Is building a hotel overseas during a global pandemic as hard as it sounds?

Jason Nockels decided to seize the opportunity to buy some land and build a property. Photo / Frames Architecture

Falling in love with the culture of Mexico and the freedom it offered during the global pandemic, Jason Nockels decided to seize the opportunity to buy some land and build a property. It seemed all too easy — even securing residency — however, as he would find out, bringing his vision to life was far from a walk in the park.

It was September 2021, at the height of Covid. I was in a bar where I met a real estate agent that a friend of mine had bought property from a few times. I had a bit of money burning a hole in my pocket, so it wasn’t going to take more than a couple of margaritas for my reckless financial impulses to kick in and buy some land. But first, you might be wondering how I ended up in Mexico in the first place.

During Covid, like many people, I lost my job, and my long-term relationship hit a wall. After spending the majority of my career working in the tourism industry, which suffered greatly as a result of the global pandemic, I eventually found a job at an advertising agency. But this new position didn’t feel right, so after that contract ended, I decided to give my life a reset.

I had a friend living in Mexico, and he tried to convince me it was a good option to move there for a while. My first instinct was, “Isn’t it dangerous there?” but with a bit of research, I was able to quickly assure myself that Mérida was the ideal city to relocate to, with half the crime index of Auckland and a higher safety rating according to numbeo.com. The borders were open, the cost of living was low, and it would award me the opportunity to start fresh, or at least just escape for a bit.

Mérida was the ideal city to relocate to. Photo / Jason Nockels

I rocked up to the Mexican Embassy in Wellington and managed to get myself residency more or less on the spot. The criteria for getting residency were pretty relaxed; a person just needed to prove a certain level of income or have a certain amount of money in their bank account, and I can only guess that demand was low during the global pandemic, and that’s why there was very little wait time.

Given the New Zealand borders were closed, I knew once I left I wouldn’t have a chance in hell of getting back into the country with the MIQ lottery system. I figured having Mexican residency would offer me flexibility if they started putting restrictions on their border while I was over there; it turns out that was never necessary, but being a Mexican resident has made some life admin a little easier there.

Two weeks before my flight departed New Zealand, Auckland was plunged into that big lockdown on August 31, 2021. Arriving at Auckland airport was met with an eerie feeling; it was silent and empty. With the media reporting on the worst of Covid, I wasn’t sure what would meet me abroad, but once I landed at LAX, it’s like I stepped into another world. I had a few hours before my next flight, so I went into Santa Monica to witness bustling streets and busy restaurants. It really took me by surprise. As I continued on to Mexico, I found myself feeling a sense of cautious freedom, as everywhere had their own ways of tackling the pandemic, but all of them were much more relaxed than New Zealand. I think this feeling of freedom set me in a mood that was ripe for impulsive land buying.

Mérida is the capital city of Yucatán state. Photo / Jason Nockels

I began to settle into my new life in Mexico. Mérida is the capital city of Yucatán state and home to roughly 1.2 million people, with a blend of Spanish colonial history, rich Mayan culture, close proximity to beaches, and all the modern amenities I needed. Have you ever travelled somewhere and found yourself thinking, “I could totally see myself living here?” … Only I was living there, and as I began making friends and enjoying the sunny, 33-degree days, avoiding Covid restrictions, it began to feel like home.

I picked up some contract work and would keep myself busy during the day in the comfort of air conditioning either at a cafe or at home doing some work, or taking Spanish lessons so that I could navigate my new life in Mérida more easily.

Mexico is well known for producing coffee — according to Statista about over 4 million 60kg bags per year — so naturally I found myself surrounded by great coffee. One of my favourite cafes to work from was Manifesto Cold Brew, where I even started making friends with the baristas (hi Elias!).

Nockels would stumble across restaurants, cafes and bars on his walks. Photo / Jason Nockels

Early mornings and late evenings the temperature would cool down a bit and I found the best way to discover the city was to walk. I try to walk a good 10km a day anyway, so this was the perfect way to get to know the city. As I discovered the vibrant colours through the streets of Mérida, I’d stumble across restaurants, cafes, and bars everywhere I went. I started to make a list as I tried new places, and managed to eat at 71 different restaurants. I can’t think of any better way to get to know a culture than through its food and the people who make it.

Sometimes I’d crave international food — given my partner of 10 years back in New Zealand was Japanese, I’d often get homesick for Japanese food — but one thing I can tell you about Mérida is there is zero good Japanese food. Actually, most of the international food scene in Mérida is lacklustre, with the exception of my favourite pizza place, Nirvana Pizza, which is a 1990s grunge-themed pizza restaurant with the most outrageous junk food pizza you’ve ever seen.

So, if you’re planning to visit Mérida (and you should) I recommend you stick to the local favourites they’re known for — like the Panucho, which is a refried tortilla that is stuffed with refried black beans and topped with chopped cabbage, pulled chicken or turkey, tomato, pickled red onion, avocado, and pickled jalapeño pepper. Another favourite dish is Cochinita Pibil, a traditional Yucatec Mayan slow-roasted pork dish that I probably ate way too often.

Vibrant colours fill the streets of Mérida. Photo / Jason Nockels

So back to the bar.

A few margs later, I started talking to this real estate agent about the idea of living in Mérida more permanently, explaining that I’d like to have a blank canvas and build something unique for myself. He asked about my budget and preferences, and of course, like any good real estate agent, he just happened to have something that perfectly matched. He suggested we check it out, so that is exactly what we did — we hopped in his car and headed out. Close to the centre of town, we pull up to this empty lot behind a big green metal gate. It was a good-sized section, about 160 square metres, flat and ready to build on, walking distance from town (when it’s not too hot), and close to the markets. I simply said, “F**k it, I’ll take it.”

The empty lot was a good-sized section, about 160 square metres, flat and ready to build on. Photo / Jason Nockels

After a little negotiation, we landed on a deal pretty quickly, but then I had to figure out how it all works in Mexico. It turns out that legally foreigners aren’t allowed to buy land within 50km of the coast or 100km from a border, so the property is held in a trust, known as a fideicomiso, with a bank. I didn’t know what I was doing, but luckily, having expat friends who’ve bought real estate there is a massive advantage. They helped me navigate finding a good solicitor, and within a couple of months it was all done; the whole process was as simple as that.

The vision

At first, I started playing with some architecture apps on my iPad, designing a vision that very quickly became too ambitious. I thought the ideal scenario would be to build a concept that would provide a place to live and passive income to support the life I envisioned for myself there. I also wanted to maximise every square metre of the property, so I began designing a concept for people like me, expats and digital nomads who want long-term accommodation solutions in a style that’s true to Yucatán but with modern comforts. Here is what I came up with:

Nockel's vision for the first floor of his hotel.

Nockel's vision for the second floor of his hotel.

Of course, I had no idea what I was doing. But the idea was to build three apartments, a pool, and a cafe/wine bar concept because, why not? But obviously, I needed expert help to bring this idea to life.

Developing the concept

As I befriended locals and expats, I was able to get recommendations for architects and contractors. The first architect wasn’t the best, but he did flesh out the concept a bit further; his 3D renders came up a bit like he made it in Minecraft.

The first architect fleshed out the concept a bit further.

I had made friends with the owner of a cute vegan cafe, Muchas Vidas, where I was having lunch. I was complaining about the frustrations with my architect when she shared this amazing Instagram profile, @theinteriorstylist___, in which the work looked incredible. She said it was the work of one of her good friends, Andrea Cardenas, who’s an interior designer and architect, and she put us in touch.

After meeting with Andrea, I had a lot more confidence in the project. She was so professional and really helped develop the concept with incredible detail. Her 3D renders gave life to the project and made it easier to start talking with contractors to get an idea of the cost to build.

Andrea Cardenas' renders bought the vision to life.

Getting the thing built

Sorting out the construction was surprisingly easy. Thanks to the same friends who had bought and built property in Mexico already, they were able to introduce me to a reliable contractor — well, at least reliable at first. Things got off to a good start; everything was being done as expected and on time with regular communication.

Construction in Mérida is very different, at least from my observations, though I am certainly no expert. The standard way to build is using concrete blocks, a bit like Lego, so the walls went up quickly. The safety standards were very different too, and often had me worried; I once turned up to the building site to see a guy in jandals using a jackhammer to break rock for the pool. The contractor would always brush off or laugh at my observations as if I were the crazy one. On the bright side, building materials were far less expensive, and I was able to save money by using local materials such as chukum, which is a traditional plaster-like material of Mayan origin, not only was it good for keeping costs down it gave the project a nice rustic look.

At this point, I knew I’d need more money to properly finance the project, so I made the decision to head back to New Zealand and get a stable job, which is how I ended up here at NZME. The contractor would send weekly updates with videos and pictures; things progressed well, and I would just make a trip every four to five months to check on progress.

But things started going downhill. The contractor had picked up a huge hotel project in Belize, which led to him being overcommitted on top of not having regular internet access there. He handed my project, along with a couple of other projects he had in Mérida, to a business partner, who turned out to be, well, not the best. Contrary to what I was saying about the safety here, I was even made aware of a fight between two of the builders, where one man ran into a neighbour’s house waving around a machete. So, naturally, the contractor fired those workers, which set things back.

Contact abruptly stopped with the contractor without warning. Photo / Frames Architecture

Without warning, contact abruptly stopped unless I followed up; the work was getting further and further behind schedule. My family and I had planned a trip back in November 2022, when the contractors had insisted that the project would be finished, but it was becoming more and more clear that this would not be the case. Although it was disappointing that we couldn’t stay at my place, it didn’t stop us from having a nice holiday. I enjoyed showing my family around Mexico and giving them a taste of the life I had there.

As a result of these delays, I had to take more trips from Auckland to Mérida to check in on the project. I know what you are thinking — there are worse things than frequent trips to Mexico, and it is hard to argue with that — but it was getting old, and the additional cost of travel really added up.

However, despite the setbacks and a few small problems, the project was moving forward, and by December 2023, it was completed.

This is how it looks now:

It looks amazing, and I’m in a bit of disbelief that we managed to pull this off.

This project proved to be a wise choice because Mérida has developed significantly over the past couple of years. For example, the construction of La Plancha, a sizable park in the middle of the city with a new electric tram connecting it to the Tren Maya, the new fast train that connects cities throughout Mexico, has just completed the first stage and started operating. Impressive economic development is occurring here, in addition to the restoration of the historic zone, and the north of the city is experiencing rapid growth with a lot of foreign investment.

This project proved to be a wise choice because Mérida has developed significantly over the past couple of years. Photo / Frames Architecture

I’ve come a long way. It’s not a bad result for a boy from Feilding who struggled through his time at Feilding High in the late 90s, a school that specialised in agriculture and horticulture. I always had an entrepreneurial side and loved being creative and building things. Even back then, I was at home building websites at 13 years old while many of my classmates were learning how to birth a calf. The curiosity of creating something always got the better of me.

I had never developed any real estate before the Mérida project, much less a small apartment block. I did not speak Spanish and had no idea how things would work in Mexico. It was ridiculous that I was trying to manage this project from New Zealand. But I refused to be underestimated.

For those considering a 2024 resolution or a project they have always wanted to take on, I hope this story will provide some inspiration. There is always a way, no matter how big the obstacles.