I've recently returned from my trip to Mazatlan on March 31 after visiting for 5 days. My fiancee Melissa and I decided to take the trip because we needed a vacation and we also wanted to experience something new. Well, we both had an amazing time and are STILL impressed by everything the area had to offer. To document our experience, we brought a camera which duels as a video recorder. We took a lot of videos and photos but I'll share what I feel is most interesting.
The flight to Mazatlan wasn't too long. Direct flights aren't offered out of San Diego yet but by next year, direct flights will be offered and it will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes. At this time, the shortest flight time is 3 hours 30 minutes and the lowest ticket price we found was $250. We began our trip in downtown Mazatlan. Here's a photo from outside of our hotel (click on the photo for a larger view):
The weather was perfect each day we were there. Mazatlan is on the same latitude as Hawaii so the weather is great almost year round. Here's a link to a site if you'd like to research more information on the weather patterns in Mazatlan: http://www.allaboutmazatlan.com/weather.htm
We had a great time in the downtown area of Mazatlan. The food was great (and cheap!) and it wasn't too crowded at all. The people that work in the area were very polite and friendly and most of them spoke English so we didn't have to use our weak Spanish. One thing we didn't like were the vendors that frequently hassled us to buy their goods. After a while, we just ignored them. Check out this video of a few entertainers we saw while we sat to have a drink, or two, or three...ha
There were plenty of places to shop. They also have stores that we're familiar with here in the states such as Dairy Queen, Mcdonalds, Home Depot, and Sam's Club. Here's a slide show with other photos we took during our visit in downtown Mazatlan.
So after our two days downtown, we headed to an area about 35 minutes away called Rosario. We wanted to visit Rosario because it's where we were planning to purchase some land. As soon as we entered the area we were immediately fascinated with the views! The first thing we noticed was the forest of palm trees. There were rows and rows of palm trees everywhere! This was definitely a good sign because palm trees always give me a sense of paradise. Here's a shot we took during our drive into Rosario:
We finally reached our destination which was our friend Lee's Ranch. Lee is a friend of ours that has been living in Rosario for about five years. He decided to move down to the area because of the great hunting and fishing it offers. Over the years, he's developed a great relationship with the farmers and townspeople who eventually gave him the 'first right of refusal' when they decided to sell their land. He was kind enough to let us stay in his beautiful home...thanks Lee!
Once we finished settling in, we decided to take a trip to the beach on Lee's ATV's. Here's a short video of our stay in Rosario:
Below you'll find a short video of the land that's located down the road from Lee's Ranch.
A few days ago, we just put in a deposit to purchase a 7,500 sq ft. waterfront lot for $65,000!!!! It was really an easy decision for us, especially since they're in the process of developing what will be the world's largest golf course a mile away from the lot we just purchased! We also know of a development about 30 minutes away called 'Estrella Del Mar' and they are also offering land for sale. Their website shows that the smallest parcel you can purchase is about 5,600 sq ft. and the minimum sale price is $280,000! check out the site at: http://www.estrelladelmar.com/
That 5,600 sq. ft. lot isn't even a waterfront lot like the one we've purchased. At the very least, we'll have a vacation home which will only cost us about $80,000 to $100,000 to build, and it will look similar to Lee's five-bedroom house which you saw in the video earlier. There are still a few lots available so get in contact with me if you're interested in obtaining more information. I've done some research, and you won't find any pristine beach front property in the WORLD at the prices these lots are available for.
Our biggest concern before we made the purchase was the risk of the losing our land like a few people did some years back. We spoke with our real estate attorney and performed our due diligence to find out that it is completely safe for us to purchase land in Mexico. To own land as a foreigner, you must form a trust with a Mexican bank who holds the title to the property in trust. The beneficiary controls the trust while enjoying every right as any normal property owner does. Here's a website that explains how it works in full detail:
http://www.thepepper.com/forsale_rockypoint2.html
So, that was our trip to Mazatlan in a nutshell. We'll be headed back in May to sign whatever paperwork and close the deal. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email at jbrown@unifik.com.
