Hi Brinley,
I think visiting first and seeing how the place feels before applying for residency is a good idea. However it’s always good to know what the residency requirements are so that if you need to bring special paperwork from home, you can come armed and ready.
I’m not familiar enough with Cuenca’s surrounding areas to know what will suit you best, but I will say that south of the river (still in Cuenca but outside of El Centro), there are lots of parks and walking areas that could fit the bill for you.
I would suggest getting in touch with my friend Dyanne of TravelnLass, who I house-sat for, and who is retired with a residency visa there. I suspect she’ll be a treasure trove of information for you! http://www.travelnlass.com/

Hey Gayle,
I’ve sent you an email about getting together. Glad you’re enjoying Cuenca!

I’m in Cuenca now, too. I’m north or El Centro but generally walk down to one of the parks or the Tomebamba every day. I’m here till the end of October, and if it doesn’t feel like an invasion of privacy, would really like to meet you (for coffee or a walk, perhaps?) before I leave. I love your blog and follow your posts carefully. I’m gently edging my way into a slow travel lifestyle and Cuenca has been a great early step for me.

Hi Nora, we have a small home in northern Ontario that works well with our current lifestyle and being retirees that permanent residence makes life easy – which is why we always recommend folks travel BEFORE they reach the big 65 – it’s SO much easier and has fewer restrictions based on health, old age, etc, blah, blah, blah! Our plans for December are a little uncertain at the moment. We may not be in Miami until February (this housesit does not have animals) which makes it more flexible. We’re certainly looking forward to your take on living in Cuenca. We’re definitely interested in experiencing it ourselves.

Hey Julie,
Yes, Ecuador overall feels pretty good as a place to hang out (I’m making no commitments larger than that at this time!).

Apparently in Cuenca, expats represent just 1% of the population, so the place isn’t overrun by expats by any stretch. There seems to be some dissension towards a type of expat in Cuenca (and possibly Ecuador as a whole); the kind who makes no attempt to integrate or appreciate the local culture/language and instead is only living here to take advantage of a lower cost of living. I haven’t seen too many of these people, as they apparently mostly live in a slightly sequestered community called “Gringolandia”. But I’ve chatted with a few expats around where I’m staying who don’t have many nice things to say about that breed of expat.
But, in a country that is relatively close to the States, with open arms and an easy emigration process for retirees, I guess it’s to be expected.

Hey Ellen,
The cost of living here in Cuenca (and I would suspect to a similar degree throughout Ecuador) is a bit mixed. Rent seems cheap (if you scout out the deals), and shopping at markets and eating the “menu of the day” for lunch at restaurants is cheap.
But then you can go to a coffee shop, and spend $3 on a latte. And it isn’t even just “gringo” places either! I had coffee at a restaurant filled with nothing but Ecuadorians, and the prices across the board were about the same as you would pay in the States.
So, like many places I guess, beware of what you spend and where, and you can live inexpensively here.
Good luck with the potential move!

Looking forward to more posts and thanks for sharing! (Also, glad to read that you are in a better place).

Hey Desiree – Welcome to Cuenca! (Like I have any ambassadorial rights to say “welcome”, but I’ll do so anyway)! 😉
I’m discovering a few places here and there….no bars as yet – I’m not much of a drinker. But some nice restaurants on the river, cafes in town, and a great Mexican place but I can’t for the life of me remember where it is! Let’s talk…