El Nido, Bohol or Borocay (retirement)

Hi Carl75, welcome to the forum.

Firstly have you visited the Philippines before?

I have never been to Bohol but the other 2 locations yes and great to visit and explore but I couldn't live in either location as services seem limited for what I want. If you have 5 to7 years before retirement then you have plenty of time to explore and taste the flavours and different cultures.

As a foreigner you can't own land in the Philippines, only lease or put the property in your Filipino partners name or purchase a condo,,,,,,, you own the concrete but not the land it sits on.

Food choices come with population and needs no different to hospitals and shopping malls.

Maids can be a dirty 200 year old word, we have a live-in caretaker allrounder that eats with us, shares the same facilities and doesn't stop, he is like a machine and he has a good life here, we treat each other equally, expect to pay P10K per month including PhilHealth for a decent part of the family.

We have 8 Swann cameras around the property and a monitor in the office as well as the dining area and nada, never seen an intruder, if a goat ventures past the property on the beach the Labrador's bark as I'm sure they would with some fool lurking with intent. Security companies? This is the Philippines not New York.

Explore and enjoy your visits.

Cheers, Steve.

Thanks Steve for the answer, very kind!

I have visited Manila many times and also Cebu. I have lived in Vietnam and Thailand so consider myself as a quite experienced expat.

Yes, I have a few years until retirement but would like to use the place during holidays until then.

I am already in touch with a couple of agents and as far as I know there are two ways around no foreign ownership of land. The first one and apparently the most solid is to set up a company with a "silent" Filipino partner, the other one is to rent the plot (50+25 years). I will obviously take proper legal advice and use a specialist lawyer.

Well noted about the caretaker (no ill intent, unfortunately that's the term used in the Middle East).

Many thanks

Carl

@Carl75

There is a fellow Swede who goes by the name of Coach53. Occasionally he pops up on this Forum with various contributions. An erudite peripatetic gentleman who has extensive knowledge of the island of Palawan. As I understand it he is writing a book: "All you ever need to know about the Philippines". A catchy little title I might say. He is also an accomplished Chef with television appearances. Everyone on this Forum are hoping to be invited to the book launch party in Manila.

He is a regular on another expat Forum though that bigpearl also contributes to. Perhaps Steve can PM you with the details

Hello Lotus Eater!

Thank you for you message. Interesting about my fellow Swede, I am in the hospitality industry myself so very curious......

thank you

Carl

@Carl75

Hi, my name is Andy and I am retired here in Boracay. As others told you, you cannot buy a lot on your name anywhere in the Philippines. So I bought a condo here. There are not many places left in Boracay where you can get a lot with sea view and you can never be sure that the the one who sells a lot is the real owner. There is a Megaworld estate on the island (where I live) where you can get a lot in the "village". There you can build your own house (only a few did so far), however, the beach (on the east side) is a 25 minutes walk away as the village is on a hill with a great view.

As you have been in the Philippines there is no need to tell you about the infrastructure. There is no way to buy a car or buy a scooter unless you have a registered business which needs transportation here in Boracay.

Medical care is another issue. There is a very basic hospital here, however, if it is more than a small accident, they will not be able to treat you. You need to go on a boat to the main island and from there by ambulace, van or bus to Kalibo. A 1.5 hours drive. In Kalibo there is a private hospital where they can handle basic issues, however, more complex things go to IloIlo (200 km away) or by plane to Cebu and Manila. Make sure you have a nice limit on your credit card.

As you stated that you live in Dubai now, I recommend to retire there. It might be 10 degrees hotter, but the humidity is much less. In addition Dubai is a great city and you will not get bored. The island life can get very boring as nothing happens. I am always counting the days to our next holiday, however, I never regretted that I moved here.

All the best

Andy from Boracay, 7.5 years in Boracay and 61.5 years old

Your welcome Carl but don't get too excited to meet your Swedish compatriot.

Setting up a company as you suggest is a dummy company and frowned on big time here with many government bodies on the alert and could lead to grief and expenses. Leases are perfectly legal and trust in the land owner is sacrosanct, nothing less.

The 3 places you mention in your OP are worth a visit and then decide, so many other places also to visit/spend time, 5 to 7 years until retirement is enough to find your bit of paradise.

Take your time and good luck.

Cheers, Steve.