Sunday, January 23, 2011
Dear Reader,
One of our top tips when you're buying a property overseas is to Try Before you Buy. Visit the location in person, and check out the property for yourself, before you commit to buying. It's the easiest way to find out if a place is right for you...and that the property makes sense.
With our developer partners and brokers, we offer chill weekends to make it easier...short, low-cost trips that let you test-drive your new life overseas, and investigate some property options...with no strings, no pressure, and no hard sell. And no hassle either. Just book your flight, and you're done. The developer's team takes care of the logistics.
Readers contact me frequently to say that all the chill trips look tempting...and they're not sure which one to go on (you can, of course, try them all). So, to make it easier, let's compare our two most popular chill weekends, in Mexico's Riviera Maya and Costa Rica's Southern Zone.
Setting. Mexico's Riviera Maya runs just south of Cancun to Tulum. This stretch of coast is magical...with miles of sugar-sand beaches washed by the bright-turquoise Caribbean Sea. Offshore, the world's second-largest coral reef hides a vibrant array of marine life...from tiny, rainbow-bright fish to immense whale sharks. Inland, dense jungle conceals ancient Mayan ruins, and frames deep water-filled sinkholes that mirror the blue sky overhead. A huge biosphere reserve, Sian Ka'an, covers more than two million acres of land at the southern end of the Rivera Maya. It's home to pink flamingos, manatees, ocelots and turtles.
Big Plus: This is the picture-perfect Caribbean that you dream of...and where you'll find Mexico's best beaches.
The Southern Zone lies on Costa Rica's south-west Pacific coast. The landscape here is dramatic. Sharp mountain peaks and spiny ridges, covered in rich green rainforest, run across the horizon. The coastline winds its way around an endless series of pristine beaches. Parks, reserves and protected lands cover two-thirds of the land in this region. Corcovado park is a true forest wilderness...with endangered wildlife, including harpy eagles, Baird's tapirs, jaguars and scarlet macaws.
Big Plus: Those mountain peaks give you stunning, wraparound ocean views, as well as refreshing ocean breezes.
Accessibility. Both locations are easy to get to from North America. You can fly direct from Miami to Cancun in an hour and forty-five minutes. Direct flights from Houston take two hours and ten minutes. Once you land in Cancun, it's an hour and a half drive on a modern highway to Akumal, the location of the chill weekend.
Direct flights from Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica's capital,take two hours and fifty minutes. You can fly direct from Houston in three and a half hours. Once you land in San Jose, it's a three hour drive on a new coastal road to the Southern Zone.
Infrastructure. Both locations are poised to boom...
The Riviera Maya: A new international airport is on the way. Major road improvements between Tulum and Cancun's international airport are well advanced. A government plan calls for tourist numbers to increase from 2.9 million to 11 million by 2020. That's a lot of potential renters...
Southern Zone: Property prices are low here for one reason: it was tough getting here. The coastal road was in bad shape...impassable in rainy season...with one unpaved section that ran for 20 miles. Then, in January 2010, the new upgraded coastal road opened...cutting the drive time to the Southern Zone to three hours. More tourists are already traveling here...and plans call for an international airport, which will put this place on the map.
Property you'll see on the chill. On the Riviera Maya trip, you'll see Tao. This project is set in a large resort with five-star amenities...a 27-hole golf course, three hotels, restaurants, bars, entertainment, gym, spa...and a white-sand beach. Located on the golf course, you can choose from condos or townhomes in Tao.
The interior of a Tao townhome
Condos start at $158,000 for 969 square feet. In keeping with the luxurious multi-million-dollar homes that dot the resort, Tao will have high-end finishes, and a modern, clean style. Developer financing makes the condos more affordable, with monthly payments from $800.Townhomes are $269,000.
In Costa Rica, you'll see Pacific Lots. This private community covers 14,000 acres. Here, you can buy a lot...and build your dream home. (There's no build requirement, so you can wait until you're ready to do so.)
An example of a custom home in Pacific Lots
Lots with mountain views start at only $40,000...and you can own a quarter-acre lot with killer ocean and mountain views for $90,000. Custom construction runs around $100 a square foot. That gets you hardwood cabinetry, doors and windows, and good-quality finishes, such as granite countertops. So, a 2000 square foot home, including the lot, starts at $240,000.
Lifestyle. On the Riviera Maya, in Tao, you can enjoy Caribbean resort living at its finest. Play a round of golf...swim in the aquamarine sea...sunbathe on the coral-sand beach.
Close by, the little town of Tulum is boutique-chic, with the most amazing powder beach...and the hip beach town of Playa del Carmen has cute restaurants and cafes, cool nightclubs, and great shopping. With the coral reef on hand, you can dive and snorkel...or explore the Mayan ruins, the water parks close by, or the biosphere.
Big Plus: Caribbean resort living...from only $158,000.
In Costa Rica's Southern Zone, you'll enjoy a tranquil lifestyle, surrounded by nature. This is the ideal place for anyone that loves the outdoors. You can go sport fishing...zip lining...sea kayaking ...swim, surf or snorkel in the warm tropical waters...trek through the rainforest...bird watch...or try white water rafting.
You can enjoy year-round outdoor living in the Southern Zone
But you won't have to rough it, or give up on life's pleasures here. You can pick up warm French baguettes, or linger over an espresso and pastry at the coffee shop...buy Cuban cigars, Belgian and Swiss chocolate, imported cheese, and champagne at the delicatessen...and enjoy Indonesian, organic, French or Italian food in the little restaurants. Better yet, the cost of living here is low.
Big Plus: Glorious, back-to-nature living...with all the creature comforts, and a low cost of living...from $40,000.
Choose Your Chill...and Reserve your Spot. The next Riviera Maya chill runs March 24th-27th. For $180 per person, you get three nights' accommodation, plus all meals, and an airport pickup. Give Donna your name and e-mail address here, and she'll send you a full information package.
The next Southern Zone chill runs March 10th-13th. For $250 per person, you get three nights' accommodation, all meals, and round-trip transfers from San Jose. Give Steve Linder your name and e-mail address here, and he'll send you a full information package.
Margaret Summerfield
Posted Under:
costa rica, mexico, chill weekends
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