Mangrove preserve · 1-bedroom condo · US$277,000

Unit 36 is the brightest home in the building. As a corner unit it pulls light from three sides, and its eastern windows open over the protected mangrove reserve to the Sierra Madre mountains rising behind it. The estero cannot be developed, so the green stays green and the quiet stays quiet, and the corner position means you are never staring into a neighbor's window. Inside, open living, dining and kitchen areas flow to a private balcony, with the kitchen framing that eastern mangrove-and-mountain view and light coming in from morning to evening across the three exposures. A separate enclosed bedroom and a full two bathrooms, rare in a one-bedroom at this price, make it as comfortable for a couple as it is easy to rent when you are away. Finishes are current and clean, with nothing waiting to be renovated. A designated parking space is included. Residents enjoy controlled access, elevator service, a main-floor pool, gym, and a rooftop jacuzzi, sundeck and lounge with WiFi and co-working. Five minutes on foot to the Marina Vallarta main entrance, with restaurants, boardwalk and golf course from there, and the airport, cruise terminal, hospitals and Costco all within a short drive. The brightest unit in the building, with a mangrove-and-mountain view from the kitchen.