Imagine living right in front of an ocean-kissed beach. You start each day pushing your toes into the warm sand, admiring the vivid and ever-changing hues of the ocean, breathing deep the sea air, and quieting your mind. Everyone loves the beach, and there are beaches with many characters…tropical…urban…deserted…secret…
But many folks dismiss a beach lifestyle as beyond their reach…the preserve of the wealthy. It’s not so. Just look beyond American shores. In fact, just look at the cover story of this month’s issue to discover the five best sun-soaked islands for a retirement escape. These are places that retirees are enjoying for as little as $1,800 a month… “My winter wardrobe consists of two pairs of jeans, a light sweater, a raincoat, and a lightweight vest…we often have lunch at one of our favorite places on the beach…we have embraced the ‘go slow’ motto of the island,” says Karen Sands Zul.
Jim gault and his wife Abbe have retired to Panama’s premier beachside retirement haven. “I rise just before morning light breaks. I don’t need an alarm clock; the singing of the parakeets has replaced that annoying sound,” says Jim of his new routine. “The cost of living is another big plus. We can eat lunch out for $3 to $7 each and we have a housekeeper.”
It seems to be a real secret that you can winter on the French Riviera from $3,200 a month. So naturally we’re telling you all about it… IL France correspondent, Barbara Diggs, reveals how you can spend January and February basking in golden sunshine under the crisp blue skies on the promenade in Nice (rent from $900 a month). “For my money, I’d look for a spot in the Musicians Quarter. All the streets are named for composers and I liked the belle époque and art deco buildings, tree-shaded blocks, and non-touristy feel,” writes Barbara.
Secret beaches are IL’s bread and butter and we share the five best in Nicaragua in this issue. The progress and growth in Nicaragua means you’ll have more services and better infrastructure than ever before, yet still find deserted beaches, virgin sands, and plenty of wildlife. Get well off the tourist trail with IL Nicaragua correspondent, Bonnie Hayman, here.
—Eoin Basset, International Executive Editor
I spread my jacket on the smooth grey stones of the beach and rest back on my elbows, gazing at the Mediterranean. The deep blue water glints as if diamonds are scattered beneath its surface. A couple wanders along the shoreline, splashing their bare feet in small waves, and a handful of sunbathers stretches out near me, bikini straps pulled down over their shoulders.
Arriving in the small town of Mindo, Ecuador, is a wake-up call for the senses. You’re immediately greeted by more hues of green than you knew possible. Umbrella-sized leaves dangle from towering trees and birds of brilliant blue, yellow, and red serenade the town from the surrounding forest canopy. Enormous hibiscus and tiny orchids let off perfumed scents that float through the streets.
If you long to live a laidback life ruled by sunshine, sea, and evening sundowners with friends, then a tropical island retirement could be just the ticket to your dream lifestyle. On “island time” tropics-dwelling expats report, you avoid the stresses of modern living. Mornings are for strolling along sugar-sand beaches, where turquoise-hued waters lap on shore.
“My little house in the middle of the jungle is serene and simple. I have mango and tamarind trees in my yard and more birds than I can count,” says expat Carol Kandell, 49, a California native who’s lived full-time on the idyllic tropical island of Koh Samui, Thailand, for the past three years. “The beach is less than a five-minute motorcycle ride from my house, and I love to swim and sip a fresh coconut with a good book on sunny days.”
The year was 2011 and Europe was in serious crisis. All around me, whole countries’ economies were crashing…and real estate prices were plummeting. Many investors were petrified. But not me. I knew opportunity was coming—opportunity to buy low and profit as Europe’s best real estate markets recovered to where they should be.
As a rule of thumb, if you invest in the best company in a dying industry, you’ll probably lose money. If you invest in an average company in a growing sector, you’ll probably make some money. But for the biggest gains, you need to look for these three key factors:
Imagine living in Cambodia and waking up one morning to find out that your bank has gone bust. That the financial institution where you keep most of your savings now has large lines of anxious people demanding their money back outside every branch across the country. I’m not talking about my bank in Cambodia. The “too-big-to-fail” bank in question was one of the largest in the world, and I’d banked there for nearly two decades back in the U.K.
For Lindsay Hackston, her daily commute on a tropical island easily beats the one she left behind in California. “I drive to work in my golf cart, stress-free, which I love. I enjoy my home, which is on the water, with an amazing view that includes wildlife such as crocodiles, anteaters, parrots, and other exotic creatures.” Home for Lindsay is the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize. For the last 28 years she has owned and operated Belizean Arts, an art gallery popular with North American visitors and expats on the island.
With 190 miles of beach on its Pacific coast alone, Nicaragua is a great spot if you love to sink your toes in sand, swim in the ocean, or admire a stunning tropical sunset. It’s something I’ve grown to love about this country since moving to the funky beach town of San Juan del Sur in 2007. And in my time here, I’ve also found that there are plenty of secret beaches, well off the tourist trail, and each with something special to offer.
My husband Mark and I are sitting in a jeep surrounded by tall grass, watching a leopard tuck into a fresh kill just 30 feet away. He doesn’t take his topaz eyes off me while he eats. Our trusty driver, Nuwan, tells us, “Don’t worry. He can’t be bothered to move if we don’t give him a reason to.” We are not in Africa. We’re in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka, that large, teardrop-shaped island nation at the base of India.