Information wanted on Playa Encanto - Los Conchos

Chapajijic

New Member
Wanted to get an idea what the comparison is of residing full time in either of these two areas.
Also the value/return of putting solar power in for a full time residence of say 3000 sqft. Thanks
 

Roberto

Well Known Member
Encanto is a longer drive to get to any stores or restaurants. Homes are few there. Beautiful beaches for miles and few people. Possible no full timers live there. Don't know about electricity there but the lines are coming into those areas on the East beaches. Road in is unpaved and may get flooded when it rains heavy. Long haul for emergency services. Pay more for water delivery and propane. If you want and will tolerate splendid isolation you might like it.

Las Conchas runs about 5 miles along the coast just on the edge of developed Penasco so all the amenities of town are very close by. Check both areas out on Google maps. Some 600 homes total well spread apart, lots of open space. There is an active HOA. There are no stores or restaurants in the community but stores and restaurants are a few minutes away. There is trash pickup, electricity and a community wide water system which in general serves well. 24 hour guard gate staffed and patrols throughout the community. Roads are very well maintained although unpaved but bladed and watered regularly. . Beautiful beaches. Busier than Encanto but still a quiet community except on big weekends. Even then it is not crazy busy. There is a small core of 12 month full timers, maybe 50 or less. Many are full time October to July then off to cooler places. Most homes are unoccupied most of the time. Weekend and holiday use only.
There are a few homes used as weekend rentals but not many. Most are private residences. Middle of the week the beaches are deserted that's why I call it UNconscious.

If you really seek isolation and can tolerate the inconvenience Encanto is for you. If you seek quiet living closer to town with some amenities Las Conchas is for you. Home prices are prolly similar but there is a much wider choice in Las Conchas. You can still find a very nice home for close to $200k USD in Las Conchas.

You can go solar but you have to factor in the cost of purchasing a system plus the maintenance to know if you are saving any money. You might save $100 a month with solar as contrasted to careful management, but how many months will it take to just break even? Figure a 5 or 6 K system?? Charges are based on use with the lowest level quite modest and the upper level quite high. If you use a lot of juice the rates go way up. Most use is for AC in the hot summer and you really need it because of the humidity . The street water is warm enough so I do not use a boiler half the year to heat water. There are days in the winter you will want heat but a properly sited home will collect significant solar gain. If you are careful in your usage it's ok.

Of course ya gotta visit.
 
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Chapajijic

New Member
Encanto is a longer drive to get to any stores or restaurants. Homes are few there. Beautiful beaches for miles and few people. Possible no full timers live there. Don't know about electricity there but the lines are coming into those areas on the East beaches. Road in is unpaved and may get flooded when it rains heavy. Long haul for emergency services. Pay more for water delivery and propane. If you want and will tolerate splendid isolation you might like it.

Las Conchas runs about 5 miles along the coast just on the edge of developed Penasco so all the amenities of town are very close by. Check both areas out on Google maps. Some 600 homes total well spread apart, lots of open space. There is an active HOA. There are no stores or restaurants in the community but stores and restaurants are a few minutes away. There is trash pickup, electricity and a community wide water system which in general serves well. 24 hour guard gate staffed and patrols throughout the community. Roads are very well maintained although unpaved but bladed and watered regularly. . Beautiful beaches. Busier than Encanto but still a quiet community except on big weekends. Even then it is not crazy busy. There is a small core of 12 month full timers, maybe 50 or less. Many are full time October to July then off to cooler places. Most homes are unoccupied most of the time. Weekend and holiday use only.
There are a few homes used as weekend rentals but not many. Most are private residences. Middle of the week the beaches are deserted that's why I call it UNconscious.

If you really seek isolation and can tolerate the inconvenience Encanto is for you. If you seek quiet living closer to town with some amenities Las Conchas is for you. Home prices are prolly similar but there is a much wider choice in Las Conchas. You can still find a very nice home for close to $200k USD in Las Conchas.

You can go solar but you have to factor in the cost of purchasing a system plus the maintenance to know if you are saving any money. You might save $100 a month with solar as contrasted to careful management, but how many months will it take to just break even? Figure a 5 or 6 K system?? Charges are based on use with the lowest level quite modest and the upper level quite high. If you use a lot of juice the rates go way up. Most use is for AC in the hot summer and you really need it because of the humidity . The street water is warm enough so I do not use a boiler half the year to heat water. There are days in the winter you will want heat but a properly sited home will collect significant solar gain. If you are careful in your usage it's ok.

Of course ya gotta visit.
Thanks for the comprehensive information.
trying to decide if it is suitable to live there year round, we already live full time in Mexico but want to get down to the beach.
 

Chapajijic

New Member
Encanto is a longer drive to get to any stores or restaurants. Homes are few there. Beautiful beaches for miles and few people. Possible no full timers live there. Don't know about electricity there but the lines are coming into those areas on the East beaches. Road in is unpaved and may get flooded when it rains heavy. Long haul for emergency services. Pay more for water delivery and propane. If you want and will tolerate splendid isolation you might like it.

Las Conchas runs about 5 miles along the coast just on the edge of developed Penasco so all the amenities of town are very close by. Check both areas out on Google maps. Some 600 homes total well spread apart, lots of open space. There is an active HOA. There are no stores or restaurants in the community but stores and restaurants are a few minutes away. There is trash pickup, electricity and a community wide water system which in general serves well. 24 hour guard gate staffed and patrols throughout the community. Roads are very well maintained although unpaved but bladed and watered regularly. . Beautiful beaches. Busier than Encanto but still a quiet community except on big weekends. Even then it is not crazy busy. There is a small core of 12 month full timers, maybe 50 or less. Many are full time October to July then off to cooler places. Most homes are unoccupied most of the time. Weekend and holiday use only.
There are a few homes used as weekend rentals but not many. Most are private residences. Middle of the week the beaches are deserted that's why I call it UNconscious.

If you really seek isolation and can tolerate the inconvenience Encanto is for you. If you seek quiet living closer to town with some amenities Las Conchas is for you. Home prices are prolly similar but there is a much wider choice in Las Conchas. You can still find a very nice home for close to $200k USD in Las Conchas.

You can go solar but you have to factor in the cost of purchasing a system plus the maintenance to know if you are saving any money. You might save $100 a month with solar as contrasted to careful management, but how many months will it take to just break even? Figure a 5 or 6 K system?? Charges are based on use with the lowest level quite modest and the upper level quite high. If you use a lot of juice the rates go way up. Most use is for AC in the hot summer and you really need it because of the humidity . The street water is warm enough so I do not use a boiler half the year to heat water. There are days in the winter you will want heat but a properly sited home will collect significant solar gain. If you are careful in your usage it's ok.

Of course ya gotta visit.

Overall is Puerto Penasco in your opinion a good place to retire to? Our main recreation sport is golf.


We were there a few months back and felt Las Conchas looked to be a nice community.

Thanks
 

JimMcG

Well Known Member
Roberto, needing to have a first time electrical connection is costing $14,000 US, in an adjacent subdivision which might just change the equation, if applicable to Playa Encanto.
 

Roberto

Well Known Member
Roberto, needing to have a first time electrical connection is costing $14,000 US, in an adjacent subdivision which might just change the equation, if applicable to Playa Encanto.
Good point. Have to factor that in.
 

Roberto

Well Known Member
Overall is Puerto Penasco in your opinion a good place to retire to? Our main recreation sport is golf.


We were there a few months back and felt Las Conchas looked to be a nice community.

Thanks
In that case you can add the proximity of Encanto to the Mayan Palace golf course to the positive side. I have several friends who retired here because of the golf course at the Mayan Palace. They golf almost every day during the season. These folks have golfed all overt he world and agree that the Mayan course is one of the most beautiful, interesting and challenging they have played. I do not golf, take great pride in that I have never even hit a ball!! But I have visited the course and two of the past managers were close friends.

There are two alternative courses that my friends play occasionally just for variety but play the Mayan most.

I have lived here in Unconscious 12 months full time for a couple of years and 18 or so in Penasco. It is more of a resort, border town that you may be accustomed to but that has benefits.
 

wendell

Active Member
Roberto--It must have been a while since you were at Playa Encanto. I have a home there and live there about 7 months of the year. There are approximately 200 residences in Encanto, and the vast majority of them are single family homes. We have had electricity since 2011--and it is all underground so there is not the unsightly maze of power lines running everywhere. There is a full security staff and the guard house and the development is manned 24/7. Many of the lots also have already power and almost all homes do. Trash is picked up 2-3 times per week depending on season. The roads are not paved in Encanto nor is the road from the highway paved. All are maintained very well--watered regularly and grated periodically. If we get a good rain, and that actually does happen a few times each year, the road from the pavement can be impassable in most vehicles. But there is an alternate road beside the main road that can almost always be used--it is just slow going. Normal time to drive to town is 15-20 minutes. There are no stores in Encanto and all water must be trucked in. O do not know if this is more than Las Conchas or not. One final thing--before you make your mind up go to both beaches at low tide during a full or new moon tide. Lava rock is exposed on the Las Conchas beach during these times, whereas you do not have that problem on Encanto--our beach stays sand. The most important advice is spend time at any place you are considering. I think that will help more than anything in making a decision
 

Landshark

Well Known Member
Wendell.....shhhh!:confused: Guys, Wendell was only kidding! Of the 200 residences in Encanto, most are basically falling down. The electricity is there and works....sometimes. Security we have....except they sleep a LOT. Trash is everywhere 2-3 times per week...flies, rats rattlesnakes:eek:. The road is not paved and when it rains....well, you know! Takes forever to get to town and damn near impossible to get a water truck. The beach is nice....except for the stingrays and jellyfish....infested a better word. Hey, but we love it, so peaceful and quiet!!!
 
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