Best Posts in Thread: Dumaguete City named best place to retire in Philippines for 2018 ....

Not necessarily. If you are referring to Valencia proper, you are correct. It is getting more and more congested every day as new businesses show up to serve the influx of locals, tourists and expats. But Valencia is a HUGE land area. I live in Sagbang which is still very reasonaby accessible to Dumaguete and Valencia Plaza, and you could plant 10,000 people in that barangay overnight and still not be within shouting distance of your neighbor. And that's just one barangay. Valencia is so big that the furthest barangay, Dobdob, is at least a two hour drive from a paved road!

As the population grows, businesses will come also. Before long, there will be very little reason to even travel to the "big city" Dumaguete.

 

I decided in 2012 on my first visit to Dumaguete that I would retire here in 2016. I did, and quickly discovered that Dumaguete is an oven during the day, and little better at night. So, up the mountain I went and found Valencia. And this is where I will live out my years. The locals sometimes complain about how "cold" it is (77F/25C) on the overnights and run around in heavy, long-sleeved hoodies. Usually there is some perceptible breeze. It rains a lot overnight...much more rain than Dumaguete gets which is a good thing for farming and water supplies. I think the ratio of foreigners to locals is perceptibly higher than in Dumaguete. The nice thing about Valencia, in addition to the easy access to Dumaguete, is that there is plenty of land available at a fraction of Dumaguete prices...at least for now. Temps at night are comfortable for sleeping; I have yet to crank up the aircon during the two years I have lived here. I've seen 68F/20C overnight for a few nights in January, 2018, but usually closer to 75F/24C.

 

That's funny. Evidently the web designer is not aware that "bottom" has its own slang connotations which are quite a bit more objectionable. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

 

Are they? Or are they just rebuilding after each storm?

Personally I think Dumaguete is above average or smaller cities/towns. But It's not at all a nice place to retire or live... So if this is the best, I shudder to think about what's the worst, or even in the middle... :(

 

yes, the valencia plaza area is kept clean but clean air; that isn't what my windows indicate. and it's a rare day when i don't close my doors several times to lessen the smoke inside the house.

and the plaza area and the road i live on can rival downtown duma for motorcycle noise at times, especially during the evening rush hour and weekends.

i do like the coolness and agree that the people are friendly but the air (smoke and noise) depends on what area of town a person lives in.

 

When you leave Dumaguete by ferrie.....look back at the island....smoke hangs over the island.....our beach area us covered with trash . I tried to get help cleaning it up... I was told....it will be just as bad with in weeks...every one just throws garbage on the ground... it's normal here.. so many neighbors burn plastic in the trash...chokes me out so bad I have to leave my own home.. One night it was so bad I went in town and stayed at a motel over night

 

In Denmark it's my impression there is no difference of the quality of their work if you go to the public or a private hospital, have been both places, only you can go in front of the line in private if you pay. My information says Portugal have the same standard as Denmark, where Croatia still are behind

 

Croatia is not cheap anymore, it is quite expensive. Portugal is cheaper (language a bit more difficult than Spanish). I still think Canary Island is the cheapest for western lifestyle. Do not forget you get excellent health coverage for around 100 Euros / month (even over 60) in Spain. A lot of older people are concerned about that ( I am still far away from that though....)