It’s the people, the climate, the charming streets, the healthy lifestyle, and dozens of other traits that makes this country First in the world for that most important of rankings.

Faithful reader, allow me to present the unrivaled Best Place in the World to Retire…

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Special Alert: The Best Retirement Haven in the World
By Eoin Bassett
Managing Editor, International Living Magazine

We’re constantly on the lookout for those countries around the world where you can live cheaper, enjoy better weather, pay less tax, be healthier, happier… where you can start a new life, start a business, retire…

But which country is best of all?

That’s the question we answer in this month’s issue of International Living magazine with our 2011 Global Retirement Index.

Every year we take masses of facts and figures, crunch them, mull them over, and then—for that unique ingredient—we go to our far-flung team of experts and editors to get their judgment. These guys know what life is like on the ground…and they have years of experience to draw on to make their calls.

And we have this year’s winner…a champion among the world’s best places to retire. A country that scores high marks in every one of the categories we use.

For the third year running, our winner is Ecuador.

“No matter where you choose to live in this country, there is no better place on earth to discover the simple abundance of health, tranquillity, adventure, and beauty,” explains expat Patricia Farmer, in this month’s issue.

For Douglas Willis and his wife Lisa, the Old-World feel and quality of the health care make Ecuador special. “In our experience, the health care is superior in almost every way to the U.S.,” reports Douglas in this special September issue.

“Doctors here are more accessible and hands-on, seem to really care about their patients and are very well-trained and qualified. There are a number of new medical facilities that rival anything available in the U.S.”

But the best thing about Ecuador is the cost of living. For less than $600 a month a couple can live well here…and $1,200 a month gets you a luxurious lifestyle.

The low costs create options you just don’t have in most other places. Like two homes for the cost of one. As Dan Prescher reveals on page 16 of this month’s issue, a total of just $120,000 can buy you both a beachfront condo and a mountain home… a rich man’s retirement, indeed….

But Ecuador’s not your only choice.

There are a total of 23 top retirement havens in the world. There’s something to recommend each one. Some have the ideal climate, others the cheapest real estate. Our winner scores highest in cost of living, but our runner up has the best special benefits for retirees…and where is the healthiest place to live?

You can learn everything you need to know about the best retirement haven in the world…and get the ratings and rankings in every category for every other country in our 2011 Global Retirement Index… in your latest issue of International Living magazine.
Of course, that’s not all that’s in IL magazine. You’ll also learn about…

The Updated Panama Owner’s Manual

How to Live the Caribbean Dream…for Less

How to Escape to Wine Country

Learn all about retiring in France

The Ultimate Portfolio for Triple Digit Returns: Global Real Estate Investing Made Easy

Buying Your Own Second Home In The Sun

And much more!

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Yet the “what-ifs” can be paralyzing. What if I’m single? What if I can’t speak Spanish? What if I don’t meet other people with my interests?

Spend too much time worrying and fretting, and you’ll never head for better shores.

The reality is: A move abroad need not be overwhelming. Not when you ease into a smooth and comfortable transition.

And you can when you choose a place that’s welcoming and arrive with the right contacts…

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Panama’s Casco Viejo is the oldest city on the Pacific Coast of the Americas. A few hundred years ago, several fires destroyed most of the colonial buildings. That’s why so few true examples of Spanish colonial architecture exist today.

This part of the city, the so-called “second city,” is steeped in history, with a real sense of tradition. See what Jessica found there, below.

Music, History, Art: A Day in Colonial Panama City

Guest post By Jessica Ramesch

It’s Jazz Festival “free day” in Casco Viejo. Every year, a week of concerts all over the city culminates here, with a free concert to beat all free concerts. A big stage has been erected in the Plaza de la Catedral. The crowd is “eclectic Panama”…surfer types, preppy soccer-moms, kids from the neighborhood…a human hodgepodge swaying to the music.

A sonorous bass sends vibrations over the cracked concrete to where I stand; it makes my feet buzz. Vendors in the plaza are selling smoky kebabs. There’s even raspao, fruity snow cones you can get topped with sticky condensed milk (for five cents extra) and the powdery crunch of malt. The man making mine has no machine to crush the ice; he scrapes it with a big shaver, packing the fine crystals into a conical cup. I pay him 30 cents.

Today’s Casco Viejo is a mix of the contemporary and the crumbling, a study in contrasts. You find over 300 years of history here in the colonial sector, often referred to as the “second city.”

In fact, locals say Panama City is three cities in one. Modern Panama is the third city, famous for its skyscraper skyline. The first Panama City, founded in 1519, was burned to the ground by the dreaded Captain Morgan (not just a brand of rum). In 1673, the city was rebuilt here as Casco Viejo, where fortress walls high above the water made a good defense. The architecture here is the nation’s prettiest—with French, Italian, and, of course, Spanish influences.

I’ve spent the day taking in this second Panama City. The coolest thing I’ve ever seen is…

Editor’s note: Subscribers to the IL magazine can read on in the The September issue of  International Living Magazine

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Boquete did not make this index but it has been a favorite many times on the International Living Best Places to Retire list.

Check out the blog for more details on the 2010 Best Places to Live in the World!