We first thought that we would like to live in Turks and Caicos, some small islands with a small population in the Bahamas. One of the things we thought we liked about it was the beach. It started out that we walked on the beach every day. Then, we walked on the beach a few times a week, then, once a month. It turned out that the beach wasn’t as important to us as we thought. If we had bought in Turks and Caicos without fully understanding this, it would have been a mistake, at least for us. (Maybe not for you, if you really love the beach.)
Later, we came down to Panama, to Boquete, to visit friends who lived here and were enthusiastic about retiring here, so their attitude influenced us. In addition, the cost of living and the lifestyle we saw in Panama were totally different than what we had in Toronto, Canada, which is where we’re from, so we decided to build a vacation home in Panama. Having a vacation home in Panama worked for us because we could visit before making the final move.
We knew more what we wanted because we had already done the beach scenario at Turks and Caicos, and even though we enjoyed it there, it became clear to us that our priorities were for golfing, the social activities in a retirement community, and the weather, so the beach started to take a second position, because we found that in Boquete, we had the things that we discovered were most important to us.
Another very important factor is the cost of living. The cost of living in Panama is much, much less than in Toronto, Canada, which you realize when you come here to Panama. This becomes an eye opener, and you think “I can come down here to Panama with my US $2,000 to $3,000 per month pension and live quite nicely.”
This is one of the reasons why, if you’re on a budget, Panama is much better than Turks and Caicos. The costs in Turks and Caicos are unbelievably high for food and other items. Everything is imported. I used to joke that when we went down to visit for two or three weeks, it felt like I had to take out a second mortgage just to finance the purchase of our groceries. I was talking with a woman yesterday who has her home on Curacao who told me that her electrical bill was something like $1,000 / month. Many of these places are very nice and have picturesque beaches, but when it comes to actually living there, when push comes to shove, it’s very, very expensive.
In Boquete, which is up in the mountains, the weather is especially nice, if you like cooler weather in the evening. Here at Tucan, in Arraijan, we’re closer to the ocean, so the weather is not as cool in the evening. We do, however, have other advantages that may appeal to you:
Some of the most common food recipes of Mexico are chiles relleno (stuffed chiles), enchiladas, tacos, chicken soup, scrambled eggs, and hotcakes (pancakes), beans, rice, spaghetti, carne asada, salads, etc. These are the kinds of food that you would normally have in a Mexican home. In Mexican homes, normally, the women do the cooking. The women also do the cleaning but you could also get a housekeeper to do all the cleaning for you..png)
Although you might see a few people riding horses, horseback riding is not big here in Belize. 
The best place in the world to retire is a very difficult question to answer, because everyone’s needs, likes, and even their budget are different. Given that, I can still give you our experience, which may be helpful by example, even though your specifics will be different. 
The mosquitoes and other insects are not that bad here in Algarve. We are not Florida and we are not Central America. Anyone who is accustomed to living in those places would find Algarve to be a welcomed relief. We clearly do get some flies and mosquitoes in the summer but they are not at the epidemic level. Some houses here have pools so sometimes mosquitoes breed in the water and we have to swat them away but it’s not a big deal. People here often get wax candles that have a...
A bridge. Some hills. A river. Interesting? Taken individually, maybe not so much. But wait! If you can find all three together, then you almost have a match made in heaven. I say almost. Now if you throw in a town, then – and only then – you have attained nirvana!
At the edge of the Atlantic, which a persuasive current has aided the migration of Europeans to cleave the Isthmus of Panama for the Canal, and now mid- stream central to the modern jet route along the north/south latitude of the Latin regions, Manual Baruco is in the perfect position to contemplate his country’s position in the world. Jet Metier also discovers that Manuel could be also considered an all- American boy. 
