How we got here..

“Well, it’s a long story, are you going to stay for a while?” I usually reply. “Sure, I’ll just have another Corona, watch the waves and work on my tan…”

My husband, Jim, and I moved to Hong Kong, “Hong Kong??”, “Yes, it all really begins there.”, 9 years ago; we were looking for excitement and a good place to work. In Hong Kong we found both. It was a wonderful experience as we traveled around Asia and managed to save money at the same time due to Hong Kong’s booming economy. We loved it! But, the biggest drawback to living in Asia was that the rest of our family was 12,000 miles away.

In 1993 NAFTA was signed and we began to focus our attention on Mexico. After all, in comparison to Hong Kong, it was right in our parents’ back yard. Plus after a stint with the Peace Corps for Jim, in the Dominican Republic, Spanish would be easy to master, especially compared to Cantonese!

Latin culture has always attracted Jim and me. We still told stories of the “D.R.” days and missed the “gregariousness” of the tropical temperament. Mexico was also affordable, and due to NAFTA the property ownership laws were becoming more flexible. The idea was taking shape. I had always wanted to work from home, not to mention live on the beach, and Jim was experienced with cross-cultural enterprises. But, what business could we start in Mexico?

One of the things that we loved about living in Hong Kong was the number of friends and family that came to visit us. Each time we entertained someone new, it was as if we saw our surroundings with a new perspective. When our guests departed, with smiles on their faces, we were left with a wonderful feeling of goodwill. But can you make money from making your friends feel special? You can if your house is big enough, and you live in a place where everyone wants to visit for vacation.
Mexico!!

In August 1996 Jim and I both quit our jobs, bought a truck, packed a box full of guide books, and drove across the Mexico-Arizona border at Nogales. We were on our way! We had decided to tackle the Pacific coast first. After separate trips to the Yucatan we felt that we already knew the east coast.

We felt that we wanted to live in a small town and be a part of a close-knit community we missed out on in Hong Kong. We also felt that wherever we landed, we wanted to be within one hour of an international airport – to make it as easy as possible for people to visit us. We also were looking for a location where the land had been registered with the government. That way, any property we bought was indisputably ours.

As we drove along the coast we visited many towns and cities that were of little interest to our expedition. Often we would find beautiful deserted beaches or small fishing villages that inspired us. Nonetheless there was always a piece of the equation missing. We drove on, past Mazatlan, past Manzanillo, past Puerto Vallarta. Finally we arrived at Zihuatanejo.

On our first night in “Zihua” we met a wonderful couple who had been in town for a few weeks. According to our new friends ‘the place’ to go was a beach town north of Zihuatanejo It was said to be the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of town. The next morning we packed our things and headed for Troncones.

On the way out to Troncones we searched our box of reference materials The Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico, The Pacific Coast Handbook (both of which can be purchased online through Amazon.com, and the most recent issue of Outside Magazine with a cover story on hidden beaches in Mexico. Troncones was listed in all three as a very special place. Each guide also recommended a restaurant called the Burro Burracho, a Bed and Breakfast called La Casa de la Tortuga and the man in charge, Dewie Mcmillan. We were getting excited!

We pulled into the Burro Burracho hungry and amazed. How did this place end up here? It was a regular restaurant, sitting right on the beach practically in the middle of nowhere. They had hamburgers! We walked in. The first person we saw was lying in a hammock smiling at us as we walked up. “Hi” he said without getting up, “I’m Dewie Mcmillan. How would you like to own a piece of paradise?” Four days later we were the proud owners of three quarters of an acre of beach-front property on the most beautiful cove on the Pacific coast of Mexico.

During our time here we have gradually learned the how Troncones really got started. 30 years ago the land comprising Troncones was owned by one (or two) people. This person split some pieces off and sold them to a few other people back in the 60’s. A few houses were built and a few people moved into the area. In 1971 FONATUR (the Mexican tourist association) selected the land that was to someday become Ixtapa, and started building. They also selected Troncones as a point of development. The few people who lived in Troncones were asked to leave and some government sponsored tourist projects were started.

The government built a camping area with six bungalows (later to become the Burro Burracho) and a ‘model home’ (later to become La Casa de la Tortuga). As Ixtapa started growing and becoming a more popular destination, the interest in Troncones waned. Soon the government projects were reclaimed by the jungle as were the houses of the original owners.

There were some people who hadn’t forgotten Troncones. They were the local Mexicans who had come to work for the government sponsored projects. This small group of villagers loved their little town and they wanted to call it their own. Together with some people in Zihuatanejo, the villagers filed a suit with the Mexican Government asking for the land to be awarded officially to them. The request remained with the courts for 12 years.

In 1993 then President Salinas landed on the Troncones beach in a helicopter and officially presented the entire three mile area to the local residents.

We started building on our land in April 1997. We hired a local contractor and had a Venezuelan architect draw up the plans for our hacienda on the beach. We finished the building in December 1997 and opened up for business on the same day.

Every year we are doing a bit more to our piece of paradise, since we have finished building we have added a beautiful courtyard full of bougainvilleas that already reach way above the second floor, and a back yard patio area with a traditional baking oven and special tortilla oven. It is really neat to watch our dinner being made the old fashioned way.

We will never really be finished with our Hacienda but at least we will have fun trying. Hope to see you here! We are working very hard to make our dream come true and hope that you will join us. We are working very hard to make our dream come true and hope that someday you will join us.

Regards,

Eva Robbins and Jim Garrity