The term “Golden Years” seems to have all sorts of connotations; For some it may mean the beginning of the end, for others more fortunate it means the years of freedom with gold! Yes, for many of the last generation of baby boomers nearing retirement or just retiring, the “Golden Years” have become the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, that is, the free time and the financial capacity to enjoy your favorite activities. and maybe even serve a purpose for your community. Retirement often coincides with major life changes; Over time, a retiree will virtually eliminate frequent social contacts with former work-related associates, have an entirely different spending pattern, have time for new or inactive hobbies, sports, or other activities, could sell a long-term residence, and yes, you can even move to a new location.
Upon retirement 13 years ago, we moved to a secluded gated community in Clearwater, Florida. It was very nice, however it seemed like all the neighbors were still working and rarely during the day and therefore no one knew anyone in the neighborhood. We put nice people at the local country club; however, most of them could only play one day a week or on Saturdays because they also had jobs that took up their time. When you ran into a group of retirees, like at the local shuffleboard courts, they looked like some geezers about to come out! We were still young, at least at heart, and we wanted to play every day and every night. We finally had the financial capacity and free time to do whatever we wanted, we just needed friends and good weather to do it.
We had been vacationing in our condo in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, known as PV or Vallarta, since 1984 and knew that the weather in PV was absolutely perfect from November through May, its seven-month “high season.” We had no idea what there was to do in Vallarta besides lie on the beach and drink beers or drink margaritas, nor did we know whether or not there were any other retired Americans or Canadians living there. In 1997, we sold the condo and purchased a luxurious new villa on the mountainside overlooking Banderas Bay and El Centro, the downtown area of PV. Our plan was to spend six months in Clearwater and six months in Vallarta per year. The first six months from November to April were spent in PV and the second six months from May to October in Clearwater. Maybe that wasn’t fair because the extreme heat in Florida made that summer miserable, especially after having so much fun during the previous six months in Vallarta. The average daily temperature in PV had been 73°F with virtually no rain for the entire period. While in PV that first year, we must have met over fifty nice couples and absolutely none of them had to go to work tomorrow!
Other than a couple of golf courses, one that you could play on, the other a cow pasture, a couple of tennis courts, great deep-sea fishing, and a couple of small charity-related clubs, there really wasn’t much to do. to do in Vallarta during the beautiful day. The nightlife was somewhat better with parties at someone’s house, condo, or restaurant almost every night. The North American community was relatively small and very open to newcomers. After the first year of splitting time between Florida and Vallarta, we decided to sell the house in Clearwater and travel or cruise during the summer months of June through October and spend the “peak season” in Vallarta.
During the ten years that we have lived in PV, things have changed drastically. Today, the size of the American/Canadian community is difficult to estimate with thousands of new homes and tens of thousands of new condominiums being built. The population of our sleepy little Mexican fishing village is now about 350,000 and we can only assume that there are 50,000 Americans and Canadians here at any one time during “high season”. You can be sure that none of them have to go to work tomorrow and that they are all looking for the same things; they are here to enjoy life and reap the benefits of years of hard work. With perfect weather, the remaining challenge is finding the things to do that are most enjoyable. With good people, time and money, those things came to Vallarta!
There are now seven magnificent golf courses in PV with three more in the planning or construction phase. There are too many tennis courts to begin to count and of course deep sea fishing will always be here. There are art classes, dance classes, computer classes, language classes, and classes for just about anything you’ve always wanted to learn but never had time for. There are letter clubs, fitness clubs, acting clubs, car clubs, writing clubs, and clubs for anything of interest to retirees. Another huge group of organizations in Vallarta has to do with charitable activities; this includes the International Friendship Club, Scholarship Foundation, Toys for Tots, Feed the Children, Make a Wish Foundation, etc., in which most of us are involved to some degree. There are so many daytime activities now in PV that one can be as busy or as relaxed as they like.
The nightlife borders on ridiculous during “high season” with the Malecón, or promenade along the beach, being more active at midnight than at noon. There are hundreds of good restaurants and numerous parties every night. With so much fun available, we’ve learned that to survive, sometimes you just have to say no! To pass the time at home, we all have satellite television with 350 channels and high-speed internet service.
Today in PV we have clean water, clean food, safe living conditions, and modern healthcare. Most importantly, we have many good friends who are here to enjoy life doing what they please in absolutely ideal weather conditions. All of our friends are successful retirees, in good health, and appreciate the perfect weather with an average temperature of 73°F and clear skies. One of the main differences between Clearwater and Vallarta is that in Vallarta, every American or Canadian you see is here to enjoy the good life, is open to new friends, and has the day off tomorrow! Anyone who is retired or about to retire is really missing the boat if he doesn’t at least consider Vallarta his retirement destination.