| Meet the Kittel Family |
| Drew and Marina searched the world before buying at Costa Cardonal! Here's their story... |
Nearly 4 years ago we set out to realize our dream of having a retirement home overlooking a
body of water. Since we are both avid scuba divers and lovers of the marine environment, it only
seemed natural that we would eventually gravitate to a home by the sea. Early in our search we
ran across properties in Baja. We were familiar with the Sea of Cortez by its reputation as the
"World's Aquarium", an apt description coined by Jacques Cousteau, but we dismissed the area
for being too remote, and lacking in basic necessities like fresh water and electricity. How
ignorant we were of what Baja is all about!
Over the following years we took serious looks at properties in Florida, Costa Rica, Bonaire, the
Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, several Caribbean islands, and Panama, but nothing we saw was "it".
At one point, we thought we’d found the perfect place on the “Costa Maya”, on Mexico's
Caribbean coast, and decided to go see in person; nothing could have prepared us for the mosquito
attack we suffered!! By then, we had learned a great deal more about the challenges and
advantages of remote living, use of solar systems for off-grid power, septic systems and the
like, so we decided to give Baja another look. Our internet searching had turned up Costa
Cardonal and some other developments in the Punta Chivato, Mulege, and Loreto areas, and we
decided to make another trip to Mexico to see the area for ourselves.
After visiting home sites in a couple of other developments, we made our way to Costa Cardonal,
marveling the entire time at the huge cardons, beautiful mountains, wide-open rugged terrain and
sparking blue waters of the Sea of Cortez. The last couple of miles travel on dirt road was like
venturing back in time. And when we finally pulled up to Costa Cardonal and gazed over the clear,
azure waters, we knew immediately this was "IT". After 4 years of reality not living up to our
expectations, finally reality was exceeding our expectations. We had found our place by the sea.
During the next couple of hours we had the opportunity to visit with Ruth and Fred. As we
toured the various lots, these kind and accommodating folks only reinforced our initial
impressions. They made us feel like old friends in no time and came across as the type of people
we would enjoy having as neighbors. We also were favorably impressed with their commitment to
the environment and the fact that much of the community was set aside to be maintained as
natural areas. In less than 2 hours time, we were determined that waterfront Lot A-2 would be
ours and started dreaming of plans for our home by the sea.
body of water. Since we are both avid scuba divers and lovers of the marine environment, it only
seemed natural that we would eventually gravitate to a home by the sea. Early in our search we
ran across properties in Baja. We were familiar with the Sea of Cortez by its reputation as the
"World's Aquarium", an apt description coined by Jacques Cousteau, but we dismissed the area
for being too remote, and lacking in basic necessities like fresh water and electricity. How
ignorant we were of what Baja is all about!
Over the following years we took serious looks at properties in Florida, Costa Rica, Bonaire, the
Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, several Caribbean islands, and Panama, but nothing we saw was "it".
At one point, we thought we’d found the perfect place on the “Costa Maya”, on Mexico's
Caribbean coast, and decided to go see in person; nothing could have prepared us for the mosquito
attack we suffered!! By then, we had learned a great deal more about the challenges and
advantages of remote living, use of solar systems for off-grid power, septic systems and the
like, so we decided to give Baja another look. Our internet searching had turned up Costa
Cardonal and some other developments in the Punta Chivato, Mulege, and Loreto areas, and we
decided to make another trip to Mexico to see the area for ourselves.
After visiting home sites in a couple of other developments, we made our way to Costa Cardonal,
marveling the entire time at the huge cardons, beautiful mountains, wide-open rugged terrain and
sparking blue waters of the Sea of Cortez. The last couple of miles travel on dirt road was like
venturing back in time. And when we finally pulled up to Costa Cardonal and gazed over the clear,
azure waters, we knew immediately this was "IT". After 4 years of reality not living up to our
expectations, finally reality was exceeding our expectations. We had found our place by the sea.
During the next couple of hours we had the opportunity to visit with Ruth and Fred. As we
toured the various lots, these kind and accommodating folks only reinforced our initial
impressions. They made us feel like old friends in no time and came across as the type of people
we would enjoy having as neighbors. We also were favorably impressed with their commitment to
the environment and the fact that much of the community was set aside to be maintained as
natural areas. In less than 2 hours time, we were determined that waterfront Lot A-2 would be
ours and started dreaming of plans for our home by the sea.
Although we are still years away from
retirement, we will start building Casa Dos
Tortugas (named for our two young,
water-loving sons) hopefully in the fall of
2005, while construction costs are still
reasonable, and if all goes well, we'll be able to
start visiting Costa Cardonal regularly by
summer of 2006.
For those of you contemplating Baja in general
and Costa Cardonal in particular, we can vouch
for the magic of this rugged, remote, yet highly
accessible area. We were smitten the moment
we first looked out over the sea and watched
the hundreds of pelicans patrolling the shore
line.
retirement, we will start building Casa Dos
Tortugas (named for our two young,
water-loving sons) hopefully in the fall of
2005, while construction costs are still
reasonable, and if all goes well, we'll be able to
start visiting Costa Cardonal regularly by
summer of 2006.
For those of you contemplating Baja in general
and Costa Cardonal in particular, we can vouch
for the magic of this rugged, remote, yet highly
accessible area. We were smitten the moment
we first looked out over the sea and watched
the hundreds of pelicans patrolling the shore
line.
Dominic and Vezio, las dos Tortugas (the two turtles)
We became all the more enchanted during our few hours of driving between Loreto and Punta
Chivato. The only “disappointment” of our trip came when we returned home and Ruth emailed us
that a pod of dolphins showed up to play at Costa Cardonal just minutes after our departure!
We know there are certainly challenges to buying and building in a remote location in another
country. But through our research of buying property in Mexico, we found out that many other
folks have forged this path ahead of us and that the Mexican government has been making great
strides in encouraging foreign real estate investment. By some accounts, there are more than 1
million ex-pat Americans now living in Mexico. Some of our friends and family thought we were
crazy undertaking this venture, but we jumped in with both feet figuring that it couldn't be as
daunting as it originally seemed. After seeing our pictures, learning more about the area, and
hearing our plans, all the skeptics are now believers and everyone wants to visit once the house
is completed!
Of course, we can’t close without a couple of words about the developer, Ruth Bennett.
Naturally, the purchase of any property can be a bit stressful, especially when buying in a
country where you may not fully understand the process involved. In this respect, Ruth has
made things as easy as they could possibly be. We can say categorically that in our dealings with
her, Ruth have been honest, straightforward, above-board, and ethical from the very beginning.
We tend to ask A LOT of questions, and she has been patient and accommodating in trying to
answer as many as possible and being candid when she did not have the answer to something
immediately. We have found Ruth to be frank, straightforward and more concerned with building
a vital and vibrant community that strives to preserve the special qualities that attract folks
here rather than just making a sale. To gain an appreciation for Ruth’s feelings about Baja and
the area surrounding Costa Cardonal, just read an article she wrote some time ago for The
Mexico File newsletter. We gladly count her and Fred not just among our new neighbors, but
also among our friends.
Footnote: We still have much to learn about all of Baja and building a house from a distance,
but we've learned a fair amount along the way and would be happy to share our experiences with
anyone contemplating a trip down to see this little piece of paradise while lots still exist.
Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to email us at dkittel@verizon.net and we’ll try
to answer as quickly as possible.
Chivato. The only “disappointment” of our trip came when we returned home and Ruth emailed us
that a pod of dolphins showed up to play at Costa Cardonal just minutes after our departure!
We know there are certainly challenges to buying and building in a remote location in another
country. But through our research of buying property in Mexico, we found out that many other
folks have forged this path ahead of us and that the Mexican government has been making great
strides in encouraging foreign real estate investment. By some accounts, there are more than 1
million ex-pat Americans now living in Mexico. Some of our friends and family thought we were
crazy undertaking this venture, but we jumped in with both feet figuring that it couldn't be as
daunting as it originally seemed. After seeing our pictures, learning more about the area, and
hearing our plans, all the skeptics are now believers and everyone wants to visit once the house
is completed!
Of course, we can’t close without a couple of words about the developer, Ruth Bennett.
Naturally, the purchase of any property can be a bit stressful, especially when buying in a
country where you may not fully understand the process involved. In this respect, Ruth has
made things as easy as they could possibly be. We can say categorically that in our dealings with
her, Ruth have been honest, straightforward, above-board, and ethical from the very beginning.
We tend to ask A LOT of questions, and she has been patient and accommodating in trying to
answer as many as possible and being candid when she did not have the answer to something
immediately. We have found Ruth to be frank, straightforward and more concerned with building
a vital and vibrant community that strives to preserve the special qualities that attract folks
here rather than just making a sale. To gain an appreciation for Ruth’s feelings about Baja and
the area surrounding Costa Cardonal, just read an article she wrote some time ago for The
Mexico File newsletter. We gladly count her and Fred not just among our new neighbors, but
also among our friends.
Footnote: We still have much to learn about all of Baja and building a house from a distance,
but we've learned a fair amount along the way and would be happy to share our experiences with
anyone contemplating a trip down to see this little piece of paradise while lots still exist.
Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to email us at dkittel@verizon.net and we’ll try
to answer as quickly as possible.
| Costa Cardonal ..a desert sanctuary beside a tropical sea. |
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