TESTIMONIALS

I met Jaromey online four years ago. We were looking for a condo on the beach for a month. From our first communication Jaromey was forthright and very conscientious plus she operated in "real time" which was, for me, very much a bonus. We had a budget, which Jaromey respected and she quickly found us the ideal condo just outside Progreso. She answered my thousands of questions and when it came time for us to make the decision we were very comfortable in sending along the deposit. When we arrived in Progreso there was Jaromey waiting for us at precisely the agreed upon time. She whisked us to our condo, gave us a walk through and left us to enjoy the Gulf surf from our balcony. The next day she picked us up and took us into Progreso for orientation and groceries. And she made herself available throughout the month that we were there. And since then (we never moved back to the States) she has been our gal Friday for all of our and our friends' lodging needs, here in the Merida/Progreso area. We have found her to be of the utmost integrity and extremely knowledgeable in her field. With Jaromey, you cannot go wrong. Bruce and Mary Kelley

Subject: our stay at Casa Sol Mar in Progreso, Yucatan
Hello Lynne,

Well, it's been about two months since we returned home from Casa Sol Mar and we longingly dream of the wonderful time we had in Mexico, with the weather being what it is here, north of Toronto,.  We couldn't believe how easy it was to get involved in the English and Spanish speaking social scene in Progeso. As a result, we look forward to our return next January.

We just wanted to drop you a line and say how pleased we were with the accomodations at Casa Sol Mar. The central location and excellent maintenance of the building are perfect for our winter getaway.  As well, Jaromey was always available for any concerns or to answer any questions. For example, on one late evening just before going to bed we found water running down the stairs of suite #5 from the roof. It appeared that the water pump was not shutting off automatically. Jaromey raced over within 10 minutes, turned off the circuit, and with flashlight in hand proceeded to stand on the edge of the roof while leaning over the tank and attempting to reset the float. Although she had to call the plumber the next day, she certainly went beyond the call of duty in her attempt to fix it the previous evening. You probably also heard that our internet went down for a week when Telmex accidentally cut the line while working across the street. Jaromey hounded the company for a week and finally got us restored. Pretty quick, we would say, by Mexican standards, considering other locations in town, including internet cafes we found, were also without service several days as well.  When all of us at Casa Sol Mar expressed interest in going to Merida one evening for Carnival, Jaromey was kind enough to accompany us, book a restaurant table overlooking the parade route, and arrange our transportation with a collectivo. What a wonderful evening!

Again, we're looking forward to our return next year and extending our stay to three months.

Take care,

Marg & John Stewart

FOR SALE: A POLISHED DIAMOND IN THE MIDDLE OF MERIDA

(For serious qualified buyers only)

This house is for the discriminating buyer who is looking for the epitome of luxurious indoor- outdoor living in the tropics.  If you’re looking for a polished designer home with all the extras, this is what you’ve been looking for ! This talented designer’s work has been showcased in many publications, such as architectural digest mexico, 1000 x Architecture America (Germany), Espacio Abierto (Coahuila, Mexico), Revista Habitat (Argentina), Habitante (Merida), Artistic Spaces (China), Atlas of the world Interior Design (China) as well as V Brenal Yucateca de Arquitectura. If you have extremely high expectations and feel that life is meant to be enjoyed, then this is your house.   It’s time to transform your life by having the best of both worlds – the quiet healing presence of these beautiful gardens, an elegant, polished designer home and being in the perfect, convenient location, right in the thick of the capital city of Merida.

Beautiful mid-century architecture in the midst of your tropical oasis of gorgeous lush gardens and stately Royal Palms – a sophisticated residence perfect for entertaining a party of 2 or forty-two.

This refined home is located north of Centro  on a quiet street, walking distance to the finest restaurants, stores and conveniences and central to all amenities such as CostCo, supermarkets, home depot, fitness clubs, the slow food market, office depot, etc.

Every facet of this house  reflects the designer’s  magical touch:  all the windows slide out of view when not required, visually expanding the house to include the gardens. The main entrance opens up to a formal mirrored foyer and flows into a spacious and elegant living room.  All the entertainment equipment is hidden from view behind walls until needed. The sleek, upbeat and modern kitchen boasts a large walk-in pantry and herb garden.  There’s a full separate bar, a coffee patio off the kitchen, and a cozy cocktail patio in the gardens surrounding the pool. The formal dining room is an inspired, elegant and fun creation looking out onto the back garden.

The property is fully landscaped with gorgeous local beauties such as a mature flamboyanes, royal palms, banana, lime, avocado, sour orange trees, chaya, etc.

On the second floor, you’ll find the elegant and luxurious master bedroom with ceiling to floor windows, huge balcony, the designer’s signature outdoor shower and imported pedestal bathtub, large walk-in closet, as well as two other bedrooms, both with deluxe bathrooms, closets and terrace. a very well appointed office alcove is located at the top of the stairs. 

Parking for 3 vehicles, separate service area,  dimmer switches on all the lights,  speakers wired throughout the house and the latest in electronics, ensure that this quality domain is absolutely ready for you to move into and enjoy.

lot width                       22.4 meters

lot length                      40 meters

lot area                        410 meters

bedrooms                    3

bathrooms                   7

parking                        Carport            

vehicles                       3

                                                            

Amenities

air conditioning

ample storage

automatic irrigation system

balconies

bathtub in master bedroom

beautifully landscaped garden

bodegas - 2

cable tv

carport

ceiling fans

ceramic floors

city water

clear title

closets

dishwasher

electric gate

en suite bathrooms in each bedroom

fideicomiso (bank trust)

front garden

fully renovated

herb garden

internet

large balcony

large screen LED TV

new wiring

orchard

outdoor shower

pantry – walk-in

patios

pool

pressurized water

purified water system

recently upgraded

reverse osmosis/ ultra violet  water filtration

security system

stationary gas tank – large

tinaco - large

walk-in closets

washer/dryer

water wells – 2

Progreso's Malecon Has a New Face

When I first moved here eight years ago, I kept hearing expats saying that Progreso was going to be the next “Playa” and I was excited that I was going to be in the thick of it ! “Playa” referred to Playa del Carmen on the Mexican Riviera. What so many people had discovered many years ago as a quaint and charming  fishing town is now a bustling playground to many Europeans and North Americans, full of all inclusive resorts, great shops and and swanky hotels and bars. Still a great place to go have fun, but not a place I want to live !



Now that the malecon has been redone, I’ve started hearing the rumors again – “it’s gearing up for big changes !” Personally, I don’t think so. The powers that be in Progreso are the ones who decide the future of Progreso, and I don’t think that they want to give up control of their town. And that’s just fine with me ! Of course when foreigners buy property here, it usually looks spruced up and definitely improves the town and motivates others to paint and pretty up their homes too. This is definitely a good thing, but Progreso is still very Mexican,  the pretty juxtaposed with the gritty. Away from the downtown area, not all the streets have signs and not all the streets are paved. These are things that attracted many of us to live here in the first place.

 Merida is rapidly expanding and most of the new upper income areas that are sprouting up are doing so in the north part. In 10 years, I think Merida will be rubbing shoulders with Progreso and many people insist it will happen is less time than that. So I guess it depends on how you want to see it – will Progreso change … or will Merida just try to get closer to Progreso’s ocean front and fresh air ?

The new  malecon is now blessed with better lighting, public showers and more palm trees. The added palm trees definitely won me over ! The park is now looking much prettier and has been renamed “Parque de la Paz”.  The two park-like settings at each end of the malecon definitely make the area more inviting and  fresh.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN MEXICO

I don’t think of myself as a small-town person. I grew up in Brooklyn and when I think of “home” in Canada, that’s Ottawa. I've been living in Progreso, Yucatan for 8 years, a city whose population is only about 60,000. Its proximity to the major city and capitol of the state, allows me to treat Progreso as a suburb of Merida. Only 20 minutes away, I can be in a city that has such amenities as Costco, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, large shopping malls and cinemas, theatre, ballet, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Merida, good restaurants, etc., but what I like about Progreso is this: it’s on the ocean, so the air is clean; it’s not fancy and touristy – it’s real Mexico. Most of the people don’t speak English and few are fluent. Occasionally, I will spot a herd of goats at the end of the city or a horse and cart. Not a buggy, but a horse and cart, where the driver sits on a plank of wood with his feet (sometimes bare) dangling over the edge. Every morning when I wake up, I hear the men of the panaderia behind my house bustling around, preparing to bake the fresh bread for the day. They sing. Loudly. And joyfully ! And then I smell the aroma of fresh bread wafting through my house. I love grapefruit and grapefruit juice. I buy a whole crate of grapefruit for just over $5. !  In Ottawa, I bought some recently for $1.40 each ! I make my own juice every morning using two fat luscious grapefruit and throw in some organic berries… I love these things !

You can take Spanish lessons here; my neighbor and good friend has a language school. You can go to the beach every day if you want. I take my dog for a walk on the beach most evenings and it’s completely safe. We have a long malecon( or boardwalk) that makes taking a stroll along the beach incredibly pleasant. It’s lined with great restaurants with a view of the ocean. But if you want to eat like the locals, I can steer you in the direction of wonderful little places where you can have a great lunch for about $3.50 -$4. ! What you can’t get here in Progreso, you can get in Merida. If you can’t find it in Merida, you ask your friends and family to bring it with you if you run out before you go back to visit. Or you learn to like something else instead. Life is a bit simpler here and it’s definitely less expensive. True, it’s not as cheap as it used to be, but that goes for pretty well everywhere in the world today.

Some people fly into Merida to get here, but many like myself, fly in and out of Cancun as there are many more flights and they’re much less expensive. There are now buses that go directly to the Cancun airport from Merida in 4-4.5 hours. And buses here are incredibly inexpensive ! There are buses from Progreso to Merida every 20 minutes – they’re air-conditioned and comfortable and super-convenient ! These are the things that I love about living here. Mostly simple things that make me smile. That and it’s almost always sunny here … I like that too !