Wishful
4/3/2019 22:18 EST
Hello everyone. I am new to this forum, just found it. Here is what I am thinking.
I am semi-retired, wife still has coupe of years of full-time employment. In a couple of years, we would like to escape Alberta, Canada winters to spend time in a more comfortable winter locations. Not really looking for beaches, but a reasonable cost of living and reasonable slandered of living. For the first few winters we will rent a place for 3-4 months at a time and then will see how it goes. So that is the ‘Wishful’ plan.
As I have more free time now than my wife, I would like to visit Guatemala and explore couple of places, in the next few months. I am thinking of Antigua and Atitlan Late area. From what I read on the internet, Antigua is more expansive than Lake area. But Lake area is almost the same weather as Antigua.
So, first objective is to visit Guatemala to scout areas and second is to learn Spanish. At the moment, we do not speak Spanish. I have just started learning (self study) Spanish at home. While on my visit Guatemala, I would like to spend 3-4 weeks in a Spanish School and I hope to have a functional knowledge of Spanish In the next 2 years, I will visit Guatemala, several times to see places and learn Spanish, during my visits.
That is the background. I am seeking help from this group in two areas.
1 What places should I be visiting in Guatemala. Any particular area in Antigua?
2 What communities in the Lake area are better suited for living and safety?
3 Any other safe place to spend winters in Guatemala?
4 Suggestions for Spanish Schools, that may be better suited to a Senior fellow?
Thanks
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Normando
4/4/2019 09:10 EST
I am currently in Guatemala and if you email me I can send to a lot of first hand info, I work with Adventuretours www.adventuretrek.com If you have any questions after viewing the site, my email is: [email protected] I am currently in Lake Amatitlan about 1400m elevation
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scn9677
4/4/2019 14:01 EST
My wife and I are retired and living in Antigua. We visited last year and decided to stay for 6 months this year. Antigua is considered the most expensive city in Guatemala however there are work arounds for sure. We live in downtown Antigua and pay rent similar to where we live in Washington state. If you live just outside the downtown area the rent goes way down like 40% or more. Of course the weather is wonderful and in the 70's F all year. The rainy season is during your winter but we found it to not really be an issue as most rain was in late afternoon or over night.
Food is pretty cheap and they claim there are over 200 restaurants. Utilities are less expensive and getting a phone for the area is easy.
We have a phone from Claro with unlimited text and calls from Canada to Panama. The cost is 299Q or $40 U.S. Walking around is a great way to stay fit. There are also a few gyms. We found one just a couple of blocks from our residence. The streets are cobblestone so traffic is not fast. If you want a car parking can be an issue. We do not have a car but there are taxi's and even Uber which are inexpensive. Guatemala City is about an hour away,
We have not yet visited Atitlan but it also sounds amazing.
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scn9677
4/4/2019 14:04 EST
I forgot to mention that Antigua is an UNESCO site and very very safe. Police are visible everywhere but not intrusive. There are even tourist police that are very helpful with information.
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Guategringo
4/4/2019 14:40 EST
Try this book it is full of answers.
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Guatemala-2017-Antigua-Atitlan-ebook/dp/B06WWHCMY1/ref=zg_bs_17140_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BEK297B08ZEGHTTE2RMB
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