Roatán really is a Caribbean paradise. Warm weather tempered by cool breezes coming off the water. Friendly and fun expats and islanders who welcome me with open arms. I’ve got to say, I’m really enjoying island time on this scouting trip.
You look out from your terrace over a vast tropical garden. You’re surrounded by heliconias and bromeliads in shades of vivid red, bright yellow, orange, and combinations in between, along with orchid blooms. Banana and mango trees are heavy with fruit.
“I have lived in and visited many wonderful places in my life. But only two that were magical to me, where I felt an immediate feeling that I belonged there,” says expat Paula Nunes. “San Francisco in the late ‘60s. And San Miguel de Allende in 2012.”
Scot and Vicki Lyall like to joke that “we went downtown to buy a bottle of liquor and bought a condo.” It’s not far from the truth. The couple had been coming to the town of Playa del Carmen, on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, for years for vacations.
In the southern U.S., summertime heat and humidity drive people indoors into the air conditioning. That means enjoying the outdoors is a no-go for much of the year. And utility costs can go through the roof.
For Ray and Michele Martin, the year-round temperate climate of Costa Rica’s Orosí Valley leaves them with no need for heating or air conditioning. Temperatures stay in the 70s F most of the time, which means that they can get out on their farm all year-round.
“Although I don’t live at the beach, I am close enough that I can go whenever the mood takes me. Just knowing it’s always there is amazing,” Pennie says. “I love the surf, as long as it isn’t too rough. Getting past the breakers and watching the waves roll in...so peaceful.”
You’ll find many B&Bs in the charming town of San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico’s Colonial Highlands. But Barbara Poole’s Casa de la Noche, a 14-room B&B, is the only one that can boast of having been a bordello until it closed in the mid-1960s.
I turn the corner and walk on the narrow sidewalk, up a gentle slope. The street is cobblestone. The surrounding buildings are centuries old, painted in rich shades of burgundy, amber, and burnt umber. An older woman going home from the market, laden with bags, walks by.
One thing that makes the lifestyle in the Colonial Highlands so appealing is the ideal temperatures much of the year—no air-conditioning needed. During the day, expect temperatures in the 70sF, cooling off into the 60s F at night and dipping into the 50s F in the wee hours.