'Atlantida-why not?' Retirement

Atlantida-why not?

I don't like crowds, traffic, noise or crime & will be living simply on a budget. Atlantida is close to MV & has lower property prices. It looks beautiful. Any thoughts/ideas about this small town? Anyone living there full or part time?

Does Atlantida have a tourist office? Can you get

there from the MV airport on the Punta bus? Are there any English speaking real estate agents?

Thank you for your help.

Candy

The smaller the towns the more difficult it will be to find an English speaking real estate agent. I think the newspaper is the best place to start looking and also signs on property.

You might find someone to help you with the Spanish.

Also, make sure 100% of the papers are in order before you buy a property. Don't accept that you can get the papers done after you buy the property for $x.

I don't find Montevideo to be a problem with crowds, traffic (usually), crime, or noise (if you get a place on a non-bus route). Compared to other "big" cities there is very little siren noise... but compared to Atlantida, Montevideo is probably very loud.

I think you'll find Atlantida, Piraopolis, Punta del Este to be very different during the high season and the rest of the year so I would recommend you rent for at least a year to get a good feel for it before you are committed.

If you are looking for an english speaking real estate agent I will be glad to recomend one

Good luck and I hope that you"ll love Atlantida as much as I do

sincerely

Marcos

If one lived in a beach house, what type of weather can they expect from March to December, or more specifically are they going to get a lot of damp, cold, wall penetrating wet wind that leaves windows with a salty film? Maybe it is best to live a few blocks away from the beach?

Atlantida looks on paper to be preferred over Punta del Este as the local taxes are lower and it is less crowded in Jan-March. Alantida is also a shorter drive to Montevideo for your medical care. Does this perception meet with reality?

I also wonder if the ocean water is a clearer blue or does it still have the brownish hue that is present closer to Montevideo?

BTW, the water around Atlantida is still somewhat brownish -- but clean.

In Montevideo the heating season for the winter usually starts about May 1... so you'll be heading home just as it is getting cold. When looking at properties keep an eye out for the heating system, weather striping, etc...

Candy,

My mother just retired in Atlantida, so I've spent the past two years looking at properties there and checking out the services and the scene in general. She chose it over Piriapolis because it is closer to Montevideo. I just got back from a visit and was surprised to see a large expat community there (mostly German and English speaking). But most Uruguayans are very receptive to people from other cutlures (especially Europeans), so I wouldn't confine myself to the expat community.

I wouldn't recommend Punta del Este. It's definitely not for a simple life on a small budget. I think Atlantida is the best for a semiminimalist lifestyle because as you said you are close to Montevideo and can ride the bus there for most of your needs. I don't think Punta has much of a local culture. It was developed mostly by Argentinean and Brazilian tourists. It's also depressing during the winter because the ratio of permanent residents to visitors is very skewed.

Regarding Atlantida, I think if you dislike crowds and traffic you should avoid the downtown area (Artigas Street and the area between Artigas and Playa Mansa, as it fills with tourists during high season). Eden Rock is a nice neighborhood and a lot more quiet yet only ten blocks from the center of town.

There are three buses that go into the town from Montevideo: 710, 222, and C4. I believe they all stop by the airport, but please confirm that. They won't take big suitcases, but a medium size one will be OK. They all go through the center of town and continue to the east through Diagonal Este, so if you live in the Eden Rock neighborhood you can have good access to transportation. There are two tourist information offices, one near the highway and one in the center of town.

I visit Uruguay once a year and have found that the weather changes a lot, but it is rarely too cold. If you are planning to buy close to the beach, check out the insulation and doors/windows of the house because it can get windy. The river water (it is technically an estuary, but so wide that is looks like a sea, so Uruguayans call it "el mar") changes depending on weather conditions. It can be brownish with rough waters, mostly because the waves stir up a lot of sand, or very green and clear on calm days. It's generally very clean.

I'm afraid I don't know any English-speaking real estate agents, but there are a couple of agencies with pages in English, so I imagine they must also speak it. Once you identify a property you will need an "escribano." Escribanos are professionals whose roles are somewhat similar to those of a notary public and escrow companies combined. Do not let the real estate agent suggest an escribano. Get your own so you can be sure that they are impartial when they research the property's history and gather the documentation.

Could you send more info about activities for retirees? I'd like to get my mom connected with other people her age.

Thanks.

Ever since 1900 many things in the world changed, both in the old continent and in modern America. The big cities began to get overcrowded, the wars and migration movements reshaped society.

The time to satisfy needs other than basic emerged in the life of men and tourism was just one result.

Atlántida was part of these changes. Ever since its remote origins, it was the main ground for many Uruguayan families from Montevideo to start building their weekend houses.

• www.welcomeuruguay.com/atlantida/citytour-around-atlantida.h...

Too many Americans still watching US News and reading conspiracy theory websites

Too many Americans talking about making organic farms and not doing anything

It is traditionally, a beach town, a vacation town, a tourist spot. Too many Americans complaining about the tourist on high season.

I gave some thought to settling in the Atlantida area when I first arrived in 2005 as it offers the various advantages stated above but I consider myself to be overcrowded if there is another dwelling within a kilometer of me so I decided on a small but productive farm in rural east Colonia instead. I've been a part-time farmer for most of my working life and I know the difficulties involved with trying to grow field crops organically so I apply the evil chemicals and sell my over-priced produce to the Chinese :-)

There are very few ex-pats down here (mostly Argentinians) so my Spanish has improved, I've made local friends and have generally got involved in the local community. I avoid all the misery I used to feel about the mad eedyots who rule this world by not having a TV set and strenuously avoiding any sort of foreign "news."

I reckon that ostriches have it right and there is a lot to be said for burying your head in the sand... or in my case medium heavy clay :-)

And you are going there to visit in 2009? Time travel? ;-)

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