If you could buy a dive vacation home/condo where would it be?

[LaiLaiDiver]

I've been researching Bonaire for my upcoming visit, and while I'M not ready to move there (yet!), thought I'd share this with those of you who seem closer to that step!

World Wide Real Estate Service - Home

Looks nice......

 

[stairman]

No where too fancy?Gainsville or Lake City Florida.

 

[squidgy]

Saba....beautiful island, wonderful people and great diving all year....have started looking for that perfect little house..

 

[uncleavi]

Cairns Australia.
There is good diving and it is a decent size town with good food and beer.
I did enough third world and my wife and I love the northern part of Queensland.
My second choice would be Little Cayman.

 

[Kevrumbo]

A private island in Palawan Philippines, near the El Nido Resort.

Northern zone and apex of the Coral Triangle, the Philippines has great marine biodiversity, fantastic reefs, and good wreck diving. Great dive vacation value for the still weak US Dollar. With English & Tagalog the official languages and a population literacy rate of over 90%, you can easily communicate & find your way around exploring/touring this beautiful SE Asian archipelago. . .

As an American Retiree in the Philippines, you can retire comfortably near a resort area --on Social Security alone-- and together with a solvent 401k plan to draw off of as well, you can live in opulent decadence just like Ferdie & Imelda Marcos did if you wanted to!

 

[dvrliz1]

Hi All,

As you know we live on Bonaire. We made the move 5 years ago. We have friends that are Americans and used to be our next door neighbors and they ended up moving here a year after we did! They also love it!

You can find things under $200,000 or there about. It depends on the neighborhood, what you are looking for in a house, etc. Forget about anything on the water. Condos in town on the "playa" road or on Kaya De Brot (the main road, next to the Playa road) are super expensive. If you don't mind being a little bit of the main town area you will do just find.

If you want to apply for residency, you will need to prove that you can support yourself, and if you are retiring and over 60 you need to have private medical insurance, as the government will not give you local health insurance.

All in all Ed and I will not return to the US as full time residence unless we have to. We truly enjoy the "small town" feel of the island (we are from NJ!) as well as the weather and local people.

We do miss our families, but have worked it out so that we see them often, they come here, we go there. Bonaire is a GREAT place for retirement, IMHO.

Liz

 

[drbill]

Back in 2001 when I was in Cairns, Australia, I saw 2 BR bungalows for sale for the equivalent of $50,000 US. I thought about the possibility of an endless summer.... 6 months here, 6 there. Of course now that the US dollar has tanked I'm sure those homes are 2-4X the price. Oops, just looked at your criteria again... easy shore diving is not an option there.

 

[YucatanPat]

Forget "think about it" my wife and I did it. We bought on Bonaire and our oceanfront studio condo cost less then 200K. Do a google search and you may still find a few deals, but do your own homework. I spent countless hours doing research before we bought. That being said we searched all of Belize, all of the Mexican Yucatan and many many carib islands before we made this choice. Would do it again - in a second. Why - Dutch people who speak good English, good tap water, low taxes, great shore and boat diving, fantastic restaurants, good internet, perfect (HOT) weather, many US flights, and very few people except on cruiseship days. Now that I think about it why am I not there now!

 

[dvrliz1]

Pat,

Where did you find an ocean front condo for under 200k? How long ago was it???? Right now there is NOTHING available on the water anywhere (I've looked, I've been searching for friends who want to buy something....

Liz

 

[tvictory]

Pat,

Where did you find an ocean front condo for under 200k? How long ago was it???? Right now there is NOTHING available on the water anywhere (I've looked, I've been searching for friends who want to buy something....

Liz

In a different thread I think he said a studio at the Sand Dollar.