Beach Living
Articles
Just four miles north of the bustling surf and sport fishing town of Jaco on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast is tranquil Playa Herradura. In this video, IL correspondent Jason Holland gives a short overview of the beach, including the picturesque view across the cove and the casual beach bars and restaurants that line the access road – bare feet and swimsuits encouraged.
Honduras wasn’t on our list of retirement destinations until International Living introduced us to the Bay Islands of Honduras in 2003. After checking out the islands, we knew this was the place for us and have since moved to Roatan (the largest of the Bay Islands). Below are just some of the reasons we love living here.
Just a few decades ago there were only two ways to reach the natural paradise of Las Terrenas, on the Dominican Republic’s Samana Peninsula. You could take a horse, or a boat. Then, word spread among Europeans about a place with stunning waterfalls cascading down from lush green mountains, and shady woodlands touching on miles of palm-fringed, white-sand beaches.
“We’re right on the beach and we love that,” says expat Cynthia Kelley. “We can hear the ocean at night and we love to watch the sunset over the water in the evenings.” It’s easy to get the feeling that you’re a million miles away from the rest of the world in Canoa, on Ecuador’s northern coast.
A blue sky, blue-water scene is unremarkable in the tropics. But this is Europe. I’m in southern Spain, on Murcia’s Costa Cálida—the “warm coast.” Whoever thought up the name wasn’t exaggerating. Summer temperatures soar above 90 F, and there’s an annual dose of at least 320 days of sunshine. On the coast, spacious furnished rentals are $508 to $635 monthly.
It’s a rare thing these days to be able to say that you own real estate on or close to “Grade A” beach. By that, I mean truly stunning beach, either Caribbean white sands or the bluest stretches of the Pacific Coast. We’ll discuss the following three beach areas in detail at our upcoming International Real Estate Investment Forum…and for those in the room, $91,500 in savings will be on offer.
On this, my second trip to Belize, in 1980, I’d come to dive the world’s second largest barrier reef, just offshore the small towns of Seine Bight and Placencia in southern Belize. Flying by tiny sea plane was the easiest and fastest way to get here…as the dirt road from Belize City was perilously rutted and would take an entire day (if you were lucky and popped only one tire).
the best thing about being a copywriter is that it allows me to enjoy the type of lifestyle that I’ve always wanted. Right now, I’m living and working in Southeast Asia—in a sunny, laid-back little beach resort town called Sihanoukville in Cambodia.
In the musical South Pacific, the island of Bali Ha’i is an exotic paradise off limits to all except the officers. But in reality, the tropical island of Tioman—where the 1958 blockbuster was filmed—is a destination open to any traveler.
We’re right on the beach and we love that,” says expat Cynthia Kelley. “We can hear the ocean at night and we love to watch the sunset over the water in the evenings.” It’s easy to get the feeling that you’re a million miles away from the rest of the world in Canoa, on Ecuador’s northern coast.
We were flying low over the glittering Caribbean when I saw my dream out the window. Looking down on reefs of coral and lush green islands, I just knew I had to live down there, with my toes buried in those warm, white sands,” says Stephen Crabtree.
Sipping a cappuccino at a small table in a shady plaza outside my hotel, I’m reminded of days and evenings spent in similar sidewalk cafés in Europe. Stately 19th-century neo-classical and baroque-style buildings with wrought-iron balconies line the square. Curtains wave gaily through massive wood-framed windows.
The clouds are sliding off the mountaintops and the sun is warming the pine-scented air. I’m in tropical latitudes but the locals here go about their daily routines swaddled in multi-colored, locally-loomed woolens, just as they have for centuries. It can get chilly at night. Though during the day it’s usually mild enough to relax outdoors.
Belize has a lot going for it. For a tiny country, it packs a big wallop when it comes to charm and scenery. For the would-be expat—especially if you’re looking for real value—there are many places deserving of your attention. Places where you can live the laid-back, Caribbean lifestyle of your dreams.
Ever since my first extended trip overseas back when I was a student, I dreamed of landing the “perfect” overseas job. I craved new experiences in faraway lands. And I was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. At first, it didn’t matter what the job was. As long as it gave me a chance to support myself while living in a world-class overseas destination, I was in.
Ecuador’s north coast is one of the finest stretches of Pacific coast you will find. Steep, bright green jungle-clad hills rise from the flat blue ocean. In places, rocky coves sculpt sandy beaches. Here would be a great place to have a beach home.
This is the most stunning stretch of white-sand beach I have set foot on. Standing here, on Tulum’s Caribbean coast in Mexico, with warm sea breezes rustling through the palm trees, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d want to be. If you’re looking for a manufactured resort, stay in Cancun. Tulum is the real thing. Jungle crawls over ancient Mayan Ruins. You’ll find caves and underground rivers.
If you like a good wave, Santa Catalina will more than wow you. But the volcanic outcroppings responsible for the incredible surf break also create some of Panama’s best dive and fishing spots. And if you’re a landlubber at heart, there are numerous trails for hiking out to find remote beaches or trek through the jungle to view wildlife, birds, and exotic plants.
The best way to see this stretch of Pacific Coast is from a real estate project I recently visited. Perched at the highest point in the project, yet only a gentle four-minute stroll down a cobblestone lane, through landscaped gardens to the beach, views open up to the blue ocean and along the coast and rich green forested hills.
A few white cottages sit by an open-air restaurant with a great thatched roof. A lone swimmer splashes out of the water and onto the rocky shore. The only other noise is the sound of the waves—perfect waves, if the surfers are to be believed.
You may not see yourself on a surfboard, but when you’re in Nosara, Costa Rica, it’s hard not to get caught up in the appeal of the Pacific. The sun sparkles down on blue waters a bathtub-warm 80˚ F. The lifestyle is relaxed and this surf town has not one, but four beaches.
My boots-on-the-ground research lead me to an anomaly in real estate prices on a narrow stretch of downtown beach in a part of Brazil that’s doing particularly well.
Beach city is buzzing with trade, commerce and progress. It’s beautiful; hundreds of miles of white-sand beach that’s wide and deep.
If I owned a beach house here, I don’t think I’d rent it to anyone. I’m not sure I’d want to share this place, here on the finest stretch of Ecuador’s coast. I’d want to be here…feet dangling in the lap pool, face in the bright sun and warm breezes…all the time. Well, maybe at sunset I’d amble down the steps to the beach for a dip in the mighty Pacific…
People are like shoes. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. And one size never fits all. The more research I do about living, working, retiring, and doing business overseas…the more apparent it becomes that this is not a “one size fits all” idea. Everyone has different dreams, perceptions, and lifestyle requirements.
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