International Jobs for US Citizens

As you know this Blog is all about finding the Best Places to Live in the World. For some that means a great place to spend their retirement years for others it means cutting their cost of living - finding a more affordable way to live so they can enjoy a higher quality of life. I get feedback from people all the time wanting to move and looking for cheap places to live abroad. But they also need to find places where they can still work. My good friend Mel just sent me this handout he had put together for a course he was teaching called, The Best Places to Live Abroad for Americans. He shared this segment of his course and the handout is titled,

International Jobs for US Citizens

Guest post by Mel B

Our world has changed over the last few years as the economy has declined and because the job market has shifted too, overseas jobs for Americans are becoming more and more attractive. These overseas jobs for Americans are sometimes just more attractive and more people are willing to explore the possibility. Although there certainly is an appeal and a certain amount of glamor associated with working internationally, it often fades to some degree when the effort to secure that job is spread out before you. It has become more difficult as the competition has increased as a result of the global economy and the increasing numbers of people willing to work abroad but it is certainly still possible. There are many possibilities that are often available internationally that have domestic equivalents and should make the transition possible. For instance, teaching jobs overseas for Americans are plentiful but there are many others besides. Here are just a few:

• International nursing jobs
• International sales jobs
• Overseas security jobs
• Overseas teaching jobs
• International business jobs
• International finance jobs
• International engineering Jobs
• Non profit jobs
• International marketing jobs
• International accounting jobs
• Overseas construction jobs
• International consulting jobs

It is not unusual for we Americans to believe we can just make application and if we are qualified or the best candidate we will get the job. Unfortunately that is not the reality. There is a lot more to the process and it takes far more effort and persistence to secure a position internationally. Some Americans have never even heard of a CV which is the equivalent of the resume and it can even be different in different countries. Another issue that often needs to be addressed is the very real possibility that the country that you land a job in will likely require you to have a visa and it is not uncommon for a visa to take months to get. The good news is many companies that hire internationally will help with this process but it is another hurdle that has to be overcome in the process. One option that some people overlook is the company they already work for. If you are working for a multinational company right now you may have a good chance of transferring abroad easier than finding employment otherwise. You never know until you ask. When you set out to form a plan you will need to keep in mind several factors besides what we have already discussed. First, you will need s assess your abilities so you can accurately filter the jobs you do in fact find and apply for. Also you will need to identify the companies or the industries where your skill set fits and where you have interest. Overshadowing all of these decisions is to identify the countries where you would like to live. Hopefully you will have been in these countries and actually know first-hand about the customs and the cultures. The cultural differences can also be a blind spot that need to be addressed in order to successfully prepare for all aspects of finding and taking a job in a foreign country. The culture in your target country will have an influence on every aspect of the job like:

1. Interrupting information you gather

2. The job application process

3. The interview

4. Negotiation for salary and benefits

5. On the job relationships

6. Rules of conduct in the workplace

These are just some of the ways that culture can directly effect your success of failure in finding jobs abroad for us citizens and doesn’t even begin to address your experience outside of work that so often are important in building a network of contacts to support your work. Because many Americans do not speak a second language this can have a tremendous effect on which jobs are available to even apply for but there is good news. There are many countries where English is the official language and in turn there will be many more opportunities for employment there. In the following table are listed 54 countries where English is the official language and this should significantely reduce the barriers in finding international employment.

Anguilla	Cayman Islands	Jamaica	Papua New Guinea	Tanzania
Antigua and Barbuda	Dominica	Kenya	Scotland	Tonga
Australia	England	Lesotho	Seychelles	Trinidad and Tobago
Bahamas	Fiji	Liberia	Sierra Leone	Turks and Caicos Islands
Barbados	Gambia	Malawi	Singapore	Uganda
Belize	Ghana	Malta	Solomon Islands	United Kingdom
Bermuda	Gibraltar	Mauritius	South Africa	Vanuatu
Botswana	Grenada	Montserrat	St. Kitts and Nevis	Wales
British Virgin Islands	Guyana	Namibia	St. Lucia	Zambia
Cameroon	Ireland, Northern	New Zealand	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	Zimbabwe
Canada (except Quebec)	Ireland, Republic of	Nigeria	Swaziland

There is a lot to this whole international job search but we hope we are leaving you with a more in lightened approach to the matter and some tools that you can use to ease the process no matter where in the world you choose to make your next home. As one final gift we would like to leave you with is a list of some of the more established web locations where you can do significant research on finding international jobs for Americans.

Antal International

Offices in 24 countries with 50 staffed offices. Opened in 1993 and has successfully placed executive in 75 countries

ART: Atlantic Research Technologies

This firm works worldwide to place US and Canadian workers in upper and middle management . Caters to high-tech, industrial and service sectors.

Barclay Simpson

UK based corporate governance recruitment. Specializes in jobs in Internal auditing, financial crimes, information security, risk, compliance, IT auditing and public sector jobs.

CareerJet

This is a search engine for international employment. One can even browse by county, job type or geographic area.

Embassy Job Search

As the name indicates this site all about Embassy jobs but they are not job listings but there are links to the embassy websites you may show jobs available in countries where you may be interested.

Employerjobs.com

Another job search engine based in the UK with reach outside. Key word search based. It appears that applicants get some additional exposure on the front page with a rotating list of names of people seeking employment.

Eurojobs.com

Pan-European job search engine with great country search that details the results by job type and number of jobs

ExecutivesOnTheWeb.com

UK based career site offering executive job search for senior management jobs across the Middle East, Europe, UK, and Africa. Visitors need to register to apply for jobs but can search jobs without registering.

ExecutiveSurf

Executive search firm based in London with offices in Prague, Warsaw and Milan. On their website candidates can apply for positions they are qualified.

GigaJob

Large website covering many countries, some that are not often covered in the international sites. You will not be able to search the entire database at once but will need to switch from one country to another in your job search.

Goinglobal.com

This is a standout site as it offers more than most for the international job seeker. It has lots of country info as well as tools and links that are useful in putting together your resume/CV as well as your job search and cultural advise.

Hudson

An industry leader in recruitment with international recruiting offices in 20 countries. Many valuable resources for the job seeker offered online.

iAgora.com

This site focuses on the recent college grad that may be looking for opportunities internationally. You can apply for free but there is a paid membership offered.

iHipo.com

Singapore based "iHipo targets young professionals and students with a social network platform for both seekers and employers. Registration is not requred to search but it is to apply for jobs.

International Jobs

Career Services for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin

This site offers a lot of information for the international job seeker including what to expect when you step outside your home country. It attempts to prepare the uninitiated for the world of international employment and they do a pretty good job.

Jobbind.com

Great search engine for finding jobs in many countries. You will default to your country when you go to the site but you can easily change country to search another. One of the widest array of jobs and countries although some have been in the database for an extended period.

Locanto

This site brings together classified ads from all over the world including job postings. You may find jobs posted here that may not be posted elsewhere.

Monster.com

One of the 'monsters' in the industry this site speaks for itself and its reputation for job listings proceeds your visit.

NES Global

This site specializes in engineering services and specialist staff support solutions to its worldwide client base across the Oil & Gas, Power Generation and in doing so gives it a strong footing with offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

OverseasJobs.com

International jobs and overseas assignments are the foundation of this site for expats and professionals alike. You can check out jobs without registering

PlanetRecruit.com

Jobs from all over the world on this site and registration is not necessary. One nice feature of this site is you can only send your resume to the intended receipent and it will not be visable to others.

Renego

A classified search engine that has a database of UK, Spain, India, Poland, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and even the US. Local language is requried on many of the countries internal pages.

SAM Headhunting

This site is a little different than most as it presents the searches it is working at the moment and you can even see the positions they are trying to fill in individual offices. They cover 19 countries.

StepStone

StepStone works primarily within Europe. Just like so many others you select a country from a map or from the dropdown menu and start your search there.

TipTopJob

This site is like many other in that it has an international list of jobs and you do not have to register to look but if you apply it will automatically register you with the details of your CV

Trovit

Covering many countries in Latin America as well as Europe and the US this classified site has a lot to offer even the casual international job seeker.

World Job List

Site offers advise as well as listing spread all over the world. Most are spa and hospitality industry although others are also represented.

Best Places: Retire in Belize

Retire In Belize - One Of The Cheapest Places to Live In The World!

One of the cheapest places to live in the world is still Belize. Consequently, to retire in Belize is really cheap and by many accounts it is also one of Central America's most beautiful countries too. It can be a retirees (bargain hunters) dream come true if you play your cards right. It has just about everything a retired person seeking a tropical paradise could imagine. To start with, the official language is English and that always makes living in a foreign country easier but beyond that, it offers wildlife as diverse as any country, a tropical climate and of course some really great beaches. If your thing is snorkelling or scuba diving then your little piece of heaven just got better because the ecosystems underwater are some of the best in the world and talk about options... there are 127 islands to explore in the Belize Barrier Reef.

If you really want to live cheap in retirement you might want to check out the Cayo area that is west of Belize City about an hour and at least at the last time we checked it out, you could rent a nice size home there for under $400 a month. The Cayo district has a population of about 40,000 and it covers about 2000 square miles on the western side of Belize. You shouldn’t forget that Belize is more than a beautiful beach. Sixty percent of the Cayo District is either a wildlife sanctuary, a Forest Reserve or a National Park and it offers a wide diversity of activities for a traveller as well as much to see and experience in this land of natural beauty. Of course if you are dead set on the coast you are going to pay a little more but considering you would be an hour away it might be worth living inland so you can enjoy all of Belize, depending on how often you want to dip your toes or your snorkel gear in the blue waters of Belize.

Because Belize is such a lush country and much of their food is grown locally, it can make your grocery bill quite inexpensive as long as you stay away from all those imported things you are so used to

buying. To embrace the local cuisine really is part of the adventure of it all so why not make the effort to try the new foods and save money too.

Here is a little bonus for all you retirees, folks over 45 can be eligible for the Retire Belize program or sometimes called Retired Person's Incentive Program. It can help you live almost tax free if you meet certain qualifications. This

program was initiated as a part of a plan to entice stable retirees to make this their home. We hope you are starting to get the picture about why Belize is one of the cheapest places to live in the world

especially if you are retired and want modern conveniences to be a part of your life style.

Now there has to be at least one negative to living here or everyone would arrive at once but in the big picture it may be minor detractions from abundant positive side of the equation. The deal is it rains a lot from May to October and it is a location that sometimes can be exposed to hurricanes. Many expats just use this as the time they head home since many are from the Northern hemisphere and May to October is summer there so the weather is often more agreeable anyway.

To retire in Belize is well within reach of many and it really can be one of the cheapest places in the world to live if you are careful and do a little planning and don’t become ridged about where you live or

what you eat. Of course let’s not forget the great plan Belize has for those of you over 45 to live tax free.

Best Places to Visit in Spain: Barcelona

Madrid is the capital of Spain. While Barcelona is the most populated city of the Catalonia region and the second largest city in the country next to the capital. Barcelona is also one of the most popular places to visit in Europe. Spring and summer break sees the population explode as tourists flood into the city. The capital city went through a major transformation in the early nineties which now includes a man made beach with plenty of Palm Trees in the lovely and lively cosmopolitan port.

Barcelona has so much to offer visitors. Here is a quick guide to

The Best Places to Visit in Barcelona

• The Picasso Museum - a must see! It has one of the most extensive collections of art by the twentieth century Spanish artist, Picasso.
• Park Guell - this is a pretty garden complex which is filled with unique architecture. It's one of the most romantic places in Barcelona and great for a stroll with your lover.
• La Sagrada = this impressive and very large Catholic church is still not been completed but that hasn't stopped it from being designated a World Heritage Site.
• The Batllo House - sometimes referred to as the 'House of Bones'. This incredible structure truly does have a visceral, skeletal organic quality. It was originally designed and built for a middle class Spanish family in a prosperous district of Barcelona.
• Camp Nou - it's just a football (soccer) stadium but well worth a visit because it's so big! It is very impressive and due to it's size has become world famous.
• The Tibidabo Amusement Park is a perfect place for families to visit. It has an IMAX theatre and the fabulous Magic Fountain of Montjuic.
• Las Ramblas - is a lively street with an abundance of street performers. It makes for a light, fun and happy atmosphere.
• The Olympic port (Ciutadella I Vila Olimpica) - here you'll discover a mix of bars and restaurants and a great casino right on the beach.

Tips for getting around Barcelona

This is a large city so the best way to get around is by using public transportation. The trains are very safe, easy to use, reasonably priced and run on time. Bus tours are also a good option and will take you to all of the top attractions.

If you do decide to visit the great city of Barcelona be sure to sample all the different "Tapas" (small plates of food) and don't forget to drink plenty of Sangria!

About our Guest Author Becky Padmore:

Get more great tips on top holiday destinations by visiting Becky at www.globalgrasshopper.com Her services include great advice on how to see Paris in a day

Cheapest Places to Live - Reboot!

This blog all started when I was living in Panama and discovered I could live 'like a king on a paupers wage'. As I traveled back and forth to Canada and shared my journey I realized how few people knew that there were cheap places to live that offerred them just as much if not more comfort and amenities than they had where they were living then. Thus the name of the blog. But over the years the discussion expanded well beyond Panama and well beyond just the cheapest places to live. We've discussed a lot of different topics - everything from the Best Places to Retire to Great Places to Visit or Vacation. We've talked about Cities, Countries, States, Provinces, Towns and even beaches and restaurants. It's quite exciting just thinking about all the things we've discussed and learned about!

And now, I have a confession to make - I'm needy and I really want people to visit this blog and join the conversation. It is my hope that people reading and participating in this blog go away with less judgement towards other people, other cultures, other lifestyles and adopt a more open mind to the possibilites of living abroad or simply just moving somewhere new in there own country. But my intentions aren't completely altruistic - I want something out of this discussion too. By reading, writing and getting comments about our wonderful and interesting world it helps me plan my next trip and ultimately the next place I will choose to live. I've adopted this motto, 'So many places... so little time!'

I have another confession to make - this one is probably no big surprise - I'm disorganized! It really shows in this blog doesn't it? Part of the blame is this blogger template that we all have to work with. It sucks! I think there is another way to lay things out but I just haven't taken time to figure that out yet. But I do have some ideas and I would like your feedback on just a few improvements that I think will make it easier for you to read and participate.

I'd like to start by organizing my topics and getting things a bit more standardized so it's easier to follow a discussion. I'll start by getting my titles a little tighter and less rambling and more topic focused like,
Cheapest Places to Live: United States - with the colon : separating the main category, in this case 'Cheapest Places' from the place I'm writing about, in this case, the 'United States'.

The other issue is around what categories we want to discuss. I'd really like some feedback here. So far we've got 'Cheapest Places' and other topics like - 'Best Places' - 'Affordable Places ' - 'Expensive Places' etc. And then we've got sub topics like: places to live, to retire, to visit.

I hope I'm nit rambling and that this makes sense. So, now it's your turn. What would you like to discuss? Give me some suggestions for topics and sub topics you would like to discuss about all of the amazing places on this small planet of ours! It doesn't matter if it is the best place to live in California or the worst place to live in the world we can discuss it and we will try to provide some valuable information for you our readers.

Cheapest Cities to Live in the United States

I was chatting with a friend earlier today and we were having a good laugh about these lists that I seem to be so obsessed with. My friend presented the argument that not matter how many statistics are used and how supposedly objective these lists are purported to be the reality is they are always and will remain totally subjective. The fact is when it comes right down to it even the stats are simply just people's opinions. The may have a formula to their cost of living calculator but everyone chose to spend money on different priorities so its still subjective. I couldn't agree more but as you know the reason I play with, present and obsess over my lists of the 'Best places...' or 'Cheapest Places...' is to have fun creating a dialogue - getting the conversation going! It's through listening to and truly understanding the opinions of others that we learn - we learn new perspectives on life and living. If we're lucky from time to time we may even have an Ah, Ha! moment. And with all of that said here is yet another one of my lists! This time I was browsing forbes.com, again! Yes, you know it Forbes is one of may favorite sources. Anyhow, sure enough I found what I was looking for - another list about places to live. This one was about -

America's Most Affordable Cities

It's actually a slide show presenting the Cheapest Cities in the United States in photo format. Some lovely shots combined with a little stats about each place. I've noticed Forbes and others going more and more to this visual format - probably something their stats told them their readers are ore attracted to!

The slide show starts with #10 and counts down to #1 - presumably #1 is the cheapest or most affordable city in America.

#10 is Austin, Texas with a 'Cost of Living' rank of 15; unemployment 6 and Housing costs 25.

vs

#1 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with a Cost of Living' rank of 12; Unemployment 4 and Housing Costs at 2.

Obviously the lower the score the more affordable or cheaper that city is to live in.

As Forbes writer Francesca Levy points out,

"Just because you can get by on the cheap doesn't mean these places are backwaters."

and I'll add that some of the most expensive cities in the world are down right nasty places that I know I wouldn't want to live.

It's true - this top 10 list of Cheapest Places to Live presents some pretty nice digs that many people would not only consider a great place to live but even long to visit there on holiday. Take for example Nashville, Tennessee in 5th place. Most Americans consider Nashville to be a pretty cool place. It's certainly a top spot for American culture and entertainment. Austin, Texas in 10th place is no hole in the wall either.  Austin has become one of he nations leading hot spots for the high-tech industry so not only is the cost of living low - the job prospects are great and getting better every day.

If you've been subscribing to or following this blog for log you'll recognize many of these Top 10 Affordable Cities on some of our other 'Best in America ' lists.

Source: Forbes.com

The Cheapest Place to Live in Europe

In Eastern Europe the Czech Republic is one of the cheapest places for Americans to live. There is also always demand for english teachers there so finding employment is not to difficult - that is if you have a good grasp of English and the ability to teach!

Not only that but the Czech Republic is also one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and has a rich cultural history. People who live here are very friendly to new comers and Americans in particular. Geographically the Czech Republic is conveniently located right in the middle of Europe. It's easy to get around as just about anywhere in Europe is only a train ride away.

Yes, the Czech Republic has many things to offer and the city of Prague is cheap, modern and a great place to live.

The least expensive city and cheapest place to live in Europe is Tirana in Albania. Other cheap European cities include: Skopje Macedonia, Sarajevo Bosnia-Herzegovina, Minsk in Belarus and Belfast Ireland.

According to Mercer these European cities could also be considered some of the

Cheapest Places to Live in Europe

1. PRAGUE in the CZECH REPUBLIC
2. BARCELONA in SPAIN
3. FRANKFURT in GERMANY

Ranked lowest on their list of the Top 50 cities for Cost of living - in this case low on the list means lower cost of living. According to the latest Cost of Living Survey from Mercer, Luanda in Angola is the world’s most expensive city to live in.

Cities in Europe with the Highest Cost of Living

1. LUANDA in ANGOLA
2. TOKYO, JAPAN
3. NDJAMENA, CHAD
4. MOSCOW, RUSSIA
5. GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Mercer says, that after Moscow, Geneva, Zurich and Copenhagen are the most expensive cities to live in Europe. Oslo in Norway, Milan in Italy, London England, Paris France and Bern Switzerland are other cities that have a high cost of living.

Source: Mercer.com

The Best States to Live in

Here's an interesting site I came across today, it's called 'StateMaster.com'. I was thinking about the Best Cities for Retirees, a post a wrote a few days ago, and it got me thinking about weather and geography and economy and other factors that make for a good place to live. A lot of my time I focus on places to retire so that's obviously a big consideration but let's face it anywhere that ranks high as a place to live will be looking at different factors and statistics. That's another reason for this blog - to try and bring out some of those differences - some of those things you need to compare and contrast relative to your stage of life and your lifestyle. As we've discussed numerous times, a retiree is likely not that worried about employment or wages. In fact those places that rank low on the scale turn out to be the top places for retirees because low wages mean a lower cost of living. That's the reason many latin and south American countries come out on top as the best and cheapest places to live in retirement. But what about those of us who are still working? That's a different story altogether. Likely employment prospects and good wages rank higher than cost of living for example. After all if you need work and have none than even the cheapest place to live is still too expensive. That brings us round to opportunity and like it or not the good old United States of America is still top of the list when it comes to that. Despite economic downturns and crisis the U.S. is still the leading economy on the world and best able to weather the storm. Give you're setting your sights on living and working in the states knowing the best states to live in is a good place to start. And that brings me right back to StateMaster.com.

The Best States for Lifestyle

StateMaster has their own idea of what statistics combine to measure 'lifestyle'. It's an interesting list to say he least and I'm not sure if or where the science is behind it. Here's what they say about their statistical analysis,

We have compiled information from various primary sources such as the US Census Bureau, the FBI, and the National Center for Educational Statistics.

OK that sounds good. But they also say,

We have stats on everything from toothless residents to percentage of carpoolers.

Now I'm not so sure what, "toothless residents' have to do with lifestyle but, heck I'l go with it. Here are some of the other 'lifestyle statistics' they gather and use to determine 'the best states to live in' -

• Amusement Parks - they collect data in six different categories for Amusements Parks. Things like number of steel roller coasters.
• Shopping Malls - here they collect data from ten different angles. From new shopping malls added to estimated sales per mall. I guess that kind of makes sense. If a state is adding new shopping and the sales are high than the economy is probably pretty good there.
• Walmart Stores - eight categories for Walmart. Other brands measured include: Starbucks and White Castle Restaurants. What it doesn't tell us is how the data is used to determine which contribute and which detract from being on the 'best of' list. Does having more Starbucks and less White Castle push you up the list? Or is more of any the idea?

Now there are some other stats that do seem very relevant to lifestyle. Some one might not have ven considered but I thunk say a lot about a state like:

• Percentage of Children aged 0-5 who are read to every day, and
• Children who live in supportive neighbourhoods (not sure how they measure that though)

Altogether StateMaster collects data on 44 factors to come up with their 'Livability Index'. They rank all states in the index but I'm just going to give you the Top Ten Best States to Live in -

1. New Hampshire
2. Minnesota
3. Vermont
4. Wyoming
5. Virginia
6. Iowa
7. Massachusetts
8. New Jersey
9. South Dakota
10. Nebraska

Now, looking at this list you can see the validity in my opening comments about the Best Places to Live in Retirement. I don't think any of these states would qualify do you? What do you think is the best state to live in? I would love you get your feedback in the comments.

Editors Note - Be sure to check out our latest series (November 2011) on the Best US States to Live. We took this topic and went much deeper looking first at the entire country and then breaking it down by regions to discover the best states within each of the four corners of America. Let us know what you think!

Best Affordable Beach Resorts

I'm always on the look out for a great travel deal and finding the most affordable places to vacation is a never ending project. After all who doesn't shop around for the best possible deal? Just like everyone else I'm wanting to get the most from my hard earned cash. I'm really not into material things so besides making sure 'the kids are alright' I work to play - I work so I can spend what I earn on great trips and travel. Well with that kind of priority in mind you can understand why this article really caught my attention and the cheapest time to go to Vegas post did not.

Today, Yahoo Travel had a great little article titled,

The Best Affordable Beach Resorts

I book marked this one as it has some really cool sounding places to visit. I also noticed that a few of these spots are known to appear regularly as Top Retirement Places. One place on the list that jumped out at me was Las Olas Beach Resort in Panama. A few years ago I lived full time in Boquete Panama. I still have land there and return quite often. Anyhow, Boquete has had a reputation for a number of years now as one of the Best Places to Retire in the world. Now Boquete is in the highlands of the province of Chiriqui, not far from the Costa Rican border. It's lush and green and some call it 'the land of eternal spring'. Meaning it rains and it's cool. That's why it's so green and why everything loves to grow here. Boquete and the Chiriqui highlands are also known as the bread basket of Panama. This is where most of the countries fresh vegetables and fruits come from. Now don't get me wrong. It doesn't rain all the time in Boquete. It can get pretty wet in 'Green Season' which runs from May through December but the vast majority of those days also see a good share of sunshine. In dry season there are these lovely mists that keep all the foliage moist and green. They call these light rains Bajareque. During the years I lived in here and especially in 'Green Season' I would take my family on day trips to the beach. Las Olas (the waves) was the closest to us at about an hour away.

Las Olas Beach Resort Panama

This small resort is located on Playa la Barqueta (beach of the small boats) which is a combination of black (volcanic) and golden sand. When we first started going there it was pretty quiet. The road into the beach was horrible and there was very little there except for this small all-inclusive resort. We would often just go to the beach and grab a bite to eat, Comida del Dia, at one of the local cocinas. But we wouldn't swim or let the kids go in the water. It's called Las Olas - The Waves - for good reason. There is a shear drop off which creates a dangerous undertow. But, it also creates amazing waves so the beach is popular with surfers.

Over the few years we lived in Boquete we watched as the road was repaired and Las Olas expanded. A number of Boquete residents who got tired of 'Eternal Spring' moved down to the beach. It quickly got a reputation as one of the cheapest places for retirees to live on the beach. The resort expanded and built beautiful beach homes as well as low rise condominiums which enjoyed the services of the resort.

Today you can still stay at the all-inclusive resort for just $78 a night. I wouldn't recommended a while wek as there is not a lot to do - unless of course you ae really into surfing and/or deep sea fishing. But the nice part is you don't have to. You can simply stay a few nights and then continue your journey up for a few nights in Boquete!

Source: Travel.Yahoo.com