By
Gary Scott

One May, near the coast of Puerto Lopez , Ecuador , Merri and I sat with friends on a gleaming 35 foot cruiser. Warm salt air massages our sun drenched skin as we raced west, hypnotized by a sleepy drone from twin Yamaha 115s. We were near Puerto Lopez Ecuador on an international real estate investing tour.

The purity of the turquoise waters lulled me as they turned deep indigo. Shrimp boats glowed on the horizon trailing nets like spidery webs.

To take a break as we had reviewed many properties, we went whale watching. This is one of the most incredible experiences I have ever enjoyed. Just being on these pure waters is such a relaxing joy but you are guaranteed to see humpback whales. They are huge, many times the size of the boat.

Usually you see their spray first then spot them sliding slowly and gracefully in and out of the water. On our last trip a baby whale was playing and jumping. We followed them closely and this was a time we’ll never forget.

This whale is seen at Thebestofecuador.com/wwtopers.htm

More on whale watching at Ecuador.us/what7.htm

This boat is used for whale watching

I mention the whales because this is a great side trip to take when you come to one of our International Business and Investing course in Ecuador. See GaryScott.com/catalog

Puerto Lopez Ecuador International Real Estate Opportunity

Lets look a bit more at Puerto Lopez Ecuador and the opportunity in Puerto Lopez Ecuador International Real Estate investing.

If you want the sanitized version of life, switch off now and go to a web site that lists Disney World and places like this. Or go visit American coastal cities like Naples Florida, where I have left. Manta, Puerto Lopez and the other Pacific villages Merri and I savored on this trip have dusty roads, unkempt beaches, dogs walking the beach and the people appear poor. Plastic and various other types of debris often line the roads. The water where we stayed was only lukewarm. There are some pathetic sights and pungent smells. Life is rich, ripe and real here, no street signs, no life guards and no lines in the middle of the road. They are more like Mexican beaches 30 years ago.

Puerto Lopez Ecuador International Real Estate Low Prices

Yet consider this. In Naples , Florida , I just looked at buying a very small beachfront lot because it was cheap at one and a half million bucks. Here I was looking at a 38 acre tract of coastal land on a brand new highway with a half mile of wide, empty, clean Pacific beach for $15,000 bucks!

Puerto Lopez Ecuador International Real Estate EZ Way of Life

In Naples I'll get fined for parking, taking a dog, glass, or fire on the beach. I'll be patrolled, warned and controlled by more rules and regulations I can keep track of. Here it's purely Laissez Faire. Merri and I are pioneers and we love untidy, rambling, ramshackle places. We have made millions buying in such places and then watching them grow up. But you have to love this type of disorder to enjoy the process.

Puerto Lopez Ecuador International Real Estate Adventure

To us this is where the real adventure is…along with the best investment potential. So having said this let's spend a moment talking about the cash.

Puerto Lopez Ecuador International Real Estate News

There is some great economic news from Manta. Several years ago I began bringing investors to this coastal town telling them it was one of the hottest places around. Merri and I didn't especially like Manta but saw its potential. The U.S. military is bringing in a new base and some of the finest emptiest beaches in the world are near here. I continued bringing investors here through the worst depression in Ecuador 's history, a Presidential impeachment, then a bloodless coup, countless social demonstrations and even a couple of kidnappings on the border. The worse events grew, the more excited about the potential I became. Now places in the south of Manta that were scrub vegetation and wild are gleaming apartments and housing developments with really attractive and grand homes. Prices for land have quadrupled. There is a new road, new water system and though prices in Manta are still much lower than they will become, the miraculous bargains some of my delegates have enjoyed are gone. Some investors have seen their investments grow two, three, even four times in this last two years and values will rise much more!

But the news gets even better. The airport has just been shut and is being redone (by the U.S. military) and a new road from the airport to the city center is being built. I have been told by many that a Howard Johnson and Sheraton are coming in. Continental Airlines will start a direct flight Newark -Manta when the road is done (about six months) and American will fly Miami-Manta direct. Manta will become an international destination.

Manta is still an wonderful place to invest, but now the incredible bargains have moved slightly south. A really excellent coastal road has just been finished from Manta to Puerto Lopez and it opens an hour and a half of coastal views, property and wonderful new bargains not seen before. On this recent inspection trip, as mentioned, I viewed a 38 acres with about a half mile of beach offered for $15,000, plus a smaller 10 acre lot asking about $7,000 and a crude sub development with glorious ocean views were the asking price was $2,500 for a 2,500 square foot lot. These are rough properties that will need some work, but the prices are so low because this area has just opened up and a new market price has not yet established itself. No one knows yet what to charge for their land because no hotel have come in etc. So the prices are still what they were before the road.

Puerto Lopez Ecuador International Real Estate Change

Yet the changes are just beginning. South of Puerto Lopez, Metropolitan Tours built a hotel using Barro Viejo the same architects that designed Merri's and my house at our Andean plantation Rosaspamba.

This hotel has a charming design and sits high up cliffs with commanding ocean views. Brand new, the rates at this hotel only $30 a night for a single, $20 per person for a double (excluding breakfast)

Puerto Lopez Ecuador International Real Estate Hotel Bargain

If you want a real bargain stay at the Whale House Hostel in Puerto Lopez. The rate is only $8 per night including breakfast. This hostel is owned and operated by our friend, Santiago Guaminay. The service is intimate and just plain sweet. Santiago who runs the tour company Ecuador Amazing can book you into either Whale House or the Metropolitan hotel. At Whale House Hostel you sleep in a very comfortable (but not air conditioned) room and dine on excellent food on their roof terrace. Five hammocks are strategically placed. The rooms are just a room, but clean, and the water is only luke warm, but the food is so excellent, the rustic ambience so relaxing ad the walk to the beach just five minutes. Santiago operates tours on his brand new 35 foot cruiser (the fishing is great by the way – snook, snapper, sea bass, the world record Marlin was caught nearby, - plus there are cruises to Isla de la Plata and in season, whale watching where spotting whales guaranteed. Last year we were able to cruise around huge humpbacks at a range of just a few yards.

Puerto Lopez is surrounded by over 100,000 acres of national park and there are also hiking and riding trips in the dry and humid tropical forests of the park.

You can get details from Santiago Guaminy. His email address is info@ecuadoramazing.com

These attractions, plus the growing U.S. population in this area due to the military base, will force prices up in this area so Puerto Lopez Ecuador international real estate investing makes sense now.

Gary

For more on Ecuador real estate investing go to Successguidelines.com