hiking here in San Juan Del Sur. There is lots of places to room and board for US $6 to $10 per night. Most people don’t camp, but they stay at these places (which are all over the country of Nicaragua) where there is room and board and then hike from there.
There is lots of places in San Juan Del Sur where you can organize day hiking trips because you are in the village itself. The thing that people mostly do within San Juan Del Sur is go off to the beaches on bus shuttles. You just do not go hike in San Juan Del Sur. If you want to go hiking, you will go out of town on a day trip or you will go to Granada, which is around 45 minutes away from San Juan Del Sur. Then the Mombacho mountain is around 40 minutes away from Granada.
(Mombacho Volcano and the cloud forest on its slopes, pictured.)
Mombacho is an extinct volcano with lots of trails and wildlife. They also have ziplining. You can see jaguars and there are guided tours. You can choose from 2- hour hikes to 4-hour hikes, depending on what is planned.
So there is a lot of hiking outside of San Juan Del Sur. San Juan Del Sur is not a village that you come for hiking. Hiking is one activity that you will do on a day trip to one of the exotic hills or locations. There is also lots of hiking to do in Ometepe because there is nothing else to do there.
Can I see beautiful flowers, plants and trees in or around Coronado, Panama?
Marla Diaz
As I mentioned in another answer, Coronado Panama is a gardener’s dream. The biodiversity of the flora here is incredible. Compared to the surrounding areas, Coronado is a little more of a drier area, so in Coronado proper you’ll get more of a dry forest (although still tropical).
If you’re willing to explore a little bit outside of Coronado, you can see even more. In just a short 20 – 30 minute drive, you can be up in the jungles and...
As I mentioned in another answer, Coronado Panama is a gardener’s dream. The biodiversity of the flora here is incredible. Compared to the surrounding areas, Coronado is a little more of a drier area, so in Coronado proper you’ll get more of a dry forest (although still tropical).
If you’re willing to explore a little bit outside of Coronado, you can see even more. In just a short 20 – 30 minute drive, you can be up in the jungles and mountains, where they haven’t even identified all the plants that are there. For example, I was just reading an article that described how a new plant in El Valle (about an hour away) was just discovered.
BEST PLACES IN THE WORLD TO RETIRE...PANAMA IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST!
Panama is not a place to come to die - Panama is a place to come and start living and enjoying life. You work all your life, and now you deserve to start living it. Panama offers an environment that stimulates you in so many ways, not only financially but also spiritually!
The high quality of living for a modest price available in Panama City was the subject...
BEST PLACES IN THE WORLD TO RETIRE...PANAMA IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST!
Panama is not a place to come to die - Panama is a place to come and start living and enjoying life. You work all your life, and now you deserve to start living it. Panama offers an environment that stimulates you in so many ways, not only financially but also spiritually!
The high quality of living for a modest price available in Panama City was the subject of a news report on CNN a couple of weeks ago. Using the Economist Intelligence Unit's report, Panama was the "shining star". Panama City is listed as the most affordable capital city in the Americas, with a "plethora of top-quality, luxury experiences for cut prices". In the report, Panama`s "fastest growing economy in Latin America", and free 30-day travel insurance for tourists arriving at Tocumen International Airport were the main subjects.
Panama is fast becoming one of the world´s top retirement destinations and also a world class tourist location. With a US-style infrastructure, Panama offers an easy transition particularly for US retirees.
So why is Panama gaining in popularity among retirees, investors, and part-time expatriates? Not only because of increased publicity. Panama has more amenities, lower costs and lower crime rates than many other traditional retirement locations. In fact Panama´s advantages are unrivaled. Apart from tax advantages and privacy advantages, consider the following:
Panama has a stable government and a growing economy
The US dollar is the legal tender. Panama has a stable economy that has been based upon the US dollar since 1904
Residents pay no tax on foreign earned income.
Foreigners can buy and own property in Panama with the same rights and protections as Panamanian citizens.
PENSIONADO PROGRAM (retiree incentive program), the best in the world, is not necessarily age-related and the benefits are considerable. It is considered to be the best retirement program in the world.
English is widely spoken
The US presence in the country for many years has lead to a US style infrastructure with a number of familiar names and businesses.
Panama has a number of US-standard health care facilities and services with many US-trained English-speaking doctors available. Very good hospitals, including a John Hopkins Hospital.
Panama has a reliable communications system with fiber optic telephone lines and much of the country has ADSL internet
Panama is one of the best offshore havens in the world
The cost of living in Panama is lower than the US and much lower than Western Europe.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, PANAMA IS BEAUTIFUL!
Come to Panama to visit and you can see for yourself! You will love it!
I hear you are Belize bound. Maybe I can help. No, packing plates wasn’t what I had in mind. Sorry. Be of good cheer, though, that your porcelain will remain safely out of my CLUMSY hands.
Now then, let’s consider some handy things you may want to toss in that last box before you tape the top. First, have you included a goodly number of chains among your household items? You look at me wildly. Take it easy, now. I am not...
When I got an email from my Doctor, a Whats App from my Consultant/Surgeon and a personal phone call from the Doctor doing the lab results, I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore! (Or England in my case!)
Yes, you just read that correctly, the local Doctor here in Coronado, emailed me to see how I was and if I had heard anything about the test results I was waiting for.
Prior to that, I had undergone some surgery and the Consultant/Surgeon had...
Panamá is a 90% Catholic country, and follows "Jesus is the Reason for the Season". Based on this tradition it is customary that more than Christmas trees, Panamanians focus mainly in their Nativities at home.
Since childhood, you learn how to make your own Nativity (see the YouTube at the end of this post), and take pride in making the best one you can. Wherever you go in Panama, you see different...
Depending on your personal desires, you can get a small condominium or even a small home in Ajijic starting as low as around US $50,000. This would not be a huge space perhaps at that price point be it a condo or a home. It would have one or two bedrooms, a small lawn or yards (shared ones for condominiums). You can get something nicer starting around $100,000 for a two or three-bedroom home with a bit of a yard. 
The public doctors in Portugal are not very good because the public health system here is almost the same as the rest of Europe. You have to wait a month to get an appointment with a doctor and once you get one, the checkup is all done very quickly and is not very thorough. They give you lots of medicines because they want to get rid of you quickly. If you need tests done, you have to go to the National Health System and the queue is very long. You have to wait a week to get an...
I have seen people go camping in San Juan Del Sur, but there isn’t as much camping to do as there is hiking to do here. 
Panama is a gardener’s dream. The biodiversity of the flora here is incredible. Compared to the surrounding areas, Coronado is a little more of a drier area, so in Coronado proper you’ll get more of a dry forest (although still tropical).
PANAMA IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST! 
I hear you are Belize bound. Maybe I can help. No, packing plates wasn’t what I had in mind. Sorry. Be of good cheer, though, that your porcelain will remain safely out of my CLUMSY hands.
When I got an email from my Doctor, a Whats App from my Consultant/Surgeon and a personal phone call from the Doctor doing the lab results, I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore! (Or England in my case!) 
follows "Jesus is the Reason for the Season". Based on this tradition it is customary that more than Christmas trees, Panamanians focus mainly in their Nativities at home. 
