ME Business & Lifestyle

On this Podcast Robert Ross is interviewed by BR Magazine, Ecuador's #1 Online and Printed Magazine for Real Estate based out of Guayaquil.   Robert provides an update trends in Montanita, Olon, Manta and Santa Marianita for the Real Estate, Vacation Rental and Hotel industries.  Robert includes details on Social Media Strategies, trends with Credit Cards, Channels such as Booking.com, Airbnb and Expedia/Hotels.com.  Robert covers in detail the state of the Montanita and Olon markets and compares it to Manta before, during and after the Pandemic.    Robert starts the podcast off with a visual tour of the ME Hotel & Villas - Montanita Estates so if you haven't been to visit this is your chance to see the Hotel and Development presented to you on youtube.  

Can a $40,000 OceanView Property in Paradise be expensive?  $30,000, $20,000?  Yes, absolutely.  On this Podcast Robert Ross who has lived and travel in a exotic destinations around the world, compares destinations such as Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua and talks about the characteristics of properties in exotic locations that can make what seemingly is a cheap property very expensive and what seems like a high price actually a great value.  Robert also compares the different investment opportunities up and down Ecuador to Montanita and Olon including the North Coast of Ecuador San Clemente, San Jacinto, Canoa, and Puerto Cayo.  

Have you thought about a vacation in the Galapagos?  Maybe a Surf Trip?  Or after a visit maybe you thought about investing?  I've lived in Ecuador 10 years and visited the Galapagos a number of times.  Today, you can hear my thoughts on the best way to vacation there, how much it costs and how to do it?  Whats a surf trip like to the Galapagos like and how to do it?  And lastly information about investing in the Galapagos and why you should steer clear. 

Have you thought about leaving your job and escaping to a warm sunny beach but not sure which country to choose? Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Nicaragua,  Mexico, whats the difference?

On this episode I got to catch up with an old friend Hagit Gold.  I met Hagit 6 years ago when she stopped in Montanita, Ecuador for an extended stay and she has since settled in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica where she has opened a hostel in the jungle just steps from the beach.   She also just recently had her first child in Costa Rica.  

Hagit and I cover a number of different topics including:  The difference between the east coast of Costa Rica and Ecuador for price, housing, food, social, real estate, health care, school for young children and more.  We also talk in length about the difference between the east coast of Costa Rica (Puerto Viejo) and the west coast of Costa Rica (Tamarindo, Santa Teresa)  

In this Interview I get to catch up with Ariel Pellegrino, owner of a giant bar and club in Montanita, Ecuador, Poco Loco.  Ariel left Israel in his mid 20s in search of paradise in Latin America.  After exploring Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica he ventured into Ecuador and Montañita and found what he felt like was his new home and built from scratch an enormous business.  In this episode Ariel tells us  how he picked Montanita over Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico, how he started from scratch,  how he built his successful business in paradise, how much he invested, what it costs to start a bar and a few keys to success.  This is the full interview of our most popular episode, "$30,000 to build a beach bar in Paradise".  Please excuse the questionable audio it was one of my first interviews.  

On this Podcast Robert Ross catches up with Raul Cabrera, the most travelled Ecuadorian and Professional Documentarian. Raul through his media company and brand Nomad-A talks about how he turned a passion and dream for travel in the 90s in Guayaquil, Ecuador into a lifelong career as a documentarian pursuing exotic destinations around the world. Raul spent 10 years traveling on shoestring budgets to the most remote destinations in the world (over 92 countries) which ultimately led to meetings with the Pope, Documenting the President of Ecuador and Television Shows back in Ecuador. I was lucky to enough to catch him grounded during the Pandemic to talk about his career, advice for aspiring travelers and documentarians and thoughts on travel destinations.

Its easier than ever to obtain Permanent or Temporary Residency in Ecuador. This week we go through all the different types of residency visas, requirements and costs with Marcos Chiluisa from EcuaAssist, Ecuador's #1 law first for Expat Residency and a specialist in Real Estate law as well.

The first time I heard my friend in New York City had a Shaman in Manhattan and was taking Ayahuasca I was shocked.  Then I read more about ceremonies popping up in Silicon Valley for executives and technology companies and gatherings in South Miami amongst friends.  As I'm learning more about the demand in the USA for plant medicine I've started to receive a number of friends and guests who visit Montanita, Ecuador in order to try Ayahuasca or other plant medicines such as San Pedro.   On this episode I sit down with Roey Klein, owner of the Vikara Retreat Center, a local expert, to learn more about Ayahuasca, Plant Medicine and Transformational Retreats. We talk about:

• What is Vikara Retreat Center and its history?
• What is Plant Medicine? Starts minute 10:33
• The difference between Ayahuasca, San Pedro and Peyote
• What is an Ayahuasca Retreat and a ceremony like?
• What is a Shaman and what are they like here in Ecuador?
• Ayahuasca Tourism dangers and bad experiences

Robert Ross https://www.montanitaestates.com/, [email protected], Instagram: @montanitaestates @robertxross1 @nomadbusinesspodcast Youtube: Nomad Business & Lifestyle Podcast, ME Hotel & Villas - Montanita Estates

Roey Klein, https://www.vikaralifestyle.com/, Instagram @vikaralifestyle

• How Keith made the leap to buy land in EC from NYC where he was living?
• Ecuador 15 years ago and how it differed from Costa Rica, culture, price, lifestyle? 
• What it was like starting a hotel in Ecuador, and a later a surfboard factory?
• What raising children is like in Ecuador? 
• Surfing in Ecuador and assimilating with the locals
• Dreams and aspirations for his new ventures El Nido Hotel & Mineral Surfboards.

How much does it really cost to start that tiki bar you've been dreaming about in an exotic beach location?  6 years ago I first met Ariel Pellegrino when he was a young traveler who just moved to Montañita, Ecuador and was riding through town on his new dirt bike.  In this episode, I got to catch up with Ariel, and we talk through what it really costs to launch a successful Bar/Restaurant and Night Club in an exotic beach destination like Montañita.  Ariel started with virtually nothing, and used a $15,000 investment, a bit of experience and a lot of grit to grow Poco Loco into a club that today hosts 1500 people on any given night.  The goal of this podcast is to give our listeners an example and real numbers of the true costs to start their bar or club in paradise.    This excerpt from the full length interview includes:

•  How much of an initial investment should you plan for a bar or club in paradise? 
•  How much is rent, hourly labor a chef for a bar in paradise?
•  Should you worry about business permits, liquor licenses in your developing world destination?  How do you get them and how much do they cost?
•  Strategies for owning, buying, partnering to start your beach bar or club?
•  A typical day and challenges when starting a bar or club in your exotic beach paradise.

 Robert Ross http://www.montanitaestates.com/, [email protected], Instagram: @montanitaestates @robertxross1 

Ariel Pellegrino, Poco Loco Montañita,  Instagram @pocolocomontanita