lifesabeach

Given you have to be 50 to retire in Thailand otherwise you can not stay more than 6 months of the year,I reckon Cebu is the next best place in Asia to live in relative luxury without costing the earth.
For people who prefer the beach life but with good western facilities and decent restaurants and bars,where in Cebu would be the best place to live?
Does Mactan Island have condos beside the beach to rent?What is beside it?
Doing research,it looks that there are better beach areas in Cebu but too isolated for my taste.
Any info would be welcome.Websites I have surfed aren't incisive enough.

moppet30

Have you checked out if you can live there legally? i didn't think it was straight forward for expats to live in Philippines.

Cebu is great but lots of area's are run down so getting accomadation might be tough.

Tortuga

Have you tried the following forum:

http://www.livingincebuforums.com

geenasmith

hi,

I have heard a great deal of good stuff about Cebu for those who wish to retire - it is home to Boracay - one the best beaches in the world. Also, it's probably the biggest city in the country next to Manila, so all the amenities must be there. I think it's the beachfront property that attracts many foreigners. You can't really know until you ask the realtors in the area. Maybe try to get in touch with these folks:

http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/s...=as&category=1

I don't know which ones specialize on Cebu property though.

geena

tropicofcancer

Well Cebu has many beach resorts, and the best beaches don't really go with the tower blocks.
Mactan Island tends to be more expensive as far as rents, and general living costs go, but is a firm favourite, as all is within easy reach. The bars as you know them don't really exist as such except in the main city region. Though on the other hand the beach resorts always have good drinking facilities usually with karaoke thrown in.
Moal-Boal and the surrounding area boasts the best scenery, and many ex-pats reside about there. White Gold and Gaisano have opened department stores there.
With the better beach resorts, I think you need to look at renting a place, rather than living in a condominium, and my best advice to you would be to move around, until you find a place that suits you. For at the end of the day we all have different tastes.
The night life is definitely mainly confined to the Cebu and Mandaue City area, whereas for the beaches you need to travel further afield. There are resorts all over.
Why not stay for a while on Mactan, and yes the beaches are nice, but the beach resorts tend to be pricey, as do the rents.
Alternatively up to a few months ago the Hotel Mercedes on Pelaez street was offering a room rate of P10,000 for one month, it is just off Colon, and within easy reach of the nightlife. However the nearest decent beaches are five miles or more away. Transport is cheap, but for the further flung places the last bus tends to leave a little early.
I notice many ex-pats live in Bogo at the far North of the island, I have been there many times and it is indeed a pleasant place. Many ex-pats also live in Carmen which is about twenty-five miles North of Cebu. Most live in rented accomodation. Housekeepers, drivers etc are easy to find, so are places to rent.
I have lived in Cebu for many years, and I am very happy here, and yes I drive my own car.
Good luck! You won't regret your choice.

Boracay is a bit distant from Cebu, Negros, Aklan, then Boracay a small island, once you are here, it is well worth a visit. Best is a flight from Mactan to Kalibo, then an aircon "bus" to Caticlan, then a ferry crossing to Boracay, but wear easily rolled up trousers, as you have to wade a short distance in the sea.
I trust that you already know the entry requirements.

lifesabeach

Thanks for the great information.
Much appreciated.
I must admit when I decide to retire tends to fluctuate month per month as and how I feel about my current work interest.
For sure I reckon Cebu and many parts of non Manila Philippines is totally undervalued for the price,beaches and natural environments and not on the larger tourist map (Thailand,Australia,Hong Kong/Macau,I guess would have the highest profiles).
Biggest concern would be lack of private medical care similar to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital or Bumrungrad Hospital,poorly maintained infrastructure and safety in living with the local community (the latter of which I have no idea).
Even though Penang in Malaysia is nowhere near as spectacular in terms of natural scenery vis a vis the coast line and islands in the Visayas,the government is making it very easy for foreigners to retire there with 10 year renewable visas,no capital gains tax for properties held for 5 years and unrestricted purchase of condos for foreigners.The issue with Malaysia is that it is a boring place to live compared to the warmth,friendliness and energy of people in Thailand and the Philippines.

sunnydays

A good friend of ours has lived in Malaysia and Thailand, he enjoyed the former but not the latter because he reckons that they do not want foreigners except for their money. Now he is settled in the Philippines and will stay here.
There are several dialecs and choosing an area to settle may depend on the language of your spouse. Choosing an ex-pat area may seem the best thing to do however on meeting them you could find that they are not your sort of people. There are some very nice secure private subdivisions offering quality houses for sale but living on them may isolate you from other potential friends. Your wife will play a big part in where you settle down and her friends will have to be yours. Choosing the wrong girl here could make you unpopular with the locals who will quickly catagorize you and decide whether to include you in their Fiesta celebrations or ignore you.
We know of ex-pats who have arrived, built palaces to live in and then sold up because of boredom and returned to the UK.
I think that retiring in these far flung places, you must face the fact that you and your partner have to be content with each other and provide your own entertainment and not expect input from other things.
If you decide on the Philippines, great, we love it, but don't expect to find friends near beautiful sandy beaches because most people live not too far from their work place. Even a gray sand beach could be the place to be if it is at the edge of a pleasant local village where children play together and the locals all smile as they pass? ........or
have both, house in posh subdivision and beach -house on the coast

james770

come and see the island of Cebu, I have a place there its great, people are right theres lots of run down areas, also lots of great new areas, its a time of change and prices are rising in the good parts, crime can be a worry but most sub divisions have a guard system that reduces risk as well, medical care there are some fine hospitals here, I am just having consultation for a gastric bypass to get rid of years of UK over feeding so I can enjoy the diving more.

To me retirement is about having as much as I can get for my pound of pension, I am 45 and its all here the guys here seem to love it and I am just after three years of owning a place here getting into the swing of life

James

a white rabbit

..why Cebu ?..

..yucky little place, mostly city, and such clostrophobic little whites-only compounds..

..go for the Land of Promise, the Isle of Mindanao..

..air fit to breathe, space, and valleys that look, and feel, like Swaledale before the damn tourists arrived..

..b'ggr retirement, s'for the brain-dead, get a new life..

james770

I dont know about whites only, sounds a bit racist to me, I live in a sub division of around 200 homes, there are just seven non filipinos living there including myself, the air out of the city is great, plus there is little risk of terrorist or NPA as there is further south.

James

tropicofcancer

I am the only none Filipino living around here, just outside of town, but in the poblacion (main area). Some foreigners live in certain areas, Badian, Mactan etc., but not in big groups within that area.
Cebu is a peaceful and friendly place, with lots to offer. If you like the city, live in the city. If like most you like the city, but prefer a bit of countryside, live outside. You have choices. All the places are different.
Cebu is my favourite City in the whole world, I fell in love with her when I first beheld her a quarter of a century ago. A love that has never waned.
Obviously if you buy a house and lot on one of the many new build estates, you would expect a few foreigners to live there too, with their Filipina wives.

james770

here here nice to hear from a neighbour


James

a white rabbit

..Cebu's got countryside ???..and there was me thinking it had at best a coupl'a ha of remaining wild-land..

..i live'n'learn ..

...gosh...

..i thought it was all city..

a white rabbit

..yahh, that's how they like it...

..and i don't, live in a sub-division, that is..welll, ok, one of my houses is next-door to the Governor, but hey, it's an internet-access point...

..otherwise, next time i roll home late on some guys arm, somewhat "whatever", i really will check if he's a revolutionary, comrade..

james770

or better still check he knows the way as well, seems to me it does not make any difference what the beliefs are as long as we all have a good time here

James