A Golfer's Paradise

If you love to golf and love luxury, then check out the Capella resort in Punta Maroma, Mexico.

More info here

Useful website for information on Mexico

If you want to find out about all Mexico has to offer, the Mexican Board of Tourism has a great site with tons of information. The website is offered in a number of languages, which allows people from all over the world to access the site.

The website has in depth information on a number of cities and activities.

Check it out: Visit Mexico

Condotels in Mexico

What do you get when you cross a condo with a hotel? A Condotel! Condotels are the new rage and are popping up all over Mexico.

Condotel owners have the ability to rent out their condos when they aren’t in town, which is a good option for people who want to invest in a vacation home while earning rental income. The developments have their own property management teams who will make sure your condo is well taken care of in your absence. They can handle all the details of renting your condo.

Another benefit of purchasing a unit in a condotel is that you have room service and a cleaning crew at your disposal. Feeling hungry but don’t feel like going out? Just order room service!

Flights to Mexico on Volaris

For those of you who live in Southern California, you now have a new option when flying to Mexico. Volaris, a Mexican airline that entered the market in 2006, is offering low fares and exceptional customer service. The airline offers a shuttle service from the Santa Fe Depot (train station in Downtown San Diego) to the airport in Tijuana.

The airline possesses one of the youngest fleets in Mexico. Their planes are clean and spacious. The service is top-notch. Passengers are offered snacks and beverages during the flight and have the option of watching tv or listening to the radio.


I have personally flown Volaris several times and I must say that it has been a great experience every time. One of the best parts about Volaris is that if they arrive late, they will give you a free ticket for your next trip. How great is that?

To check out fares visit: Volaris

SPOTLIGHT: Manzanillo

Today we are highlighting one of the most spectacular places on the Mexican Riviera, Manzanillo. Manzanillo is located in the state of Colima,
Manzanillo is one of Mexico's most important ports, receiving the largest volume of cargo in the country. The city is also well known for its fishing and many call it the "Sailfish Capital of the World".

The Las Hadas Resort, made famous by Bo Derek in the movie "10", is one of the most exclusive resorts in Mexico. The white Moorish-style resort is perched high on a hillside and has sweeping views of the bay.

The city, with one of the lowest crime rates in Mexico, has attracted people from all over the world. Manzanillo isn't as well known as some of Mexico's other resort towns, but residents say that is part of its charm. Manzanillo's beaches, Salahua, Las Hadas, Miramar, La Boquita, La Audiencia and Santiago are perfect for those looking for swimming or surfing.

There are plenty of good restaurants in Manzanillo. Some favorites are Bigotes, Juanitos, Oasis, and L'Recif.

Travel Articles about Mexico

Mexico has long been a favorite vacation spot for honeymooners and people looking for relaxation and pampering. These travel articles highlight various resort destinations in Mexico and are sure to give you that extra motivation you need to book your flight and hotel and head south of the border! You might like it so much, you decide to stay. :)

Travel + Leisure

Go World Travel

Conde Nast Traveler

American Way Inflight Magazine

Canadian Dollar Hits Record High

The Canadian Dollar has reached an all time high on news that unemployment is at its lowest level in 33 years. The Canadian government has reported that five times more jobs than originally forecasted for the month of October. The Canadian currency has gained 24.6 percent against the US Dollar in 2007. With steady job growth, high oil prices, and a weak US currency, the Canadian Dollar is expected to increase.

So, what does this mean for the real estate sector? More and more Canadians are snapping up properties in the United States and Mexico. The combination of their strong currency and the slowdown in the US housing market has created a number of real estate investment opportunities for Canadians. If the prices of Mexican real estate seemed attractive before, now they look even better.

Let's Go Fishing - Los Cabos Bisbee Tournament

For all of you fishing enthusiasts out there, the Los Cabos Bisbee Tournament is just around the corner. The tournament takes place from October 19-21 in Cabo San Lucas. This is one of the biggest billfish tournaments in the Americas, with a purse of over $4.7 million.

Visitors from around the world converge on Cabo for this exciting offshore tournament. The tournament concludes on the 21st, with an awards ceremony at 8pm at the Baja Cantina Beach Club.

For more information on the tournament, please visit the official website:

Bisbee Tournament

Green Retreat in San Miguel de Allende

By Alia Mansoori

Turning right off the road linking the colonial Mexican towns of San Miguel de Allende and Dolores Hidalgo, I headed into the mountains. The smooth pavement of the two-lane highway ended abruptly, and my tiny green-and-white taxi struggled over thick rocks and through even thicker clouds of dust from the arid road, toward the plateau nearly two miles away.

To the right, enormous sprinklers watered verdant patches of alfalfa for a wealthy rancher's prized horses to feed on. To the left, a leathery-skinned old man pulled a sleepy donkey along a desiccated soccer field bordered by enormous cacti.

We passed the village of Morroquin, where colorful paper flags on strings — remnants of a fiesta — blew in the light breeze, toward the smaller village of Mesita. But the nearly intolerable ride was a small price to pay for the oasis that awaited.

On 15 acres of rural Central Mexico mountainside sits the eco-conscious Sagrada Wellness, a boutique hotel and yoga retreat, where guests are immersed in everything from holistic health and cooking classes to yoga, Spanish classes, spa treatments, art and horseback riding. Architect Scott Currie and his wife, Eva Inglizian, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, created the Sagrada after living in San Miguel de Allende for a year and yearning for a peaceful refuge to call their own and practice their crafts: sustainable architecture and Eastern medicine.

"There's really nothing like this around here," says Inglizian, sitting in the outdoor dining area, as we ate a lunch of yellow rice, beans, sliced nopales (cactus) salad with fresh cheese, homemade corn tortillas, fresh salsa and guacamole, all made with locally grown, organic ingredients.

Touring the Sagrada grounds with Currie and Inglizian is more than a welcome tour you might get at any small hotel; it's an ode to the Earth and the marriage of the past and present.

To read more of the story, please visit:
Green Retreat in San Miguel
http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/travel/09/16/0916mexicospa.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=48

SPOTLIGHT: Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, known to locals as "Playa", is home to some of the Riviera Maya's most amazing beaches. It is a great choice for vacationers who love watersports as scuba diving and snorkeling are only a short boat ride away. For the more adventurous traveler, Playa is home to amazing freshwater rivers and caves called cenotes.

The Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) boasts an array of shops where one can find all kinds of souvenirs, candy, clothing, Mexican handicrafts, and jewelry. The shopping area is located one block from the beach and is closed off to cars, giving vacationers the freedom to stroll along and shop.

As far as lodging goes, your best bet is one of Playa's small boutique hotels. Here are a few hotels that you might check out:

Hotel Deseo

Mosquito Blue

Illusion Boutique Hotel

Acanto Hotel

Playa del Carmen is the perfect spot for those looking for a relaxing beach vacation without all the craziness of Cancun. Playa draws a more international, laid-back, bohemian tourist as opposed to its neighbor to the north, Cancun, whose tends to draw in Spring Breakers and young families.

Your homebuying vocabulary lesson...en español

It always helps to know the language when doing deals in a foreign country. Even though it isn't necessary to speak Spanish to buy property in Mexico, it can certainly help you to better understand the process.

FIDECOMISO (fee-day-co-miso) - renewable bank trust

CASA (ka-sa) - house

CONDOMINIO (con-do-men-e-o) - condo

IMPUESTOS (em-pue-stos) - taxes

TASA DE INTERES (ta-sa de en-ter-es) - interest rate

VALOR CATASTRAL (val- or ka-tas-trall) - official value of the property

IMPUESTO PREDIAL (em-pue-sto pre-dee-al) - property tax

BIENES RAICES (bee-en-es rye-e-ses) - real estate

NOTARIO (no-tar-e-o) - Notary (different than notary in the U.S.)

If you have any questions or come across any words in Spanish and you would like to know what they mean, just drop me a line!

New Resort to open in Cabo San Lucas - November 2007

Cabo lovers will have one more mega resort to choose from starting in November. The Hotel Riu Santa Fe, part of the Riu Hotels Group, is slated to open this fall and will have 902 guest rooms, two large swimming pools, and complimentary sun loungers on the beach. The resort is all-inclusive, but also offers the option to make reservations at its Asian, Mexican, Steakhouse, and Italian restaurants.

The Riu Santa Fe will also be home to the new "Pacha" nightclub, where guests will receive complimentary entrance and drinks. For the sports lover, the resort boasts a variety of activities from windsailing to jet skiing to golf. Guests will even have the chance to take a romantic horseback ride along the beach. The Renova spa, with its beauty salon, massages, and spa treatments is sure to provide rest and relaxation to even the most stressed out guest.

To make reservations or find out more about the Hotel Riu Santa Fe, visit their website at:

Riu Hotels

Ultra Luxe Properties at Punta Mita Mexico Selling Fast!

Home Sales Soar at Punta Mita's Porta Fortuna Residential Resort

Phase one of new "Zen Casita" product sold out in pre-construction; New estates, luxury condos planned on 14 acres of prime ocean property

PUNTA MITA, Mexico--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Porta Fortuna community in Punta Mita, Mexico, has experienced strong demand for its new product, "Zen Casitas" - selling eight pre-construction units at an average price of $1.5 million each this summer. Set on 14 acres of oceanfront property, Porta Fortuna's "Zen Casitas" are two-story, three-bedroom units with some 4,000 square feet of combined indoor and outdoor space.

Spaciously nestled between two golf fairways and the Pacific Ocean, the Porta Fortuna residential, resort enclave is styled with a blend of Italian, Mediterranean and Mexican architecture into one "Mexiterranean"-crafted oasis, offering the tranquility of a Zen, ultra-luxury lifestyle. Porta Fortuna is located within Punta Mita, a 1,500-acre, master-planned, luxury second-home resort community on Mexico's Pacific Coast.

With such strong buying demand for phase one, two additional pre-construction homes will be released from phase two this month, with a total of 14 Zen Casitas planned. In addition, plans are finalized to develop 6,000 to 8,000 square-foot, single-family beach- and ocean-front estates, and more than 30, 3,000 square-foot, three-bedroom luxury condominiums at Porta Fortuna.

Construction is set to begin on the eight Zen Casitas in September 2007 as part of phase one, with a completion date slated for the fourth quarter of 2008, said Cliff Damavandi, marketing director of Los Angeles/Puerto Vallarta-based Inspired Resorts, owner and developer of Porta Fortuna.

"Buyers were attracted to our Zen Casitas because of their large floor plans, an interesting architectural blend and excellent value compared to similar home sizes and oceanfront property in Hawaii and other high-end second-home destinations. They also liked the idea of buying a luxury second home in Punta Mita, considered to be a world-class, master-planned community with convenient access to nine-and-a-half miles of shoreline and beaches, beach clubs, golf, water sports, tennis and fine dining," said Damavandi.

As hands-on developers, Damavandi explains that he and his father personally meet their customers and are on-property the majority of the time to oversee Porta Fortuna's development. Inspired Resorts spans more than 40 years of experience in real estate development, renovations, financing and acquisitions, management and operations.
Well before Porta Fortuna's first eight units are completed and occupied, Damavandi says the property's 14-acre infrastructure and common amenities will be in place at the start of the winter 2008 season, including artistic access roads, detailed landscaping and a private resident beach club called Playa Fortuna, featuring a palapa-colored living room, a full-service restaurant serving gourmet food, joyous bar, sleek saline pool, swinging daybeds, comfy puff pillows, lounge chairs, a series of isolated nooks and popular social areas.

The Porta Fortuna Yacht Club, located at the edge of the Bay of Banderas, is slated to begin construction before the end of 2007. When completed, it will become a central gathering place for members living in each Punta Mita community. The Club will be built with a wooden pier and a fresh seafood restaurant and bar.

Any whole ownership residence at Punta Mita qualifies for membership in the private Club Punta Mita, which includes the existing 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, and access to the Punta Mita Residents' Beach Club and Tennis Club. Residents also have access to a complete array of services and activities through Punta Mita's Residential Concierge Services.
For more information on Porta Fortuna, contact the Punta Mita Properties Sales Center toll free from the U.S. at 888-647-0979; or visit http://www.portafortuna.info/ or info@puntamitaproperties.net.

Punta Mita's master-planned developer/owner, DINE has been at the forefront of large-scale, high-end commercial, residential and resort communities in Mexico. The company has experienced solid growth, with the most recent second quarter 2007 sales reaching $31.1 million, an increase of 50 percent, up from $20.8 million in second quarter 2006, mostly due to its luxury master-planned resort and residential community, Punta Mita. DINE has invested $150 million so far in the project's infrastructure.

A spear-shaped peninsula with nine miles of Pacific Coast shoreline, Punta Mita is surrounded on three sides by white-sand beaches and dramatic coves, features an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, with a second Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course and a St. Regis Resort and Residences slated for completion in early 2008. The property also boasts a Four Seasons Resort, a private Residents' Beach Club as well as several other villa, condo and private home residence projects planned or under development.

For more information on Punta Mita, contact the Punta Mita Properties Real Estate Center toll-free from the U.S. at 888-647-0979; or visit www.puntamita.com.mx/ or info@puntamitaproperties.net.

Medical Tourism

As insurance and prescription drug prices rise, Americans are looking outside of the United States for treatment. For many years, people traveled to exotic locals like Brazil, Venezuela, and South Africa to get plastic surgery at a fraction of the cost. Today Americans are goign abroad for dentist appointments, lasik eye surgery, and alternative cancer treatments.

If you would like to read more about Medical Tourism, check out this article in the Houston Chronicle: More Americans Seeking Foreign Health Care

DENTISTS IN BAJA
Baja Oral Center
Cosmetic Dental Center of Tijuana

PLASTIC SURGEONS IN BAJA
Dr. Carlos Buenrostro
Dr. Francisco Cisneros Lopez


ALTERNATIVE HEALTH RETREAT CENTER
Sanoviv in Rosarito, Baja California

Property Taxes in Mexico

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, what you lose in high closing costs you will make up in extremely low property taxes. Property taxes are .1% of the property value. Many people are attracted to Mexico because of the low cost of living. Property taxes are low because they have never been seen as a source of revenue for the government like in the United States.

Property taxes in Mexico are payable annually. It is common practice in Mexico not to send out property tax bills. You will have to go to your local tax office to ask for the bill.

Does a property tax rate of .1% sound too good to be true? Well, it gets even better. If you are organized and pay your property taxes (impuesto predial) in January, YOU GET A 15% DISCOUNT! If you were paying $400 on a $400,000 property, your taxes would be reduced to $340.

Closing Costs in Mexico, Part 1

Many people who go to purchase a home in Mexico are shocked by the amount of closing costs. Don't let the closing costs scare you! Closing costs are a one-time expense, as opposed to property taxes which are paid annually. The good news is that property taxes (predial) are .1% of the property value.

Imagine that your property is valued at $500,000 USD.

Your property taxes if you lived in California: $5,000 USD/year.
Your property taxes for the same house if you lived in Mexico: $500 USD/year.

As you can see, what you "lose" on closing costs, you quickly make up in property tax savings.
The following is a list of closing cost charges in Mexico:

Foreign Ministry Permit (SRE)

Registration in the Foreign Investments Registry

Trust Set Up Fee (for purchase in the restricted zone)

Trust First Year Fee

Escrow Fee

Notary (notario) Fee

Local Transfer Tax

Registration in the Public Registry Trust

Certificate of Freedom of Liens

Castastral Appraisal

Estimation of Home Value