29 May 2008 252 views No Comment

On Costa Esmeralda, in the State of Veracruz, there exists 12 miles of a lifestyle that Americans haven’t seen since Hemingway lived in the Florida Keys. One of the best online sites for beginning an investigation of this area of the State of Veracruz belongs to John Todd, Jr., who is a regular traveler between Brownsville and the City of Veracruz. In actuality, this coastal community is approximately 30 miles in length, but the northern 12 miles of this ribbon of highway is the part that most think of as Costa Esmeralda itself, mostly because it has the best beaches and has been comfortable in its Hemingway-like appearance for so long.

There are many characteristics of Costa Esmeralda that make the area attractive, especially to American and Canadian real estate investors. First, there is the ambiance itself. The entire 12 miles really does look and feel as if it would surprise no one to see Hemingway himself come walking out of any door along this strip of Hwy 180. Second, Costa Esmeralda is surprisingly sparcely populated, especially relative to its potential for tourist development. This is because most of the area is used for cattle ranches. Third, if someone is squeamish about traveling far from home or to what they initially think of as a foreign country, home is never far away. They can cross the border at Brownsville at daylight, and sit down to dinner on Costa Esmeralda 12 hours later. Finally, there is the weather. Costa Esmeralda has all four seasons, but the winters are quite mild. Good food and good friends, along with, perhaps, a trip to the nearby hot springs makes winter as enjoyable as any other season of the year.

A sampling of the hotels along Costa Esmeralda can be found at ZonaTuristica.com. A review of these hotels and their pricing structure shows that Costa Esmeralda is not only a great place to visit, but is quite affordable as well. This is an important characteristic in an era when more and more Americans and Canadians are looking for increased value for their vacation and retirement money.

Another very positive characteristic about Costa Esmeralda is its number of RV parks and even tenting campgrounds. On The Road In.com has a great website that has a map with all campgrounds marked, as well as separate pages for each location so that travelers can plan their trips in advance. This makes it especially easy for Americans and Canadians to find their way around.

The people who live along Costa Esmeralda are some of the nicest people in the world. For those who travel with pets, they will find plenty of people-friends here. There are also nostalgic steps back in time that happen when the traveler least expects it. Hotels are on the beach side of the road, but little stores line the other side of the highway. Most of these little stores have not changed in many decades and some still have wooden floors. People smile, speak, and move effortlessly to help travelers if a need is noticed. With stray dogs a problem throughout the country, Costa Esmeralda is one of the few places where even store owners and employees are more than generous about feeding hungry strays.

Twice a year, when Snowbirds come south and when they head back north, if they travel the East Coast of Mexico, they must travel along Costa Esmeralda. Since it is virtually impossible to find a negative comment about this area on the Internet, it is reasonable to assume that many of these Snowbirds would be very interested in having either a retirement home or a second home in the Costa Esmeralda area. The already growing expat community in all of the State of Veracruz is proof enough of that. Thoughtful development, including remembering the nearby hot springs, as well as the many other natural wonders of Veracruz, would be the foundation of one of the best investments anyone could make in real estate in Mexico.

For an introduction to the expat community of the State of Veracruz, and a wealth of information from expats who already live in the area, visit the VivaVeracruz blog , the VivaVeracruz Forum - and, by all means, visit From Xico.

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