We did one unplanned and unexpected thing when we were in Mexico last week that was so great that it deserved it’s own post.
The Grand Bahia Principe resort has been in the process of expanding inland to serve as a private golf club and homestead to some of the most wonderfully designed new-construction homes I’ve ever had the opportunity to see in person.
While it’s hard to scale exactly how large this private residence area of the resort is based solely on the map, we can attest to it’s massiveness. It also helps to show you how large the resort itself is (it was sort of 3-in-1!). The whole area above the 307 highway is the residential and golf property that’s still in the development phases, but is really beginning to take form and take on the presence this map would lead you to believe.
Architecture and art maniacs we are, so we spent an afternoon slowly driving our rental Dodge Attitude through the uninhabited streets of the Bahia Principe residences observing the golf course (which was fully open and usable by visitors for a small fortune) and the construction-in-progress on each street and courtyard.
From what we could tell, only half of the roadways have been completed and opened to the traffic at this point, and along those roads there were many handmade signs signifying where treed lots has been purchased by eager homebuilders, but only about a half-dozen properties stood in completed state. It was kind of amazing to see a future huge residential area in such early phases of development. The only true signs of ready-for-action growth were the electrical boxes at the end of each future driveway acknowledging where one future lot ended and the next began.
A few in-progress homes peeked our interest initially, with roadside signage informing us that the new home could be ours (ours!) for a mere $799,000. Not the kind of money I had in my fanny pack but still didn’t seem exorbitant considering we were, you know, in an private compound on the Caribbean Sea. And no, I wasn’t really wearing a fanny pack.
You had us at modern, open floorplan, ocean view terrace, and solar-powered pool, Bahia Principe.
A few shells of homes stood works in progress (that we undoubtly wanted to explore tresspass-style but did not), simple structures made of concrete but undeniably attractive with modern form and style oozing from it’s pretty, pretty tropical lot. Who wouldn’t want a coconut tree in their backyard? And how interesting that throughout the whole resort, some large trees were preserved, even if they were in the way of sidewalks like this one.
Once we got to a part of the compound where completed homes were popping up every half mile or so, we got camera happy. Colorado homeowners, Mexican homeowners, Californian homeowners, all thoroughly enjoying this quiet-but-soon-to-be-raging community in it’s infancy.
Really, we went ga-ga. Drooling down the closed windows of our air conditioned car, and snapping shots of every property and raving about the architecture.
One of the first we saw blew us away. This completed (and inhabited) home had an attractive open-air garage that blended in so nicely to the overall design that you wouldn’t have thought twice about it actually meant for vehicle functionality.
And how about that front entryway? In addition to the wooden door, the attention to detail in design of the wooden accents above the door made our jaws drop. (Hello, contractors. Please come make my home look like this. I will give you rainbow cupcakes and coffee.)
The driveways were amazing in their own right. No snow, no ice, no heavy traffic = really nice, level driveways that heavily incorporate and allow retention of the pretty lush grasses of the area. This simple paver driveway was really sleek, complementing the house wonderfully. And so seemingly easy to manufacture, may I add:
The x-molded concrete blocks used in this next grid driveway have always been highly desireable to me, although I’m not sure how well they would endure NY weather. In this design, the entire driveway looped up into a covered valet spot and while durable and driveable, it still helped to achieve that whole my-driveway-doesn’t-take-up-my-whole-front-yard effect. Essentially, a sick, mowable driveway. Nice.
When we came across this home for sale, we couldn’t resist getting out of the Attitude to see the property up close.
How fantastic is this heavy, unidentifiable-to-a-poor-wood-identifier doorway? I swooned. And hugged it.
Truthfully, with only two bedrooms and a small living space, it seemed tight and snug for anything long term. But we liked the overall design and openness of it a lot. Pete investigated the backyard and deck access while I ooed-and-ahhed photographing through the long, vertical front window panes.
The pool in the backyard was small – just enough room for a close-knit party or for a few people to dip in for an evening cool-down, but the outdoor living area that extended from the back of the house into the backyard was lush and beautiful.
Pete oozed over the double balconies from the upstairs rooms and looked over the pool in the backyard, while I studied the design of the pergolas built into the construction. I probably would have hugged them like the front door if they were within reach of my sweaty swollen fingers. Ooh, I want them, I want them.
We didn’t get the pricing on the property, but definitely spent time admiring how well designed the structure was in entirety. Who wouldn’t want this? Bonus: I look right at home, don’t I?
The last one we really liked was this monstrousity. Aside from the consistent modern architecture, the front walkway made of black stone was really stunning. I bet it looks wonderful when it’s rainy and shiny. Plus, great ground cover. I wonder if I can achieve anything like that with my myrtle.
And how about the landscaping? The lush, mexican jungles led us to find and photograph some beautiful plants, some of which I recognized as species being sold as houseplants at Home Depot. Smile.
The color of this ground cover was lovely, even if it wasn’t blooming like I believe it does when it peaks.
And P.S. what are these – tiny coconuts in development? Smaller than acorns.
5 Comments
Those are amazing! I would have hugged various parts of that house, too.
And yes, you do look right at home!
Those colorful ground cover plants used to grow along the canals in Miami. We used to call them “Snake Plants” – don’t know why. Love the houses! Wow!
Maybe because they’re the perfect hideaway for snakes? Shudder.
Loved this post about the Bahia, we just purchased a lot and love to hear about the progress down there.
So excited for you! What a wonderful area to call home. I’d love to know about the process and your experience (and would looove to see pictures of your final place once it’s done!). Good luck!