By Suzan Haskins and Dan Prescher - International living / Mexico

The Appeal – and the Reality – of the Riviera Maya

Want to Stay Here Forever?

Where would you look to live? Personally, if we were to live on the Caribbean Coast, one of the islands might suit us very well. We’re scuba divers, after all, and these waters offer some of the best diving in the world. And we love Playa del Carmen. This is always where we spend our first and last nights when we explore Quintana Roo. It’s close (about 30 minutes) to the Cancún airport and it has great bars and restaurants, most located on a mile-long pedestrian walkway.

And then there’s Cancún. For many people, Cancún is the only place in Mexico they have visited. That’s a shame; because to us, Cancún is more like South Beach of Miami than Mexico….which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, of course. If you want sun and fun accompanied by all-night discos, your favorite chain restaurants and hordes of other foreign tourists, then Cancún is your place.

There’s a Wal-Mart there. And a Costco, Sam’s Club, Office Max. You can get anything you want or need in Cancún. And that’s what the folks who live in other parts of the state of Quintana Roo go to Cancún to do…to get the things they need. Or they go to catch a flight. Cancún’s international airport is one of the busiest in Mexico.

Cancún is a great place to take the family on vacation. It’s a good place to buy a timeshare or invest in vacation property. But personally, we wouldn’t want to live there.

The rest of Quintana Roo is a different matter.

We could see ourselves buying a beach home some day. This part of Mexico, bordering the Caribbean Sea, is extraordinarily beautiful. The beaches are fine, white sand and the waters are shimmering shades of aquamarine blue and emerald green. In most places, the sea is tranquil…a perfect place for a dip on a hot day. Surprisingly enough, because of the sea breeze, it never seems too hot here…if you’re close to the water. So beware the sunburn factor – it sneaks up on you!

The Riviera Maya As you head south from Cancún, past the mega resorts including the massive new Mayan Palace, the first town of any size is Puerto Morelos. Just 18 miles south of Cancún, the fishing village of Puerto Morelos still retains some of its small-town charm. We took a tour through town in January…the high season…yet the town was remarkably quiet. For those looking for an in-between spot…a place that’s on the tourist map but not overrun, this might be a place to take a closer look. (Some people say Puerto Morelos is like Playa del Carmen was in the early days.)

Playa del Carmen is just down the road from Puerto Morelos. And because this is where the passenger ferry departs to Isla Cozumel, Playa del Carmen has attracted tourists like flies at a summer picnic.

When we first visited Playa del Carmen…about 12 years ago…there wasn’t much there; the ferry dock, a few small hotels and a couple of restaurants. It was a worker town, a fishing village. But being the nearest mainland point to Cozumel and just about 45 miles south of the Cancún airport, Playa del Carmen couldn’t escape the residual effects of the area’s huge tourism boom.

Playa del Carmen is now the fastest-growing destination in the state of Quintana Roo...some say it’s the fastest-growing city in all of Mexico. Fifth Avenue is just a block or so off the beach. This pedestrian walkway is flanked by sidewalk restaurants and small boutiques selling a myriad of exotic items.

Playa del Carmen is a fun place. The hotels in town tend to be small boutique-type hotels and the restaurants, too, feature a relaxed, bohemian ambience.

Riviera Maya Real Estate Prices:

Along the Riviera Maya, which is considered to be the 100-mile long coastal area between Cancun and Tulúm, prices are a bit higher the closer you are to the high-traffic tourism areas of Cancún or Playa del Carmen. In Playa de Carmen, for instance, lots are running about $200 to $350 per square meter. These lots are not on the beach – those are almost impossible to find.

Near Puerto Morelos, which is about halfway between Cancún and Playa del Carmen, beachfront property can currently be found for approximately $350 per square meter. From there south to Playa del Carmen, prices rise to $500/square meter.

Near Puerto Aventuras, a tranquil resort community just south of Playa, you’ll find private homes and villas, condos, hotels, a small shopping complex with restaurants and shops, etc. Prices here are near $1,400/square meter. It’s a popular, upscale area.

At Akumal, there are very few beachfront lots available. One that we know of is 20 meters of frontage by 40 meters deep. The price is $330,000, and local sources say that as many as eight condos could be built on this property.

Go a bit further south from there…to Tancah (sometimes spelled Tankah) and Tulúm…and you can get a better deal. Beachfront property in this area is currently running about $250/square meter.

According to Jim Boyter of Seaview Properties in Playa del Carmen, if you are looking at land that’s a bit inland, this is also where you will find some of area’s best prices. Near Tulúm, he says, commercial lots not on the beach can be had for as little as $75 per square meter. A new residential development here, on the road from Tulúm to Coba, is in the planning stage and it is expected that 5-acre lots will be sold for approximately $60,000. Remember…this is not beachfront. Even so, it sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? We’ll keep our eye on this one.

So who is buying here? Again, according to Jim Boyter, it is primarily people who have vacationed in the area and realize its potential. They are looking for vacation and retirement homes. They want to escape harsh northern winter and the stress of big-city living. Many have economic reasons to buy and cite the low property taxes in Mexico as an incentive. Many more are buying property as an investment, including those looking for large-scale development projects.

”Rental property continues to be a good investment,” says Jim, “for those who are not yet ready to retire or for those simply wanting to invest. Because of the continued growth in the area, housing shortages continue to be a problem, so renting to people who support the tourist industry or to tourists themselves can be a good business.”

According to local news reports about the Riviera Maya, statistics show that tourism in 2003 was up almost 10% over 2002. During Christmas 2002 and the 2002/2003 winter high season, local hotels were overbooked. Demand for vacation rentals through the end of 2003 and into 2004 has been much higher than normal.

There is no doubt that Quintana Roo is one of the strongest areas in Mexico for tourism and real estate – two industries that, in turn, require support services and an increased demand for housing. The means that the real estate market should grow benefit from both foreign buyers and a national market.

Jim Boyter sums up the area’s potential this way: “The Yucatan peninsula is the size of Georgia with a climate better than that of Florida and the same size population as North Dakota. There are wonderful indigenous people who live here, and the history of the area can be traced back to somewhere near 1000 B.C. If we don't destroy the area’s natural beauty and resources, we can all benefit from what it has to offer. This area offers the charm of Mexico coupled with the brilliant waters of the Caribbean. And if you compare prices here to other Caribbean markets, the prices can't be beat.”

Suzan Haskins and Dan Prescher write about living in Mexico – with a focus on real estate and investment opportunities – for International Living magazine and for their subscription-based web site, www.MexicoInsider.com. For more information about how to buy property in Mexico, or for Suzan and Dan’s recommended local real estate and other resources, email them at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

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