Crucita Condo Update: The 8th and final story has been poured!

The Crucita condo building, Arena, Sol y Mar II has just had its 8th and final floor poured as of February 4, 2010. Construction on this beachfront property continues to proceed according to budget and is currently ahead of schedule. The completion date of the building is November 2010.

Don't miss out on this spectacular opportunity to own your beachfront condo at a discounted preconstruction price! For all the details, floorplans and photos take a look at our Ecuador Beachfront Condos page.

Average Temperatures of Coastal Ecuador

Brrr...it sure gets cold on the coast in Ecuador. Just kidding.

The coldest month is August with an average low temperature of 67 degrees F and a high of 77 degrees F. The warmest month is March with a low of 72 and a high of 82. Not bad.

To look at average temperature trends for the city of Manta you can follow this link:

http://www.wunderground.com/NORMS/DisplayIntlNORMS.asp?CityCode=84117&Units=english

Escape the cold and head to Ecuador!

Visit Bahia and Stay at CasaGrande

Bahia de Caraquez is a charming place to visit while you are on the Ecuador coast. Known as Ecuador's "Eco-City," Bahia (pronounced "Bah-EE-ah") is the closest major city to Canoa (the location of our beautiful Lots 8 and 9).

Bahia sits on a narrow peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and a large estuarine bay

What to Do in Bahia

Bahia has many diverse attractions, including the city museum containing well-displayed Pre-Incan artifacts that were discovered locally. Museum guides offer tours in both Spanish and English.

Be sure to visit the "Cross", literally a cross-shaped structure with a staircase inside that leads to a fantastic viewing platform offering a 360 degree view of Bahia, the bay, and surrounding landscapes.

Another must-visit is Chirije, an impressive Eco-Lodge and Archaelogical Museum that is set in a breathtaking and tranquil oceanfront location (lots more, including photos on visiting Chirije in the next blog to come).

There are also tours of the nearby mangrove island Isla Corazon that serves as the nesting grounds for thousands of magnificent frigatebirds amongst other charismatic bird species. A must for bird and nature lovers, Tours are guided by knowledgeable local fishermen who practice sustainable fishing techniques that support the long-term survival of this endangered and vital ecosystem.

Male magnificent frigatebird attempting to attract the lady birds with his red neck pouch

There are also 1-3 day tours of the wonderful Rio Muchacho organic farm where you discover how to prepare your own coffee and chocolate straight from the plants! Visit: http://www.riomuchacho.com for more information.

Where to Stay in Bahia

So while you are checking out all that the Bahia area has to offer, we highly recommend you consider staying at CasaGrande. English-speaking Patricio Tamariz and his mother Flor Maria (who incidentally own the Chirije eco-lodge mentioned above and also created the first organic shrimp farm in Ecuador) offer superb accommodations at their lovely little ocean view guest house.

CasaGrande offers six accomodations that vary in cost between $61 and $98 for 2 people (price includes tax). Additional guests cost $20 each. Amenities include pool, private bath with hot water (sometimes hard to find in hotels along the coast!), air-conditioning, Wi-Fi internet, cable t.v., and breakfast. The suite accommodation comes equipped with a jacuzzi.

Beautiful ocean views from CasaGrande

Looking towards the pool at CasaGrande

One of the rooms at CasaGrande

One of the bathrooms at CasaGrande

CasaGrande can help you arrange your Bahia activities:

• Tour to Isla Corazon (~$20/person)
• Day viisit to Chirije Eco-Lodge and Archaeological Museum, including lunch (~$30/person)
• Surf lessons with a bilingual instructor (~$20/person)
• Hiking in the Cerro Seco dry forest

For more information and photos, visit CasaGrande online: http://www.casagrandebahia.com/

For reservations and questions, please contact Patricio: tamariz at gmail dot com

Be sure to tell Patricio that you heard about CasaGrande from Ecuador Beachfront Property to receive a 5% discount.

Crucita Condo Testimonial

We wanted to share a testimonial we received from Bob Faske who purchased a condo in Crucita in November. Here's what Bob had to say about his experience:

"In October 2009 I was lucky enough to find Tom's website (www.ecuadorbeachfrontproperty.com). I begged a few days leave from work to see Crucita and Arena,Sol y Mar firsthand in early Nov.

The town is well off the "beaten path" but the continual roadwork up the coast from Manta will change this soon. The town is a small fishing village with a wide sweep of beach, and popular with locals on weekends. My large room at Hostal Velodores was clean, convenient and reasonably priced (didn't hurt that it was off-season)with free washer,(fitfull)computer access,and a near-empty courtyard pool.

While exploring the condo site next door,I not only met the friendly yet diligent construction crew, busy forming the 6th-floor columns, but was able to meet the owner/engineer Sr. Raphael Andrade, who was most gracious in explaining the floor plan, construction technique,and purchasing process; we spent several hours together in Portoviejo with the notario completing the promesa de compre vende,securing me a phone chip,and admiring Mercedes engineering. He also contacted me later to note a math error that would give me a slightly lower price!

Sr. Carlos Fuentes, the project's architect is on site daily; Sr. Andrade visits as often as possible (weekly) from his home in Quito--his family will enjoy the top-floor penthouse, a fact that reassures me strongly about the quality of consruction and amenities.

I must commend Sr. Eduardo Iglesias and his wife Paola for their hospitality and knowledge of the area, and thanks to Tom again for long-distance guidance in finding this wonderful spot. I'm looking forward to spending many fine days in Crucita at Arena,Sol Y Mar II!"

Bob Faske
West Palm Beach
bobeff@bellsouth.net

Smaller than Nevada but that's a good thing

Ecuador is just slightly smaller than the state of Nevada in the US.

This geographic factoid becomes increasingly difficult to believe once you begin to explore the incredible diversity that Ecuador has to offer.

The spectacular Andes mountains run north to south and roughly divide the country into thirds.

In the central Andean region, you will observe towering volcanoes (many still active) and snow and glacier-covered peaks. In the surrounding valleys and foothills are attractive colonial cities, colorful indigenous markets, high elevation lakes and hot springs, and historic haciendas.

On a clear day in Quito, ride up 3,600 feet to a final elevation of over 13,000 ft on the "teleferico" (gondola). From there you will see the vast extent of the highlands, including three very impressive volcanoes (Antisana 18,700 ft; Cayambe 18,725; and Cotopaxi 19,347 ft). If you are an outdoor enthusiast, there are endless activities to keep you busy!

Tom approaching the summit of Cotopaxi

Lynn biking in the Andean foothills

Donkey we befriended along the bike ride

In the eastern third of the country, the "Oriente," you find yourself in the headwaters of the Amazon Basin. This is the land of cloudforests and rainforests teeming with waterfalls and abundant life including jaguar, monkeys, tapir, and dazzling tropical birds. Tom and I actually saw 8 species of monkey in 2 days near Ecuador's border with Peru! Here in these remote areas exist an impressive diversity of indigenous groups, many of whom still maintain their traditional ways of life. There are jungle lodges to visit, white-water rafting trips to take, and more hot springs to soak in.

El Jardin in Puyo

Rafting on the upper Pastaza

Rainforest at Tashapi (near Puyo)

Then of course, heading west you will drop down to the Pacific Ocean. We enjoy travel to the Andes and the Oriente but for living purposes, we absolutely love the coast!

Tom's mom, JoAnn, enjoying a book and a good "hammocking" session at our house in Crucita

Tom, Eduardo, Paola and Red (who purchased a beachfront lot from us last March) making sushi rolls from fresh tuna

The beach in Crucita where we live

The icing on Ecuador's cake of course is the Galapagos Islands, 300 miles off the coast.

Young sea lion

Blue-footed boobie with baby

While Ecuador is not a big country, we hope you're beginning to recognize that there are so many amazing places to visit and explore!

And being small definitely has its benefits! A flight from Quito to Manta is a mere 30 minutes!

So imagine leaving your home on a cold wintry morning in the US, landing in Quito around 4pm and then arriving to the coast in time to enjoy your seafood dinner at sunset! Yes, this can and does happen! We invite you to give it try!

January 2010 Condo Update

Construction of the beautiful beachfront condos in Crucita progresses according to schedule. Rafael, the lead engineer just informed us that the 7th floor was poured this month. The 8th and final floor will be laid during the beginning of February.

The amenities for the condos are impressive:

• Pool and jacuzzi
• Elevator
• Private, gated parking
• Exercise room and game room
• Restaurant/bar
• On-site guardian and maintenance person, available 24 hours
• Walkway access to the terrace of the adjacent condo where folks get together to grill, sun-bathe, sip a cocktail as they marvel at another beautiful sunset.
• Back-up generator to keep water flowing and the elevator running in case of a power outage

Maintenance fees for all these services will be $20/mo.

Each condo is 91 square meters or 980 square feet with 2BR/2BA. There are 2 condos per floor, both with expansive ocean views. If you want one large condo, you could buy two adjacent condos and ask Rafael to join them and personalize your floor plan!

As of last week, there is still one condo available on the 5th story, the best view remaining as the 6th story condos have already sold. The 7th story (and uppermost) will be a penthouse suite for Rafael and his family (lucky dogs). For January and February prices and current availability please visit our condo page at: http://www.ecuadorbeachfrontproperty.com/Condos.html

Pre-construction prices continue to increase as the project nears completion so if you are interested, the sooner you act, the more money you will save! Once completed, these will be THE premier condos in Crucita and will make for an excellent investment.

Views of the beach directly in front of the condos

Send us an email with any questions or to reserve your condo! Rafael has completed purchases from the US so you can jump on this deal without having to wait for a trip to Ecuador.

tom at ecuadorbeachfrontproperty dot com

Condo updates - New photos as of Dec 5th, 2009!

Here are the latest photos of the Crucita condominium project taken just 5 days ago as the 6th story floor was poured. Construction progress is marching on at a steady clip and is very much on schedule.

Here are the workers prepping the rebar for the base of the sixth story:

Here is a view of the sixth story from the top of their first condo project:

and here is the view of both projects from below. Interest is building as the project gets closer to completion and so now is the time to get a new condo. See our Condos webpage for more details, photos, and pricing information.

Beachfront Condo in Ecuador for Christmas anyone? Prices start at $57,077!

http://www.ecuadorbeachfrontproperty.com/Condos.html