2 weeks in Dec to explore Atitlan/Antigua as place to move. Need plan

Dear Padrino,

What a great place to decide to retire.. I have been living here for 25 years and I helped several people to settle there... If you send me a private message I can suggest you some rentals..
Regarding your questions..
1.) Getting money monthly from a US bank...HOW? Any ATM's?,
Yes you can get either Dollars or Quetzales from ATM's some have only quetzales but several have both money.. any way you want Quetzales for your daily living.
After you decide to settle in the lake you can open a bank account and have your money transfer to it.. I have helped several people to open bank account.. You have to know that some banks don't allow bank account for tourist..

2.) although healthy now, how good or lacking are the health/dental services around The Lake,
Around the lake you have private clinics and private hospital that can address your simple health problem than for more complicated issues Guatemala offers excellent facilities..
Here is an example of one of my cliente can say about the health services

In 2002 my husband, David, and I began looking for a home in Latin America. One of the deciding factors to start this journey was the fact that, as self-employed people, our insurance rates had gone to over $2000.00 per month. This was due mainly to my troubled medical history.
In 2004 we came to Lake Atitlan and knew very quickly that this was the place we had been looking for. With professional help from Armand Boissey we bought a large piece of property with two houses. It was another year and a half before we moved here permanently, finally able to cancel our US insurance contract.
In the past several years I have had access to the most personalized health care I have ever experienced. I have been treated by a GI specialist for an ongoing problem with my liver. He was tireless in finding a solution and finding the perfect surgeon and radiologist to repair me. I had the least invasive treatment I have ever had after years of prolonged, painful surgeries. All three of these doctors made me feel as if I was the only patient on their mind. They were generous with their time and went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable in and out of the hospital. The price at the end was less than 15% of what these procedures would have cost in the US. A visit to a specialist tends to cost about $50.00, and cost of all care is very affordable. For example, an MRI costs less than $200.
Being in my late 60's, I have also needed cataract surgery. The cost for this was about $650 and I have state of the art lenses with very good follow-up care.
David & I have both had extensive dental work done that is easily equal to the services we had in Florida but at an affordable cost. For example, a root canal costs approximately $25 and costs for more extensive work falls in at the same savings.
David & I have many reasons to look at each other and marvel at how wonderful our life is here: the dear friends we have, the ease of time, the beauty all around us, the freedom to live as artists without scrambling to pay for health insurance, the perfect climate, all of these we are grateful for every day. Affordable, reliable, concerned and effective health care is the icing on the cake.

and 3.) how do we set up 'residency' for visa purposes.
Well for residency it is a process that you can do yourself if you dominate some spanish or use a lawyer to get you through.. The second option being more expansive than the first one..
You have to demonstrate you have an income superior to $ 1000 per month in rent, interest, pension.. It takes some times but not a complicated process.. you need to put together the paper work and then it goes smoothly... I can also recommend you a lawyer who does that.. in a private message..

See you around as.. I have been living here 25 years and keep counting. best place to be...

Hi armandatitlan,

Thank you for your contribution and the sharing of informations

Maximilien
Expat-blog Team

Wow, lots of questions. First, let me mention a new web site called atitlanlife.com. The first real issue will be out in 1 August but there is some stuff there already including free classifieds.

I have lived in Central America for 10 years and living on the lake is by far the best. I don't like big cities but small places tend to not have some of the things I want. Panajachel is the exception. For example, I can find miso and fluoride-free toothpaste within walking distance. Neither existed anywhere in Nicaragua.

I recently did pensionado residency with no problems. I elected to use a lawyer as I did it before I moved here. You will need to make a couple of trips to Guatemala City but there are no serious issues.

Lots of ATMs -- they only trick is they are called Cajeros so ATM is an uncommon expression. There are also lots of banks. Things tend to just fall in place here.

One strong word of advice. Don't buy a house until you have lived here at least six months and a year is better. Besides seeing where you really want to live, the connections you will make will likely result in finding what you want for less money.

Welcome to the Atitlan club.

You guys are both great with this info. So appreciate it !!

Okay, OUR EXPLORATION TRIP IS SET!!  Arriving Antigua on or about the 20th of December where we plan to spend a couple of days acclimating and then off to the Lake Atitlan.

As this is truly an exploration trip to decide if the Lake (or Antigua) is where we'll put down our retirement we're not going on a tourist trip but one of discovery. Want to see what the expat life is in those locals. Want to see the source of food shopping, housing, medical, dental, restaurants, coffee houses, etc. are about so we can feel this is where we want to spend those remaining years.

Would seriously like to link up with a few folks before hand that would be willing to lend a hand and an eye to pointing us in the right directions quickly as our time will be limited to 2 weeks.

PLEASE!!!!

Ciao, Padrino