Gringos in Paradise: An American Couple Builds Their Retirement Dream House in a Seaside Village in Mexico (Hardcover)

by Barry Golson (Author)
Key Phrases: walled lot, hilltop lot, Puerto Vallarta, San Pancho, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
After a career in publishing (as executive editor of Playboy and TV Guide), Golson decided it was time to plan for retirement. With a modest nest egg and an urge for sunshine and adventure, he and his wife traveled Mexico researching American retirees for an AARP article that eventually won a Lowell Thomas award and became the seed for this funny and practical book. On impulse, Golson and his wife also bought land in their favorite spot, the Mexican seaside village of Sayulita. Returning to build their home, they realized their cliffside property was impractical; with the remainder of their savings, they bought more land and started their dream house. As with most home-building sagas, they faced obstacles (permit hassles, contractors who backed out) and made errors (the staircase didn't reach the roof) but, magically, the house was ready when the extended family arrived for Thanksgiving. In the end, the house-building process became their vehicle for cultural transplantation; by the time their home was finished, the Golsons knew a lot more about Mexican village life and felt totally comfortable with their new neighbors. (Nov.)
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Review
"Gringos in Paradise is well-written and exceedingly entertaining, full of rich anecdotes and plainspoken advice. Moving and hliarious." -- AARP Magazine

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (November 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743276353
• ISBN-13: 978-0743276351
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #115,874 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #60 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Travel
  #61 in	Books > Business & Investing > Personal Finance > Retirement Planning
  #64 in	Books > Travel > Latin America > Mexico

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a boomer anthem, December 20, 2006

By	Robin Wolaner (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you know anything about our generation, you will appreciate Barry Golson's honesty in dealing with facts many of us will face: changed career prospects after 50, inadequate retirement savings, change in spousal relationship after the kids move out, desire for a different way of life. The book moves along at an engrossing pace. I wish he had been a little more explicit about the finances, but I'm a numbers gal, basically I had no complaints. A must-read.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Retiring in another country, February 19, 2007

By	ndenim (OH USA) - See all my reviews

Following in the footprints of other authors that have bought homes in other countries, the author, Barry Golson, shares his adventures in relocating to Mexico. Mr. Golson wrote an article for AARP Magazine about American retirees in Mexico. While there, he and his wife, Thia, were so taken with the Pacific Coast area that they bought a lot for building a future home.

When he and his wife semi retired, they headed south to Mexico to build their dream home. This book is the story of their first year adjusting to their new life and neighbors while building their house. Even though I'm not a numbers person, I, too, would have liked to see more figures just to have a ballpark idea of the costs involved in making a similar move at this point in time.

The book is great for anyone considering relocating to Mexico. We're not, but it is still an enjoyable read of the adventures and challenges of adjusting to a new home and culture.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read if Living With Mexico, March 20, 2007

By	J. Griffin (Sonoma County, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An excellant book on living with Mexico, not in an American 'compound'. Inforamative on the need to adjust expectation to a different style of living. Mexico isn't ... (anywhere in the US), and you shouldn't expect things to work the same way.

A must read.