This Coast is an Undiscovered Gem | Pathfinder International

Sunday, July 17, 2011

This is one beach community where you won't believe the prices...

Dear Reader,

If you're looking for a beach or ocean-view home, with appreciation potential...at a price that won't break the bank...then you should consider Ecuador's north Pacific coast.

You see, Ecuador's 1400 miles of Pacific coastline offers a lot. It offers long, long stretches of soft sand beaches, washed by the ocean...little fishing villages and fun beach towns...and property prices that are hard to beat.

And on Ecuador's north Pacific, you have the prospect of price appreciation. This place was really tough to get to. But a new road, and a new bridge, has made it much more accessible.

But you can still own your custom home on this section of coast...in a private beachfront community...for $125,370. Sounds too good to be true? Well, read on...

A Gem in the Rough

This stretch of coast is undeveloped. No high-rises, no sprawling mega-malls, no mammoth subdivisions blight its natural beauty. That's because it was hard to get here.

But access has improved dramatically. A new highway linking Quito (Ecuador's capital) to Pedernales (a town on this section of coast) opened in January 2011. The new road cuts the drive time from the capital in half, to around three and a half hours...and makes this section of coast the closest beach area to Quito. That should bring more locals here, for weekends and vacations, as well as foreign tourists.

A new bridge connecting the northern and southern coasts opened last November. This means that you can now fly from Quito to Manta (a major coastal city) and then drive up a newly-upgraded highway to this coast in around two hours. Before, you had to interrupt your trip to take a car ferry at Bahia de Caraquez. Some days, that only added a little time to your journey...but time it wrong (low tide, or on public holidays), and it could easily add half a day to your trip. Today, you'll hardly notice you're crossing the bridge...it's simply another stage on your smooth, comfortable drive.

You can see all the locations I mention in this map.

The new bridge and highway will open up the north Pacific coast to tourism and business opportunities for the first time. Right now, though, it's an undiscovered gem.

Location, location, location

Ecuador's 1400 miles of coast extends from the desert-like south, bordering Peru, to the tropical north, bordering Colombia. Down south, the arid climate means a dry, dusty landscape of scrubby hills and sandy soil. In the north, more rain makes the landscape fresher and greener...but it feels sticky and humid.

But nestled between the two extremes, the piece of coast that runs from San Vicente to Pedernales has enough rain to keep the hills and mountains a lush rich green...and it feels fresh, not muggy or damp.

The landscape is beautiful here, too. The bright blue sparkling ocean rolls whitecaps gently towards pristine beaches. In small coves, simple wooden fishing boats wait for their owners, and a day out catching wahoo or mahi-mahi. The forests covering the hills and slopes shelter monkeys, anteaters, wild cats, hummingbirds and hawks. From June-September, large numbers of humpback whales mate and breed along this coast.

Swimming, surfing, fishing, diving, whale-watching...this coast is great for water lovers

You can live the good life here on a tight budget. Fresh fish, like wahoo, is a dollar a pound. Small vans piled high with glossy fruit and vegetables drive around, offering locally-grown produce at amazingly low prices. An alfresco lunch at a local eatery will set you back $2 a head...for a soda or juice, fried fish, rice and salad. You can buy most of your day-to-day groceries here. Head just 45 minutes south, to Bahia de Caraquez, and you can shop in a modern supermarket. Locals in Bahia report that two big supermarket chains have plans to open bigger stores close to the new bridge.

If you want a simpler, more relaxed way of life...an outdoors lifestyle...fresh, natural food...and a highly affordable cost of living...you should check out this coast.

A Premier Community, Without Premium Prices

Now, I mentioned that there wasn't much in the way of development here. In multiple scouting trips to this section of coast, we found hardly any that were worthwhile. Coco Beach Village is an exception.

Close to a fishing village called El Matal, Coco Beach Village sits right on the sand. You couldn't get closer to the beach if you tried. It's one of the few Ecuadorian coastal locations where you don't have a boardwalk separating you from the beach.

This beach is the playground for Coco Beach residents....

Behind the community, a large protected hill looks down towards the beach. The setting feels wonderfully isolated...yet you're only steps from the village. The lots are spacious, rather than the busy jumble of tiny lots that you see in typical Ecuadorian beach projects, too, with 66 lots in 21 acres. To preserve the views from the community, the developers decided to put the utilities underground. And they planted 1,000 coconut palms...so the community looks a little green oasis alongside the sand.

Lots average a quarter-acre in coco Beach. That's a generous size for a beach community. Lot prices start at $53,870.

Build costs are low here, too. They start at $55 a square foot. You'll pay a little more if you want high-end finishings. But you can build a 1300 square foot home for $71,500.

So, your custom home, and the lot, together... comes in at $125,370.

You can see one of the homes in the development below. It's chic, nicely constructed, and finished with local materials. All the wood cabinetry, and doors and windows, are made on-site.

You can build a chic custom home like this one...

But Hurry...

This stretch of coast is now more accessible than ever before. But it isn't mainstream yet...and if you wait until it is, prices won't be at the current low level--you'll pay significantly more.

Once more mainstream tourists start coming here...and realize that this is the most beautiful piece of coast in Ecuador, they'll want to come back. Resort and residential developers will want to offer them someplace to stay. They'll snap up beach and ocean-view land for hotels and residential communities. When that happens, it will trigger a rise in property prices. You need to get here now.

Contact the developer of Coco Beach, Larry Swenson, here. Larry will give you more details on the Coco Beach community, including pricing and availability. You can decide if this coast, and Coco Beach, is what you're looking for. If it is, then you can start planning your trip here. Contact Larry here today to find out more.

Margaret Summerfield