Best Places In The World To Retire

It's really cheap to go to the movies in Mexico. You can go to the movies for two people on 'Cheap Tuesdays' for US $5. That's $2.50 each for an English-speaking short movie. We've also been to a couple of theaters in Guadalajara that have English-speaking movies. It's incredible. For the amount you spend on one person's ticket up North, in Mexico, you can have both entrances, your drinks, and your popcorn. 

 

We have old theaters and new...

It's really cheap to go to the movies in Mexico. You can go to the movies for two people on 'Cheap Tuesdays' for US $5. That's $2.50 each for an English-speaking short movie. We've also been to a couple of theaters in Guadalajara that have English-speaking movies. It's incredible. For the amount you spend on one person's ticket up North, in Mexico, you can have both entrances, your drinks, and your popcorn. 

 

We have old theaters and new theaters in Mexico. If you don't like the stale smell of popcorn and spilled pop in the old theater, you can go to the newer one and the prices are about the same.

 

The normal prices to go to a movie in Mexico is $3.50 to $4 for one person.  

 

(Jet Metier of Best Places in the World to Retire in front of a movie theater, Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)

Almost everyone in Belize has a cell phone. The cell coverage here is pretty good.  However the whole country is experiencing Internet problems right now, so we can't say it’s a full proof plan by any means.

 

Cell phone service in Belize is on a pay as you go basis. You can buy a prepaid card and load the amount to your sim card or you can just top up your cell phone at any store. On average, i spend about US $50 a month for my cell phone. I...

Almost everyone in Belize has a cell phone. The cell coverage here is pretty good.  However the whole country is experiencing Internet problems right now, so we can't say it’s a full proof plan by any means.

 

Cell phone service in Belize is on a pay as you go basis. You can buy a prepaid card and load the amount to your sim card or you can just top up your cell phone at any store. On average, i spend about US $50 a month for my cell phone. I make a vast number of calls because I use my cell phone for work. So $50 is a lot if you compare the amount others who do not use their cell phones as much as I do spend.

 

We also use Skype, Viber, or GoogleTalk as other means of communication via Wi-Fi. You do not have to pay anything extra for using these applications in addition to your existing Wi-Fi.

Yes, there are American-trained doctors and dentists in Nicaragua. More recently dentists who have been trained in the US and Mexico have opened, which is fantastic. I’m getting a bridge made and all my dental work in San Juan del Sur.

 

Relative to doctors, Dr. Galan is American trained and speaks English. You have to know who they are. They are private doctors. They’re not working in the Central Clinic, which is Nicaraguan government run.

Yes, there are American-trained doctors and dentists in Nicaragua. More recently dentists who have been trained in the US and Mexico have opened, which is fantastic. I’m getting a bridge made and all my dental work in San Juan del Sur.

 

Relative to doctors, Dr. Galan is American trained and speaks English. You have to know who they are. They are private doctors. They’re not working in the Central Clinic, which is Nicaraguan government run.

 

For really serious medical issues, get yourself properly covered and on a schedule as you would at home.  Go to Managua to Vivian Pellas Hospital, which is better than any First World hospital I’ve ever been to in in terms of quality of the care, the speed with which you are seen and taken care of, and the speed with which you get answers to any question you have. Blood work results are back to you within 20 minutes, posted online for you to see when you get home. The quality of care and how affordable it is at the Vivian Pellas Hospital is amazing. 

 

The Vivian Pellas Hospital is about 2 hours from San Juan del Sur.  Going to Managua is something that we do at least once a month; sometimes twice a month. There’s a WalMart now, CostCo, etc.; all the brands you need to get as you would at home. We go shopping and stock up on cleaning supplies and to get value for buying in bulk. All of that you can do in Managua.  Often we go to the movies. We have a Galaxy movie theater in Managua now. In Managua I don’t do anything different than when I was going to Toronto. It’s just like going to Toronto. Beautiful, malls which are dangerous to visit and spend money. Luxury items are more expensive here.  

 

Surfing in the Algarve is fantastic. Algarve is the second most popular region of Portugal for surfing. The most famous surfing spot can be found north of Lisbon, which is called the silver coast, in the area between Peniche and Nazare. They broke the world record there several times.

 

The Algarve has a fantastic reputation for surfing on the west coast of the region, between Sagres and Aljezur, and we have a number of famous beaches there such Bordeira and...

Surfing in the Algarve is fantastic. Algarve is the second most popular region of Portugal for surfing. The most famous surfing spot can be found north of Lisbon, which is called the silver coast, in the area between Peniche and Nazare. They broke the world record there several times.

 

The Algarve has a fantastic reputation for surfing on the west coast of the region, between Sagres and Aljezur, and we have a number of famous beaches there such Bordeira and Carrapateira. We also have other beaches in and around the Sagres area, such as Martinhal and Baleal. They all have long, sandy beaches and very good surf. They have a fantastic swell and very evenly spaced waves. It’s easy to get a ride and get it in without being hammered by the next wave. But the water is cold so you need a wetsuit to go surfing. 

 

There is also some surfing on the southern coast of the Algarve. The further west you go, the better the surf. There are small surfing spots just off the beaches around Lagos and around Praia da Luz. The distance between Lagos and Sagres is only about 25 kilometers so you don’t have to travel far to get to surf.

 

It’s safe to go into the water in Praia da Luz. The waters there are just like the Mediterranean most days. It is calm with azure colors; nary a wave so it’s very safe.

 

In the western part of the Algarve, you shouldn’t really go into the waves alone. If you have children, they can certainly play in the shallow water but I wouldn’t be far away because a lot of the beaches in that area are very remote and there are not a lot of people there. They don’t necessarily have protection such as life guards and so on. However, most of the southern beaches do have lifeguards.

 

The Algarve has probably the largest number of “Blue Flag” beaches in Portugal. “Blue Flag” is the European Union symbol for quality of the beaches, infrastructure and water quality. The beaches in the west coast has big waves whereas there are hardly any waves on the southern shores of the Algarve, so there are surf conditions to love for anybody.

 

(Swells at the beach at Carrapateira, Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)