Ready to Take on the World | Pathfinder International

Monday, May 23, 2011

Riviera Maya beach
You can buy a home in the Mexican Caribbean from $163,000

Dear Reader,

I’ve recently returned from a scouting trip to the Tulum area of Mexico’s Riviera Maya. This is a truly stunning piece of Caribbean coastline. The white sand beaches, the ancient Mayan ruins, the biosphere reserve, and the cenotes ...are worth visiting time and time again irrespective of the real estate deals that are my excuse for frequent visits.

My base was the Sian Ka’an condo hotel in the Gran Bahia Principe Resort. This is a project you will have heard of in these dispatches. Fellow readers bought in Sian Ka’an last year. I had visited the completed Phase 1 in November but this was my first time staying at the condo hotel.

Developer Benjamin Beja has done a great job. Having spent a week in one of these penthouse suites I truly appreciate the design. Mornings are for the terrace which looks out to the Caribbean. Refreshing breezes drift along the tree line. The preservation of trees, the use of natural stone and rich landscaping means that while density is high everything is quiet and tranquil. Construction quality and materials are all top class and the resort operating these units is doing a five-star job. (If you read reviews on Tripadvisor you’ll see that lots of vacationers agree).

Construction of Phase Two and Three is well advanced. When I was there local artisans were carefully adding stone finishes by hand. The new phases will add more restaurants, pools and amenities for all guests to use. Delivery of both phases is slated for the end of this year. That’s ahead of schedule.

Members of our little group bought penthouse units like the one I stayed in for as little as $195,000. The last one that sold went for $264,000. These were a great buy.

Sian Ka’an is fully sold-out. We can take comfort from the standard Benjamin has delivered in Sian Ka’an as we look to the Tao opportunity, his latest development.

To remind you, the Tao project is set minutes away from the Sian Ka’an suites and also within the upscale Gran Bahia Principe resort. This resort is dotted with multi-million dollar homes. The average price of a home here is more than $1 million. The resort boasts a 27-hole golf course…three hotels…a choice of restaurants and bars…entertainment, shopping, a medical clinic…and a coral-sand beach washed by the sun-dappled Caribbean.

Vacationers come year-round to its hotels. They can pay $1,155 a week to stay here. And they’re clearly happy with what they’re getting for their money. Hotel occupancy rates averaged 88% over the last 10 years.
A huge plus of owning in an established resort like this is that the infrastructure is already in, with $100 million invested to date to get the resort looking the way it does today.

The finishes and materials throughout the resort are high-end. Design parameters clearly set out what the resort (and homes within it) will look like. The houses here are sleek and modern, with clean elegant lines, and stylish interiors. They certainly look like million-dollar homes. With the Tao condos, you’ll get a similar design and feel as those much pricier homes…with a much smaller price tag.

The Tao condos are right on the resort’s world-class golf course. The first units are slated for delivery later this year. The big news at Tao is that ground has been broken for the Tao Center.

The Tao Center will be the focal point of the Tao project. Benjamin talked me through what a typical day here could be for residents. Mornings will start with yoga on glass platforms. Then the day begins…maybe with a stroll along the white sand beach, with the turquoise Caribbean caressing your feet. Or a visit to an ancient temple… followed by a leap from limestone crags to crystal-clear cenote waters. In the evenings, you can learn Spanish or gourmet cooking with your friends and neighbors. You can stay fit in the gym or by swimming in the lap pools that will weave their way through this complex.

And finally, you’ll have enough time to work on your golf game. You’re not idle. You’re active and engaged. Sharper, fitter and feeling younger than you have in decades. Ready to take on the world again.

I strongly urge you to check out this place for yourself.

Ronan McMahon

P.S. For only $180 per person, you’ll enjoy four days and three nights in the Gran Bahia resort…with your accommodation and meals taken care of. You’ll explore the fabulous beaches, the biosphere, and the Tao community…sip cocktails under the stars…and soak up some of that Caribbean sun. And you’ll find out how you can make this dream location your permanent piece of paradise…from only $163,000. Contact Cathy here and she’ll send you an itinerary so you can reserve your place today.