Jodie Horton at home in New Orleans. Edmund D. Fountain for The New York Times

When Daniel Waters met Jodie Horton five years ago, one of the first things he told her was that he dreamed of buying property on a beach.

“Being able to wake up, look out the window, and see the sun melting into blue water feels like the ultimate décor,” said Mr. Waters, 49.

Dr. Horton, 52, is a gynecologist based in New Orleans. Mr. Waters is in the military. As they thought about where they might want to retire one day, they looked at beach towns in the United States, but couldn’t agree on a state they wanted to live in. Most of the homes they saw were too expensive anyway.

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The couple, who have three adult-aged children from previous relationships, were well traveled, having been to Colombia, Chile and Peru together.

“When I first met him, he was learning Spanish and he’s pretty immersed in Spanish culture,” Dr. Horton said. “He knows how to salsa and bachata, and so he was like, ‘OK, we should look in a Spanish-speaking country.’ But we weren't really sure which one.”