Chasing Jaguars in Tulum, Mexico

An Oceanfront Refuge Hidden Amid the Jungle

I was really hoping for a jaguar…

Closest I came was a black house cat lounging in the sand under the shade of a low-rise jungle canopy.    

My expectations for a jaguar weren’t unwarranted. Roadside signs do note jaguars live in the vicinity. I don’t know—maybe they’re nocturnal. Or maybe my sunscreen was an olfactory repellent. I’m not sure…

All I can attest to is that the jaguar sighting was a bust at the Ikal Beach Club, hidden away inside a national park that hugs the Caribbean Ocean in Tulum, Mexico.

A video I recorded of the incredible pathway leading to Ikal Beach Club…one of the most unique and beautiful facilities of its kind I’ve seen anywhere.

Ronan McMahon invited me to the Riviera Maya to explore this up-and-coming region and the to check out the real estate opportunities here—and for sure there are some incredible, luxury properties at value prices along this breathtaking stretch of Mexico’s coast.

But amid the eye-opening tours of luxury communities, we took a few hours and drove deep into the national park—basically low-rise, coastal jungle—to hang out at the beach club.

To be clear, this isn’t an over-the-top, meticulously planned beach club where Buffy and Miffy and their daughters Gidget and Midge are ordering shrimp cocktails and complaining that the tennis courts were poorly swept because of a stray leaf they spotted.

I guess the best way to describe Ikal is “hipster understated.”

The club—a secluded enclave on the beach boxed in by jungle—comprises a very relaxing pool shaded by palms…tiki-hut accommodations that are basically jungle glamping…an open-air eatery made of what seems to be driftwood…several swinging beds to lounge on and read or look out over the sea or nap…and a large palapa (an open-sided, thatch-roofed structure) where yoga classes seem perennially in session.

In short, a really nice place.

The kind of place I gravitate to because I relish such well-thought-out, clean aesthetics.

I recorded a brief video at Ikal sharing my thoughts on what I’ve discovered thus far in the Riviera Maya. Click to play.

Ronan tells me membership to Ikal comes packaged with a new community project he’s shared with members of his Real Estate Trend Alert group. It’s an amazing amenity.

Honestly, I’m envious. I want something like this in my life (even if the Jaguars don’t intrude here).

So, after spending the last several days with Ronan, and after touring properties in Playa del Carmen and Tulum, I can say that I will be back to look around more.

I like it here. I feel comfortable. For my sensibilities, it’s the perfect mix of developed and up-and-coming.

I know now why so many people are buying here. I know why so much high-end growth is happening.

And I can see how these two cities and a few others in the neighborhood are going to emerge as much more significant destinations than they already are…which means I can see why owning property here represents a good investment opportunity.

I just don’t know why they don’t have a pet jaguar on staff.

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