'Reiring to Panama' Chiriqui  

Mike O'Dwyer (24.29.31.111) -

We are in our mid 60's and thinking of retiring. One of my co-worker's wife is from Panama. He is encouraging us to retire in Panama. Eveything I have rad and heard supports his claim that Panama is the place to be. We aare interested in the cooler mountain areas. Any recommendations as to towns/ cites / rural areas to consider?

Comment #1 Dar (167.80.246.204) -

Mike

We too are retiring to Panama. We went down and spent 2 weeks researching areas we would like to live. We bought a place in Boquete. It averages 75 year round and is very beautiful and friendly people. You might want to google "retire to Panama" and "Boquete 4 me" also anything like: Benefits of living in Panama, or Expats living in Panama. We researched Panama for a year before we went down to see for ourselves. Boquete is a little more expensive to live but it has a American feel and some really good restaurants. A very good filet mignon cost us $10.00 and we each got 2 on our plates. The fruit is to die for and so is the vegtables. Beef is all natural and organic. Health care is very good and reasonable. Average Dr visit is $25.00. Meds run about 50% less. AARP rated it one of the top 4 places for baby boomers to retire. Not to mention the tax benefits. Do your homework before you go. Keep an open mind and remember, you are a guest in their country. Slow down and be polite and you will not have any issues.

Comment #2 Ron (152.163.40.165) -

"Slow down and be polite and you will not have any issues."

After you've been there for a few years, let us know if that is really all it takes not to have problems. I wish you luck and hope you can tell us in the future that is all it really takes!

Comment #3 Dar (167.80.246.204) -

We have several friends who are living in Chiriqui Prov. and Panama City, David and Boquete. Some have been there four years. And they absolutely love it. Some have retired as early as 50 and the others are in their late 50's and early 60's and have had no issues with the locals. One of our friends in Panama City opened a B&B and have gotten involved with the locals on several occasions and have made some very good friends with them. The last time we were there, they had a BBQ and most of the guest at the BBQ were Panamaian they were very gracious and offered to drive us around and show us the sights. When we went to Boquete we made friends with a couple of local young adults and they have helped us with our Spanish and we are going to help them with their English. They opened their homes to us and we felt very very welcome. We have never been treated badly by any of the people down there. So you see, most people get what they give....I am sure that there are some not so good Panamaians, but you quickly identify those and just don't cause any hassles. We just use good common sense like we would going to areas in the US we are not fimiliar with.

Comment #4 Chuck from Florida (Contact Member) -

My wife and myself are in our early 60's and going to David the end of Sept. We want to check out the area to see if it is a place we would like to retire. I have done a lot of research and am concerned that in when I am ready to retire in 3 to 5 years that I will not be able to afford to live there. We would rent for a while to find what we want. One thing that I noticed is in a lot of areas the houses have bars on the windows. Does that mean it is an unsafe area? my email: foxdev@bellsouth.net if anyone want s communicate directly.

Comment #5 Dar (167.80.246.204) -

Unless you are in a gated community, for some reason, they all have bars on the windows. I do know that some of the locals feel that the Americans are rich and can afford to replace what they have so they won't miss a few things. You get that in the US as well. We were considering buying a home out of a gated community and decided against that as we love to travel and go home several times a year and we love the added protection the gated community provids. Most of your neighbors are retirees and all look after one another. I would go down and purchase your lot and start the building process after retrement. Make sure that there is no stipulation on when your building must begin. Also, always, always, always go through an attorney. Protect yourself, as the locals are always favored in a dispute. All that being said, it is a wonderful place to live and I am sure you will not regret living there. While you are in David drive up to Boquete and take a look. Its only about 1/2 hr from David. David can be very hot, while Boquete averages about 75. Hope this helps

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