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Olympic alpine skier turned real estate developer Cary Mullen searched far and wide before finding this spot near Puerto Escondido to build the Vivo Resorts, which will include 120 home sites and up to 400 condominiums on the 75-acre site.
Living la vida VivoLuxury resort offers an authentic Mexican experience
I T is the custom at Vivo Resortsto announce the surfacing of awhale by blowing into the conch
shell located at the swim-up bar.
No such formality was requiredduring our late-January visit to thisluxurious resort near Puerto Escon-dido, which was named 2016 MexicoLuxury Resort of the Year by U.K.-based Luxury Travel Guide.
“A whale, it’s a whale,” I excitedlyblurted out for all to hear, happilyignoring my wife’s pleadings to notmake a spectacle of myself.
Hey, I was excited, and wasn’t theonly one, as a crowd quickly formed atthe edge of the infinity pool overlook-ing the Pacific Ocean at this resort lo-cated at the heart of the southern endof the Emerald Coast. Turns out whale
sightings are a regular occurrence,but Vivo’s friendly residents and staffdon’t mind sharing in a newcomer’sexuberance.
Ah (awe), the ocean. It’s visible fromevery condo and villa in the develop-ment, the brainchild of two-time Olym-pian and World Cup champion alpineskier Cary Mullen of Calgary.
Not unlike that weary traveller inthose hilarious Expedia commercials,Mullen travelled/researched far andwide before plunking down cash tosecure a piece of paradise to builda dream vacation destination. Hechose a stretch of a virtually undevel-oped 21-kilometre-long beach abouta 10-minute drive from the city ofPuerto Escondido.
“My gut said this is the spot, therewas this emotional draw,” says Mul-len, now a successful property devel-oper, author and sought-after motiva-tional speaker.
Mullen says he chose the PuertoEscondido area because, among otherreasons, the fishing, surfing and tour-ist town of about 50,000 people hasa low risk of hurricanes, low winds,beautiful beaches, minimal rainfall,consistent hot and sunny weather andwarm ocean temperatures. It also hasthat ski-town feel, adds the ex-racer.
It’s easy to get to. We took a directflight from Winnipeg to Huatulco(pronounced wah-TOOL-coh), a tour-ist development centred on the townof La Crucecita. From there, it wasa two-hour scenic drive along thecoast to Vivo Resorts. There are alsoflights from Mexico City to PuertoEscondido’s airport. Travelling on thetwo-lane highway with non-existentshoulders takes some getting used to,but work continues on the twinning ofthe highway, which when completedwill make for a quicker and, hopefully,safer journey.
Work started on the 75-acre VivoResorts around 2010 and at build-out itwill include about 120 home sites withviews of the ocean and/or the SierraMadre del Sur mountains, and up to400 condominiums ranging from one-to four-bedroom units (550 to 3,500square feet). All come fully equippedand furnished, and there is an optionalrental program.
Mullen’s business plan is to not startconstruction until a unit is 75 percent pre-sold. That philosophy helpedsell Paul Saltel to the idea of owning apiece of the action in what he consid-ers “a very sound investment.”
The owner of Quest Residential RealEstate in Winnipeg went on a play-and-stay visit to Vivo with his wife, Nancy,in January 2016, and closed a deal on acondo there last March.
“We always wanted to have some-thing on the ocean,” says Saltel,adding he had checked out locations
in Florida and Playa del Carmen,Mexico.
Saltel says Nancy “is a social but-terfly,” so they’ve fit in well with thecommunity of owners from almostevery province in Canada and a fewfrom the United States. Most appearto be well-heeled and in their 50s orbeyond.
“You’re buying community, not justthe place,” says Saltel, who regularlyvisits the resort along with his wife,three children and five grandchil-dren.
My wife and I were put up in a1,450-square-foot premium condo suitewith breathtaking views of the ocean,kilometres of beach and the mountainrange. Huge floor-to-ceiling glassdoors easily bring the outside in andprovide easy access to the expansivepatio.
ROB KNODEL
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2017 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM G 3DESTINATIONS I MEXICO
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We could have spent the entire weekjust chillin’ on the patio and around thetwo pools, sipping piña coladas, takinglong walks along the virtually de-serted Playa Palmarito beach, soakingup the sun and the sound of the wavescrashing on shore, dining at the pool-side Bistro 216 restaurant, and takingin the truly spectacular sunsets thatalways make way for starry, starrynights.
Truth be told, we found there wasn’tmuch else to do at Vivo Resorts.
But that’s about to change real soon.The under-construction $7-million
clubhouse, scheduled to open in De-cember, will amp up the action, offer-ing a spa, fitness facility, restaurant,lounge and sports bar, business centre,kids’ club, general store, conferenceand event space, tennis courts andmulti-use sports field. It will be thecentrepiece of the resort’s oceanfrontcourtyard. Work is also underway on alap pool.
But Vivo isn’t the place to be if youwant to party the nights and/or daysaway.
“We don’t cater to the spring-breakcrowd,” Mullen says.
As it stands, there’s endless pos-sibilities for fun and adventure inand around nearby Puerto Escondido.The Zicatela beach strip is a surfer’sparadise that attracts ocean loverswith a multitude of restaurants, barsand live music. We enjoyed dinner atFresh, one of three restaurants ownedand operated by an expat Canadiancouple and their teenage son. The widerange of activities the city offers in-clude surfing, fishing, horsebackriding, scuba diving and snorkelling,mountain bike tours, ziplining, white-water rafting and ecological tours.
Our driver/tour guide for the firstcouple of days, Jesus, from the nearbytown Chila, was friendly, entertainingand knowledgeable about and proud ofwhat the area has to offer. We touredthe market with its tremendous varietyof fresh organic fruit, vegetables,meat, seafood and more; drove past thenew hospital (with funeral home nextdoor); toured some neighbourhoods andenjoyed mingling with the locals in thestreet markets.
A highlight was a visit to the Vil-las Carrizalillo Hotel, which offersspectacular views from its outdoorrestaurant — Espadin — set on cliffsoverlooking Playa Carrizalillo Beach.
The next day, Jesus drove us ashort distance from Vivo to LagunaManialtepec, a seven-kilometre-longfreshwater lagoon considered one ofthe most ecologically diverse in all ofMexico. We spotted all manner of birdsand saw fish jumping during a pleasantboat ride to the far side of the lagoon,where two families live off the landnear a sandbar separating the lagoonfrom the ocean. We enjoyed fresh coco-nut and drank the juice fresh from thesource with a straw, and finished withan excellent lunch back at our startingpoint at Puesta del Sol.
I must say we never had a badmeal during our stay. The authenticOaxacan cuisine, always preparedwith fresh, locally sourced vegetablesand our choice of a wide variety of seacreatures, never failed to satisfy.
In addition to providing sun-seekersa secluded destination to unwind, Vivoprovides the local economy with asignificant boost.
“We’re the largest employer in thearea,” says Mullen, who currentlyemployees some 350 people, includingthe construction workers building theclubhouse.
To give back to the community,Mullen also created the Vivo Founda-tion. It supports kids in sports, a localorphanage and is the main funder fora sea turtle sanctuary that has savedand released into the ocean more than300,000 baby sea turtles, with femalesreturning in 15 years to lay eggs.
Vivo offers upscale accommoda-tions and an authentic Mexicanexperience in a gated, master-plannedcommunity with consistent year-round weather, less than an inch ofrain in the winter season from No-vember to May, little wind, minimalhurricane risk, ocean temperatureswarmer than the Caribbean and Ha-waii, and natural beauty.
Mullen believes he invested in “theright place at the right time.”
I would have to agree.Vivo means alive. I never felt more
so than while being there.
VIVO ● FROM G1
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Vivo Resorts in Puerto Escondido, Mexico isin a gated, master-planned community. A
clubhouse, which will include a spa, fitnessfacility, restaurant, sports bar and kids’ club
is set to open in December.
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