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Vilcabamba Glimpse #12

Why Ecuador? Why Vilcabamba? Why Hacienda San Joaquin?

Ecuador is just beginning to come onto the radar screen of people looking for exceptional places to live outside the U.S. (and outside other first world countries). How did I discover Ecuador and Vilcabamba? How did I end up developing properties on an extraordinary riverfront hacienda?

The best answers are probably serendipity and synchronicity. They have been a common thread in my life.

In the early part of 2005, for numerous reasons, I began my search for a place to live beyond U.S. borders.

I checked out the countries in Central America. The humidity and hurricanes felt too similar to Florida's where I lived for many years. Also, the many Americans already moving to these countries had inflated real estate prices.

I researched South America. Ecuador, easily reachable in the northern part of South America, got my attention when I read about it's Andes Mountains region (there are also the coast, jungle, and Galapagos Islands regions). I was struck by the fact that I could live in the mountains where the climate is attractively mild year around. Just what I was looking for.

A good friend from California, Jeff Hutner, then mentioned Vilcabamba. I had never before heard of it. I read a lot about Vilcabamba. I was very drawn to it for many of the reasons I've written about in these Vilcabamba Glimpses (the beauty, the climate, the healthy environment, the people, the prices, et al).

I intended to only live in Vilcabamba, not develop home sites.

Now I own the largest hacienda, 663 acres, in Vilcabamba and with my business partner, Carl Wescott (San Francisco), am developing 50 extraordinary riverfront and hillside home sites on a remarkable property. How did that happen?

When I first came to Vilcabamba, late June 2005, Hacienda San Joaquin was mentioned to me. I looked at the property. It was evident that it was extraordinary albeit very overgrown and unkempt. I made an offer I thought would not be accepted. It was accepted.

By any measure, the total price of the land was significant. I knew I would have to develop and sell home sites and find a business partner to make a go of it.

I returned to the U.S. in mid-July 2005. After wrapping up things there, I returned to Vilcabamba in late August 2005 (a few months later, I got my Ecuadorian permanent residency). The development of the hacienda was put on hold as some people from California had approached me with interest in purchasing the entire property. They wanted to put a state-of-the-art healing, education, and medical research center on the hacienda. When it became evident they could not raise the funds, I moved ahead with my plans to establish a limited number of home sites on the property.

hired my Ecuadorian "Executive Assistant", bilingual Victoria Espinoza (lived in Kentucky for seven years), and my Field Supervisor, Roberto Dominguez, both exceptional people. We hired many Ecuadorians and began work in early December 2005. We have not missed a beat since then. At times, we have had between 90 and 100 people working at the hacienda. Currently, we have about 75 workers. It varies as projects begin and end.

People are astonished at what we have accomplished in the last eight months. The property has been transformed into a dream of a place to live. The natural setting remains. The home sites utilize only about 20% of the land. The rest, about 500 acres of wild flora and fauna preserve, is there for walking, hiking, horseback riding, bird watching and the like.

Lee Harrison, who writes for International Living and travels extensively, has remarked that Hacienda San Joaquin is the nicest development in Central and South America. He is particularly struck by our up-front investment in infrastructure (first class roads, water and electric systems) and recreational facilities (Equestrian and Hiking Center, River Park). Many other Central and South American developments rely on the homeowners to finance the development which then emerges only incrementally and sometimes not at all.

Hacienda San Joaquin offers not only home sites but design, construction, legal services (for property purchase and residency), and a menu of property management services.

We have heard from International Living who have taken an interest in Hacienda San Joaquin. Look for an article in International Living about the hacienda in the near future.

The photos:

Best, Joe

Joe Simonetta
Owner/Architect
Hacienda San Joaquin
Vilcabamba, Ecuador


P.S. International Living named Ecuador "The Best Place in the World to Retire" http://www.haciendasanjoaquin.com/best_in_the_world.html