Hi, I am Lyne, a French-Canadian and you see my Partner, Uwe, a German immigrant to Canada. We are two people from three countries who speak four languages, French, German, English and Spanish.
We are leveraging our skills and experience to create two new specialties here, as we expand upon in this article. First, we are at your personal service as you plan your trip to Antigua whether you originate from the U.S., Canada or Europe. Think of us as your personal “concierge” for planning your trip and for support while you are here. Second, we are building new homes for purchase as retirement or second homes, to the comfort expectations you expect yet in the local style you’ll see al around you.
First our background. Five years ago, we moved to El Salvador where Uwe worked in a management of a major apparel factory and I set up professional education courses. Two years ago, we moved to Antigua, Guatemala to “drop out” of corporate life and establish an adventure of our own.
Why Guatemala? Because of a magic mixture of great weather, low prices, high value, slow pace and unlimited opportunities for personal growth. On the one hand, we wanted an independent life style but also a place that welcomed and made it easy to run a business. With its proximity to the International Airport in Guatemala City only 40 minutes away, it allowed us to travel and also to be visited easily. Go To Top
Proximity to Guatemala City is also a plus for shopping and entertaining. But Antigua is the perfect place for us and many other “expatriates”. It is small, extremely old and protected in its preservation, and yet cosmopolitan! There is a broad range of restaurants, some quote good, and a large community of out-going, independent people from all over the world.
The local market gives us all the fresh ingredients we need for a well stocked kitchen of recipes we’re used to from home, and local options we’ve grown to love. The weather is cool both for the 6 months of dry season and 6 months of rain.
The friendships we’ve built work both ways. We are our new friends ticket to where we are from, and they in turn give us instant friends no mater where we decide to travel. In many ways, little Antigua is one of the most international cities we know of anywhere....one that seems to accept new arrivals weekly.
Those we meet usually come here to raise their standard of living, a LOT. And they do here. But first they must find and invest in a place to live, as we have done. Some wish to move here immediately while others invest for the future. Either way, the area is rapidly growing although prices remain low for now. Whatever your interest, we’d love to help you get started. We got proven results by spending 5 years learning the local culture which, for all its nuances, has become predictable and professional, if you know where to start and who to trust.
Things do not move as quickly here as in North America. One has to let go and accept the difference. We cannot change it and, besides, who said that our systems were the best? For us, life here has made us happier, wealthier and more exciting than anything we ever imagined in our corporate careers in Canada and since.
As you see below, we show you sample costs of living here from our own experiences. The highest expenses are for electricity (0.35$/kwh compare to 0.09$/kwh in Canada) and imported food products. The rest of it is about 1/5 of what you pay back home aside from the maid and gardening services which, of course, few new residents here experienced back home!
The allocated amount for gasoline consumption shown below is based on a 4 cylinder car, driving in and around town (Antigua) with two trips per month to Guatemala City.
* The cost varies tremendously from one country to the next (assuming you carry any insurance from up there) and packages. There are some insurance packages here and they also vary a lot, so you will have to do some shopping to figure that one out. We don’t have insurance we pay has we go.
** It is better to buy and own out right. Also buy here because they nail you with the import taxes. Cars are not more expensive here. There prices, in general, are competitive.
*** There are not mandatory so a lot of people don’t carry them Go To Top
Must know before buying
We are not telling anything new when we say: “there is more to a house then what you see by visiting it”. All hidden features such as plumbing, electricity, earthquake structure, foundation, vapor barrier, etc are concealed behind walls, out of sight.
Here in Guatemala, there are no construction codes or standards. Contractors, architects and material providers each build to their own standards. Most homes we’ve seen built are done so without any architectural plans! So, unless you have expertise in the field, hire an expert to help you. Don’t be fooled by what you see, ask for proof!!! Please don’t commit until you have seen proofs of what the sales person is telling you.
Experienced international businessmen derisively refer to Latin America as “the land where no means no and eventually so does yes”. This is because it is culturally rigid for businessmen to simply tell you what what you want to hear, whether it is true or not. They do not wish to offend you. AND, they do not feel they are lying, rather they are respecting your dignity.
We can easily refer you to Americans, Canadians or Europeans here who have expertise in construction and can guide you. One of the most well known experts in this field is Dario Waldthausen (click here to send email).
Adaptive Floor plans
In our own case, we decided to go in construction because we felt that the market was not offering good value at the price we were willing to pay or to the standards we expect. We retired with the intention of maintaining if not raising our standard of living through judicious investments in just the right value. After analyzing costs of construction and land, we made an informed decision to build houses to our own standards for one person or a couple without children. In effect, second homes that could easily be your primary residence for all time!
The house had to be larger than normal “retirement” homes but smaller than typical North American homes. These homes had to be easy to care for and secure, with adaptive open spaces that spilled into outside patios with views of private gardens, fireplaces, a functional kitchen, comfortable bathroom, adequate storage space, plus generous space for guests (but not so much to make them extend their stay) - AND, because of the Internet, office space.
Oh, one other criteria, perhaps the most important one for a city over 500 years old, our architecture had to express a specific and unique “Antigua Flair”. How did we do? Well it was not easy, but we believe that we have succeeded! We will let you be the judge.
There is many alternatives for shopping of grocery (quite possible the freshest produce and meats you’ve ever had access to anywhere), genuine and authentic antiques, gifts, some of the best art galleries in this hemisphere, spa (hair, nails massage), wine and spirits, clothing, hardware, pet foods, etc.
To a great extent, you can find everything in Antigua, and if it is not here it is in the Capital, Guatemala city. We have to confess that it may take some time before you find it all but we have learn that if it is not readily available we often change our mind about what it is that we wanted or we go for something else. We ended up consuming less, which is a good thing for our budget!!!
As your personal “concierge” service, Uwe and I can organize low cost, high impact guided tours of some of the most interesting shops in this town, and nearby ones as well. We can also guide you through the market where you get the best value for your money.
Weather:
Eternal spring. The dry season goes from November to May. The wet season goes from June to October. The rainiest months of the year are June and September. During the rainy season, it mostly rains in the afternoon or at night. It rarely rains for a long time but heavily and lots of electrical storms. The temperature is during the day 240Cto 300C and 120Cto 180Cat night.
Language:
Can you get by with no Spanish in Antigua? Well, you better have good friends or a little bit of Spanish. Remember that there is 11 official languages in Guatemala. So, for many people Spanish is a second language. Because of that, you only need about 500 words and you can go about your daily life without to many problems.
One extraordinary plus for you, Antigua is one of the centers of the world for “total immersion Spanish” schools where people come and stay for weeks and months with local families, speaking nothing but Spanish. But this works two ways and many here also speak English.
For Uwe and me, it is unimportant as we are comfortable in Spanish, English, French and German.
