PlayaCar
vs. PuertoAventuras
Which Master Planned Community is Winning?
Well it’s a war out there for the mighty old investment dollar. In the race for investing in the Riviera Maya, PlayaCar, one of the older more established master planned developments at the sourthern tip of PlayadelCarmen has been the established leader is under seige from the resurging PuertoAventuras
Puerto
Aventuras, the Marina and Golf Master Planned Community has been the ugly sister of PlayaCar, coming in 2nd place since it's inception over 15 years ago.
But is this comfortable New World Order about to change?
For many years PlayaCar has been the more beautiful golf course taken care of, green, with beautiful trees and world class residential housing, resorts, and multi-unit delevelopments. It's proximity to PlayadelCarmen and it's lovely and qaint 5th Avenue have been it' assets. So much so that price for land have gone through the roof.
In 2004, the price per meter was hovering around $ 130.00 per meter for a golf course lot. Now, the land price is around $ 250 per meter. These appreciation change has been commnensurate with what the market believes is one of the very best master planned communities around. They have been earned yet there is somethign on the horizon. Competition?
Well maybe but first, it appears that character of PlayaCar is changing……….once a mixed residential and vacation property development. It’s becoming and leaning more towards a vacation property development and less a “place to live”. “The prices are too high for us now. Living there has made it impractical” says Silvia Garcia, a resident of PlayadelCarmen.
To add issue to PlayaCar, getting in and out has become a struggle. The original plan did not anticipate the tremendous amount of growth and thus there are now daily traffic jams to get in and out. It can take up to 10 to 20 minutes find your way into PlayaCar from PlayadelCarmen as traffic bottlebnecks from 15th into the formal entrance. Thus, locals find it inconvenient to live in PlayaCar.
On the other hand, PuertoAventuras, a master planned development about 15km south of PlayadelCarmen was originally planned as a Marina Gold Course Community to support vacationers. But because it was “too far”, it suffered from lack of interest to locals to live and work. "It was built before it's time" says Adriana Corubias, realtor at Costa Realty in PuertoAventuras. "Thus, the plan suffered because it was not completely supported by the market".
But with the tremendous growth of PlayadelCarmen as a city, PuertoAventuras is now seeing a major transformation. Local Elites are buying up land in the community and plan to build “homes to live” as PuertoAventuras becomes a bedroom community for PlayadelCarmen’s elite.
Oh, it’s still a place where vacation property owners buy and vacation. However, it is slowly becoming a mixed use master planned community and some say it will soon surpass PlayaCar as "the place to live" for the Riveria Maya’s elite.
With land prices still at about $ 155 per square meter for golf course lots, PuertoAventuras is price below PlayaCar. Some say a true bargain. And with a clear “in and out” access onto the major highway, access is significantly better making PuertoAventuras a real place where elite residents can live while working in the new city of PlayadelCarmen.
"With the new highway expanded into 4 lanes, PuertoAventuras is only a 10 minute drive into PlayadelCarmen" says Maria Cervantes, a local resident.
While Puerto Aventurs lacks the bigger trees of PlayaCar, it does have the Marina which adds cache to the community. Some say PuertoAventuras will surpass PlayaCar in price point and become the premier master planned community for long term living in the Riviera Maya. But don’t believe this writer. Take a ride and visit both communities. Check it out yourself. Both are superb communities and real jewels for all of us here in the Riviera Maya.