Beryl M,
No, much closer, in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. I've been here over 11 years, and my flat where I've lived since June '99, is the place I've in longest all my life.
The beaches here are very, very good, although I never ''go to the beach'', as in Papua New Guinea, I lived 75 yards from the sea for 13 months. From there I moved to Tonga and spent 2 years with the front door 25 yards from high water on a lovely crescent lagoon - the sun travelled from one side to the other as it rose and set and I could watch it all from the shelter of the palms that grew either side of the door.
Now, I live just over a mile from the sea but there is no real beach either way for a few miles.