Legal advice is basic to the procedure, with “under the table” agreements leaving too many intentions incomplete and pockets unremunerated. If a procedure sounds too easy, it probably is not complete.
Commercial properties on the market include a variety of restaurants, some for sale, others for “traspaso,” or lease. Never has the market been so varied in properties open to new kinds of businesses, just as never before have there been so many new businesses opening each month. Liverpool reassures Vallarta that their investment of $40 million USD is a serious one and promises that the store will be open within 18 months. Other major lessees line up for space in the coveted Peninsula complex.
And now it’s finally possible to purchase interior furnishings without the previously necessary trips to Guadalajara or Tepic. Numerous shops, large and small, offer custom-made couches, love seats and settees in a variety of fabrics and styles. Rather than contracting your designer from major cities in the USA or Canada, go with local designers who have the contacts to get you what you need at a much better price. A good reference is the upcoming biannual “Costa Vallarta” magazine, which evolved from the annual “Style,” also produced by Producciones Viva. Look for listings of designers, boutiques and furnishings, as well as appliances, window treatments, lighting design and more. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the choices available.
As more people in their 40s and 50s are planning their retirement and taking the steps toward the necessary investments, a recent magazine article based on a study by Ameriprise Financial outlined the five emotional stages of retirement. Imagination and Anticipation both occur pre-retirement, while Liberation, Reorientation and Reconciliation follow retirement day. The study concluded that retirement is not a single event but a series of serious emotional stages.
May and November in Vallarta have both experienced a turn-around in recent years with focused events and festivals. November features the annual Gourmet Festival, now in its twelfth year, while May is moving into the dining limelight with the second annual Restaurant Week, with more than 30 restaurants offering fixed-price menus the last two weeks of the month. And both months offer a musical or cultural festival to the public, a free series of concerts and events to benefit the community. May and November also feature sports events, such as Copa Vallarta for golfers, Copa Vallarta Futbol for soccer players and the annual Sports Classic for a variety of community-involved competitions.
Jane Penton of Venegas Realty opened one of the homes in the Montessori neighborhood just behind San Javier Marina Hospital. Casa Harmony was designed by Cachi Pérez, one of the premier local architects of homes on a human scale. Pérez not only created a beautiful home but proves that “the devil is in the details” by including impressive touches that you only find in the very best homes. Priced under $300,000 USD, the model has been sold, but the enclave consists of other homes in the same price range. “Two stories, three baths, three bedrooms and swimming pool in the garden” just doesn’t accurately describe a house that you must experience. For more details, see www.venegasrealty.com or call (322) 222-2111.
The ceremony to lay the first stone for the St. Regis Punta Mita project in Punta de Mita was quite an interesting affair. Chief among the dignitaries present, apart from the associates, investors and partners of St. Regis, DINE Corporation, Ideurban and Starwood Hotels, was the governor of Nayarit, Ney González Sánchez, who spoke both at the ceremony and even more expansively at the following cocktail. Admittedly and unashamedly a politician, Governor González Sánchez spoke very succinctly about the role of the government in not only allowing but also encouraging development by preparing the groundwork and building the infrastructure for it to function smoothly. This includes not only roads, water, drainage and electricity but also schools, hospitals and other community services. He is clearly focused on what it takes to bring his state to the forefront of investment and development in Mexico.
The St. Regis Resort Punta Mita is only the second property in all of Latin America by this exclusive company, just behind a St. Regis under construction in Mexico City. The resort in Punta de Mita will consist of 120 individual rooms and suites, each elegantly designed with its own private outdoor bath. An additional 65 deluxe villas will allow guests and residents the possibility of enjoying the best service in the world in one of the most impressive oceanfront sites in Mexico. The second Jack Nicklaus golf course is already under construction, while plans include a 930-square-meter grand spa, two restaurants, a beach club with bar and grill and a 650-square-meter community center for events, weddings and other meetings. The entire property comprises six square kilometers at the point of Punta de Mita.
