Anonymous wrote:OMG Rio de Janeiro is my absolute dream city. Of course I love Santa MArta, Colombia as well. Oaxaca would also be nice.

Oh sorry you said Spanish speaking, but at least visit Rio

OMG Rio de Janeiro is my absolute dream city. Of course I love Santa MArta, Colombia as well. Oaxaca would also be nice.

I would divide time among 3 places: Maybe Salento/the coffee region of Colombia, Argentina, and somewhere in mexico (oaxaca, san miguel, or merida)

Antigua, Guatemala. You wouldn’t have beaches but could do weekend trips. You could also go to Lake Atitlan

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (I’d aim to go to a smaller village outside of PV)

San Carlos, Mexico is nice. The Sea of Cortez is pretty dreamy

I'm guessing you'd need reliable high speed? I'd maybe look into Salinas in Ecuador. Definitely stay away from Esmeraldas and the northern coast, it's on the State Department Do Not Travel list. Stay away from Manta too, ever since the US Naval Base got kicked out, it's become dangerous. Some people like Ayampe too. Beaches in Peru really aren't worth it. You could also consider somewhere around Cartagena, cost of living is lower than Ecuador. Stay within the walled old city though.

Oaxaca in Mexico, though the beaches are not close to the city - need a long weekend to bus or fly. Lots of posts here recommending Oaxaca that you can search.

Or Northern Colombia - the beaches are gorgeous and there are some chill towns around Santa Marta (but l haven’t been in 10 years). I liked Taganga but look for recent info.

I love Bolivia too, but it’s landlocked.

I’ve spent 2 - 8 months each in Oaxaca, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Costa Rica.

Costa Rica would be my last choice, it’s great for vacation but not to live - you are a walking wallet to the locals because the tourism industry is so big there.

Northern Peru might work too.

Anonymous wrote:San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.

I thought San Juan del Sur was pretty cheesy but just a few miles away is beautiful. water is great for surfing but rough for anything else.

I would probably do BA or Miraflores and then do a bunch of weekend trips in Peru.

Definitely Costa Rica. Manuel Antonio area. Tons of American ex pats, reasonable visa rules for long stays (though my info is outdated), politically stable, friendly people (though everywhere I’ve been in Central America is friendly), takes USD with no problems, good food, and well established areas that will likely have good enough internet service.

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.

Do you have to stay in one place?

I might do Costa Rica Dec to March and then Argentina the rest. Rainy season in Costa Rica starts in May. I think April and May are fall in BA

Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica was pretty great.

OP here. It would be December-End if June or beginning of July.

What months?

I had always planned to live at least part time in Ecuador at retirement - I have friends who lived and worked there for a few years and they loved it. The weather is mild year round, there are mountains and beaches both, and of course the Galapagos. Costs are much lower there you can live quite well on much less and it is a relatively peaceful, politically stable country. Machismo is big but you’ll suffer than anywhere in South/Central America.

Caveat: everything I know about Ecuador comes from research I did pre-pandemic; I don’t know if covid19 destabilized the country or to what degree if so.

We have an opportunity to work remotely for 6 months. We want to be in a Spanish speaking country. Warm weather, natural beautiful and proximity to a beach are important to us. Let me know where you would pick (specific town, not just a country if possible). Thanks!!