BajaNomad

Evictions by Armed Men Rattle a Mexican Tourist Paradise

Lee - 8-16-2016 at 01:42 PM

''One of the first significant warning signs for business owners came on Nov. 30, 2009.

That morning, two dozen police officers and a judge descended on Ocho Tulum, a hotel belonging to Mr. Wolf, the American entrepreneur. It sat on beachfront land that he had rented since 2005 under a 30-year lease. In 2006, before he started building, he had learned that there was a competing claim to a portion of the land, but decided to move ahead with the project.

“I heard that it would probably not amount to anything,” he said. “I never thought that I was at risk of losing it.”

He challenged his loss in court, but was defeated after years of litigation.

The seizure of Mr. Wolf’s property stunned Tulum, but people kept building and the tourists kept coming.''

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/world/americas/mexico-tulu...

chuckie - 8-16-2016 at 02:02 PM

Same old stuff, different location, different people....

Bajahowodd - 8-16-2016 at 05:12 PM

Quote: Originally posted by chuckie  
Same old stuff, different location, different people....


Was first there in 1983. People were still sleeping in hammocks. What has happened since is mind boggling. Huge resorts and timeshares. A primer on how to ruin a place.

Lee - 8-16-2016 at 06:05 PM

This stuff happens a lot in Mexico. One gringo mentioned said he'd leased the beach front property on a 30 year lease, and then bought the property knowing there was no title but thinking everything would be OK. Knowing all this, he built anyway.

Does it get more stupid than that? There is a thriving black market of hustlers selling unauthorized ejido land thanks to trusting gringoes.

BajaBlanca - 8-16-2016 at 06:25 PM

I had posted the exact same article so I just deleted the post.

Tulum is just gorgeous but it was very clear in the article that none of those folks did due diligence.

we walked thru the coqui hotel and it was really beautiful!

I don't remember the name of the hotel we stayed at but it was equally beautiful and is probably taken over too.

Bajahowodd - 8-21-2016 at 04:36 PM

My two cents is that if you are going to the area, stay on Isla Mujeres and visit Chichen Itza.

Isla Mujeres is such a wonderful, laid back place about a half hour ferry ride from Cancun. You can rent a car at the airport and leave it at valet parking by the ferry dock. So, when you are ready to explore the mainland, it will be waiting for you when you exit the ferry.

Isla Mujeres is an amazing mixture of Caribbean, Cuban, and Mexican cultures. And the main drag is a pedestrian mall at night along about ten blocks of amazing restaurants and bars, which also includes street parades.

Would never go back to Cancun unless we stay on Isla.

Martyman - 8-22-2016 at 09:22 AM

Tulum not Cancun...jeez.

JoeJustJoe - 8-22-2016 at 10:01 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Bajahowodd  
My two cents is that if you are going to the area, stay on Isla Mujeres and visit Chichen Itza.

Isla Mujeres is such a wonderful, laid back place about a half hour ferry ride from Cancun. You can rent a car at the airport and leave it at valet parking by the ferry dock. So, when you are ready to explore the mainland, it will be waiting for you when you exit the ferry.

Isla Mujeres is an amazing mixture of Caribbean, Cuban, and Mexican cultures. And the main drag is a pedestrian mall at night along about ten blocks of amazing restaurants and bars, which also includes street parades.

Would never go back to Cancun unless we stay on Isla.


I found both Isla Mujeres, and Cozumel boring on my day trips. Perhaps I should have rented a car, in Cozumel and looked for nice isolated beach locations, because there is not much to do walking around the island in the extremely humid hot sun, with everybody selling the same Mexican trinkets, t-shirts, and other cheap items, but to each his own.

I prefer Playa del Carmen, compared to Cancun, because it's more laid back, and has less young partying Americans, and in fact you don't see too many Americans during the off season in Playa del Carmen. You see mostly Mexicans and a lot of Europeans in Playa del Carmen. Playa del Carmen, is also closer to many of the attractions, but I would say the beaches are better in Cancun.

My last trip to Playa del Carmen, I was looking at a few condos for sale, but I was alarmed over those Tulum real estate dispute that was in the local papers, and said, that's sound like Rosarito.

But as I researched it a little, it turns out most of those American hotel operators, knew about possible title problem, and it was really surprising to learn, there also were some verbal contracts involved!

People in the US know that verbal contracts in real estate are non-binding, so why roll the dice with verbal contracts, or sign a contract with possible title problems, and just hope everything works out in the end.


[Edited on 8-22-2016 by JoeJustJoe]

Bajahowodd - 8-22-2016 at 04:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JoeJustJoe  
Quote: Originally posted by Bajahowodd  
My two cents is that if you are going to the area, stay on Isla Mujeres and visit Chichen Itza.

Isla Mujeres is such a wonderful, laid back place about a half hour ferry ride from Cancun. You can rent a car at the airport and leave it at valet parking by the ferry dock. So, when you are ready to explore the mainland, it will be waiting for you when you exit the ferry.

Isla Mujeres is an amazing mixture of Caribbean, Cuban, and Mexican cultures. And the main drag is a pedestrian mall at night along about ten blocks of amazing restaurants and bars, which also includes street parades.

Would never go back to Cancun unless we stay on Isla.


I found both Isla Mujeres, and Cozumel boring on my day trips. Perhaps I should have rented a car, in Cozumel and looked for nice isolated beach locations, because there is not much to do walking around the island in the extremely humid hot sun, with everybody selling the same Mexican trinkets, t-shirts, and other cheap items, but to each his own.

I prefer Playa del Carmen, compared to Cancun, because it's more laid back, and has less young partying Americans, and in fact you don't see too many Americans during the off season in Playa del Carmen. You see mostly Mexicans and a lot of Europeans in Playa del Carmen. Playa del Carmen, is also closer to many of the attractions, but I would say the beaches are better in Cancun.

My last trip to Playa del Carmen, I was looking at a few condos for sale, but I was alarmed over those Tulum real estate dispute that was in the local papers, and said, that's sound like Rosarito.

But as I researched it a little, it turns out most of those American hotel operators, knew about possible title problem, and it was really surprising to learn, there also were some verbal contracts involved!

People in the US know that verbal contracts in real estate are non-binding, so why roll the dice with verbal contracts, or sign a contract with possible title problems, and just hope everything works out in the end.


[Edited on 8-22-2016 by JoeJustJoe]


You must be on Isla in the evening to experience the parades and music.