Playa Viva

THE PROJECT

Playa Viva (PV) is a sustainable boutique hotel and eco-resort located 30-minutes from Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa International Airport (ZIH) in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. PV is located on 1.3km of private beach in 86 ha that includes a turtle sanctuary, archaeological site, 3 acre permaculture organic garden and farm, estuary and ocean front boutique hotel. 

THE DEAL

In May 2011, Verde Ventures invested US$200,000 in Playa Viva LLC, a new ecotourism boutique resort on the Pacific coast of Mexico, that is directly involved with providing financial and in-kind support to an important turtle sanctuary with high egg counts of 5-10 nests of leatherback turtles (Red List CR), green turtle nests (RL EN), and >2,000 nests of Olive Ridley turtles (RL VU) per year. Funds will be used for additional facilities (3 additional accommodation units, energy services, fixtures).

THE BENEFIT

Playa Viva’s goal is to serve as a model for effective eco-tourism development for the coast of Guerrero and in Mexico overall; possibly even in other tropical emerging market countries. It provides an opportunity to support a development while simultaneously providing employment, protecting 4 turtle nesting sites in the Mesoamerica Hotspot, and restoring a significant portion of the land (in this case, over 85%), consisting of mangrove and other habitat.