Right photo via LocoGringo.com
White powder sand and crystal blue Caribbean waters coupled with a walkable town bustling with shops, restaurants and boutique hotels is what makes Playa del Carmen on Mexico's Mayan Coast one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
Approximately an hour south of Cancun, what used to be a sleepy little fishing village with roots reaching back to the Mayan civilization (there are ruins in the area), is now an international travel destination frequented and invested in primarily by wealthy Mexicans, Italians (there is already a "Little Italy" there), Spanish, French, Israelis, Germans, Americans and Canadians.
The architecture is capped at four stories (no huge ant-farm hotels allowed), most people speak English, and the vibe is a smattering of ex-pat tranquility and riviera chic, where authentic local haunts share real estate with Starbucks and American Apparel.
The best thing about this place? It's Caribbean beach-front living that's still relatively affordable. Inevitably this is a fleeting state, as hordes of condo developers have been feasting on available real estate for the past 15-20 years, but due to the recent economic slump, a stasis in prices offers a window of opportunity to buy in.
Who are these buyers? Why Canadians of course! We emerged as the healthiest and most responsible from the Western world's recent financial troubles, and so for Canadians with any means, the world is their oyster, so to speak. Most who purchase these condos do so for a variety of reasons, but mostly (aside from investment) they're used as family vacation properties, cared for and rented out by management companies for the owners when they are not there.
My family is part of these fast moving Canadians who've snapped up a timely deal (from a less fortunate American forced to sell), and seeing as we've had quite the tour of what's available, I thought I'd share. The condos run the gamut from spartan, tiled boxes in town, to luxury condo-hotels steps from the water, with prices ranging from as low as $180,000 USD, to millions. Real estate developers vastly vary as well -- from American Jack Perlman, owner and operator of 6 of the best condo hotels in Playa, to Itai Zimmerman and Bertram Rothe of Azul Caribbean, who've recently completed their first condo 'baby' The Lotus.
Bellow I've put together a gallery of Perlman's latest luxury condo hotel, El Taj, and Azul's Lotus, to give you a sense of what's going up of late in this Mexican hot spot. Look to the photo captions for details.
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Have you ever considered the dream of owning a piece of the sunshine? Ever been to Playa del Carmen?
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