Mexican Beach Developers

by John and Margaret Fleming

In the early 1970's we used to go to Rocky Point regularly with a group of friends and camp at the La Pinta Estuary. It was a great adventure. Usually 5 or 6 families would go together in a caravan. We would all stop at the plaza in the center of town (the one where the giant shrimp is now), and let some air out of our tires (down to 15 or 20 pounds--we had tubes then) to increase their traction over the sand. The advice we all gave each other was, "Keep your foot on the gas--don't touch the brakes."

The road, hot and snakelike, hissed and snapped at our tires, attempting to wrench the wheel from the driver's hands. Occasional teeth-shattering washboard sections vibrated our cars uncontrollably, often driving us into a waiting pit of sand. A novice's first trip left him with cramped hands for several hours afterward and the uncomfortable thought that he might never make it back to civilization with his car.

Inevitably one of the drivers would lose his nerve and brake abruptly. The result was the belly of his car resting on the hump between the sand ruts with four wheels spinning--grabbing air. Cursing, grumbling, and sweating , we'd take out the shovels, carpets, and plywood we always carried, and get to work. Jack up the wheel, fill in the hole with sand, jack it up again, fill the hole with sand. Do this to all four wheels Once we got the frame off the ground, we put plywood or carpet underneath to give us traction. Often we had to do this 3 times in a row, jacking the whole car to the left or right or forward or backward before we got into good, clear sand again. The whole bumping, grinding, twisting, slithering ride took a little over an hour but seemed like a week.

Toward the end of the trip the road bisected an estuary and ended at a steep sand hill. We parked at the bottom and climbed up over the dune.

Ah, but when we got there--it was all worth it. We stepped up onto the ridge and into a cool breeze from the sea. The pristine white beach bordered clear turquoise and dark blue water interspersed with foot-inviting white sand bars. Pelicans and gulls swooped to feed on the flashing fish. The only noise was the sea and the birds.

After setting up camp, we would go snorkeling. Below giant manta rays would dart up from under the sand, startling us. Schools of tiny brilliantly colored fish followed us, nipping playfully at human skin. Sometimes small fish would look right into a diver's mask to see what kind of strange creature had invaded their space.

The estuary was constantly emptying and filling. Like a mother cradling a child, the tides and currents would carry a slumbering swimmer in a complete circle and bring her back home safely.

At night, we often slept on the beach in our sleeping bags. The stars were brighter than we ever see them in Tucson. Once we awoke in the middle of the night to see the water teeming with shining blue fluorescent fish.

We loved these trips to the estuary. For us that place epitomized Mexico. But over the years things happened to change our routines. Our group of friends drifted apart as various members died, were divorced, or moved away. The land around the estuary changed ownership and visitors were no longer welcome. When we visited Puerto Peñasco we went to more accessible beaches. Then Las Conchas was started, the roads were improved, the Caborca highway was built. The estuary was only a memory to us.

All the memories came back last weekend when we revisited the place. We were taken out to see it by Joaquin Corona Cabrera, the chief engineer for La Pinta Mayan Palace, a development of Vidafel. This corporation has luxury resorts with 5-star hotels in Puerto Vallarta, Nueva Vallarta, and Acapulco, and a large hotel in Mazatlan. Its current project is a residential and hotel complex to be built on the site we remember so vividly from years ago. Quietly and with very little publicity over the past three years, this major real estate development has been moving toward realization.

Our trip to the beach was the culmination of a very interesting meeting with Sr. Corona, in which he showed us some of the plans for the first phases of construction. This project is 6 times bigger than any Vidafel has done before. Recognizing the qualities of the site, the company has done everything possible to preserve its beauty and its ecosystem. A large section of the project will be an environmental reserve with no construction permitted on it. Phase One will have a 3-story hotel with 72 suites. All of them have 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a living room, and a kitchenette. The buildings will be grouped in a semi-circle around a swimming pool, with a palapa at one end and a snack bar at the other. Joaquin showed us pictures of some of the company's other developments, and if this one is anything like them, it will be truly spectacular. The hotel construction is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed in the winter of 2000.

Phase One will also consist of a residential development. To preserve the beauty of the beach, the homes will be built in "cloisters," semicircular groupings around a central swimming pool all facing the sea, but set back from the beach far enough to leave it open for nature and the residents. We saw one of the houses that is almost finished. Dining room, living room, and master bedroom all face the sea and have that view we remember of turquoise water and white sand. The entrance lobby is a circular room with a high ceiling that acts as a cooling tower. Breezes from the sea come in through the sliding glass doors facing the beach and are drawn upward to exit through the square windows set around the top of the tower, so there's always sea air moving to keep the residents cool . The floors are unique--each room has a 3" border of tiny hand-cut stone chips set into concrete. The eye-catching exterior is white with bright yellow trim, and the cylindrical and rectangular masses work well together. These striking shapes and colors are unlike any we've seen in Puerto Peñasco.

The entrance to the development is located about 6 miles past the junction of the new highway with the Caborca road. At present the site can be reached by a road that leads to Playa Miramar, but the project has already begun building its own road to permit more direct access. It will include a 150-meter bridge over the estuary to protect the sensitive environment. The road is expected to be completed in a year. The project's electrical substation is already in, and power for the development will be available by the end of this summer. Three wells to the north of the project will provide water.

Later phases will include 2 more Mayan Palace hotels, and other residential lots behind the beach with a golf course meandering through them and small lakes here and there. It will be ecologically efficient because the grass will be watered with filtered recycled water, and most of the landscaping will consist of plants from Iran and Saudi Arabia that thrive on salt water. Later a desalinization plant will be built.

Rafael Covarrubias, the Marketing Director for La Pinta Mayan Palace, says the company chose the pearl of Puerto Peñasco, La Pinta Estuary, for their project. He wants to assure everybody that he and his company are environmentally conscious of the gift they hold in their hands.

Sometimes memory can be faulty, but in this case ours did not exaggerate. The beach and the estuary are as beautiful as ever. Now many more people will be able to enjoy them.