Win a Chill Weekend in Ecuador | Pathfinder International

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Dear Reader,

Ecuador is the world's #1 retirement haven. It offers an unbeatable combination of low-cost living and bargain property prices. It's increasingly popular with retirees and those looking for an affordable second home.

In today's free prize draw, you can explore this haven for yourself, with a free chill weekend for two in Ecuador. And we have four of these prizes on offer.

These three-day chill weekend trips will bring you to Ecuador's north Pacific coast. It's a hidden gem...where hills covered in forest sweep down to empty beaches that run for miles. You can live the good life here...low-budget, low-key and low-stress...

This piece of coastline is seriously undervalued. But the opening of a new road from Quito in January 2011 makes this coast the closest beach area to Quito. We expect to see this area open up in the next 5-10 years...and property prices to rise.

One of the nicest developments on this coast is Jama Campay. The stylish homes in the community look out over the bright blue ocean.

The winners of the free chill weekends will stay in a luxury home here. The trip includes accommodation, return transport from Quito, a tour of the area and meals. All you have to do is get yourself to Quito...and then sit back and relax.

You can enter the free prize draw here...and read on below to find out more about this gorgeous area, and why this coast is ripe with opportunity.

Margaret Summerfield

A Hidden Gem: Ecuador's North Pacific Coast

We've pinpointed Ecuador's nicest piece of coast--with the best upside potential

Dear Reader,

With hundreds of miles of coastline and an abundance of affordably-priced beach property, Ecuador's Pacific coast is the perfect spot for a second home. And we have pinpointed one location on Ecuador's coast that combines natural beauty with huge upside potential.

It's a place where right now you can buy an 1800 square foot home in a beachfront community for $134,600...

And it's about to get a stampede of tourists and property shoppers.

Ecuador offers the best-value, lowest-priced beach and ocean-view property out of all the countries on our beat. New, upscale condos, right on the sand, run around $100,000 for a new 100 square meter condo on the country's southern Pacific coast. That's around half what you'd pay for a similar condo in Panama, Nicaragua or Costa Rica.

And Ecuador's north Pacific coast is even lower-priced. That's because it was tough getting here. But a three-part infrastructure plan is opening this coast up.

A Three-Part Plan

The first part of the plan is a new highway that will run almost the full length of Ecuador's coast. Work is still underway, widening and re-surfacing miles of road, to make it easy and comfortable to drive. (You can see all the locations I mention in this map here.)

The second part of the plan is a new bridge. Before the bridge was constructed, you could fly from Ecuador's capital Quito to the coastal city of Manta on the southern Pacific coast. Then you drove up from Manta to this northern coast. That meant getting a ferry to cross the bay at Bahia. On public holidays or at low tide, you could wait 4-5 hours in line to catch the car ferry.

The all-new Bahia Bridge opened in November 2010. It cuts out the ferry. It makes driving north from Manta much quicker and easier.

You can own a home here from $134,600

The final part of the infrastructure plan is a new road from Quito to Pedernales. Until 2011, locals from Quito who wanted to escape the city for a beach vacation went to Atacames. Atacames is a busy, hectic town that's around a six-hour drive from Quito.

But a new road to Pedernales opened in January 2011. The drive time from Quito is now only three and a half hours. That makes this stretch of coast the closest beach area to Quito. Already, more locals (and foreign tourists who land in Quito) are traveling to the north Pacific, and planning on buying property here.

That's because the north Pacific, between the towns of Canoa and Pedernales, is the nicest coastline in Ecuador.

The Nicest Coastline in Ecuador

This coast doesn't have chain hotels, mega-resorts, or high-rise towers lining the beach. It's a much simpler lifestyle here. It's undervalued, too. You can buy a spacious home in a private beachfront community from $134,600.

This is my favorite stretch of coast in Ecuador, without question. It's naturally beautiful, and it's got huge future potential.

Forests crown the hills and coastal cliffs. Clear blue water washes up on pristine beaches. Wild cats, anteaters and tapirs prowl the thick forests. Toucans with rainbow bills and delicate hummingbirds fly through the canopy. Offshore, the rich ocean is a breeding ground for whales and provides a living for local fishermen.

You can live naturally on Ecuador's north Pacific, eating fresh local produce, away from the hustle and bustle, pollution, and stress of modern life. And you can live comfortably on a low budget (even hiring someone to help with the housework and daily chores) for $1500 a month.

A Beachfront Community with Homes from $134,600

Only a handful of developments dot this north Pacific coast, and only two are worth considering. One of those is Jama Campay. It's right in the center of the nicest stretch of coast.

Backed by steep forested hills, the community's elevated setting gazes out over the blue ocean and waves breaking on the soft-sand beach. Homes in Jama Campay sit on low cliffs, with panoramic views along the horizon. Warm breezes keep the tropical afternoons comfortable.

The homes are generously-sized, at over 1800 square feet, and have three beds and three baths, with a spacious open-plan layout. A few minutes' walk brings you down onto the beach. Homes start at $134,600.

Inside, the open-plan homes feel spacious

Most of the completed homes have already sold to wealthy families from Quito.

There is a chronic shortage of accommodation in the area. Yet only one of the homes in Jama Campay is currently available for rental. It rents for up to $350 a night. That's because most of Jama Campay's owners are Ecuadorian. And Ecuadorians often don't like to rent their personal beach home.

As demand grows from locals and tourists, this accommodation shortage will get worse. Your new home could generate a healthy income while you're not there...and there's plenty of scope for appreciation.

Come and Visit

You can win one of four chill weekends on Ecuador's finest stretch of coast, courtesy of Jama Campay. You'll spend a couple of nights in one of the finished homes...check out the little beach towns close by...see the potential with your own eyes...and find out why this place is the sweet spot for a second home.

You can enter the free prize draw here.

Margaret Summerfield