My detailed impressions of PDC

Damien · 05-01-2011

This will be a short but detailed review of my trip to PDC. As some of you may know, I will be opening a business in late 2011 or early 2012. I took this trip to scout location, meet with notario and get some real numbers to plug into my business plan. So let's begin.

Quick Background info:
My girlfriend and I traveled to PDC on the 12th of April until the 19the. We stayed at the Aventura Mexicana and we got around by foot. I've lived for extended periods of time in Zihuatanejo, Cancun, Mazatlan, Oaxaca and Vera Cruz.

We won't bother with the mundane flight details, you know the type. The ones about crying children, inept parents and terrible turbulence. Yeah, we're gonna skip that stuff. Let's talk instead about arriving at the Cancun airport with the fear of projections getting blown away while sipping rum and Cokes in liter cups. The airport was clean and immigration herded us through a zigzag line to the unforgettable red button. Red or green? Yes Green! And we're off. Maybe it was just a slow day but, gone are the vendors and salespeople from the terminal exit, thus making it a breeze to find our shuttle.

The drive to PDC was easy. The roads were in good shape and seemed to be under constant surveillance by brigades of road crews. We drove through some working-class neighborhoods on the way to our hotel, people seemed pretty cool as they did their thing.

We got to the Aventura Mexicana around 230PM and were checked in by Luis. He was a huge beauty and was very helpful during our stay. He even sat down with me and gave me some managerial advice. Thanks dude. Anyway, the hotel was in the perfect location for what we had planned on our trip. Being at 10th/24th was a great HQ for half-day walking trips. The hotel itself, was clean and had well maintained pools and gardens. Only the staff's service surpassed the professionalism of the Aventura Mexicana.

Food. People love to eat and I am people, the only difference being that I am allergic to wheat and gluten. For that reason Mexico is great for me, go corn go! We ate everywhere. The hotel chef was great, and El Fogon was my favorite of the local spots. 30th Ave was great for pollo asado and other cheap meals, but we found some great places around 20th and 4th as well. The Italian community should be recognized, for what I assume was a great deal of effort on their part to raise the bar as it pertains to meat and pasta quality. Playa needs to market its gastro-tourism, period!

Nightlife. Now, I'll be honest. I'm no club guy or party dude. I like to sip on drinks and just go at it slow all day, so take my opinion knowing I'm pretty lame. As I said we did our trip by way of feet 99% of the time, so we never made it too far. We were told 8th and 12th had some pretty sweet clubs and lounges, but when we passed by the combination of techno/garage/euro/electronic music formed a perfect pentagram, knocking my senses out of line. Feeling slightly disoriented we decided to find somewhere else to find a drink. We ended up finding a roof to lounge that played B&W movies on the wall of the adjacent building. The drinks were great and it wasn't too busy. Really comfortable low rider chairs. 8/10

Safety. I felt safer in PDC than any of the aforementioned towns and cities. The police seem to have a better working relationship with the people and drugs only appears to be a secondary form of income for some salespeople. By no means would I consider the problems of northern Mexico to be even remotely an issue in Playa. Poverty creates crime, and since the Mayan Riviera is growing with solid infrastructure and jobs, crime appears less obvious in playa.

Communication. Part of my trip was to scout potential employees. No I wasn't actively recruiting but I was observing general market factors such as language proficiency and computer knowledge. Infact, I was myself very surprised to see the sheer number of Italians in PDC. Damn, ya never know. In any case, most people spoke english and the way I look at it, its up to me to speak spanish as I am the visitor.

Rent. 5th ave is like Key West, 5000USD for a cubbyhole, one block up and its 500. Rent is a negotiable expense in my experience and there seems to be both commercial and residential for all economic levels.

Wages. This is a tricky topic on this forum. I will not divulge all that was revealed to me by some locals, as not to ruffle any feathers. But, what I learned is minimum wage is 56 pesos. Pay scale is set at multiples of minimum wage so, for example; cleaning staff would be 56 pesos, office staff 120 pesos, office manager 175 pesos etc... I plan on paying twice minimum wage. Don't ask me why!?

Ultimately, Playa has changed. For better or worse it has become quite a tourist hub, with many opportunities and dangers that come along. Hopefully I can make a little cash for myself and my partners, both local and foreign during my time in PDC. I hope to meet some of you in person and continue chatting with the rest of you by interwebs.

OH, and here are some links to information you may find useful for your start-up.

http://www.mexperience.com/living/im...ion-mexico.php

http://www.scotiabank.com.mx/in/pyme...s/default.aspx

http://www.fredlaw.com/articles/inte...nal/Mexico.pdf

http://www.ehow.com/list_6703246_mex...ment-laws.html

End communications.

Chango · 05-01-2011

What kind of business are you planning on opening? There is lots of oppurtunity here but honestly other locations would be more benificial.

Damien · 05-01-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chango

What kind of business are you planning on opening? There is lots of oppurtunity here but honestly other locations would be more benificial.

Seems to be a lot of that suggestion going around. Any particular reason why? And no its not a bar or restaurant.

absoluteAL · 05-01-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

Seems to be a lot of that suggestion going around. Any particular reason why? And no its not a bar or restaurant.

Hopefully not retail business either. To much competition and business can be very seasonal. I don't believe that people on vacation are spending as much money as they did 3+ years ago. Rising price of gas is cutting into people's dicretionary spending.

Damien · 05-01-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by absoluteAL

Hopefully not retail business either. To much competition and business can be very seasonal. I don't believe that people on vacation are spending as much money as they did 3+ years ago. Rising price of gas is cutting into people's dicretionary spending.

Retail it is NOT. it is a unique niche service, and no not a sexy service. haha

absoluteAL · 05-01-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

Retail it is NOT. it is a unique niche service, and no not a sexy service. haha

I have done business consulting in the past. I realize that everybody has a newer/bigger/better idea for a business. It is hard to stop a "TRANE".
Last guy that I advised against opening a business here - well he just ran out of money before he even got open. And this was just last week

.
I wish you well in your engeavour.

Damien · 05-01-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by absoluteAL

I have done business consulting in the past. I realize that everybody has a newer/bigger/better idea for a business. It is hard to stop a "TRANE".
Last guy that I advised against opening a business here - well he just ran out of money before he even got open. And this was just last week

.
I wish you well in your engeavour.

I am not opposed to advice, but am i to believe that playa is full and that no business can succeed in these times? Please elaborate as to why. If i am wasting my time putting this plan together id love to know now. PM me with specifics if need be

absoluteAL · 05-01-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

(1)I am not opposed to advice, but am i to believe that playa is full and that no business can succeed in these times? (2) Please elaborate as to why. If i am wasting my time putting this plan together id love to know now. PM me with specifics if need be

You can PM me. I am retired

.
1) I am not offering my advice directly to you at this time.
2) I did already

Damien · 05-01-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by absoluteAL

You can PM me. I am retired

.
1) I am not offering my advice directly to you at this time.
2) I did already

so basically DONT under capitalize

snappysammy · 05-01-2011

good luck!!!

absoluteAL · 05-01-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

so basically DONT under capitalize

The one person that I will guarantee will make money is your landlord.
Do you speak Spanish? Do you understand the system here?

Damien · 05-01-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by absoluteAL

The one person that I will guarantee will make money is your landlord.
Do you speak Spanish? Do you understand the system here?

I do speak spanish and am still learning the language and the system, or rather art.

Chango · 05-01-2011

Most people will tell you not to do it but you will still succeed if you have it in you

Also if anyone needs Rosetta Stone for Spanish I have it for a fee of course, can meet in quinta

absoluteAL · 05-02-2011

[quote=snappysammy;1772565]good luck!!![/quote]

Words of wisdom indeed. He will need more than good luck IMO.

absoluteAL · 05-02-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chango

Most people will tell you not to do it but you will still succeed if you have it in you

Are you kidding? What magic do you need in you to succeed

. You must have that formula

.

Reminds me of the joke: How do you end up with $100,000 in your business?
ANSWER: Start out with $200,000!

05-01-2011	#1 (permalink)
Damien ruined Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Ottawa Posts: 81	My detailed impressions of PDC This will be a short but detailed review of my trip to PDC. As some of you may know, I will be opening a business in late 2011 or early 2012. I took this trip to scout location, meet with notario and get some real numbers to plug into my business plan. So let's begin. Quick Background info: My girlfriend and I traveled to PDC on the 12th of April until the 19the. We stayed at the Aventura Mexicana and we got around by foot. I've lived for extended periods of time in Zihuatanejo, Cancun, Mazatlan, Oaxaca and Vera Cruz. We won't bother with the mundane flight details, you know the type. The ones about crying children, inept parents and terrible turbulence. Yeah, we're gonna skip that stuff. Let's talk instead about arriving at the Cancun airport with the fear of projections getting blown away while sipping rum and Cokes in liter cups. The airport was clean and immigration herded us through a zigzag line to the unforgettable red button. Red or green? Yes Green! And we're off. Maybe it was just a slow day but, gone are the vendors and salespeople from the terminal exit, thus making it a breeze to find our shuttle. The drive to PDC was easy. The roads were in good shape and seemed to be under constant surveillance by brigades of road crews. We drove through some working-class neighborhoods on the way to our hotel, people seemed pretty cool as they did their thing. We got to the Aventura Mexicana around 230PM and were checked in by Luis. He was a huge beauty and was very helpful during our stay. He even sat down with me and gave me some managerial advice. Thanks dude. Anyway, the hotel was in the perfect location for what we had planned on our trip. Being at 10th/24th was a great HQ for half-day walking trips. The hotel itself, was clean and had well maintained pools and gardens. Only the staff's service surpassed the professionalism of the Aventura Mexicana. Food. People love to eat and I am people, the only difference being that I am allergic to wheat and gluten. For that reason Mexico is great for me, go corn go! We ate everywhere. The hotel chef was great, and El Fogon was my favorite of the local spots. 30th Ave was great for pollo asado and other cheap meals, but we found some great places around 20th and 4th as well. The Italian community should be recognized, for what I assume was a great deal of effort on their part to raise the bar as it pertains to meat and pasta quality. Playa needs to market its gastro-tourism, period! Nightlife. Now, I'll be honest. I'm no club guy or party dude. I like to sip on drinks and just go at it slow all day, so take my opinion knowing I'm pretty lame. As I said we did our trip by way of feet 99% of the time, so we never made it too far. We were told 8th and 12th had some pretty sweet clubs and lounges, but when we passed by the combination of techno/garage/euro/electronic music formed a perfect pentagram, knocking my senses out of line. Feeling slightly disoriented we decided to find somewhere else to find a drink. We ended up finding a roof to lounge that played B&W movies on the wall of the adjacent building. The drinks were great and it wasn't too busy. Really comfortable low rider chairs. 8/10 Safety. I felt safer in PDC than any of the aforementioned towns and cities. The police seem to have a better working relationship with the people and drugs only appears to be a secondary form of income for some salespeople. By no means would I consider the problems of northern Mexico to be even remotely an issue in Playa. Poverty creates crime, and since the Mayan Riviera is growing with solid infrastructure and jobs, crime appears less obvious in playa. Communication. Part of my trip was to scout potential employees. No I wasn't actively recruiting but I was observing general market factors such as language proficiency and computer knowledge. Infact, I was myself very surprised to see the sheer number of Italians in PDC. Damn, ya never know. In any case, most people spoke english and the way I look at it, its up to me to speak spanish as I am the visitor. Rent. 5th ave is like Key West, 5000USD for a cubbyhole, one block up and its 500. Rent is a negotiable expense in my experience and there seems to be both commercial and residential for all economic levels. Wages. This is a tricky topic on this forum. I will not divulge all that was revealed to me by some locals, as not to ruffle any feathers. But, what I learned is minimum wage is 56 pesos. Pay scale is set at multiples of minimum wage so, for example; cleaning staff would be 56 pesos, office staff 120 pesos, office manager 175 pesos etc... I plan on paying twice minimum wage. Don't ask me why!? Ultimately, Playa has changed. For better or worse it has become quite a tourist hub, with many opportunities and dangers that come along. Hopefully I can make a little cash for myself and my partners, both local and foreign during my time in PDC. I hope to meet some of you in person and continue chatting with the rest of you by interwebs. OH, and here are some links to information you may find useful for your start-up. http://www.mexperience.com/living/im...ion-mexico.php http://www.scotiabank.com.mx/in/pyme...s/default.aspx http://www.fredlaw.com/articles/inte...nal/Mexico.pdf http://www.ehow.com/list_6703246_mex...ment-laws.html End communications. __________________ End Communication Last edited by Damien; 05-02-2011 at 09:49 AM..

05-01-2011	#2 (permalink)
Chango toe in water Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 47	What kind of business are you planning on opening? There is lots of oppurtunity here but honestly other locations would be more benificial.

05-01-2011	#10 (permalink)
snappysammy añejo Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 12,289	good luck!!!

05-01-2011	#13 (permalink)
Chango toe in water Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 47	Most people will tell you not to do it but you will still succeed if you have it in you Also if anyone needs Rosetta Stone for Spanish I have it for a fee of course, can meet in quinta

05-02-2011	#14 (permalink)
absoluteAL añejo Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Latitude 20.6274 Longitude 87.0799 Posts: 9,474	[quote=snappysammy;1772565]good luck!!![/quote] Words of wisdom indeed. He will need more than good luck IMO.

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