A Free Chill Weekend for Two in Tulum | Pathfinder International

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Dear Reader,

Today's prize draw gives you the chance to decide which you like best: peaceful forest or stunning beach...

It's something that owners in Los Arboles Tulum don't need to decide. The Los Arboles community is set in 1200 acres of tranquil forest...with clouds of butterflies and exotic birds. Each owner gets five whole acres of forest to stretch out in - a private, peaceful kingdom surrounded by trees.

Yet only twelve minutes away from Los Arboles is Mexico's top beach. It's a carpet of cool, confectioner-sugar sand that contrasts nicely with the bright neon-turquoise sea. You won't see high rises on this beach, or mammoth hotels. Instead, the vibe is low-rise, low-key and boho-chic.

In today's free prize draw, you can win a three day trip for two people courtesy of Los Arboles. If you're the lucky winner, all you have to do is get yourself to Cancun, and the Los Arboles team will take over from there.

You'll relax in this beautiful location...chill out on the gorgeous beaches...and get a feel for the Los Arboles lifestyle. The prize includes accommodation, meals, and transport.

Enter the free prize draw here...and read on below to find out more about this gorgeous area, and what makes Los Arboles so special.

Margaret Summerfield

Your Own Private Forest Retreat

In Los Arboles Tulum, you get your own private five-acre oasis

Dear Reader,

You're sitting on your outdoor terrace, enjoying your breakfast. You're surrounded by forest. A small group of toucans forages overhead, their bright bills a brilliant streak of color against the cool green shade of the trees. Shafts of sunlight pierce the canopy and light up the forest floor, studded with giant limestone boulders. A soft breeze rustles through the treetops, breaking the stillness. This is your private oasis...

Yet this hidden oasis is close to an international airport. It's close to grocery stores, banks, restaurants and cafes. It's close to golf, shopping and entertainment. And it's close to one of the world's finest beaches.

affordable properties Yucatan
This secret hideaway is in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.

Reef, Rivers, Ruins, & Rainforest

Your little oasis isn't isolated. In fact, it's easy to get to. You'll arrive in Cancun airport after a short flight (1.45 hours from Miami, two hours from Houston, and four from New York). Then it's a two hour drive on an excellent highway...to your little slice of paradise, near Tulum.

You've swapped the city hustle and bustle and crowded beaches of Cancun for a peaceful getaway. In Tulum, the beaches are pristine...washed by warm surf, and dotted with coconut palms. The beach town is chic...with laid-back bars, gourmet restaurants, and cool cafes. The pace of life is unhurried. You'll savor every minute you spend here...and you'll find it almost impossible to tear yourself away.

There's plenty to do, too. The world's second-largest barrier reef lies just off the coast, filled with a rainbow of exotic fish and jewel-like corals. You can swim, surf, dive or snorkel...the Caribbean Sea is so crystalline here, you can see the spectacular marine life clearly. Sailing enthusiasts can take advantage of the small marinas along the coast. If you want more adventure, you can explore an extensive underground system of caves, rivers and sinkholes. Golfers can challenge themselves on the many signature courses nearby.

A huge biosphere reserve conceals a richness of wildlife (including manatees, pink flamingos, ocelots and turtles). Ancient Mayan temples and cities are scattered throughout the forest. And this history isn't just part of the long-forgotten past. You can still see little Mayan villages in the region, with thatched-roof homes; the women wear traditional dresses with colorful embroidery. Life in these villages carries on in more or less the same way it has done for centuries.

If you want box-store shopping, big supermarkets, or fun nightlife, the beach town of Playa del Carmen has it all. It's only 35 minutes from your private oasis.

Or you can simply sunbathe on the sugar sand beaches...test your hammock...or relax on your terrace with a glass of wine...

Your Home Away from Home...

Your secret hideaway is two hours from Cancun's international airport. It's ten minutes to banks and grocery stores. It's twelve minutes to cafes, bars and restaurants.

Oh, and it's twelve minutes from the stunning beach below:

affordable properties Tulum
This is the beach that's twelve minutes from your forest retreat

Go through the impressive gated entrance to your retreat, and you enter a place of peace and tranquility. You're home...in Los Arboles.

Yes, this is a private community. But it isn't a grid of cookie cutter homes on postage stamp-sized lawns. Instead, each owner gets five whole acres to spread out on.

Five acres of trees to cushion you from the outside world. Five acres of your own little kingdom...

You have plenty of neighbors to socialize with at the planned clubhouse...but you can't see or hear them. Those five forested acres act as a buffer.

And the community protects that buffer. You can improve 1,000 square meters (0.25 acres) of your five acres, using a third of this as a footprint for your home.

Los Arboles green community
Los Arboles is preserving the forest and its flora and fauna for you to enjoy

Each lot is completely off-grid. Your power will mostly come from the sun and the refreshing breezes that blow above the tree line. No utility poles or power lines block your view. No streetlights dim the starlight that twinkles overhead...

The roads feel like quiet country lanes. They make way for large, rare trees. All the road curbing is hand-built, using stone recycled from the site. Fifteen acres of nature trails weave their way through the community's 1200 acres. You'll see toucans, deer, foxes, coatis, exotic birds and tropical butterflies.

This is a dreamy forest setting where you can relax in your own private sanctuary...with a world of conveniences on your doorstep. You're off-grid, off the beaten track...but you're not isolated.

Home and lot packages in Los Arboles start from $203,000.

But Is It Right for Me?

Los Arboles is a special, secluded spot. If you're looking for a secret bolt hole, where you can unwind and recharge, you should come and check it out. If you want privacy but neighbors close at hand, you should check it out. If you want epic beaches, charming beach towns and pristine forest, you should check it out. If you want upscale living that protects nature, you should check it out.

In fact, you should just come and check it out. You'll fall in love with this place.

On a three-day chill weekend trip, you can sample the Los Arboles lifestyle...dip your toes in the laid-back lifestyle of this place...and see if it's right for you. Best of all, you can enjoy this three-day trip for free.

The trip gives you a flavor of what Tulum has to offer...exploring the world-famous Mayan ruins...swimming in the cool clear waters of a natural limestone cenote...and discovering the natural beauty of the Sian Ka'an biosphere. You'll have time to relax on Tulum's perfect beaches, too.

Plus you'll spend time at Los Arboles. You'll see the 15 homes that are complete or under construction. And you'll really appreciate how five forested acres shields you from the intrusions of the outside world.

All you have to do is get yourself to Cancun airport, and Greg's team will meet you. From that point on, you can relax. Greg's team will take care of everything...transport, meals and accommodation...

And it won't cost you a cent if you win the free trip.

To enter the free prize draw, just enter your name and e-mail address here...and watch your inbox on January 6th, when we'll announce the winner.

Margaret Summerfield