Playa Del Carmen

I recently received this email from my friend, Sharon. She just retired and she’s  doing all the smart things: She did her research. She took a short trip to Playa Del Carmen. Now she’s back and planning a longer six-month stay. Sharon’s email is insightful and she’s been kind enough to allow me to share it with you.

Hi, Barbie! I am now officially retired as of 7/01/09. I went to  to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico in November 08 after we e-mailed. My sister went with me and we had a wonderful time!We looked for a condo to rent this year and found one. We are going back 11/1/09 and want to stay until 4/30/10. I have tried to remember all the important things I need to do for a 6 month stay and wondered if you could tell me if there is a need for a Visa if we stay 6 months in addition to the passport. We also need to buy inexpensive furniture as it is not furnished.

Would you know of any places you could recommend for that?

We are planning to leave the furniture for the 6 months we return to the states and return there the following year again. I am not sure about permanent retirement there until we see how we like it this time for 6 months. We plan on going to many different places from Playa Del Carmen and checking things out. I have verified my health insurance will cover me there and resolved the prescription issues for a vacation exception to get 6 months to take with us. Any advice or info you can give me would be greatly appreciated!The other thing I was wondering about was the location of the nearest Catholic church in Playa Del Carmen.  We’ll be staying just off the other side of 307 .It’s about 10-15 min. from the shopping district. It’s a new development and it has a private beach 5 minutes from the condo.

After 61 years of Maine winters and 28 snow storms just last winter alone I am so looking forward to this. :)

Thanks again. Sharon

Rood stand

 Here is my reply to Sharon about

Playa del Carmen:

Hi Sharon:  Glad you took your sister with you!  Bet you had a ball!

You are absolutely right: you will need your passport – and make sure its valid date exceeds or meets the date you plan to return to the States.

Then, as a U.S. resident – I’m assuming – You will also need a Tourist Card (permit) and it will be good for 180 days – important – that does not mean 181 days!!!  You must enter the States before midnight on the 180th day!!! NO Excuses!!! :)

The tourist card (permit) –will be taken care of at the border crossing port of entry or on the airplane, ship, etc.  Just do as Dick and I did in my book, Retire In Luxury – follow the line or do as the airline steward or official at the port of entry instructs you to do. Remember:  Do not enter Mexico without your permit.

You will decide on:  either a Non Immigrant Permit – visit Mexico and then leave Mexico (What you’ll want) ,  or an Immigrant Permit – permanent residence in Mexico.  Either way, you do not give up your natural citizenship to receive these statuses.

For a short stay of 6 months or less you may want to consider the FMT  visa (short term non-immigrant visa for stays 6 months or less.)

Or you might want to consider a FM3 (long term non-immigrant visa for more than 6 months which gives non-immigrant temporary residency status to the holder.  In my book, I call this the “permanent visitor” permit.) Most retirees opt for the FM3.

The furniture situation – that’s a tough one – maybe try to buy some used. Or, try Gringo Furniture ( 1-866-600-1186). I have not used them, but I have heard good reports about them. Might be an easy way to accomplish a big project!

You were wondering about the nearest Catholic Church. There is one in the Colosio neighborhood in Playa del Carmen. It’s called Parroquia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe.  Father Bernard Quinn may still be the priest there. I believe the services are in Spanish.  The church is not air conditioned. I don’t think you’ll find many that are in Mexico, but the ventilation is good.  It’s the corner of 15th Ave and 12th Street.

Best to you, Barbie

Hi Folks,  It’s been a long hot summer, and I had a knee replacement!  And I’m doing great!  I did have it done in the States.  Medicare, you know :) 

Well anyway, I’ve had so many questions about dental service in Mexico, so here’s a rather long diary entry about my latest adventures in Mexico.

About two weeks ago, I had my front tooth (which had already been root-canaled and capped years ago) break right off – post and all – I was guilty of eating a peanut-butter on white bread sandwich (something I allow myself about once every 3 years)… so apparently, it was just the tooth’s time.

 So…made an appointment with – not the pink dentist – thought I’d try the more expensive one in Mexico, just to see how they were…Rubio and his clinica.  So, down we went – and of course, not like the $1,000-plus prices in the states, the tooth could be recapped for $350.

On that trip the dentist at that clinic prepped the tooth, and sent me home with a temporary tooth and an appointment.  Then, the very next day my top-right-bridge lost about an inch of the porcelain. Meaning:  I had a gapping black hole in my mouth! LOL

So back to Algodones, Mexico. My 5-tooth lower bridge was being supported by only three teeth – which is excellent – but when they took the bridge off, the middle tooth had so much decay that it would no longer support the bridge. No problem. Transplants are available at $1600 each plus by this time the teeth involved would have to be recapped @ $450 each.

Needless to say, I had lots of work done that day. Temporaries were put in, so I looked okay; the big black gap was gone, but I would have to wait even for the extraction of the decayed tooth because now Rubio was going on a three-week vacation!  Oh no!

They also gave me another option that would be no transplants, and fix up the uppers for a total of $1650 – and it would be okay – oh, that also involved a removable partial – on top – didn’t sound too good to me.

And so… back home again, to ponder the choices we had.

So on our next visit to Algodones, we wondered around and stopped in several dentists just asking the prices of a cap. Varies from $100 up.  Somehow we found one who was very interested – we just sort of hit it off – Gator Dentist Group -  and they said there were other solutions – so, an exam, some suggestions – they say the bridge can be supported without a transplant – sounding interesting and it just would involve nine caps, including the bridge all tied together – for $1350!  Now it’s sounding like a bargain.

We ate, then took a nap in the parking lot of Cracker Barrel and headed back south of the border.

We were there at 7:55 p.m.  At least lots of lights were left on at the dentist’s office, but no one in site.  Eventually, after much pounding on the door, the lab-assistant (no speak English) came to the door – at 8:15 p.m., I finally managed to slip a note under the door so the assistant could give to the doctors when they showed up, telling them that we would be back in the morning to get the teeth placed.  But, the assistant kept trying to contact the dentists on three different cell phones that were on the desk – shuffling papers around, looking desperate – because these two apparent Americans wanted something he didn’t understand.

At about  8:25 p.m. – by this time Dad was fuming and I kept saying – you know it’s Mexico – they will show up – finally down the street came a big SUV and the two doctor’s rushed out of it – they had been at a restaurant enjoying music (which we could hear as we had been standing on the sidewalk) and they forgot the time – so Mexican!!!

 So, no problem – neither of them had had a drink – I checked that out with my super sniffer. And in we went, the teeth were “almost ready” – at 9:45 we said – no more “almost” – take us to the border – we’ll be back in the morning when they have time to fit them correctly.  By this time, we have a full-complement of office staff – the gal at the desk – one who was English speaking – the lab assistant, the two doctors, another guy – don’t know what he was doing – and Dick and me.  So, the gal at the desk took us to the border in a golf cart (these are getting popular down there, as the town grows) and we got across with 4 minutes to spare :P )  And an appointment to come back in the morning.

Which we did – and the teeth were ready- and look good – just hope it works.  By this time, after so much pleasure about how beautiful the teeth look, etc, we – the doc and I started talking – well – trying to – about what could be done to my bottom teeth – I do hate the partial…and so, they figured out the options that could be done there.

 The most amazing solution was to tie 14 crowns together and that would support several added “floating crowns” in the rear of each side of my mouth.

Now, I haven’t had teeth (other than that darn bridge) in the back of my mouth for years! So this was sounding pretty great – The cost – an additional $2100.  Darn, Dick, we shouldn’t have paid for that cruise!!!!!   But, after much thinking, and by about 12 noon, and some bargaining of course – and bargaining is not something you usually do with a dentist – We arrived at $1800, and they would start right away – and…oh dear – we would come back later in the day – this time around 6 p.m., and they would be ready to place the bottom teeth……at least that gives us 4 hours leeway!

Okay – let’s do it.  Oh – by the way- Happy Birthday Day, Barb! …and happy anniversary, Christmas, etc., etc… :)

So, all my – my only about two years old – caps were removed – sidebar – Richard, Steve, Chris – you probably don’t remember, but most of my teeth problems started when Chris as about four years old and he and I were swimming at JoAnn’s – next door to us on Tremont.  I was acting silly and started swimming like Aquaman – he was on t.v. then – Chris though it was funny – not a good idea to swim with your arms straight down at your side and your head leading the way – I smashed into the bottom of the pool and came up minus my four front teeth….they broke off – luckily not into the root – and since then, it’s been dentist, dentist, dentist…

Anyway – So, the caps came off and things were prepared and I was sent off with a bottom mouth full of temporaries – to spend several hours up north again and come back at 6 p.m. – when the teeth would be ready :)

Dad and I went back to the States and ate at a buffet – I had no problem chewing, suprisingly.  Then, we still had time, so we decided instead of fretting, we’d just go to a casino – luckily we almost came out even there – we had never signed up for their “club” – so they gave us $15 to play with.  We did.  We both at least got relaxed a bit.

Then, back south – we were there at 5:30 p.m.  The dentists were actually there!!!! And the teeth WERE almost ready!  After just a while, they were glued in – by this time, I had shared my website with them, www.retireinluxury.com, and we checked over their website and we were all getting to be pretty good buddies ;)

So, by George!  Around 7, they drove us again to the border (it’s only about 3 blocks) and we easily made it back across – me with a pretty sore mouth.

A three-hour drive and we were home – exhausted!  Oh – the one night we did spend in Yuma – we have before, stayed at a Comfort Inn, about $90, and a Super 8, about $70 and both very nice, and a Days Inn (free breakfast) for $60.  This time, we had been talking with an older lady and her husband last time we were down, at the dentist’s office and they said they had stayed in the Motel 6 for $40 – and it was clean!  So, we tried the Motel 6 – there are two Motel 6’s in Yuma, just blocks from each other – one was $50, the other, the one we stayed in was, tax included, $42.  And the bath, especially, was spotless…no breakfast – just coffee – and it’s right behind the – think it was the Denny’s.