Life's a Beach | Expat Life in Playa del Carmen

Recently, my pal Mitch and I enrolled in an interesting conference to be held over a weekend at the nearby Hacienda Tres Rios Resort . Having had the good fortune to be a guest at the resort for previous events, I had a feeling that this would be an interesting Read More...

If you have been looking for a "fixer upper" investment property in Playa del Carmen, this could be exactly what you have been looking for. Located right on the beach in the heart of downtown Playa del Carmen, this 2 bedroom, 2 bath beachfront condominium is in need of a complete remodel but when it is done, you will have a unique property perfect to enjoy personally as a beachfront getaway or to use as an income producing vacation rental. Read More...

Easter is WHEN this year? If you are like me you may be surprised to learn that Easter falls on April 24 in 2011. That is considerably later in the month than we have grown accustomed to. Those of you with school age children in Mexico who generally plan a major family vacation around this holiday will want to take that into consideration. Likewise, those of you in the tourism industry will want to prepare for a later high season than usual and make the appropriate adjustments in your budget and staffing needs. The official school break for semana santa, according to the government, will be April 21 - 30 2011. This will apply to students in both public and private institutions. Read More...

Destination: PEACE has announced the dates and posted a preliminary itinerary for its next Volunteer Vacation on Isla Mujeres. This unique retreat, scheduled for March 5 - 11 2011 will include Level I, Level II and Master Reiki Certification workshops Read More...

Recently, several of the Primary classes from the El Papalote School were invited to visit the new and improved Parque la Ceiba . It has been almost a year since I have taken the time to visit the park and I was impressed with the changes. A beautiful Read More...

This is a beautiful, fully furnished 2-story Mexican Colonial villa located in the exclusive golf course community of Playacar and inside a secondary gated neighborhood called Club Real. The ensuite upstairs master bedroom with balcony and dressing area stretches the entire width of the house and provides a wide overview of the back yard. The 2nd bedroom upstairs in front is also ensuite with a balcony overlooking the front yard. The upstairs 3rd bedroom may also serve as an office complete with telephone, TV cable and high speed wireless Internet connections. All bedrooms have connections for Cablemas cable TV. The main floor has an open floor plan with a half bath, laundry room with washer and dryer and lots of windows looking out over the lovely fenced back yard and tropical gardens. There are fans and air-conditioning units throughout the home and the house is wired for telephone, cable TV and high speed internet access. Read More...

I was super curious about how the dry cenote was looking now that it had been opened up a bit, so Mitch and I took a trip down to the job site. A few decisions needed to be made about the retaining wall for the cenote stairs and the "jumping platform" Read More...

Playacar Golf Course Community, Playa del Carmen - Only a few units remaining! Spacious modern 2 bedroom condominiums located in a quiet area of Playacar Phase 2. Puerta del Cielo is located close to schools, grocery stores, medical facilities and all the conveniences for comfortable living. The complex is just a few minutes drive from the beach and all the excitement of downtown Playa but tucked away from all the hustle and bustle of city life. This is the perfect place to retire or just get away from it all for awhile! Contact Rob@BuyPlaya.com to arrange a tour of this quiet complex. Read More...

If you have been searching for a private, pristine oceanfront home, this luxurious villa is it! This remarkable villa is situated on 85,900 sqft of land and boasts 330 feet of private white, sandy beach plus lagoon frontage. Aquamarine waters greet you each day in the Sian Kaan Biosphere in Mexico. Offering a relaxed tropical ambiance, this beautiful home provides an exclusive hideaway in the untouched pristine UNESCO wildlife reserve, a space you share with manatees, dolphins, bone fish and many species of exotic birds. Read More...

This gorgeous 4 bedroom, 3 bath house is ideally located at the end of a cul-de-sac in a private development (Club Real) inside Playacar Phase 2. The master bedroom has a King sized bed and enjoys views of the pool and gardens. Also overlooking the garden, the second bedroom is fitted with a Queen sized bed. In the third bedroom, you will have 2 twin sized beds. The fourth bedroom is located on the main floor and is fitted with a sofa bed. This room could easily be used as an office or library. Both this room and the bathroom are completely wheelchair accessible. Read More...

So, I though you all might like to see what some of the cenotes look like that have been found in our little Xpu Ha neighborhood. This is the cenote that is on Jeff's lot. He is Mitch and Sev's builder and has completed several homes in the same enclave. His experience dealing with his own cenote has given him invaluable insight as to what they can bring to the process....the good and the bad. With his own property, be decided to make the cenote a real center-point for the back yard plan. As you can see, the pool is built around it with the entertainment palapa (that's a fancy word for bar) serving as an observation point and entry point. Read More...

Punta Allen, Quintana Roo - This great little hotel in the rustic fishing village, Punta Allen, is located on a spacious lot just a block and a half from the beach. Situated within easy walking distance of stores and eateries. The hotel is the perfect lodging choice for visiting fisherman that flock to Boca Paila and Punta Allen to enjoy world class flats fishing. This is an excellent hotel for an individual or couple looking for a semi-retirement business opportunity in Mexico. The hotelito currently has 4 completely renovated and furnished bedrooms, each with private bath and AC. The building is set on a large lot and there is plenty of space to build on several more rooms. In addition, there in an income producing internet cafe on the ground floor. All furniture and equipment is included in this turnkey sale. Read More...

On Thursday September 30, the members of the Municipal Government of Solidaridad, including Presidente Román Quian Alcocer, gathered in force in Playa del Carmen's sports multi-plex (Poliforum) for a rally with 640 local students from 8 local public schools. Cruzada por la Juventud (Crusade for Youth) is a fledgling initiative designed to show the support from both the municipal government and the private sector for Playa's young people and to enlighten these young people about services and opportunities available to them in the community. Read More...

I had hoped to be able to post an update before now but life somehow got in the way. Lots of progress being made on site as you will see from the photo update. One big surprise since our last blog entry...a dry cenote was uncovered near (but not in) the shallow end of the pool. The opening has been enlarged a bit for ease of entry and an open space has been found that could be suitable for use as a fun subterranean reading area or meditation room. A wine cellar was suggested but I think the heat and the humidity will not be suitable for keeping wine at a consistently cool temperature. From this opening there is a tunnel that runs out quite a distance, out past the boundaries of the lot. One of the workmen has climbed through quite a way but there is a drop off that will require bringing in a ladder of sorts if they are to investigate any further. It's pretty neat but not as cool as the cenote that the builder, Jeff, has at his house. I'll post some pictures of that soon.... Read More...

If you haven't signed up yet for the 2nd Annual Women in Wellness retreat, there's still time! The week-long series of events runs from November 1 - 8, 2010. The schedule (subject to change) is posted below. As a registered participant you may take part in as many or as few activities as you like. The registration fee for the retreat is $50 usd. *The prices listed below are listed in US dollars and are for registered attendees. Non- registered guests who wish to participate in the various workshops and activities may do so. Associated costs and fees will vary. Please contact event organizer, Lydia Pontius [ lydia@justimagine.net ] for more information and to reserve your place. Read More...

In The Roo Travel Guide, Buy Playa Real Estate Advisors and Wicky's are joining forces to sponsor a Trip Report Competition each month through the end of 2010. The best trip report submitted each month will win $100 USD in cash, while runners up will Read More...