EDITION 86

APRIL 2008

Retire in Style in Mazatlán

By Patrick Hobson

Mazatlan, Mexico is enjoying an astonishing rebirth, and the word is certainly getting out! The city has been featured in stories in the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune, and is the recipient of a new wave of accolades from the likes of none other than CNN Money and International Living, both of which are rating Mazatlan as one of Mexico's best up-and-coming retirement destinations. Quite impressively, Mazatlan was even listed #24 in the New York Times article "53 Places to Go in 2008".

Rich in history, culture and tradition, Mazatlan is truly a destination like no other, offering the comforts and conveniences of a large city - major shopping facilities, state-of-the-art hospitals, a variety of sporting and entertainment options - while maintaining a friendly small town atmosphere. It is authentic and distinctively Mexican, and has always been popular with Mexican tourists. Six-thousand Americans and Canadians have established legal residency in the city and call the "Pearl of the Pacific" home full-time, not to mention the thousands of snowbirds who winter there. Although it boasts seemingly endless beaches along its expansive 20-mile coastline, Mazatlan is not just about the beach. The ex-pats are attracted by the warm tropical weather, an active yet relaxed lifestyle, the affordable cost of living as well as access to quality medical and dental care. And magically, only forty-five minutes away, nestled in the Sierra Madres, the ex-pats can avoid the summer heat in quaint colonial and silver mining towns where the hands of time seemed to have stopped, but somehow the cerveza is always icy-cold.

In the 1950's and 1960's, when Mazatlan and Acapulco were Mexico's only Pacific resorts, the city was a favorite haunt for Hollywood stars John Wayne, Errol Flynn, Robert Mitchum and Rock Hudson, all of whom enjoyed world-class deep sea fishing, warm weather, cocktails and relaxing in anonymity in small Olas Altas beachfront hotels. As more visitors arrived, additional hotels were built on a stretch north of the city in an area called the Zona Dorada, or Golden Zone. Many of Mazatlan's hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and nightclubs are still located there, within easy walking distance of one another.

An increasing number of Mazatlan's new residents are drawn back to the Historic District near Olas Altas where the movie stars once unwound. The Centro Historico is anchored by the beautifully restored 130-year-old Angela Peralta Opera House, the gracious Plaza Machado and the Catedral Basilica de la Immaculada Concepcion, a 109-year-old Roman Catholic cathedral that curiously features 28 Star-of-David stained glass windows purportedly donated by Mazatlan's Jewish community during its construction in 1898. Today, neglected Tropical Neo classic architectural masterpieces from a bygone era are being passionately restored by new owners amidst the 479 buildings that have been designated as national historical monuments. Evenings find the district vibrant, bustling and alive with throngs of people meandering amongst the museums, shops, galleries, bars and cafes; and delighting in the cultural offerings of Delfo´s Contemporary Dance Company, the Municipal Music School or the Angela Peralta Choir

While everyone appreciates the eclectic atmosphere in the historic district, many ex-pats feel privileged to be able to affordably purchase a property on the beach, and wouldn't think of living anywhere else. Others wish to indulge their passion for golf and purchase a country club membership and a fairway home. A handful of local energetic, visionary developers are providing beach and golf options for all. The founding father of Mazatlan development, the recently deceased Don Julio Berdegue, first pioneered both timesharing and master planning in Mexico 35 years ago with the gated-community El Cid Golf and Country Club, which still has retained its popularity with golf aficionados. Another Mazatleco, whose Pueblo Bonito Resort timeshare developments helped put Mazatlan on the map, Ernesto Coppel Kelly, is promoting fractional ownership at the Emerald Estates at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay. Emerald Bay, located in Playa Cerrritos north of Mazatlan, also has a golf course in its future; so it is probably only a matter of time before Coppel also offers whole ownership.

Recent full-time condominium development in Mazatlan really took off when Ing Jaime Peña, the founder of the Pronova Development Group, perched 100 oceanfront condominiums in front of the beach on Mazatlan's world famous Malecon in 2001. The twin-tower project, Las Gavias Club Residencial, changed Mazatlan's skyline and ushered in a new era of residential living. The project was well-received and quickly sold, and Pronova has followed it with 27-story Las Gavias Golden Shores outside the Golden Zone, and is now planning a larger and more elaborate beachfront offering north of Marina Mazatlan to be called Las Gavias Grand. At the same time, Don Eduardo Habif of the Costa Bonita Group was establishing the luxury 120-condominium Costa Bonita condominium project on Playa Cerritos, north of Mazatlan, which was followed by Paraiso Costa Bonita (86 condominiums) and Paraiso Costa Bonita II (100 condominiums).

Ing. Jaime Peña and Don Eduardo Habif may have pioneered the new era of luxury condominiums, but experienced developers were ready to solidify the growth. An established Sinaloa-based residential development company, Impulsa, entered the Mazatlan marketplace in 2005 with its Tenerife Condominium project on the El Cid Golf Course, and a second Culiacan company headed by agriculturist Ernesto Echavarria, further boosted investor confidence when it purchased the huge Marina Mazatlan project which had gone unimproved since its initial development in the mid 1990's. Upon completion, Marina Mazatlan will be the largest marina development in Latin America, consisting of 1200 yacht slips, an 18-hole David Fleming Championship Golf Course and a convention center. The final coup-de-gras may be Estrella del Mar, an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Golf and and Beach resort situated on 3.5 miles of spectacular Pacific Ocean beachfront. Mazatlan will soon boast 3 championship golf courses, the largest marina in Latin America and an array of luxurious condominiums to complement its precious Centro Historico.

Many don't realize that Mazatlan has a 50-year history as a tourist destination that is currently receiving over 1 million visitors annually. What are the factors that contribute to Mazatlan's uniqueness, and distinguish it from other beach destinations elsewhere in the world? In the words of Lic. Raul Llera Martinez, the Sub-Secretary of Tourism for the State of Sinaloa, "Mazatlan is a city unique in history and culture. It is an immigrant city whose citizenry traces its roots to Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, China, and Japan, and recently from the United States and Canada. The early visitors came for the region's abundant natural resources - gold, silver, copper, fish and shrimp - and stayed. Their food, music, architecture, and traditions were absorbed into and enriched our society. Mazatlan's cultural recipe has many ingredients, and it is a very special recipe that cannot be replicated in less than two or three hundred years. Visit Mazatlan and its Centro Historico. It is a city like no other in the world.".

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