2 week Recon Mission to Puerto Rico (Act 20 and lifestyle questions)

Here is my two cents of advice.  My most favorite beach is Luquillo.  It is a half-hour drive from my home. 
You should not cross off the East Coast of Puerto Rico in your search for a place to live. To me, Rincon sounded good 'on paper' but I finally landed in Palmas del Mar for my forever home.  I had been spending winters in Puerto Rico for seven years in Arroyo, which is on the rural southeast coast of the island.  After being realisitic about what I wanted, Palmas was the best choice for me. The decision involved the desire to have a social life.
Fajardo also has a lot to offer. As you wish, please contact some of us (like me) on this forum and we will arrange a get-together  so you can ask some questions in person.
I can't give you any contacts for accountants/attorneys since I no longer participate in the business world.

Our home is in the west side of the island, 30 minutes to the beaches. We like to frecuent the beaches in Guanica, Cabo Rojo area. Boqueron is very well develop and have a very nice marina. You will find that some of the beaches in the island are well develop with bathrooms and changing rooms and others are rustic. Most of them do not have liveguards so be aware. It will be your own perspective of what you like. To us the west part of the island is more layback quiet life.

Restaurants will depend of your taste, for example, we have eaten on the big names restaurants in SJ area and in the hole in the wall places around the island. I personaly dont see myself paying over price food just because of location. To us is the quality of the food and price. You may have to experienced yourself to see what you like. One thing PR have on abundant s places to eat.

Our expetience with goberment agencies had been good so far. We register our vehicle in the Mayaguez offices and it took us 45 minutes. I have hear that in other offices the waiting can be a lot longer. Dont think about goberment offices in the island been like the mainland. Some places the wait is quite long and tons of bureocracy involve.

I will suggest reaching out to Rey, he may be able to direct you to a lawyer and a good realtor.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Dorado should definitely be on your list. Dorado is a great place to live...its clean, safe, and relaxed in comparison to other towns. It's also close to the Metro Area so you have easy access to everything....such as Malls and Hospitals etc.  It has great Properties, Schools, and Beaches. Check Dorado Beach and Sabanera for Properties and the Tasis School. It's a nice town to raise kids. Seems to me like Dorado would fit the lifestyle you are looking for.

Also that's not true about the beaches there are nice beaches all over the island.

You shoul consider the east coast for beaches, marinas, scuba, snokling, lots of atols, and small islands. Close to the metro area and airport, about 45 minutes. Consider Luquillo, Fajardo, Ceiba, Naguabo, Humacao. They are all in the east/north east side of the island.

While there are some swimmable beaches in the North and West of the island, you are facing the atlantic ocean which is more tubulent, so great if you like surfing.

There are also investments oportunities in Rental Real State like VRBO.com where a morgage of 500 can get you 1500 to 3000 or more a month and have the property managed for you. There is no need to purchase with cash a rental property.

As to living space for you, there is land to build custom homes, there are small farms, houses, condos, and gated comunities. It all depends on what attracts you. There is a glut of available realstate.

As you are probably in the high end of the imcome bracket, my main recomendation is not to flaunt what tou have and use cameras mostly for when you are away. A rich property that looks deserted is and attractive target so get a security detail or invite someone tou trust to babysit your property when away.

I have some contacts in the island if you need most anything.

You could also consider rentals for you and your family for 6 months or a year to become familiar with the island and decide if you really want to commit and what part of the island you like best.

Thanks to everyone for the info, I really appreciate your time.

Frogrock - Thanks.  Can you tell me more about Arroyo and what it has to offer?  Is it a possibility for our family in your opinion?  If so, could you tell me why?

Hi Adlin20, I am looking forward to the opportunity to eat at more "hole in the wall" places.  Do you think you could send me a list of some of your favorite places, so that we may visit them while we are on the island?  My wife and I are both foodies and we love great quality.  Also, can you give me more info/experiences/things we should do in the Boquerón areas?

Thanks Dora787, we will add Dorado to our itinerary and plan on spending at least 2 days in the area to better understand what it has to offer.  Do you have any recommendations for where we need to visit/play/eat/stay while in Dorado?  And thanks for the input about the beaches.  It appears some of the people I have spoken with do not want to be on the island, and I think it is really obscuring their opinions. 

Rey - thanks for the abundance of information, and I have read many of your other posts.  We definitely want to rent in different areas to get a good feel for the pros/cons of each town.  Also, I own rental properties here in Houston and your statement about investment opportunities is one of the reasons we are considering relocating/visiting.  I really want to get a feel for the island and its housing demand and prices. 

Does anyone have any specific opinions/background with Ponce?  Are there any viable beaches?

Does anyone have any comments about how much it rains in Western Puerto Rico from April through October?  Is it too much, not too bad??

Any advice on Ocean Park/Condado? Luquillo? 

Lastly, does anyone have recommendations for city guides in the cities we have been discussing?  We would like to pay for someone who really knows each area to take us around for a few hours each day and give us the low down for each town.

Thanks for everyone's help and most importantly, thanks for your patience.

I have been living here in Rio Grande (East side of PR) now for two months.  I have been vacationing to the island for the past 23 years with my husband who was born and raised on the island.  Two weeks before moving here, I retired from my 35 year career as a litigation paralegal in Michigan.  Since landing to live here, I have had to make many adjustments to my expectations of how to conduct business on the island, and many times have threatened to get a one way ticket out of here.  We are having a second story constructed on our house that was built 5 years ago, requiring us to make purchasing transactions for a variety of materials, so even though we are retired, we are not going to the beach or sitting by the pool everyday.  I have been frustrated in the following ways:

A.  There are long lines everywhere!  Expect to wait in line to grocery shop, to run into Walgreen or CVS for a few items, to pick up a package at the local Post Office, DMV for driver's license, ... everywhere!  It takes 3 times longer to do anything than it does in the US.  I waited 45 minutes in Home Depot for a piece of lumber to be cut for me because there were only 2 employees that spoke English in the whole store.

B.  There are no street addresses.  GPS will work if it recognizes the name of the company you want to find, but streets are named differently (and in Spanish), and many directions are provided by landmarks, if you are lucky enough to (1) get anyone on the phone, and (2) that speaks English.  It's easy to get lost, especially in the metro area.

These are just a few that come to mind.  I love the island, the weather is wonderful, but I have had to adjust my expectations about everything else about the island.  It's a completely different environment here.  It would be my suggestion that you lease/rent to make sure that you and your family are able to adjust to the ways of the island.  There are many many properties available to rent or buy by others who have left the island for a variety of reasons.

We wish you a good trip to PR and will try to attend any expat meet-up that is coordinated.

Kim (& Hector) Melendez

I live in Ponce. For numerous reasons it is not high on the list for most folks but it meets my quirky prerequisites. It is not a beach town but plenty of places to fish, sail, kayaking etc. the mountains are very nearby. I like the architecture but there are numerous empty buildings. I have a beautiful colonial home with no property taxes. 15 minutes away at 1200' above sea level sits our 32 acre Caribbean view farm with taxes under $100 a year. We grow a lot of our own food and rent a room out of our house on airbnb. For us we have created a nice niche and the only one like it in town. The farm will be going in that direction too with hammocks, casitas and good food.  I do not think we could duplicate what we have for the budget any where in 2nd or 1st world. There are a lot of museums with a world class art museum. The only places I could live is in the historic district or outside of town in the mountains. There are a lot of tightly built boring towns surrounding Ponce. There is an authenticity to Ponce that takes time to see and appreciate. I do like the fact that Ponce is on the dry side most of the time as mildew can be a problem. I came from 30 years in Ft Lauderdale and beach towns do not stimulate my creative juices but I want one nearby. Ponce has a reputation for being hot but the nights are just about perfect 6 months out of the year. There is little rain but big lakes nearby. Not once did the area have to ration water this summer.  We go to a nature preserve with a mile long beach that is more earth than sand but it is great for sea life, walking, swimming. with hardly anyone around. As I was saying this works very well with me but I think it may be too rough around the edges for most. I am always open for visitors if time allows.

@DJGlobal - If you find out more information about the Acts 20/22 processes, please let me know. Especially if you find a good CPA in PR who can advise on applying for them.

There is nothing wrong with Palmas del Mar.  There are many properties to choose from on there 2800 acres.  You could have a single family, townhouse or condominium to choose from.  Not to mention they have their own marina.  I live in Yabucoa but have vacationed several times at Palmas De Mar.  You do know that Palmas Academy is one of the best schools in all the island right?  You might want to vacation here first prior to putting all your eggs in one basket.  Palmas is great for expats!  Trust me as I live 15 minutes away.  Not to mention the golf carts your kids can drive around freely.

Chad

DJGlobal wrote:

Hi All:
---
I will be in Puerto Rico from Nov. 9 - 21, 2015 getting a better feel as to whether or not we want to try and relocate.  If there are any expat gatherings during that time that you all may be aware of and I could possibly attend please let me know of such. 

Warm Regards

So what happened?
It been close to 2 months since your trip.
We are curious.
Rey

Sorry I have not been able to update the post, as I do have some opinions to express regarding my experiences.  Upon my return to the US my father was hospitalized and subsequently passed away this week.  In a nutshell we are still planning to relocate, however, it will be awhile as I want to make sure my mother is okay and well provided for before I plan to leave for an extended amount of time.

Regards,

Derek

Sorry about your lost, I lost my mother last year also.

Just an idea ..... Get a nice place in PR and a small inexpensive condo close to your mother after you sell your place in the states. That way you can visit often and be in a familiar place when you go visit your mother.

Sorry for your loss Derek.

My deepest condolences to you DJGlobal and to you, Rey!

Sorry Derek. I sent you a private message as well as my # just in case you lost it.  This is tough for your mom as well as yourself and the girls. Matrix misses the girls. I am here for you all when you need anything.

Interesting article about act 20 and 22
http://cb.pr/the-act-2022-study/

My condolences.  When I moved to Puerto Rico, my Mom came with me.  Unfortunately, after a short time, she passed away on July 9 of 2015.  She loved being in Puerto Rico and received excellent care. 
If you want to make a quick trip down to PR, I can gladly host you here in Palmas del Mar.

Hi I was reading your blog. Myself and a friend will arrive in San Juan Jan 29,30,31 then we want to look around Luquillo & Farjardo. Do you have any hotels of Condo to suggest that we contact to rent for a several days. We would need to beds. I am interested in living in PR somewhere near the ocean.
Thank You for you help and advise
Karl Schramm

Go to airbnb.com for a place to stay, you can usually get a room or an apartment for less than a hotel. Also may want to check the Fajardo Inn http://www.fajardoinn.com/

Airbnb Fajardo https://www.airbnb.com/s/Fajardo--Puert … ;source=bb

2 guest around fajardo on those days

Airbnb Luquillo https://www.airbnb.com/s/Luquillo--Puer … d=mzcxk2b7

You can also get great last minute deals on hotwire . You pick an area . It's secret specials.  It doesn't state the hotels name but it will tell you if it has a pool ,near the beach. Casino etc.  Then you can reserch the area and usually can figure out what's in the area.  We have gotten the rio grande Hilton several times for under $80. Nice resort on the beach with several pools. Very nice place . Parking is extra for $10 a day.   It's pretty close to the areas you are interested in. Word of advice . Faradjo has many large and deep drainage areas in random places .You need to be careful because vthese sneak up on you and can cause damage on the rental cars