The Best Place in the World to Retire

By Carl Parsons


There will come a point in every adult person's life when he or she wakes up and suddenly realizes that he is old and that retirement is something not very far in the future. Thus, planning for retirement becomes one of the most important items in your list of priorities.

Many people who are about to retire grow depressed and a little afraid of the change in lifestyle and daily routine retirement would bring. They imagine retirement as being a dull and completely boring phase in life and I don't blame them because many of my friends who have not fully prepared for their retirement have settled into monotonous and difficult retirement lifestyles. Fortunately, my wife and I have been preparing and saving for our retirement for more than four decades now so that we were able to buy a beautiful and charming little oceanfront townhouse in La Paz, Baja California.

I discovered La Paz, Baja California because of a featured article in the Internet about it. According to the said article, there was a coastal city in Baja California Sur which has developed a reputation for being a wonderful place to retire or relocate in.

Of course, there are plenty of places all over the planet which are perfect for retirees such as me and my wife. But what sets La Paz, Baja California Sur apart from all the other retirement destinations in other countries is the fact that it is so very near the United States. The peninsula of Baja California is located at the immediate south of San Diego, California. All you have to do is cross the international border separating San Diego from Tijuana and you will find yourself standing on foreign soil. La Paz is located somewhere down the middle of the Baja Peninsula, at the northern portion of Baja California Sur where it holds the municipal seat of power. It takes just over three hours to reach La Paz by car, and a little less if you take a yacht or boat.

It was also said in the article that at the moment, there is already an expatriate community in La Paz, as well as several retiree communities. Thus, I found it would be very beneficial to move there since we will be surrounded by retirees and expatriates like us who can lend their support and help. Most of the locals who are Mexicans are also very much familiar with the English language, so that all I need to do is brush up on my rusty Spanish and I will be all set to get to know the locals and their culture.

What excited me and my wife about the prospect of retiring to La Paz, Baja California however, was the paradise-like atmosphere the entire municipality exudes. She and I went to visit La Paz before our retirement several times and we explored the entire municipality, visiting white sand beaches with clean blue waters, trying out snorkeling, sports fishing, kayaking and even surfing, eating in the many and varied restaurants, golfing all day long in oceanfront golf courses, and going on several tours that we found. The idea of retiring in a place as beautiful and peaceful as La Paz, plus having all these recreational activities and facilities close at hand, made us fall in love with La Paz.

Surprisingly, for a place that is so peaceful, naturally beautiful and developed, the cost of living in La Paz is not at all expensive. We were able to buy a two bedroom oceanfront townhouse with a garage, garden area and a patio with our retirement savings. Not only that, we were able to buy a little sailboat which we now keep in the marina. The yearly fee for the golf club and marina are both very affordable, and the amenities and benefits we now experience far exceed the cost that we paid for. We have been in La Paz as retirees now for more than four years, and I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life in this paradise on earth.