Winters out of the USA

[kcowan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett We have been to Florida, AX, TX, etc a few times but find it boring boring. We prefer somewhere completely different but with great beaches and a very reasonable cost of living. The plane trip is a bear but worth it for the length of time that we are going.

US too but you have to realize that those that prefer southern US are looking for familiar territory while you are looking for adventure. Those a very different objectives. Many of our friends go to AZ, Palm Springs and the TX Gulf but they are just looking for golf and tennis in the winter.

[brett]

Yes. We always want to be near the ocean.

PV is very high on our list. Not this year though. It will be either PV or SA next winter. It will depend on air deals etc. next fall when we are in the decision making process. Sometimes we make up our minds on the spur of the moment and start making the arrangements.

We may consider buying in PV, but not until we have had a season of renting. We live in Calgary. Owned in various locations for 35 years. These past 3 1/2 years of renting are looking/feeling so good to us given the slide in RE in this city...plus more of the same next year. We just had a Lepage franchise close it's doors-six offices/165 plus agents. That is the atmosphere in this city.

[bmcgonig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett Yes. We always want to be near the ocean. PV is very high on our list. Not this year though. It will be either PV or SA next winter. It will depend on air deals etc. next fall when we are in the decision making process. Sometimes we make up our minds on the spur of the moment and start making the arrangements. We may consider buying in PV, but not until we have had a season of renting. We live in Calgary. Owned in various locations for 35 years. These past 3 1/2 years of renting are looking/feeling so good to us given the slide in RE in this city...plus more of the same next year. We just had a Lepage franchise close it's doors-six offices/165 plus agents. That is the atmosphere in this city.

How easy is it to rent a good place in PV? I was there for two weeks a few years ago and it seemed like the people that had the nice places (not necessarily expensive) had them booked every year for the same period. It almost seemed like I would have to inherit a lease or something 😀


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[bmcgonig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett Last year we left on New Years Eve and came home at Easter. Thailand, Malaysia, Oz, NZ. This was our second winter vacation in Thailand. We are going back again this winter. This time we will head north north to Cambodia and Vietnam. Home in mid April. We very muck like Thailand and the Thai people. Side trip to Cancun for a wedding before we go. Next winter will probably be South America as it is high on our list. Mexico is also in the mix. We have also spent winter time in Costa Rica. We would like to go back at some point. We have been to Florida, AX, TX, etc a few times but find it boring boring. We prefer somewhere completely different but with great beaches and a very reasonable cost of living. The plane trip is a bear but worth it for the length of time that we are going.

Brett do you plan out lodging before you go to Thailand and Malaysia etc., or just play it by ear? Also do you rent apartments, or stay in hotels?


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[iac1003]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmcgonig How easy is it to rent a good place in PV? I was there for two weeks a few years ago and it seemed like the people that had the nice places (not necessarily expensive) had them booked every year for the same period. It almost seemed like I would have to inherit a lease or something 😀 Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

We own a condo in the Romantic Zone, so not really helpful. But during high season (November - Easter) it is hard to rent in the downtown/Southside area without planning 6 months -1 year in advance. Further inland, not right on the beach, is easier or further north or south. Many owners spend some of the winter months in their condos, making the housing stock more scarce. I have heard of people signing 1 year leases as it is sometimes cheaper than if trying to do a vacation lease for 6 months!

There are agents who specialize in this area and a closed Facebook group called PV Snowbird Rentals.


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[marko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko C'mon! We winter in S. Florida and many people speak English there!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB Sure - counting the snowbirds. Many French speakers as well - snowbirds from Quebec.

Seriously, a friend from Los Angeles visited us last year in Lauderdale but spent the first few days in Miami on his own.

He could not believe how little English there was. He had gone to an American style restaurant --Average Joes or something-- and his server didn't speak a word of English.

[braumeister]

I was surprised at how much French I heard in northern Florida as well. I used to spend time in the panhandle and the percentage of Canadian license plates I saw on the road was remarkable. Not sure if it's still that way, but once upon a time.

[utrecht]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko C'mon! We winter in S. Florida and many people speak English there!

So does everyone else. I cant even get out of my neighborhood onto the main street due to the increased traffic. Seriously, Ive ever seen anything like it. Every 5th car has an out of state license plate (or out of Country in the case of Canada).

[Golden sunsets]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcowan US too but you have to realize that those that prefer southern US are looking for familiar territory while you are looking for adventure. Those a very different objectives. Many of our friends go to AZ, Palm Springs and the TX Gulf but they are just looking for golf and tennis in the winter.

The beauty of the PVR area, particularly the Nuevo area, is that tennis and golf on multiple courses is also available. If you are considering renting in PVR next year I would not wait until fall to look for a rental. Now that the economy has finally improved it is becoming increasingly difficult to find long term rentals. We have just signed our contract for the 2017 season over a year away.

[Golden sunsets]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmcgonig How easy is it to rent a good place in PV? I was there for two weeks a few years ago and it seemed like the people that had the nice places (not necessarily expensive) had them booked every year for the same period. It almost seemed like I would have to inherit a lease or something dde00 Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

BMC-try VRBO.com. I would start looking now for 2017. Also Bucerias is the next town north of Nuevo with a large Canadian expat snowbird community. It is still an easy ride into PV, but a bit more laid back- a beachfront town with a lot of restaurants and easy access to large supermarkets.

[brett]

bmcgonic...

We have not rented yet in Thailand for an extended stay. We typically stay for three-seven days in one spot. Small hotels, chalets on or near the beach, etc. We book based on value. So in cities like Bangkok, KL, Penang, etc. there are very attractive offers at very good 4 and 5 star hotels. We take advantage of these but typically do not stay in them in the popular beach areas that cater to foreigners.

We book a little ahead but do much of it on the fly-booking two-four days ahead.. We have booked hotel in Bangkok for our arrival and departure. We did the same in KL and Penang. On our upcoming trip we have a week tentatively booked in Ko Lanta, another booked in a quiet area of Phuket, and a B&B in Siem Reap for a few days. Nothing else in Cambodia or Viet Nam. We will keep our schedule open and book a week ahead or so. Out of 8 weeks we have a good idea of where we will be staying for about 20 days.


Last year we planned on visiting friends in Australia. We watched the flight prices and booked our flight to Australia from KL about two weeks ahead of time. Air fares are much lower in SE Asia and we grabbed a great fare when it became available. For this trip we did book our flights inside Thailand, to Cambodia, and back to Bangkok from Hanoi because the advance pricing was extremely attractive.


We would definitely consider a longer term winter rental in Thailand at some point. Right now there are too many places that we want to visit. We tend to book ahead if for places that are very well regarded on Tripadvisor and are difficult to get on short notice. But this is true for all of our travels.

In Costa Rica we rented a condo for a month, then travelled about on our own for a few weeks.

[Chuckanut]

Winter? What Winter? Baby it's Warm Out There!

[brett]

-22C today where we are. Warming up to -13C this afternoon. Snow on the ground but roads are bare for the most part.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett -22C today where we are. Warming up to -13C this afternoon. Snow on the ground but roads are bare for the most part.

+23C today where we are. Warming up to +26C this afternoon. No snow on the ground but roads are paved for the most part.

[kcowan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden sunsets The beauty of the PVR area, particularly the Nuevo area, is that tennis and golf on multiple courses is also available. If you are considering renting in PVR next year I would not wait until fall to look for a rental. Now that the economy has finally improved it is becoming increasingly difficult to find long term rentals. We have just signed our contract for the 2017 season over a year away.

We own in PV but my point was that if your main activity in retirement is golf, then PV is not the best location. Our golfing friend belongs to El Tigre. Playing the other courses would be a treat.

[iac1003]

Golfing is quite expensive in the PV area. DH is leaving his clubs behind.


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[Bamaman]

Costa Rica, Puerto Rico or Panama are at the top of my list.

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko C'mon! We winter in S. Florida and many people speak English there!

The Canadians?

[6miths]

Capetown is beautiful - geography, people and weather. Garden route for dolphins and penguins. Great wine country. Beautiful beaches - awesome surfing and windsurfing. Good and inexpensive healthcare if needed. USD goes for miles and miles. English is the first language. Main expense is getting there.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6miths Capetown is beautiful - geography, people and weather. Garden route for dolphins and penguins. Great wine country. Beautiful beaches - awesome surfing and windsurfing. Good and inexpensive healthcare if needed. USD goes for miles and miles. English is the first language. Main expense is getting there.

The last time I was in South Africa it was a very dangerous place. Has that changed?

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