Sharleen, (just saw u posted) I have read your posts on retirement and I think you should look into Nicaragua for retirement. You can take your dog like Belize. Nice coasts Pacific and Caribbean also an ex pat community. Corn Islands have a lot of the same things as Negril did years ago.

PS traveling to Belize since 1994

skyjuice, I can you email me: ja4shar8@aol.com I have been looking into Nicaguara also -- Corn Island and Little Corn Island intrigue me, but I hear the weather there can be rainy a lot of the time. Jamaica is my number 1 choice for retirement, at least five months out of the year, but it is a pain in the neck not to be able to bring my dog or dog(s) when I leave my home. My kids godfather used to be a 100% lover of Jamaica but became disillusioned after his good German friend was murdered up in the hills & his Jamaican friends son was killed by a hit a run driver in Green Island.. him "done wid Jamaica" his island of choice is now Dominica, where he could fly his dogs in "no problem".
I am only into getting out of my area for five months out of the year on a continual basis, I LOVE where I live & have a beautiful two acre piece of land where I grow all kinds of things. The weather from November to March is horrific though, snow, ice, huge oil heat bills, etc.
I have pared down my lifestyle from five dogs to one dog!