Life's a Beach | Expat Life in Playa del Carmen : Events, Real Estate

Team Lemmus Wins 2011 Copa del Rey Polo Tournament

Rob Kinnon — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:00:00 GMT

Team Lemmus Takes Home the 2011 Copa del Rey Polo Tournament!

The 5th Annual Copa del Rey International Polo Tournament was played this year in an exciting multi-day contest at El Rey Polo Club in Puerto Morelos. Set in the middle of the jungle, this world class field brought six teams face-to-face in this highly anticipated competition. Ranked as a 4-6 goal event this year, the Copa del Rey welcomed players from the United States, Canada, Argentina, Germany, Switzerland, Cuba, and of course, Mexico. The teams included defending champions from GQ Magazine as well as teams representing Porsche, Volaris, Lemmus, Now Resorts and Spa, and In Riviera Magazine. Corporate Sponsors for the event also included Palace Resorts, Hotel Me Cancun, Argentinean polo apparel maker Cuatro Tacos and Havana Club.

The 2011Tournament was officially opened with a Mayan blessing and the soulful call of the conch shell. Dancing, music, and the ritual burning of sage honored the field, the players and the horses during a traditional ceremony, performed by representatives of the local Maya community. In the 5 years since its inception, the Copa del Rey Polo Tournament has grown into a five day festival of fashion shows and social events mixed with the heart-pounding game of polo, the sport of Kings.

In the end, GQ Magazine was unable to defend the top position and finished 6th overall. Diego Velarde of winning club Lemmus was awarded "Most Valuable Player" of this year's championship meet.The official tournament results are as follows:

1st Lemmus
2nd In Riviera Magazine
3rd Volaris/Palace Resorts
4th Porsche
5th Now Resorts and Spa
6th GQ Magazine

El Rey Polo Club is located on la Ruta de los Cenotes, 6 miles from the town of Puerto Morelos, 20 minutes south of Cancun, and has the only regulation polo field (300 yd x 160 yd) in the Mexican Caribbean. Open year-round, El Rey Polo Club offers lessons for beginning to advanced players, with training packages and practice sessions available, as well as a seasoned stable of horses. The polo field is flanked by a clubhouse with restaurant and banquet facilities and an infinity edge pool. The Copa del Rey tournament was inaugurated in 2007 and since then has grown into one of the most anticipated social and sporting events in the country. For more pictures of the event, please visit this online album.

Now in Phase One of development are El Rey's 72 Eco-Residence and Estate lots, each ranging in size up to 2 hectares and all surrounding the existing Polo Club. Phase Two, which is planned launch later this year, will feature a second regulation polo field with its own clubhouse, 50 smaller Eco-Residence and Estate lots and a full service spa with overnight bungalows that will be available to guests. For more information about this and other Riviera Maya real estate opportunities, please contact Rob Kinnon at BuyPlaya Real Estate Advisors.

Grand Reception for the New Showroom at El Taj Beachfront Condominiums

Rob Kinnon — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:31:00 GMT

Tuesday evening, long time Playa del Carmen resident and the area's most recognizable developer, Jack Perlman, invited the local Real Estate community to the job site at El Taj Oceanfront Condominiums to celebrate the completion of the beautiful model showroom. Everyone is familiar with Jack's very popular residential buildings. The condominiums at Villas SacBe, Porto Playa, Maya Villa, El Taj Beachside and now El Taj Oceanfront all reflect Jack's signature style and his passion for Balinese design elements. Jack personally oversees all the details for each building project and regularly ships over containers from Indonesia loaded with fountains, architectural details, lighting fixtures, decorative accessories and furniture used to complete the image that he is so well known for. His projects are inarguably some of the best loved and most sought after in Playa del Carmen and we were excited to get inside for a sneak peak of his latest creation.

As expected, Jack was the consumate host, meeting and greeting and answering questions while the crowd enjoyed the culinary creations of Chef Roberto from Cocina 38, one of Playa del Carmen's finest restaurants. Roberto and Lisa's carefully orchestrated crew served wine and passed hors d'oeuvres which were, without question, some of the best I have ever enjoyed in Playa. Dinner was a casually elegant affair set right on the beach and illuminated by the glow of oil lamps and the setting sun. Guests helped themselves to an upscale BBQ buffet and appreciated the greatest assets of El Taj: the sugary white sand beach and the crystal blue Caribbean Sea. Jack introduced his team, described the new project for us and raffled off a host of fabulous prizes for his party guests.

Thank you Jack and everyone at Playa Associates for hosting such a lovely reception. I highly recommend a visit to Cocina 38 for more of the fresh ingredients and unique flavors that we were treated to at this event. It was truly a top notch evening.

Desirable units are still available for sale at Maya Villa and El Taj Condominiums. Please contact us today for more information and a current list of prices.

Grand Opening - Origo Offices in Playa del Carmen

Rob Kinnon — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:17:00 GMT

Yesterday evening, Rob and I were invited to the grand opening party for the offices of Origo, the prolific developers of the fabulous condominium projects "The Elements, Playa del Carmen', "Vaiven" in Playacar and coming soon...."The Elements, Puerto Aventuras". The offices are located, conveniently, just down the street from our house on 10th Avenue in the Tendenza Building. The offices, which are beautiful and completely reflect the style that these developers are knon for, have been built for the use of local Brokers and Agents working with clients and customers. Access to this chic new space is going to be another one of the great sales tools that Origo provides for us in support of our sales efforts. Bravo!

For more information about Origo and their current projects Vaiven and The Elements, contact us through our website www.BuyPlaya.com.

Auction Update - Marina Mia, Puerto Aventuras

Rob Kinnon — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:30:00 GMT

Dear "Life's a Beach" readers and BuyPlaya.com customers:

This just in from the Sheldon Good Auction House regarding the upcming auction of the units at Marina Mia in Puerto Aventuras:

"Dear Auction Participant:

We are very pleased to announce that the registration of Marina Mia in New Jersey is filed and expected to be approved shortly. This registration allows for our simulcast of the auction to New Jersey and allows prospective purchasers who prefer not to travel back to Mexico for the auction to bid from a location in the United States. In order for us to put this location officially into the auction and to soon be able to send information to residents of New Jersey, the seller has authorized an extension of the auction date to Saturday, March 29th.

Please keep in mind that the date of this auction continues to fall in the spring vacation season and travel arrangements should be made in advance in order to obtain preferred hotel locations and airline pricing.

We continue to be available daily at our auction information center at Marina Mia to answer any of your questions and to show you representative model condominiums from now until the auction.

Sincerely,

Sheldon Good & Company
Auctions, LLC "

For more information and to register yourself for this auction, please contact us at BuyPlaya@gmail.com or call Rob at 518-632-1116.

Casa Macaw - A New Vacation Rental in Playacar!!

Rob Kinnon — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 17:03:00 GMT

Actually, Casa Macaw has been a popular Vacation Rental in Playacar for a number of years. This summer, the owners, Jan and Larry Hoffman of Mexico Escape, a local property management and vacation rental company, decided it was time for a change. Over the past few months, they have added another bedroom, a spacious laundry area and completely revamped and updated this property. Gone is the pale pastel paint scheme and tropical kitsch. The rooms are now bathed in rich jewel tones, finished with local hardwoods and warm earth tone tile and granite. The look is much more elegant and will certainly please renters with a more discerning eye for design. The most dramatic change is the addition of a fourth bedroom in the upper level of the curved glass observatory and the new private plunge pool. The homes in the Villas de Mayab compound already share a large common pool and tennis courts but a villa with its own pool is a real draw for vacation renters. The new Casa Macaw will surely be a feather in their cap for many years to come. Check out our gallery to see the pictures from Mexico Escape's Holiday Open House.

Condos to be sold at Public Auction in Puerto Aventuras - Feb. 24, 2008

Rob Kinnon — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:00:00 GMT

Real Estate News/Market Update, Puerto Aventuras • 1,500 sq. ft., 2 bath, 2/3 bedroom condos - Originally Priced from $219,000 - $395,000 usd

The developers of Marina Mia, in order to pursue other endeavors, have opted to auction off the remaining units at Marina Mia in Puerto Aventuras. These condos will be sold at Public Auction on February 24, 2008. This could be a VERY good opportunity to pick up a 2 or 3 bedroom in condo at a very attractive price. Opening bids will be just $170,000 usd for the first 10 units!!

*****If you would like to attend this auction or have us attend as your proxy, PLEASE CONTACT US ASAP to make arrangements.*****

We will post updates in space as they become available. Keep checking back for more info!!
What follows is the correspondence from the developers to the Real Estate professionals on the Riviera Maya.

"For purposes of accelerating the sales program at Marina Mia, we the owners, R&R Real Estate Development, have selected an aggressive program to sell its residences. As you know, the real estate market in Puerto Aventuras is very competitive. Therefore, a high profile campaign that will offer buyers an opportunity to purchase a condominium has been selected. The program is a public real estate auction.

To assure that this program will be implemented in the highest quality manner possible we have retained Sheldon Good & Company, North America’s leading real estate auction marketing firm to sell these fantastic units at Marina Mia. A public real estate auction will take place in mid February. We will alert everyone of the exact date when it is determined.

The residences will be sold individually and many of the units will be offered with very attractive minimum bids. This will be a wonderful opportunity for you or someone you know to purchase a condominium at a very special price.

We look forward to working with you and will be offering a referral fee to those agents whose clients’ purchase at the auction.

Thank you for your interest in Marina Mia and we look forward to seeing you at the auction."

Very truly yours,

Rodolfo Correa
Rafael Correa

Enormous 2 and 3 Bedroom Condominiums