Recently, I’ve been telling you about Playa del Carmen, the booming, cosmopolitan city at the heart of Mexico’s Riviera Maya.
Every year, millions of vacationers flock to Playa del Carmen to experience its sugar-white beaches, turquoise Caribbean waters, and vibrant nightlife. But Playa is also much more than just a vacation hot spot. This is a true living, breathing city…a place that’s a magnet for remote workers, digital nomads, retirees, and global citizens looking for sun, freedom, and a high-quality lifestyle.
It’s a place of energy and vitality where European snowbirds, American and Canadian expats, upper-middle class South Americans, and wellness-seekers from all over the world are setting down roots, driving unprecedented demand.
Among those who’ve drawn to Playa by its cosmopolitan Caribbean lifestyle are Canadians Sarah and Wes Straub.
They spoke to my contact Jason Holland about how they discovered Playa…what they love about the lifestyle…and why they decided to buy a home there.
Check out their story below…
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. This Wednesday, March 12th, I’m launching an exclusive new deal in Playa del Carmen to members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group. And it’s a no-brainer. We’re getting a prime location in the heart of the city, top-tier amenities, and incredible off-market pricing. This is a chance to lock in gains of what I believe will be $201,600 five years after delivery and own a condo that has the potential to rent virtually year round and make gross yields in excess of 13%. Full details here.
“We Traded Freezing Winters for the Luxury Caribbean Lifestyle”
By Jason Holland
Sarah and Wes Straub know Playa del Carmen well, and they say that there is a lot to love about this bustling, sophisticated seaside town on Mexico’s Caribbean coast.
“We love going to the beach, which is a 15-minute walk for us,” explains Sarah Straub. “My husband is quite active. He does CrossFit with a neighbor. He cycles. He joined a boxing gym. And he also plays beach volleyball. My thing is more going to the gym and hanging out with friends. We both love the weather…the friendliness of people…and the international feel.”
Playa del Carmen’s pristine beaches attract vacationers and expats from around the world. This city has also become a magnet for remote workers, digital nomads, retirees, and global citizens looking for a high-quality lifestyle.
The couple are both fans of the delicious food in local restaurants. You’ll find every world cuisine in Playa, along with lots of authentic Mexican fare. Although it’s hard to pin down their absolute favorites, the Straubs do have some eateries that rise to the top of the list.
“La Famiglia is an Italian place that has been around for 17 years. We’ve been there over 100 times. The Lido Beach has fantastic breakfast, lunch, or brunch right on the beach with a beautiful view,” says Sarah.
“Mezcla is new one that is fantastic. It’s like higher end Mexican food but not higher end in price. We also love Bendita Costilla, which is a newer Argentinian steakhouse. To round things off, we love Wine O’Clock, a wine bar/restaurant with a monthly wine club.”
After a decade of traveling back and forth to Playa del Carmen, Sarah and Wes Straub decided it was time to make this vibrant city in the heart of Mexico’s Riviera Maya their home.
The Straubs had visited Playa 15 to 20 times before making the permanent move in 2014.
“We had been vacationing in the area for more than 10 years, starting with our honeymoon. Probably the biggest catalyst for moving here was my husband’s aunt, who bought a condo here in 2005. We knew that they were here, which was comforting. We actually started staying in their condo in the summers before moving here. So, we got to know the area quite well,” says Sarah, who said fleeing cold winters in Calgary, Alberta, was another deciding factor.
“The biggest advice I could give to somebody thinking about moving here is get out of your comfort zone. Try something new. It does not have to be permanent. We were thinking of living here for one to two years and now look where we are,” says Straub.
Playa’s 5th Avenue is a three-mile-long pedestrian street famous for its rich culture and art, vibrant nightlife, chic boutiques, cozy cafés, and top-class restaurants.
While her husband has been working online and running his own design and branding business since 2004, the move was also an opportunity for Straub to reinvent herself.
“He was working remotely before it was cool,” says Straub. “But I retired from a job in luxury retail sales—I was a personal shopper and at the height of my career with nowhere to move up.”
Now, after receiving her certification in Playa and then additional certification on a trip to Vancouver, Straub is a yoga teacher. She teaches four to five classes a week and has built up her own community of students after working with another well-regarded local teacher, Arielle Thomas Newman, for several years.
“It’s a very rewarding experience. The students are mostly expats and snowbirds, with some tourists. Many are in the 50+ age group, which I find very rewarding because typically yoga isn’t the most inclusive when it comes to age and ability. But we definitely cater to those of any age and ability,” explains Straub.
The Straubs live in a two-bedroom condo that they bought for around $200,000 more than five years ago, back in December 2019. The 20-unit building is gated and features a community pool and barbecue area, as well as a small area with workout equipment. They are located just north of Playa’s downtown and main tourist area.
The buying process was fairly straightforward, says Straub.
They started by calling an agent their friends had used. Since they knew exactly what they wanted, they made a wish list: a two-bed, two-bath condo, rather than a house. “We also wanted a pool,” explains Straub. “We looked at six places and one of them was the one we bought.”
The community where the Straubs own has an amenities on the ground floor with a swimming pool.
The condo was brand-new but unfinished when they bought it, which Straub appreciated because it allowed her to customize things.
“We added a lot of extra carpentry for storage, upgraded all bathroom hardware,” says Straub, who explains that they chose marble counters in the kitchen, dark wooden cabinets with customized upgrades, and tile flooring with a wood panel look with a matte finish.
Importantly, the price was right. “In Calgary something like this is easily double the price,” says Straub.
Ronan says: Sarah and Wes are among the huge influx of remote workers and sunseekers that have made Playa del Carmen a part- or full-time base. And it’s not hard to understand why so many people are coming to Playa. This city is blessed with year-round warm weather, white-sand beaches, incredible Caribbean waters, luxury boutiques, world-class golf, incredible fine-dining, art and culture…
In other words, everything you need to live an incredible lifestyle.
I’ve been scouting this city for two decades. It’s been the site of some of the best deals I’ve brought to my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group. This Wednesday, March 12, I’m bringing a new off-market deal right in the heart of the Riviera Maya to RETA members.
The deal in a nutshell…
- It’s an exclusive deal to own stunning condos in a community called The Landmark right in the heart of Playa del Carmen, a short walk to the beach, the dining, the shows, gyms, stores…
- This community will be next-level, with a half-acre rooftop amenity area called The Sky Club. This will be unique in Playa del Carmen. A half-acre of lushly landscaped luxury, with a sauna, infinity pool, gym, restaurant and Caribbean views. Resort-level amenities like this in Playa are a major premium but nowhere has a rooftop amenities area as expansive and devoted to quiet luxury as Landmark.
- I expect gains of $201,600 five years after delivery and red-hot rental income—I’d say an annual gross yield of 13%.
- Prices to own in similar high-end communities in downtown Playa run in the mid-$400,000s and even $500,000s. For instance, some people will pay $485,000 for a 731-square-foot two-bed condo three blocks from Playa del Carmen’s famed 5th Avenue and farther again from the ocean.
- Yet the exclusive, RETA-only price is from just $318,400 for a luxury two-bed condo in The Landmark, in the heart of everything with that huge rooftop of resort-level luxury.
You can access the full details in the deal briefing here.
With the new RETA-only deal in The Landmark I expect gains of $201,600 five years after delivery and gross yields of 13%…and that’s allowing for personal use. This render—not to be considered final—gives you some idea of what to expect from the half-acre rooftop, The Sky Club at The Landmark…more on these amenities in my briefing here.
