Sun, surf and serenity: Vivo Resorts set amid beauty and charm in Mexico
Zenith and Laurie Zazulak bought and built a single-family home at Vivo Resorts in Mexico.
It’s May and the surf’s up along the Mexican Pipeline at Puerto Escondido.
Surfers bob up and down on the waves before committing to plunging in and riding as far as they can.
The waves at Zicatela beach grow from the start of the rainy season in early May through November, providing one of the world’s top destinations for big waves and international surfing competitions.
The waves at Zicatela beach grow from the start of the rainy season in early May through November, providing one of the world’s top destinations for big waves and international surfing competitions.
Fifteen kilometres northwest, along the pristine white sand beach in front of Vivo Resorts, lines of six to 12 pelicans play follow the leader in the air currents a few feet above those same rollers, diving and recovering like the curling edge of the waves themselves.
In the beach chairs at the water’s edge, there is no competition, just contemplation of the natural beauty. It’s a view that alternates through the year from this pounding rhythm to dead flat water with whales passing by.
Vivo Resorts is an ocean-front development, and exclusive gated community with luxury condos and private villas. Two-time Olympian and World Cup champion downhill skier — and Chestermere resident — Cary Mullen is the developer of this property, choosing this location because of its beauty, potential and good weather.
THE HOMEOWNERS
It’s just after happy hour in the infinity pool at the centre of Vivo Resorts. Laurie and Zenith Zazulak have had a drink while visiting with friends and guests at the pool. They’ve dried off, changed and are sitting enjoying the view from their beach-front patio at their four-bedroom single-family home named “Sun Sand Surf.”
The couple from Edmonton and their two now-grown daughters have been frequent visitors to Mexico. But when they stayed at Vivo Resorts, something really clicked with them.
“We loved it because it’s authentic Mexico, it wasn’t busy like Cancun,” says Laurie. “We’ve done a lot in Cancun and the Mayan. (This) was less busy, more authentic and that’s what we liked.”
They put down a deposit on a condo on their first visit, but once they stayed in a villa on a return trip, they decided a single-family home was the way for them to go.
“It’s nice because you have your own private home, your own private pool. You can stay here in your own private area, but you still have access to the whole complex,” says Laurie, a travel agent who can e-commute from anywhere with internet access.
Zenith, who owns a machine shop, adds, “(Laurie) has a bigger family, and we often get together for vacations with friends. We thought it would be better to have the house than the condo with everybody coming down.”
“It’s your own oasis here, you have your own place, yet you have the complex access. We’ve been down here about 10 times — we’ve come all different times of the year,” says Laurie.
THE RESORT
Back at the central infinity pool, a large conch shell has a permanent home on the counter at the swim-up bar.
“That conch you’ve heard blowing is either a whale, a dolphin, or it’s happy hour,” says Mike McQuaid, who handles real estate sales at Vivo Resorts. “Whenever you hear the conch, it’s something significant, like a turtle release. During the season, when you hear that, everyone goes running out (to the beach) because you’ll see whales jumping, dolphins.”
“That conch you’ve heard blowing is either a whale, a dolphin, or it’s happy hour,” says Mike McQuaid, who handles real estate sales at Vivo Resorts. “Whenever you hear the conch, it’s something significant, like a turtle release. During the season, when you hear that, everyone goes running out (to the beach) because you’ll see whales jumping, dolphins.”
The first six four-storey condo buildings are sold and built, with one more building almost completed on sales. A small community of single-family villas are complete or under construction to the east of the main setting.
Sales now are underway on the first set of eight new pairs of buildings planned to the west of central area. The Marino residences were released for pre-sale in the spring. These two eight-storey buildings are joined by an elevator. They are slender depth-wise, so units will have both oceans views to the front and mountain views to the back. Each of the eight sets of buildings has its own pool fronting the beach. All buildings also have access to the main resort amenities.
The buildings contain one-, two- and three-bedroom units. One bedrooms are from 933 square feet and $319,900 US, two bedrooms are from 1,073 square feet and $409,900 US, and three bedrooms are 1,852 square feet from $554,900 US. Owners can choose to put their unit in the rental program to make income when they are not using it.
Now under construction and with a planned opening for the Christmas holiday season is the Vivo Resorts Clubhouse. It has a huge palapa (an open-air space on top of a building topped with a woven palm roof), indoor/outdoor spa, restaurant, lounge/sports bar, fitness facility, kids club, library and business centre, and conference and events centre.
THE AREA
This part of Mexico is the focus of government investment to increase tourism, both domestic and international.
“The Mexican government has just donated $10 billion to the state of Oaxaca,” says McQuaid. “The biggest city is Oaxaca, 650,000 people. It’s a six and a half hour drive. Mexicans like to come to the ocean, they like to have weddings at the ocean. Within less than 18 months, that road will be two and a half hours. This will be like Whistler to Vancouver now.”
Also a “game changer” for Vivo Resorts is a new direct flight between Los Angeles and Puerto Escondido to bring in visitors via the West Coast. Air Canada and WestJet have seasonal direct flights from Calgary to Huatulco International Airport, a two-hour drive from Vivo Resorts, while AeroMexico recently added a direct flight from Calgary to Mexico City, with transfers to Puerto Escondido airport, about 15 minutes from the resort.
THE ‘FIVE FS’
Cary Mullen says Vivo Resorts exemplifies the “five Fs” of Oaxaca: family, food, faith, fun, fiesta.
“What Oaxaca and the Oaxacan people have taught me is: family is number one here,” he says, starting to count the five elements off on his fingers. “Food — Oaxaca has incredible cuisine. The ingredients here are incredible — fresh caught that day, fresh-picked that day. Faith — the people here are incredibly faith-based and that seems to draw the community together and give a sense of purpose and humility. Fun — we want to have more fun up north, but we don’t quite put that value high enough in the priorities. Here, everyone is happy and laughing and enjoying.
The fifth brings all the other ones together — fiesta. It’s very magical.”
The fifth brings all the other ones together — fiesta. It’s very magical.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
DEVELOPMENT: Vivo Resorts
LOCATION: Oaxaca state, Mexico
INFORMATION:vivoresorts.com
Note: The author’s trip was sponsored by Vivo Resorts. Vivo Resorts did not review editorial content prior to publication
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