Can you hear the bays of Huatulco beckoning you to come and visit? If not, perhaps you may want to lean in a little closer and listen for the inviting sound of warm waters lapping up against Oaxaca’s pristine coastline. Although the echoes of paradise may appear to be coming from one source, there are actually nine bays in the region that beg for exploration. They are as follows:

• Santa Cruz and San Agustin
• Cacaluta and Chachacual
• Chahue and Conejos
• Organo and Maguey
• Tangolunda

From our perspective, each one of Huatulco’s bays clearly has its own charms. But you don’t have to solely rely on our testimonial. The forums on TripAdvisor and other popular travel sites are full of glowing reviews that shine a spotlight on the Bays of Huatulco.

Personally, we’d recommend a visit to all of Huatulco’s bays. However, if you are short on time you may need to narrow down your options. The more developed bays are Santa Cruz, Tangolunda, Conejos and Chahue. As such, there tend to be plenty of touristy areas to visit. This is especially the case if you want to shop your heart out. If that’s the case, plan on spending several hours in La Crucecita and Santa Cruz. While in the developed areas, you may even want to charter lanchas for part of your stay. They’re a great way to get a watery view of more remote areas and the Huatulco shoreline. One bay were you can typically secure a charter is Tangolunda.

If you are looking for some place less crowded, San Agustin, Cacaluta, Organo, Chachacual and Maguey may all be more to your liking. Just be prepared to bring some of your own supplies to certain beaches located in those areas. Many people also find this is exactly the charm they are looking for.

To learn more about the bays of Huatulco, please contact us. TO learn more about exciting real estate purchase opportunities, please contact us also. We're sure you will find out like we have that living in this pristine slice of paradise is something close to heaven.

This tropical paradise is filled with many unforgettable sights. Experience enchanting bays, exotic plants, and exquisite beaches at your own leisure. While you are in downtown Huatulco don't forget to browse local retailers and absorb the distinctive culture.

Thanks to the location of Huatulco, it's a storm safe place. Huatulco has two seasons: dry and rainy; so, plan your trip accordingly. The dry season in Huatulco is from December to May, and the time of year is from June to November. At the start of the rainy season, Huatulco is transformed into an even more glorious place full of lush plants and colorful flowers.

Try to sit back and relax on one of Huatulco's thirty six beaches. The clear, blue skies and rolling white sands create the perfect place to enjoy a bit of relaxation and rest. Cool off and enjoy a dip in crystal, clear waters. In 2010, Travelers choice Destination Awards voted Huatulco the sixth best Beach and Sun Destination within the world.

Let your inner adventurer out during your stay with activities like zip-lining, rafting, rappelling, swimming, and snorkeling. Enjoy the astonishing underwater sights with Hurricane Divers. Hurricane Divers has an unblemished record of safety; so, you can rest assured that you and your family are safe and enjoyable experience. If extreme sports is not your cup of tea then head over to the Tangolunda golf course for a memorable game of golf.

Huatulco has something for nature lovers, beach goers, and history enthusiast.

Mexico is a desirable retirement option for many around the world due to its year-around comfortable climate, rich cultures and spectacular beaches.  Beach towns such as Huatulco are leading the way with affordable real estate options that allow secluded beach access yet are conveniently close to a vibrant safe community. Retirees in Mexico enjoy low cost living while living like they are on a permanent tropical vacation.

Choosing retirement in Mexico doesn’t mean you will have to give up the comforts of home or modern amenities. Condos, homes and villas such as those offered by Huatulco Prime Properties offer all the latest trends in building materials such as granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and high-end bathroom fixtures and are equipped with air conditioning throughout and more. One thing which makes Huatulco, Mexico especially attractive is the fact that it maintains its breathtaking qualities of pristine nature while at the same time supporting a modern infrastructure. Strict building and environmental regulation are also in effect to keep it this way.

Many destinations in Mexico including Huatulco enjoy over 300 sun days a year and offer year around warmth.  This is ideal for retires with a disability as they do not have to combat the adverse weather elements of snow and ice. It also allows them to enjoy outdoor activities year around allowing them to get the most of their retirement years.

Retiring in Mexico mean your family and friends will want to visit you as it doubles as a vacation.  Mexico’s international airports offer flights from around the world making it a convenient travel choice for your visitors.

If you would like more information on enjoying your retirement in your own Mexico condo or available rentals please contact us.

There are many advantages that come with Huatulco real estate ownership. One of them is being able to attend all of the fabulous special events that take place in the Huatulco, Mexico area. To give you an idea of how much fun you can have as a property owner, here’s a snapshot of several events scheduled for 2014:

When it comes to special events in Mexico, the Huatulco Carnival is one that shouldn’t be forgotten. It’s a three day annual event that typically takes place in early February. If you decide to go, make it a point to watch the costumed dancers and listen to the singers. You won’t regret doing so.

Of course the long celebrated holiday Cinco de Mayo is another superb day to be a Huatulco Villa resident. There are usually many entertaining activities, ethnic foods and live entertainment on tap throughout all of the bay areas. As it gets closer to the event, we should have more specific information available about where the best activities will be taking place this year.

Are you a fan of triathlon events? If so, you’ll undoubtedly be over the moon to learn that an International Triathlon Union World Cup event is scheduled to take place in our beloved area as well. It’s slated to kickoff on June 14 and last for two days. Look for the venerable organization to release more information about the highly anticipated event in the weeks ahead.

Are you fascinated with Mexican sugar skulls? Well then, don’t let the Dia de los Muertos pass you by in 2014 either. It’s the ideal time to witness authentic skulls being made and used during traditional celebrations. Candlelight ceremonies, music, parades and dancing tend to take place on that day too.

The Noches de Rabanos is another wonderful holiday that takes place in Oaxaca. Occurring in late December, it usually includes radish carving competitions, the creation of other food sculptures and street fairs. What many people tend to be impressed with the most during the course of the celebrations is the size of the radishes and the details put into the food sculptures.

For more information about these special events and other great benefits associated with Huatulco Villa ownership, please contact us. We may be reached year round through our U.S. and Huatulco office locations.

Are you the type of person looking for sound investments? Perhaps you have a favorite vacation spot that you would like to take advantage of. If so, a real estate investment in Mexico offers numerous opportunities to combine the best of both worlds. None more so than in the emerging tropical resort community of Bahías de Huatulco in Oaxaca.

Everybody has heard about Cancun, but there is a special spot that has just as much charm and enjoyment potential for people of all ages.Bahías de Huatulco is historically a tiny port village, but over the last two decades has blossomed into one of the must see resort areas in all of Mexico. To get to Bahías de Huatulco, you would book a flight to the Huatulco International Airport (HUX), as there are a number of flights regularly from the United States and Canada or from Mexico City. The real estate opportunities in Bahias de Huatulco is ideal for someone looking to get their feet wet, and this is quite obviously a place that anyone would love.

Made up of 9 beautiful bays along the southern Oaxaca coast and 36 pristine beaches, the Bahías de Huatulco region is divided into several sectors, including an area specifically designated for vacation resorts and a special area specifically designated for private real estate ownership and development. As a tourist destination the area is ripe with numerous attractions and activities to enjoy, from the bays and beaches themselves (and related activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, surfing and tours) to local restaurants, bars and shopping opportunities to other local wonders such as a national park, an archeological site and coffee plantations as well as numerous annual festivals and events. Nonetheless, the region stands out among Mexico resorts as still maintaining it's genuine local charm and status as a "secret" paradise. One important reason for this is the regions commitment - from the national government to the local community level - to maintain Huatulco as an ecologically sustainable destination. Strict rules and a passionate commitment ensures Huatulco will not fall victim to over-development and pollution as has been the case historically in other resort areas.

While beach front real estate will always remain a sound investment for both economic and quality of life purposes, purchasing a condo or villa in Huatulco holds many added values. The commitment to sustainability alone offers an advantage beyond that of the strictest and most elite of home owners associations. The beauty and attractions of the region rival that of the most prestigious tropical resort areas in the world. Best of all, renting the property to tourists offers the possibility not only of the property paying for itself, but potentially yielding a generous profit in the future.

If you have any questions about real estate in Mexico and how to close on one of the many elite real estate opportunities offered on this website, contact us today.

Are you one of the millions of people interested in living in a sustainable community and lifestyle? If so, you may want to contemplate investing in Huatulco, Mexico's oceanfront real estate. There are many reasons why it is the ideal place for eco-minded investors. Here are some of the highlights:

Following the commitments and directives of the Mexican government, Huatulco, Mexico’s people have been focused on living a sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle for decades. Over the years, that admirable mission has led to the region and its members receiving many noteworthy awards and certifications. Among them are the International Green Globe Certification (2005) and the EarthCheck Gold Certification (2011). To date, the people of Huatulco, Mexico continue their green focused efforts in a venerable attempt at making the region completely carbon neutral.

Understandably, such a wide acceptance of sustainable ideals have led to the formation of an array of amazing, environmentally friendly destinations like the Copalita Eco-Archaeological Park, the Hagia Sofia agro-ecological development and the Zapoteca Mud Baths. Some of the region’s environmentally friendly hot spots were even featured in a 2012 Discovery Channel documentary series. As such, those exceptional destinations continually draw the attention of residents and international travelers alike.

There are also ample clean utilities available in the region. For proof, take a look at the most recent case study completed on the area by EarthCheck. It indicates that Huatulco has some of the best green energy, water and sewage treatment facilities in the world. In addition, the region is home to such things as green car rental services, sustainable restaurants, green jobs and recycling facilities. Based on the region’s ongoing sustainability efforts, we expect the availability of such services to increase in the future.

If you would like to learn more about why Huatulco, Mexico is the perfect place for eco-minded investors, or are interested in the purchase of Huatulco real estate for yourself, contact us and be sure to browse available Huatulco properties for sale.

Among the many outstanding international, ecological honors bestowed on Huatulco, Mexico through the years - including Earth Check Gold certification in 2010 - another has just been added to the list.

This month Playa Chahue was recognized by the nonprofit Foundation for Environmental Education with the Blue Flag certification. Beaches and marinas worldwide are awarded the honor when voluntary compliance has been met with the programs 32 strict environmental criteria, broadly categorized in the key areas of:

• Environmental Education and Information
  
• Water Quality
  
• Environmental Management
  
• Safety and Services

Now in its twenty-fifth year of issuing awards to beaches of only the highest quality Blue Flag has certified more than 3,100 beaches and 625 marinas worldwide in countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean. This is the first time, however, that Mexico has achieved the distinction..

A total of five Mexico beaches were given the award at an announcement made in Copenhagen, Denmark. In an official statement following the event, Mexico's Tourism Secretariat said, “This shows that Mexico is prepared to compete on an equal footing with other world class destinations.”  

The Blue Flag program is supported by such prestigious organizations as the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Environment Programme of the United Nations (UNEP), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Lifesaving (ILS), the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC), the International Council of Associations of Port Industry (ICOMIA) and the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

The awarded beaches in Mexico were announced as

Playa Chahué is centrally located in the Bahias de Huatulco area, near the town of La Crucesita. A favorite among both locals and tourists it is revered as the perfect beach for  weddings, beach sports, relaxing, exercising and yoga, sunbathing, beach parties or simply walking along the especially white and comfortable sand. At about 2000 feet long, the beach also holds several natural rock formations adding to its mystique. One called "The Sleeping Giant" is formed by the hills reaching into the sea and, which at the distance, looks like a man lying in the ocean. Another rock formation is called "The turtle with a crocodile's head" and is a favorite for bids in nesting season.

The Blue Flag certification is particularly meaningful to Huatulco Prime Properties as the Sueño del Mar real estate development is located just off Playa Chahué in Huatulco where two elite condos are currently available. We can only imagine this adding to the already world-class appeal and value of the area and our congratulations to the entire community.

On Friday July 12, 2013 a ceremony was held to officially award Chahué Beach and officially raise the Blue Flag in the presence of the governor of Oaxaca Gabino Cué Monteagudo.

Established by the Mexican government in the 1980s, Huatulco is seen as the emblem of a new era in tropical resort communities. Unlike older and more established destinations that have suffered over time from over-development and pollution, the nine bays and 36 beaches of Huatulco were immediately placed under some of the most conscientious environmental restrictions in the world to ensure not only its long term sustainability, but to protect its pristine, unspoiled nature for generations to come. The Huatulco community, both local and international developers, has fully embraced the sustainability agenda and continued only to improve upon it. This led to Huatulco becoming the first community in the world to win the Earth Check Gold award for sustainable tourism.

The new flight operates between June 7 and August 16, 2013, targeting what has traditionally been the Huatulco low-season. This too is also seen as new, as the effort seeks clearly to bring more year-round tourists to the area.

Those of us who have enjoyed the wonder of Huatulco for a long time look forward to seeing new faces from California, Nevada, Arizona and other areas. We're sure you will agree that Huatulco is "close to Heaven."

Villa Tres Hermanas is one of two private villas at the small Huatulco community Sueño Real - which mean "Royal Dream." 

Built high on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Bay of Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz village it offers some of the most breathtaking views found in Huatulco and perhaps anywhere in the world.

With three bedrooms with king sized beds, along with an additional sofa bed and three bathrooms, there is plenty of space for a family or friends on a tropical getaway.

The villa living room opens on to the terrace, swimming pool and tropical gardens all with that unforgettable view. Santa Fe and Greek Island architecture, marble floors and bathrooms, quality furnishing and the peace and tranquility of paradise make this an exceptional vacation rental opportunity for your next trip to Huatulco.

On April 23rd, 2013, Mexico’s House of Representatives, by an overwhelming majority, voted to reform Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution to allow foreigners to directly own residential real estate within the restricted zone.

I have been seeing the news on this historic vote and also getting lots of emails about the reforms that passed the “Camara de Diputados” on the 23rd of April and thought it was time that tried to clear up a few doubts. Realistically, this is a good thing for the country and I certainly hope that it will (and expect it to) pass the next steps fairly quickly (relatively):

Although the “Diputados” have passed the bill, before it becomes law it will need to be approved by the Federal Senate, then the majority of the State congresses, then finally will need to be signed into law by the President and then published in the daily government newspaper. I think this will most likely happen, but the Senate’s session ends on April 30th and they will not meet again until September. I have a feeling that this reform will be one of the first orders of business for the September session, because this is one of the many initiatives that is being pushed forth by the multi-party alliance “Pacto por México”.

Once the reforms are approved, the fideicomisos (trusts) that are currently in place will remain so, even though they will no longer be a requirement. The Mexican land trust, the fideicomiso, is really just a contract with a financial institution that stipulates that the bank is going to hold onto a piece of property (can be real estate, a corporation, liquid assets, whatever) and therefore the contracts that are currently valid will remain so.

Even though foreigners will now be able to cancel their land trusts, many people may actually choose to maintain their property in trust for any of the following reasons:

1. Transferring the property out of the trust will be somewhat costly - The bank will be transferring your property to you and therefore the transaction will incur many of the standard fees and taxes that you would pay when if you were to sell your property to someone else. This is important, because you may even have to pay the dreaded “Capital Gains” tax on the property (which could be an interesting tax strategy, maybe I’ll talk about this in another post). You can expect to pay at least 4.5% of the value of the property in closing costs.
2. Land trusts make estate planning in Mexico a lot easier - In the trust contract you designate who gets the property rights if anything happens to you: In order for your heir to collect they just have to go to the bank and produce the death certificate and they can easily transfer the trust to their name. If you have the land in your own name it is will need to be either stipulated in a will in Mexico and have the Mexican probate process run its course, or included in your probate process at home and then have a judge in Mexico recognize that the foreign court’s decision.
3. Having your property in trust adds a small amount of legal certainty that you wouldn’t get by yourself – You might not live in your home in Mexico. You might not even go there regularly. If anything happens legally that you should know about, you might not receive the notice or get any warning until the process is already in full swing. Having your property held in a bank trust makes the bank somewhat responsible to protect your investment, at least to the point of them notifying you if anything is wrong.

That all said, I think that this IS a big step in opening up Mexico to future foreign investment. Many foreigners feel more comfortable being able to directly own their investment properties, which is understandable. I hope to see in the years to come further advances in the ease-of-operation for foreign investment, including easing the foreign investment restrictions in businesses (lawyers offices must be 51% Mexican owned). Until then, we will have to continue to find ways to work around these restrictions, but for now I think Mexico is making a huge step in the right direction.