Las Terrenas the best place to retire

[And the thing to remember is this, while languages are different, most people are the same everywhere and have the same "types." ]

Well said, lcbrownjr! We have the same 'types' everywhere! Heck, I take extra precautions in my country, why would I do anything different in the DR, or anywhere else?

I think it's the mangos, cervasa & Brugal!
With maybe a bit of well prepared sweet Plantains!
Tomas.

One of the best threads I have read here....

lcbrownjr wrote:

It is odd that very smart people from big cities throughout the world come to the DR and then get stupid.

Hmm, se vuelve loco aquí my fácilemente...
And it does help to adapt to the "culture".

m'frog

mountainfrog wrote:

lcbrownjr wrote:

It is odd that very smart people from big cities throughout the world come to the DR and then get stupid.

Hmm, se vuelve loco aquí my fácilemente...
And it does help to adapt to the "culture".

m'frog

It's all relative.. go to the states.. try to fit in.. come down here, try to fit in..... Chicken or the egg, tadpole or the frog......LOL...

captsam54 wrote:

It's all relative.. go to the states.. try to fit in.. come down here, try to fit in.....

Go to the states??
Ni loco!

But I admit: I do not try to adapt to the local culture come hell or high water. (I did not do that in Asia nor in Africa, and haven't done it here either.)
I am European, a gringo if you wish, and I'll stick to my principles and ethics.
And no, I am not a missionary.

m'frog

Adapting is a choice,and of course there is degree!  I think in any new culture there is a period of adapting and trying to understand how things are.

All of us will always be expats,  gringos or gringas,  foreigners or whatever you call it. Some adapt and fit in better then others but we will never be locals..........loco maybe.......

flying into peurta plata next trip.. where is las terrenas?

2 hours East of PP Airport.
Nice place.

It will be almost 3 hours from the resort you are staying at

Bob K

Las Terrenas is on the Samana Peninsula, which is east of Puerta Plata, on the northeast coast.  The peninsula has the largest concentration of coconut palms in the world, beautiful scenery and great choice of beaches.

Steve

ok yes i m starting to hear a lot about las terenas.  i m looking to find a good online map of the country so i can study where these places are thanks

Just go to Goggle earth and zoom in on the DR

Bob K

hi, i'm looking to live in las terrenas but can't find an apartment in the range of $350/month on the internet. can you tell me if it is possible

Yes it is possible, send me your contact details and I'll send some options to you !

You can check the local newspaper "LT7"  which this week has classified ads on page 14 including apts.  $250 and up. Also, you may want to spend a night at a local hotel (El Pescador across from Pueblo de los Pescadores, for ex. )and check your options once you arrive.
This is low season so you should find several options. BUENA SUERTE!

hi, my name is mike. i'm the one looking for an apartment around $350/month. I first started inquiring about samana town on booking.com and las terrenas also showed up. i'm going to Puerto plata in nov or dec.,  exspect to stay 3 to 4 months, I was there sept to jan recently. and when I get there I intend to spend a couple of weeks around samana town and las terrenas. if you could give me some info on apartments on my budget, I will thank you much. also if you could email me it would be better. my email address is [beeep], thanks mike

Again mike do not put your email address on a public forum
In answer to your other question if you are only here for a couple of months getting local insurance may not pay for you.

Oh and welcome to the forum

Bob K

I've requested removal on this post as well  bob and Mike.

Thanks Planner, I can only imagine how full of junk his mail box could become

Bob K

junk daily. takes me quite some time to look through in case something important is there, oh well

hi, what type of contact details do you want

Friend of mine found some 1 bedroom Bungalows right at the start of Las Terrenas for $350.00  I don't remember the website but they were very nice....

Hello, I have a question about living in Las terrnas. We are in the painting business and need to know if there are many paintings studios around. We are not in the business of expensive paintings, we just sell nice paintings of places in the Caribbean and we need local artist to make them.
Hope you van help me with this, thxs, Maryann

Welcome to the forums.  I am sure someone will step up with some info for you!

If you open an English restaurant make sure you sell proper fish n? chips with back pudding on the side!

hi, i'm considering living in las terrenas. i'm going to visit first of course. i'm looking to rent an apartment for less than $400/mo, is this possible. and do the prices increase during high season or anything else as they do with hotels. I expect to arrive Puerto plata in mid nov. and visit las terrenas a couple of weeks later. I am going to the town of samana also. it's a choice of the two areas. since you live in las terrenas, I expect you will be partial to that area, but would like if you don't mind, a comparison of the two. also I am a single 73 year old man and will that make any difference. i'm in fair health today but can't know about the future. I am a US citizen born and raised here and live in florida so the heat won't bother me.  well, thanks for the info in advance.

Hi Michael,
if you let me know how long you are planning to stay I can send you some options. But in answer to your question yes there are a few places around that price that you can rent .
In all honesty I wouldn't live in Samanà town if somebody paid me las Terrenas has a lot more to offer in everyway. Firstly Samanà is really lacking in an expat community, depending on what you want it could be really lonely for someone arriving there on their own. it's all geared up for business from the cruise ships so in my experience wandering around the town you get hassled constantly from the street vendors. Samana is lacking in restaurants, shops and everything. You have to see it Michael to get an idea what I'm saying. In contrast Las Terrenas has everything that you need. If you are sociable there is a great group of English speaking expats. We all get together on a regular basis for few beers Shops and restaurants are great and it is possible to survive really cheaply like a lot of people do here that are living on pension money.
Healthcare wise most of us have insurance and there are a couple of clinics here in town that are run by Cubans, they offer adequate care. we have a large new clinic being built which hopefully is only 8 months away from completion until that time If you have anything serious I would take a trip to Santo Domingo, it has excellent medical facilities and is only just over 2 hours away.

Hopefully this is of some help to you !

this message is in response to LtHel for his help. great info on samana town, the internet builds it up to be a paridise. due to your info I won't go there. in your response as to how long I will stay, i'm thinking 3 to 4 months to get a feel for it. but first, if the apt. I rented for 4 months in costambar ( which is a gated community on the beach ) is available i'll use that as a home base for at least a month during which time I will visit las terrenas for 2 weeks probably.
I had a nice apt. for $350/mo with wifi, cable tv, swimming pool, back-up elec system when needed, usually everyday. that's why I ask about it in las terrenas ( I think I asked ). if I like las terrenas I will rent there for at least 3 months and then decide if it is a place I would like to live permently. panama is a consideration for me also. one thing I consider is health care, and according to PLANNER of this forum, humano and one other that I don't remember the name of won't take me because i'm 73 years old. panama has no age limitation ( well they don't list anything over 108 years ) or preexisting conditions. but as far as panama is concerned I haven't found a place that I like yet. the Caribbean isn't that well developed yet and may not be during my life time. so, las terrenas is looking good to me and i'll have to deal with health care somehow. in the case of death, hell just roll me out in the weeds, I have no one to miss me. so, thanks so much for the info.

@LTSteve - Hey there,
I feel that I must share by commenting on your comment (lol) DATED 2013/03/17 - located on Page 1 .... 

About 5 minutes ago I decided to attend the next October IL Chill Weekend in Las Terranes, DR. I have done a lot of research and watched CDs from the library and etc.  Based on my research, I am ready to check off another "bucket list" item, which is to see, with my own eyes, if Las Terranes is my retirement location, or not. I am deciding between Las Terranes and another country which I will keep a secret in order to remain on topic

So, right after making this huge decision, I went online to this Expat site and went directly to this forum topic.  I did a quick scan and found your posting. As I read your posting, I was nodding my head like yes, yes and yes!  Now, I know for sure I need to do this comparison. Thanks to your posting.

You are spot on when you say that you should be a "spokesperson" or similar. Isn't life funny sometimes.  I've been trying to generate energy towards this decision and all of sudden I am in the process of planning my next trip abroad to Las Terranes, DO. How exciting or what???   

Although language will be a barrier until I change that fact. I've had intentions to learn Spanish for a long time. I knew a little French from years past - how to conjugate the verbs. Kinda of scary, huh? I have a long way to go, but it's part of the adventure, right?

Anyway, I was so excited I wanted to say "hi" to you and everyone that reads this post.  Plus, let you know how perfect your post was for me... Thanks!!

TTFN, LAN

PS> I hope to join in other DO topics, as "time" permits, (one of the "other things" I want to change is = how I use my "time").

Very interesting issues discussed here!

Looking for a great place to retire.  Las Terranas sounds beautiful
From the posts I have read I am not sure if it is a safe place for a single female.  The posts are conflicting.  I am attracted to the diversity, but it sounds like everyone is actually separate due to language. How many American or English speaking expats? could 1 person live on 2500 monthly

Welcome Heidi!!!!  As a single girl living here I can tell you that you can live here safely.  It is all about safeguards, precautions and attitude!!!!  You need to live in a secure place, get a dog, know our neighbors and fit into your community.  You need an attitude of don't mess with me and don't live an outrageous lifestyle.  less flash, more day to day living!  Fit into the community, get to know people - locals and expats......

I cannot say how many English speakers are in that area, someone else can address that!  I am in the capital city and there are plenty of english speaking locals and some expats here as well.

Thank you Planner!! I think i will come for a visit

Please do!!!

Heidi,you will love LT.It is a safe place for single women, but you don't want to live in an isolated or remote area. Check-out La Cortesana, right on the beach (las Ballenas) which has a guard at the entrance and mostly foreigners live there, or Colibri, or Residencia El Paseo in town,next to the shopping center. They run around $600/mth for a furnished 1 bdrm. If you prefer,we have a German friend, who rents nice apts.on the beach and is single. We have her phone # and she has lived in LT for many yrs and can tell you everything you need to know. Just send me a PM if you want it.
Also check-out the weekly newspaper lt-7.

Thank you!! Yes, it would be great to get her #.  I will send a PM as soon as I figure out how! lol

Heidi, Welcome to the forum.
LT has lots of expats but I would venture to say the majority are French.  Still loads of English speaking expats as well. You might want to visit other areas on the north coast on your visit as there is a huge expat community along the coast.
As to $$ your will do fine on that budget.

Bob K

Hi Heidi,

I am planning a visit to Las Terrenas before the end of this year. This visit is setup by English speaking professionals.  They take you all over the place for 3 days, and show you anything and everything you are interested in learning about. They show you properties too. I have not dealt with this particular venue, but I've used others and I "always" learn a wealth of information. This group only allows 10 people to sign up. This way you get a wonderful learning ratio.

I plan to stay an additional 4 or so days so I can do my own scouting around.  Plus, I need some R&R while I am there. 

If you would like to chat privately about it, let's be contacts and then we can exchange info with each other only.  It would be great if we both learn at the same time and compare notes.

Warm Regards,
LAN