What's your dream place when you retire?

After working for most of our lives, we get the prize of retirement, when we don’t have to rush to work or meet deadlines. Even though we might dread retirement, each one of us has an idea, a fantasy, or a wish for a perfect place to retire  to relax and enjoy life and do the things we never had time to do before.

Senator Loren Legarda

I want a place by the water, somewhere serene and clean, a place where I can have quiet time alone or spend moments to relax with my children but still commune with nature, far from the noise and air pollution of city life, but still accessible by my family and friends. I want a place where I can take my time to bring out the artist in me and let the creative juices spill out in the form of a poetry, a memoir, or a painting, because I want to paint and write when I retire but as to when that will be, only God knows.

Mary Jane Ortega, former San Fernando, La Union Mayor

Of course La Union, between the mountains and the deep blue China Sea.

Rep. Zenaida Benedicto Angping, 3rd district of Manila

No matter how far one has gone in life, despite all the accomplishments and successes one has achieved, after years of overcoming struggles and losing battles, one always feels the earnest desire to come home when the time comes to retire. For me, that place is Dapdap, my grandparents’ farm in Leyte.I can still vividly remember those much-awaited visits every summer and Christmas vacations. Those carefree days when life was so simple, so peaceful and so blissful. How I look forward to someday feeling the cool sea breeze on my face as I wake up in the morning, to take leisurely rides on a carabao-drawn carriage along the mountain sides, to walk far out of the beach during low tide to partake of the exquisite seashells that the waves leave behind, to take afternoon naps beside the streams and waterfalls and dream of fairies and nymphs playing in the forest. These are the treasures of my youth which I wish I will have the chance to return to later on in my life and also share with my children and grandchildren. For me, retirement is a blessing, an opportunity for us to complete our life story. For some it is a chance to reward ourselves for all our hard work, a time to repay those whom they’ve wronged, the chance to finally do the things we were not able to do in our younger years. As for myself, I would like to spend mine reliving the times that brought me much happiness and peace. To be in a place of purity and simplicity where I can give thanks to God and ask for His forgiveness.

Mia Borromeo, editor at large, Philippine Tatler

My life is so full right now that the idea of retirement is a very distant concept!  However, when the day to retire does come around, I would love to be in a home surrounded by all the things I love, including some quiet space, lots of fresh air and a beautiful, lush garden filled with ferns of every kind.

Carol Esposo Espiritu, communications consultant

Given just the right amount to live by, I have no qualms about leaving Metro Manila to live simply in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon where my grandfather Ian Macgregor lived and worked in the halcyon days. I would still want to link to the world and to old friendships through the Internet.  I would still love to travel and keep the occasional company of kith and kin.  But the ultimate  reward for me is to have the joy of quiet time on demand, waking up to cool surroundings, picking vegetables and fruits from my garden,  and having long nature walks at sundown with two dogs in tow.  Impossible fantasy or not, life after all feeds on dreams.   

Millie Reyes, president and CEO of The Plaza

My dream place to retire is actually my most favorite place in the world, Panglao Beach. It’s not just any beach. It’s my beach. It’s a place I go back to every year for even just a few days or a week. There I find peace and tranquility. I get re-energized. It is there that I am able to commune with nature. My beach speaks to me when I’m looking for answers. A beautiful rainbow pops up to give me hope. The stars in the sky shine during dark nights. The full moon mirrors itself in the water as it beams. The high tide has a calming effect on me. The low tide makes me appreciate the abundance at bottom of the sea. The waves bring me great joy. Life is simple. Precious. A blessing. The beach is my spiritual desert.

Monchet Olives, social entrepreneur and consultant

I have always imagined myself being a Madrileño, and living in Madrid  simply my favorite city in the world. I make it a point to go yearly and feel the vibe. The pace of the city, given its peripatetic food, and culture scene,  contrasted with the laid back Hispanic attitude is a perfect blend for someone looking at a change of scene. Madrid is centrally located in Europe   an hour or so by plane or trains to other European destinations  weekends in other cities with no hassle. Madrid provides that idyllic blend for the dilettante in me. The wanderlust Madrid evokes excitement in those waning years  cosmopolitan, but very Manila... a sense of connection, familiarity...but there will always be home, the Philippines, for creature comforts. Madrid may be my formula for staying young, but the Philippines will always feed my soul.

Florence Ko, owner, Furnitalia

I would still choose to retire in the Philippines because what matters most is what I’d do when I’m retired.  One thing that I would be doing during my retirement is to travel and visit my dream place, but my home is and always will be the Philippines.

Rina Go, businesswoman

Tagaytay...my family has been spending weekends there for the past 40 years.  The fresh produce, the wet market, open fruit stands are inspiring when I develop recipes for Nic’s Bakeshop.  It’s quiet time to read and catch up on important details.

Marife B. Zamora, Convergys executive

I dream about retiring and living lavishly pretty much anywhere on the planet.  But after some fanciful musing and intellectual deduction, the Philippines will remain my dream place to retire.   I am not ready to give up my Makati neighborhood with its wide array of cultures and lifestyles. Make it happen.  Make it Makati.  If I want to enjoy the laidback vibe, I can just pack up my bags and fly to Ticao and Burias Islands of Masbate.  These islands are paradise for water lovers.  Leisure time revolves around the towns, which boast white sand beaches, historical  churches  and waterfront promenades. I can live in an old Spanish house or on a sprawling ranch.  It’s truly more fun here.   

Rep. Tom Apacible, 1st district, Batangas

My dream place to retire would be wherever I could be together with my whole family and some close friends when I retire. There are so many beautiful places on earth but one will not enjoy any of them for long if you can not share it with people you are comfortable to be with.

Evelyn Forbes, EVP, Pacific Carpet Mills Corporation

I doubt I will ever retire. It’s an attitude. There is always work to be done, so essentially, I am already living in my dream place...home. Not perfect, but nothing like it.

Rev. Fr. Roy M. Rosales

I was born under the Zodiac sign of Aquarius and so I like going to the beach. My dream place to retire is a cottage by the beach most particularly in Isla Naburot, an islet near Guimaras, a true paradise where there is no electricity, no telephone, no newspaper. Only fresh air, abundance of fish, a place of peace and quiet where you will only sleep, eat, swim, read, snorkel and of course pray  la dolce vita! My, just thinking about it, I want to retire now.