Digest: Killer Deals in the Caribbean and
Under-the-Radar Towns in Portugal

In this week’s digest:

• Our Golden-Buying Moment in Northern Portugal
• Is This the Best-Value Hotel in the World? (I Think So…)
• Own on a Mediterranean Island from $94,000
• Your Questions Answered on Where to Invest in Playa Del Carmen

This week, members of my Real Estate Trend Alert team and I fanned out across the world as part of our ongoing mission to find the “next places”…

We’re hunting for stunning, under-the-radar destinations that are poised to explode into the mainstream…the places where tourists, expats, and second-home owners will go next.

And we’ve already found quite a few…

Since last Sunday, I’ve had boots on the ground in Portugal. I spent most of the week scouting towns and cities in the far north of the country. The places I scouted are not well known to tourists or expats (yet), but they have immense potential. I’ll tell you about them in a moment.

But first let me fill you in where other members of the team have been…

This week, a senior member of my team, Niall, spent five days on the ground in the stunning Caribbean beach destination of Cap Cana…

Cap Cana is a vast master-planned community. At 30,000 acres this place is twice the size of Manhattan. It’s also in the Dominican Republic, an easy flight from the U.S.

This community boasts a breathtaking coastline, with azure Caribbean waters set against an expanse of white sand. You’ll also find resorts like a St. Regis…Hyatt…Secrets…and a stunning Eden Roc. The inland marina there is the largest in the Caribbean. And you have restaurants…schooling…shopping districts…

When you stroll the marina or stand close to the fairway and the St. Regis, you can’t help think of Cap Cana as the “Cabo of the Caribbean.”

Already, billions of dollars of thoughtful and ambitious infrastructure has been rolled out here, with much more to come. On the immediate horizon for Cap Cana is a huge water park…a massive amphitheater for shows and events…a second Jack Nicklaus golf course…a huge sports training center for international teams…

This is a true “next place.” Somewhere that needs to be on your radar.

For years, my team and I have been returning to scout Cap Cana, investigating every aspect of this community. Niall’s visit was just the latest. And our efforts have paid off.

I’m on the cusp of bringing an exclusive off-market deal here to members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group. With this deal, I expect gains of $275,000 five years after delivery. And when it launches, I’ll be buying right alongside RETA members.

Full details coming to RETA members very soon… (Not a RETA member? Learn how you can join here.)

Elsewhere on our beat…

While Niall was in Cap Cana, another member of my team, Julio, was scouting an island on the opposite side of the Caribbean Sea—Cozumel.

Located off the coast of the booming beach city of Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, Cozumel boasts stunning white-sand beaches and world-class snorkeling and diving. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-longest coral reef system in the world, passes through the waters off Cozumel.

This island is a hugely popular destination for cruise ships. Last year, the Port of Cozumel welcomed 3.72 million passengers, making it the fourth-busiest cruise ship port in the world.

While Cozumel has long been popular with cruise passengers and day-trippers from the mainland, it’s now seeing more interest from wealthy retirees, expats, digital nomads, and the work-from-anywhere crowd…the kind of folks who want to stay for all or part of the year in well-located, best-in-class communities with outstanding amenities.

The rising demand for this kind of real estate presents an opportunity on Cozumel…which is why my team are scouting this island.

We’re tracking developments on Cozumel closely and looking for a potential off-market deal here to bring to my Real Estate Trend Alert group. Of course, it has to be the right deal…in the right location…and exclusive to RETA.

I’m also zeroing in on a new, potential RETA members-only deal in neighboring Playa del Carmen. More on that below…

On the opposite site of the Atlantic from Niall and Julio, I spent much of the past week scouting beach and river towns in northern Portugal.

Regular readers of Your Overseas Dream Home will know how highly I rate this “undiscovered” region…

Over the past decade, Portugal has exploded in popularity. The southern Algarve region is now heaving with summer crowds. Lisbon is well and truly discovered, with eye-watering real estate prices to match. Walk the streets of Porto and it’s like the entire city center is being overhauled and gentrified.

But northern Portugal is different…

This region has long flown under the radar and still offers some of the best-value real estate in the entire country. That’s an incredible opportunity.

I ranked the town of Caminha, on Portugal’s northern border with Spain, as my top investment destination in Europe for 2024. (Check out the full list here.) And that’s just one of the destinations here with huge potential.

In addition to Caminha, this week I put boots on the ground in a stunning, upmarket riverfront town called Ponte de Lima. In both places, I saw signs of gentrification. I shared some takeaways from my scouting of Caminha and Ponte de Lima in an article here.

I also shot this brief video showing some historic buildings undergoing renovation in the center of Caminha…

The window of opportunity is still very much open in northern Portugal. You can still find insane value there. But the golden-buying moment is now. I’ll have more on this in the weeks ahead.

In the meantime, sticking with insane value…

Is This the Best-Value Hotel in the World? (I Think So…)

I travel a lot in search of the best real estate deals…which means I stay in a lot of hotels and Airbnbs. And one of the best I’ve ever stayed in—I’d go so far as to say my top pick in the world in terms of bang for your buck—is Villa Idalina in northern Portugal.

Villa Idalina is located just outside Caminha and served as my base as I scouted northern Portugal this week.

I’m not in the habit of highlighting hotels, but this place is special. This house is a work of art its own right, a stately mansion featuring wrought-iron balconies, intricate stonework, and a stunning tower. Dating to 1911, it also has a rich history that’s been lovingly preserved. You feel like you’re staying in a museum and you’re part of the history.

This guesthouse is quirky, it’s luxurious, and it’s interesting. And it’s a real statement to go down in the morning and for only six rooms see a table set up piled high with freshly baked pastries, cakes and all sorts.

I wrote about the history of Villa Idalina, and the crazy-low nightly rate there, in Your Overseas Dream Home this week. Read the full article here .

Speaking of low prices…

Own on a Mediterranean Island from $94,000

“Layers upon layers of history, culture, and beauty make up the Mediterranean—discovering it is a voyage worth taking.”

I came across this quote recently about the mighty Mediterranean. It sums up this sea and this region perfectly…

One of the great joys of the Mediterranean is that there’s a lot of it to explore. It has a coastline of around 28,600 miles…it touches over 20 countries…and it’s home to about 10,000 islands and islets, thousands of which are habitable.

Because of this vast coastline, you’ll find Mediterranean coastal towns to suit all tastes and budgets. In fact, owning on the Mediterranean coast can be surprisingly affordable…if you know where to look.

This week, I asked my team to look for affordable homes on islands in the Mediterranean…and they found dream homes from as little as $94,000 on some of its most idyllic and popular islands.

You can read about what they found here.

Your Questions Answered

Have a question or comment for me or my team? A Mediterranean island for us to scout? A recommendation for me while I’m on the ground in Portugal? Share it here by sending me an email or a video message. Here’s a question I got from an Overseas Dream Home reader…

Barbara H. asks: Hi Ronan. I’m interested in Playa del Carmen. Can you tell me more about the area and where you’d recommend buying there?

Ronan says: Hi Barbara, Playa del Carmen and the wider Riviera Maya have been on my international real estate beat for almost two decades now.

The Riviera Maya refers to the 80-mile stretch of Caribbean coast in the northeast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. This region’s massive economic boom is built on one of the biggest tourism industries in the world. In 2023, over 32 million people passed through Cancún airport, and 2024 is on track to exceed that.

This economic juggernaut has its origins in the smart thinking and deep pockets of Mexico’s tourism investment authority, FONATUR. Back in the late 1960s, it scoured Mexico for the perfect location to roll out major tourism infrastructure.

Officials settled on Cancún, where they built an international airport, began major highways, and gave incentives to major hotel groups. As Cancún developed and then overdeveloped, a “Path of Progress” rolled south along the coast…reaching a then-sleepy fishing village called Playa del Carmen.

Today, Playa del Carmen is one of the most in-demand vacation destinations in the world, especially for folks from the U.S., attracting millions of visitors each year.

Some now say that Playa del Carmen could be bigger than even Cancún—the original Riviera Maya destination—at some point. When you consider all that Playa has to offer, it’s no surprise.

Playa is the perfect example of an internationalized place. There is easy access, with the Cancún airport just 40 minutes north. The weather is always warm. There are so many fun things to do. And it’s thoroughly modern, offering any convenience or service you might need.

Playa has been transformed into a world-class beach destination. But development here has been different than Cancún. Playa is a real living, breathing city with a chic, cosmopolitan vibe.

Today, most desirable coastal land in and around Playa is taken up by resorts, gated communities, and the city itself. This creates moats, or barriers, to development and a scarcity of new, high-quality, amenity-rich communities. As scarcity meets growing demand, prices rise. This has created an incredible opportunity for real estate investors in Playa.

There are a number of areas I’d look to in Playa to tap into this opportunity. One is the city’s hottest downtown neighborhood—the cosmopolitan, beach-chic area known as the Zona Dorada, or “Golden Zone.” This is the trendiest area in the city, known for its gourmet restaurants, hip bars, and upscale malls and supermarkets.

Zona Dorada is where Playa’s elite go to unwind…

They lounge in the area’s stylish rooftop bars. They sample tasting menus and fine wines in the neighborhood’s fine-dining restaurants. And they sip craft beer on its tree-lined terraces, cooled by the gentle sea breeze.

I’ve brought RETA members some incredible deals here.

For instance, in 2017, RETA members could own two-bed condos in a community called Siempre Playa for $193,800. In November 2023, retail prices for two-bed condos in the community started from $419,409…that’s $225,609 more than RETA members paid.

Another area of Playa that I recommend is the large master-planned community of Corasol.

Corasol is just on the edge of Playa and is fast becoming a reserve of the discerning and wealthy. It’s home to a well-regarded 18-hole Nick Price golf course, a secluded beach that’s the best in Playa, and an outstanding beach club, among many other next-level amenities.

As time passes, gentrification and development will sweep right up to the very gates of this master-planned retreat. Playa will get bigger, the hotels, resorts and residential areas built farther out, but Corasol isn’t moving. It will always be close to the action and forever home to the best beach in Playa, which will make it one of the most desirable places to live in the city.

Large villas in Corasol can list for $2 million or more. The few that are left anyway. The scarcity here is real. But I’ve been able to bring RETA members several incredible deals in Corasol. For instance, members had the chance to own in a community in Corasol called The Village. Two-bed, two-bath condos in The Village similar to those RETA members could buy from $258,600 have since listed for $384,238—that’s $125,638 more.

I’m always on the lookout for a new deal in Playa for RETA members, and I’m currently working on a superb deal on luxury beachfront real estate. There’s nothing like it at our RETA-only price…if I get this one across the line, it will be a phenomenal opportunity.

Stayed tuned over the coming weeks and months for details. (This will be a RETA-only deal, so if you’re not yet a member, but are interested in this potential deal in Playa, and all other future deals, you can join today…all the details are here.)

Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert