Puerto Rico or Dominican Republic for a sailors retirement spot?

[mayberrybfd]

Well it doesn’t help when every damn week someone gets killed. Portugal looking better all the time. Or the antilles archipelago.

[Ex-Calif]

We definitely intersect on CR. My step son is in college there and my wife's exes mother is from there. CR is going to be our "next" vacation site survey/destination, some time next year.

I lived in Hawaii for 2 years. Loved it but...

It is really "isolated" and other than island hopping no real cruising ground. Very, very expensive because everything is imported from the mainland.

We were "happy" to take a vacation on the west coast to relieve our "island fever..."

Originally Posted by ol1970

We are in the same process of trying to figure out where our forever home will be. So far my top three are (1) St. John (2) Kauai (3) Abacos (4) Costa Rica.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by RSH

I blame HGTV and "House Hunters International".

Of course they never discuss all the disasters expats buying real estate abroad encounter...from Belize alone I could write a small book...actually thats not a bad idea as no one ever publishes those, all too common, stories.

[Clamdigger]

Write the book, ask others to add chapters on other countries, and cruisers would buy it. Cheaper to buy a book than make a bad real estate deal!

CR has gone down hill imo last 10 years increasing crime from border crossers, not ticos.

Ditto on HI, lived there 6 years, Hono, Kauai, gets old real fast due to isolation, same tweekers ripping people off. Costs keep going up and no real good paying jobs, mostly service sector type work.

DR sketchy due to increasing crime, along with PR, major drug problems. Not for me, not even vacation, and I owned property in DR in years past. 1960's & 1970's I really did not notice issues, after owning in 1990's different story. Hope you find what you want.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Clamdigger

Write the book, ask others to add chapters on other countries, and cruisers would buy it. Cheaper to buy a book than make a bad real estate deal!

CR has gone down hill imo last 10 years increasing crime from border crossers, not ticos.

Ditto on HI, lived there 6 years, Hono, Kauai, gets old real fast due to isolation, same tweekers ripping people off. Costs keep going up and no real good paying jobs, mostly service sector type work.

DR sketchy due to increasing crime, along with PR, major drug problems. Not for me, not even vacation, and I owned property in DR in years past. 1960's & 1970's I really did not notice issues, after owning in 1990's different story. Hope you find what you want.

I could write the Belize, Guatemala and Panama sections (contrary to my advice here, Ive done real estate transactions in all three! [emoji16]). I just need others to contribute other common expat countries.

I have a few friends in Panama who have moved from CR to Panama due to the increasing crime and costs in CR. One shut down a substantial business in CR because it just became too expensive to operate there.

Also CR has some large looming financial issues.