On the road beyond the newly paved intersection linking Puerto Peñasco to the pristine beaches east of the city center, an unassuming sign indicates that stretch of highway has been adopted by Encántame Resorts. Just fifteen minutes later, the distinguished entrance to Encántame Resorts leads to majestic towers sprouting from the foot of Playa Encanto, offering spectacular views over the glistening Sea of Cortez. Already home to the tallest buildings in Sonora, Encántame Resorts is just getting started.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Encántame Resorts CEO Miguel Guevara Askar, along with CFO Karime Guevara, and Sales Director Keith Allen to take a deeper dive into all things Encántame. This included reflections on the recent groundbreaking for the Rendezvous building of Encántame Soleil.
Encántame Soleil, or “Encántame 2” as the CEO notes, consists of three 25-story towers that will together house 384 luxury condos. In a nod to the French twist of Soleil, the Rendezvous, Jubilee, and Champagne towers will provide “an improved quality of product” to the already immaculate construction and amenities of Encántame Towers (Encántame 1) next door, where Casago vacation rentals is the on-site go to company.
Verano (meaning summer) of Encántame Towers stands steadfastly next to the Rendezvous footings, having celebrated its own milestone with the opening of a rooftop pool and jacuzzi (adults 21+ only) just in time for a fireworks display the night before the groundbreaking.
“This is the only rooftop pool in this area,” detailed Guevara, “and once Viento (meaning wind) is done, that too will have a rooftop pool deck.” Sales Director Keith Allen nods, adding they anticipate starting delivery of condos in Viento by the end of this year.
Nestled between the completed Verano tower and its counterpart Viento is the equally remarkable captain of the trio, or rather Velero (meaning sailboat), which was the first tower to break height records in the state. Rather than a rooftop pool, Velero is topped with a penthouse “that went for 2.6 million US,” Keith reports, eyes gleaming, “which was a landmark sale for Puerto Peñasco and the first time that’s ever happened.” This harkened me back to an earlier visit to the site almost exactly 2 years ago, when Keith walked me through the unfinished penthouse awaiting the right owner.
Voulez-vous Rendezvous?
“I envision Encántame Soleil, and even more so Encántame 3 in the future, to achieve the level of a Miami style product,” detailed Guevara Askar as we began to go over upgrades found at Encántame Soleil. In addition to towering views over the water, Encántame’s modern design replete with rooftop pools and numerous amenities is well on its way to homing in on that vibe.
It is surely delivering a welcome style along the eastern beaches of Puerto Peñasco, with Encántame Towers nearly sold out (Keith indicates a few premium condos are still available in Viento). Rendezvous is already reporting sales of between 75% – 80%, while within the first two days of sales on Soleil’s central building, Jubilee, the team had already sold 37 condos! A welcome design feature in Jubilee, and purportedly Keith’s brainchild, is a studio option that can stand alone or be combined with a neighboring 2-bedroom condo. Needless to say, these initial offerings have already flown off the shelf!
Some of the notable features at Rendezvous when compared to Velero, Verano, and Viento include practical details such as more size efficient on-demand electric water heaters, even more remarkable ceiling finishes, waterfall edge on central countertop, remastered closet spaces and bathrooms, and use of smart technology for lighting, plus gas cooktops.
“It is an improved product from the Towers,” explains Guevara, “as it should be, and Jubilee will be even better, and so on. It’s continually improved quality for the value. The best floor plan will be in the 3rd tower… and then in Encántame 3… and then…” The team at Encántame Resorts anticipates initial delivery of condos at Rendezvous to begin within 18 months – by the end of 2024 or early 2025. Oh yes, not to mention they plan to break ground on Jubilee within the next two months.
Building a Legacy
On Monday, July 2nd, Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo joined Guevara Askar for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Rendezvous tower at Encántame Soleil, accompanied by Sonora Chief of Staff Celida Lopez, Sonora Secretary of Tourism Roberto Gradillas, and Puerto Peñasco mayor Jorge Pivac Carrillo.
Much as he expressed during the groundbreaking event, Guevara once again stressed the importance of a good relationship with the governor. This extends well beyond the 150-acre site of Encántame Resorts, with over 1,960 feet of beachfront, but also into the community of Puerto Peñasco as the resort will be contributing half of the funds planned to implement a new city landfill and effective waste management.
“It’s in our interest to work to improve the city,” detailed Guevara, “I see this (addressing the landfill) as a priority. It’s in our interest because to be able to promote and sell, the destination also needs to be up to par, and it’s a health concern for residents and visitors alike.”
“We bought this property over 20 years ago, when there was nothing there,” Guevara had stated at the groundbreaking ceremony. He explained how they first invested in infrastructure, developing installations to bring water to the site from over 17 miles away; same with electricity. “Encantame 1 – the towers – was our biggest challenge,” he affirms, “now, we need to make sure each product continues to improve and work on the legacy.”
As for the highway returning to Puerto Peñasco, Guevara Askar clarifies, “really, we are more like a padrino of the highway, a caretaker, godfather.” Beyond adopting the stretch to assist with clean-up efforts, recently Encántame Resorts officially requested responsibility for maintaining and improving the 10-mile jaunt from town to the resort. While a manicured highway will be a definite bonus for residents and visitors making their way to Encántame Resorts, it will provide a welcome entrance into town for all when driving to and from points south. A legacy.
Encantame Soleil is the 7th project of the team that has become MG Developments, full time in Puerto Peñasco since 1995, seeing through to successful completion six prior resorts including Encántame Towers, Puerta Privada, Sonoran Spa, Sonoran Sea, Princesa de Peñasco, and Condominios El Pinacate.
For more information on Encántame Resorts and Encántame Soleil, visit their Model located at the roundabout on Sandy Beach, open daily 9 am – 5 pm or online at: encantamesoleil.com