Planning your first trip to Hot Springs Village as a potential retiree is an exciting opportunity to experience the community’s amenities, lifestyle, and natural beauty firsthand. Here are some recommendations to help you get the most out of your visit and make an informed decision about retirement in Hot Springs Village.
Set An Expectation For The Trip
Some people have a casual interest in HSV. Others are more serious, looking to decide on the near term. Figure out where you are in the journey and plan accordingly.
What’s the goal of this first trip? Sit down, talk about it, agree on it, and write it down.
Permit yourself to change your mind once you experience the Village, but it’s wise to have a plan going in. Pursue your ideal outcome – figure out the best scenario possible and what that might look and feel like. Chase that.
Again, new information (and new feelings) can always change it, so permit yourself to change your mind. But, make up your mind in advance what you most want to accomplish with this first trip. Whatever you decide will be fine.
Here are just a few questions that may help:
What are the top 3 things we want to find out during our trip?
What are the top 3 things we most want to experience before we go home?
Who can help us make the most of our time?
Lastly, on this point, make notes during your stay of the questions you have that you didn’t bring with you.
Figure Out Where You’ll Stay
Don’t stay in Hot Springs. There’s nothing wrong with Hot Springs, but if you’re making this trip to investigate HSV as your retirement destination, then stay inside Hot Springs Village.
Is it just you and a spouse? Are you alone?
Then head over to Airbnb and search “Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.” Pay close attention to each listing to be sure it’s inside the Village. If you’re unsure, check before you book it.
Look for a location that has all the amenities you want, but then focus on the detailed description of the area. Do you want to stay on a golf course? Ensure the listing is located on the golf course and not adjacent to it. Do you want to stay in a lakefront listing? Make sure. And if you’re going to stay on one of the four largest lakes, then make sure the listing is on one of them and not one of the much smaller lakes. The four largest are, in descending order of size: Lake Balboa (944 acres), Lake Coronado (380), Lake Cortez (245), and Lake DeSoto (200).
Depending on how you answered step 1 – setting your expectation, then get as specific as necessary. If your goal is to investigate living on a particular golf course, then try to find a listing on that golf course. If your goal is to examine residing on a specific lake, find a listing on that lake.
But it may be you want to figure those things out. That’s okay, pick a place that suits your ideal outcome as your home base while you’re here. That’ll help you learn more about that place or another place similar – a golf course or a lake.
You may want to split your time between a couple of places to gain multiple experiences. Keep in mind that most listings are going to require a stay of 2 or more nights, so if your trip is severely restricted, this might be impractical. Hopefully, you can give yourself 3 nights or longer. Longer is better because I guarantee you’ll develop new questions once you drive inside the gates. Lean into your curiosity.
Develop A Plan To Achieve Your Ideal Outcome For This Visit
I can’t stress it enough – ask for help. It’s free and without obligation. I’ll repeat what I often say: call Ike Eisenhauer, Ken and Laurie Henderson, and Rick Marshall. Ike owns Ike Eisenhauer State Farm, and Ken, Laurie, and Rick all work at McGraw Realtors of HSV. Yes, they’re sponsors of this show, but that’s got nothing to do with calling them. Call them because they’ll happily help you by offering their perspective and help. They all live here and work here. They won’t try to sell you anything…except maybe Hot Springs Village. They sponsor this show because they love the Village as much as I do, and they want me to be able to provide this content without ever making any member of the audience pay. They’re strong ambassadors for Hot Springs Village, and they’ll save you a boatload of time and effort. Plus, they’ll become some of your new HSV contacts in your phone.
Here are their numbers:
Ike – (501) 984-4100
Ken and Laurie – (501) 276-3018
Rick – (501) 601-7425 (RICK)
Do you want to look at houses to see what’s on the market right now?
Do you want to find out what kind of outdoor activities are available? Think golf, tennis, pickleball, hiking, and boating?
Do you want to narrow down an area to live? Do you want to figure out what you most want in a house?
What’s essential for you to figure out while you’re here?
Develop a plan to get the answers you need. Begin, as I’ve encouraged you, by asking WHO? Who can best help you?
Ike has lived here for almost 30 years. Built a thriving insurance agency and raised his family here. He’s got a unique perspective to help answer those questions.
Ken and Laurie live here. Laurie grew up here.
Rick Marshall has lived on Lake DeSoto for several years, marking his first experience with lakefront living.
If these folks don’t fit the bill of your WHO, then find somebody else.
Schedule It
Make those connections in advance of your trip. Don’t wait until you’re here. Line it up. Call them and tell them when you’re planning to visit. Set the appointments so you can make the most of your time and theirs. Be respectful, but don’t be bashful. Be honest and tell them your level of interest. It’s fine to say to them you’re just kicking the tires on whether or not HSV is right for you.
Tell them what you most would like to figure out and ask them if they can recommend others for you to talk with. Line up those appointments.
Do you want to play golf while you’re here? Ask your Airbnb hosts to help you arrange that. Book your tee times well in advance. Play whatever courses suit you.
Do you want to get out on a boat on one of the lakes? Again, suppose you’re staying on a lake – ask your Airbnb host if they have kayaks available or some other boat available. You’ll find them helpful in arranging whatever activity you want. That includes tennis, pickleball, or anything else.
Are there specific clubs you’d like to check out while you’re here? Maybe they don’t have any scheduled meetings during your visit – no worries. Reach out to them anyway. See if you can meet in person to find out more about their club. We’ve posted a link to a downloadable PDF made available by the POA – it’s over in our Facebook group. If you can’t find it, reach out to me at , and I’ll send it to you.
Maybe you enjoy spontaneity – that’s fine, but I strongly encourage you to forego that as much as possible for this first visit because I want you to make the most of this first trip.
Calendar all this. Set an appropriate timeframe for your planned activities. Include meals at the places you know you want to experience. Dine in as many places inside the Village as possible, IF that’s important to you. Dine in as many places nearby as possible if that’s important. Warning: You may find yourself falling for a place or two and wanting to return. Go for it. Do whatever suits you, but make sure you check out as many places as you wish.
Be sure to check the 10-day forecast. There’s a link on our website where you’ll find it. Don’t book golf on a day where the rain chances are 90%. Make your calendar reflect the predicted weather. Just understand that these predictions are not 100% accurate, but they’re better than planning blindly.
Make Adjustments Before You Arrive
Review your goals, plans, and calendar. Do you want to change something? Then do it. This goes back to permitting yourself to change your mind.
Some people book 3 nights, then decide they’d like to stay 5. While that might not be possible where you originally booked, it might be. If not, it just allows you to experience a different place.
Are there any changes you want to make to your calendar before you arrive?
Make Adjustments During Your Trip
Last year, a couple visited the Village for the first time. They wanted to look at houses, but firmly announced that they had no plans to purchase or make an offer while they were there. Things changed. They found a home that ideally suited them, made an offer, and it was accepted. All in one visit.
You may find yourself wanting to adjust in real time while you’re here. Please do it. Don’t hesitate.
Maybe you’ll tour some houses with a realtor, only to get some ideas of what houses here are like. What happens if you find one that’s perfect for you? I hope you’ll make the proper adjustments if you want to.
Suppose you play a specific golf course because it’s what you had on the calendar, but you love it and want to play it again. Please do it.
You can go where your interests (and curiosity and feelings) take you. Adapt and adjust accordingly. That’ll help you make the most of the experience. We don’t want you to return home with regrets. Okay, you may regret having to leave and go home, but we can’t help you with that.
Enjoy All The Post-Trip Discussions, Thoughts, Feelings, and Dreams
This much is sure: you will have a lot to think about and discuss after you exit the gates.
Brace yourself for LOTS of conversations and strong feelings. Lean into them and make note of the things you still would love to learn. Forward those to me. I’ll help you. Please forward them to the folks you met while you’re here. They’ll help you.
The number of people in your contact list should be much larger than before your visit. Please don’t be shy to ask them. Get answers to your questions. This is a big decision, and you deserve to get it right. We all want you to get it right.
Be Thankful You Found (and visited) Hot Springs Village
No matter what decisions you make, be thankful you found the Village. Even if it becomes a regular or irregular place you visit and not your retirement home, be grateful because I guarantee you’ll find it refreshing and beautiful.
Keep dreaming and chasing whatever your retirement dream looks like. Hopefully, your visit will spark more visits. If not, it may spark a decision to move on and look elsewhere. Either way, you win. And winning in retirement is the name of the game.
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