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Ocean View Condos
in Zona Esmeralda
North of Avenida CTM, Fifth Avenue turns into a road and the beachfront stops being continuous. This is where Punta Esmeralda is, the public beach with a cenote, a protected mangrove nobody can build in front of, and a row of new buildings that are almost all presales. There is no beachfront here: what is sold is ocean view and partial ocean view. These are the buildings, what they cost per square foot, and which beach access actually belongs to the condo.
Avenida CTM · Calle 72 · Calle 88 · Punta Esmeralda · Selvamar · Corasol gate
What Zona Esmeralda is
in Playa del Carmen
It is the last stretch of town before Corasol. You live five minutes from Fifth Avenue without Fifth Avenue under your window, and the water is the same.
Punta Esmeralda
A public beach with a cenote that runs out onto the sand, so fresh water and salt water meet at the same shore. It is the beach people who live in Playa del Carmen go to, not the cruise crowd. Almost every building on this stretch sells on being close to it, and it is worth knowing from day one that it is municipal: you use it, you do not buy it.
A mangrove nobody can block
Part of the stretch faces the Paradisus mangrove, a protected natural area. Nothing can be built there, which makes it the only view guarantee on this coast. In the rest of Playa del Carmen, a sea view lasts as long as it takes to sell the lot across the street.
You walk to the beach
No building on this stretch sits on the sand. They all reach the sea through the public accesses at Calle 72, Calle 88 and Punta Esmeralda. That is not bad, it is a different product, and it changes the price. What matters is what the condo has in writing and what depends on the city.
A short and very uneven stretch. The first mile holds the new buildings, almost all presales, with small units designed for rental and a penthouse on top. Then comes Punta Esmeralda, and after it Selvamar and the Corasol gate, where the product turns into gated communities and has its own guide.
So the question here is not the price per square foot but how far your door is from the water and how you get down to it. A studio with a partial ocean view and a penthouse with a full ocean view are not the same product, even when the listing says the same thing.
Nobody moves to this coast for a spreadsheet. They move to walk out barefoot and be in the water before coffee.
In Zona Esmeralda you get that five minutes from downtown, and the difference is in the block, not the tower.
Where the Zona Esmeralda
buildings are
One basis only: kilometres north of Avenida CTM along the road. Not distance to the beach, not drive time.
- Km 0Avenida CTM
- 0.4 kmQuinta Arena
- 0.6 kmMya 64
- 0.9 kmElysium
- 1.2 kmPolo 88
- 1.5 kmMAIA
- 1.9 kmPunta Esmeralda
- 3 kmSelvamar
- 4.2 kmCorasol begins
There is no beachfront here: it is ocean view and partial ocean view. Every building reaches the sand through public accesses or Punta Esmeralda. On every project we check what right of way the condo has in writing.
Buildings by Fifth Avenue
Where Fifth Avenue ends. Five to eight storey buildings with rooftop pools, units of 430 to 1,080 sq ft and a penthouse per tower. Almost all presale or recently delivered. You walk downtown, you walk to the beach, and you hear the avenue.
Punta Esmeralda
The public beach with the cenote and the protected mangrove. It is what the whole stretch sells on, and what sits 650 feet from it prices differently from what sits a third of a mile away. Here a front sea view exists and nobody can block it.
Selvamar to Corasol
The coast becomes hotels and gated communities. Inland, across the federal highway, are Selvamar, Playa Magna, El Encuentro and El Cielo, with no sea. From km 4.2 Corasol begins, which has its own guide.
The comparison to make when the budget does not reach a full ocean view: for the price of a studio near Punta Esmeralda you can buy a house with a garden in a gated community ten minutes from the water. Neither is better, but they should be looked at side by side.
Which ocean view buildings
are in Zona Esmeralda
South to north. When we do not have a verified number we write ask us, not an invented range.
How to read the figures. US dollars per square foot of total published area, with the square metre below, and pesos at 18.4 to the dollar. These are September 2026 asking prices, not closings. HOA fees are left off on purpose: they change by unit and by year, so we request them in writing from the condominium.
- 01
Quinta ArenaPresale
Km 0.4 · ocean view · presaleThe newest project on the stretch. Small units for rental and a 2,172 sq ft corner penthouse with front and side views. Prices are published in pesos, which matters if your money is in dollars: the exchange rate at signing changes the final number.
USD/ft²$437 – 5764,700 – 6,200 USD/m²Price$6.3 – 17.3 M MXNasking price, not closingUnit typesStudios, bedrooms and PHPH of 2,172 sq ft - 02
Mya 64 and Mya DiamondPresale
Km 0.6 · presaleUnits of 485 sq ft for rental and a single three-bedroom penthouse of 2,118 sq ft with a pool bar. It is priced high for the area: at that price per square foot, compare it against established downtown resale before signing.
USD/ft²Ask usquoted by unitPriceAsk usasking price, not closingUnit types485 sq ft and 3 BR PHPH of 2,118 sq ft - 03
ElysiumPresale
Km 0.9 · 650 ft from Punta Esmeralda · delivery scheduled August 2026Thirty condos, with no front sea view left: the sea-view units sold in presale. Unit 602 remains, with a side view, at 750,000 dollars, plus the option of combining units. It is the typical case here: when a project is good, the ocean view units go before they ever reach the open market. We confirm delivery on site.
USD/ft²Ask usquoted by unitPrice$750,000asking price, not closingUnit typesSide viewunits can be combined - 04
Polo 88
Km 1.2 · no private beach · resaleDelivered resale, with two bedrooms asking 250,000 dollars. No private beach: you walk to the public accesses at Calle 72 and Calle 88. One of the most sensible options on the stretch if a private beach is not the point and you want something finished.
USD/ft²Ask usquoted by unitPrice$250,000asking price, not closingUnit types2 bedroomsdelivered - 05
MAIAPresale
Km 1.5 · five minutes on foot to Punta Esmeralda · delivery scheduled August 2026Fifty-four units, from studios to two bedrooms and penthouses, 387 to 1,013 sq ft, with a rooftop infinity pool. Twenty-three are still available, including a sea-view penthouse. It has the most open inventory on the stretch, which gives room to negotiate and also means asking why so much is left.
USD/ft²Ask usquoted by unitPriceAsk usasking price, not closingUnit typesStudio, 1 and 2 BR, PH387 to 1,013 sq ft - 06
Sunset Kin 96Sold out
Zona Esmeralda · sold outEighteen units of 452 sq ft, all sold at around 175,000 dollars. It is on this list as a reference for what it cost to get into the stretch recently, and for how fast small product sells when the price is right.
USD/ft²$3874,170 USD/m²Price$175,000 · sold outasking price, not closingUnit typesStudios452 sq ft
And these six are not all of them. Between the CTM and Corasol there are dozens of new projects in presale, and another appears every month. This page carries the ones we have already reviewed; if you are offered one that is not here, send it to us and we review it on the same four points as the presale section. Still to confirm on site: the exact kilometre of Quinta Arena, actual delivery at Elysium and MAIA, and the small resale buildings between Calle 72 and Calle 88. Once verified they get their own entry here.
Buying a presale in Zona Esmeralda:
what we check first
Almost everything advertised on this stretch is presale. That is not a bad sign on its own, but it means the review work happens before the deposit, not at signing.
- Which beach access is in writing
A municipal access is not a condo right. If the brochure says beach access, we ask for the document: an easement, a ZOFEMAT concession or simply the nearest public street. It changes the price that makes sense.
- What can be built in front
In front of the protected mangrove, nothing. In front of an empty lot, whatever its zoning allows. Before paying for a front view we check the lot across, because the view is the first thing lost in this city.
- Payments tied to construction
The healthy structure ties each payment to verifiable progress and runs the money through an escrow trust or the notary. A plan that asks for almost everything before the structure is up leaves you no leverage if the project runs late.
- Assume a year of delay
If the presale still makes sense delivering a year late, the conversation can continue. If it only works with the brochure date, it does not.
In presales the word we use is documents, not adjectives. Building permit, land title in the developer’s name and a condominium regime with a registration date: that is what you take to signing.
Renting your Zona Esmeralda condo
the months you are not here
There will be months you are not here, and renting in those months is normal. Almost all the new product on this stretch was designed with that in mind, which is exactly why you read the bylaws before the brochure.
The number does not depend on the building: it depends on who runs it. The same unit, same view, same fees, handed to two different managers, returns two different numbers. We do not earn anything on those numbers and we will not show you a rental projection as if it were a promise.
For rentals we always recommend Playa Moments. If the condo forces another operator on you, you find out before making an offer, not after.
- 01
Short-term allowed or not
The condominium bylaws decide, not the seller. In new buildings it is usually allowed; in small resale buildings, not always.
- 02
Open or mandatory management
Several new towers come with a mandatory operator, with its own percentage and rules. That is not bad, but it is a fixed cost you need to know up front.
- 03
What the municipality asks for
Solidaridad requires registration for vacation rentals and payment of the lodging tax. We go over it with you before closing so it is not a surprise.
Frequently asked questions about buying
ocean view in Zona Esmeralda
Where is Zona Esmeralda in Playa del Carmen?
It is the north end of town, from Avenida CTM to where Corasol begins, about 2.6 miles by road. It takes its name from Punta Esmeralda, the public beach with a cenote roughly halfway along.
How much does an ocean view condo in Zona Esmeralda cost?
Asking prices for new ocean view product run from about 437 to 576 dollars per square foot. What is close to the beach without a private one costs less: two-bedroom resales have asked 250,000 dollars and small studios sold around 175,000.
Is Punta Esmeralda a private beach?
No. It is a public, municipal beach. The buildings around it use it as their beach, but it is not a condo right, which is why we check what access each project has in writing.
Is the sea view guaranteed?
Only in front of the Paradisus mangrove, a protected natural area where nothing can be built. Everywhere else the view depends on what the zoning of the lot across allows, and we check that before you pay for it.
Does a presale make sense here?
It can, under four conditions: beach access in writing, knowing what can be built in front, payments tied to construction, and a project that still makes sense a year late.
Is it the same as Corasol?
No. Corasol begins at km 4.2 and is a gated development with golf and a beach club, with its own guide. Zona Esmeralda is open town, closer to Fifth Avenue, with public accesses.
Can a foreigner buy here?
Yes, through a bank trust (fideicomiso) or a Mexican corporation, because the whole coast is inside the restricted zone. You hold every right: use, rent, sell and leave it to your heirs.
Does sargassum reach this beach?
Yes, as it does all of Playa del Carmen, mostly from April to August and very different from one year to the next. We cover it in depth on our page about sargassum in the Riviera Maya.
What are closing costs?
Between 7 and 10 percent of the price, including the bank trust if you are a foreigner: acquisition tax, notario público, appraisal, Public Registry recording and the Foreign Affairs permit. The step by step is in the closing guide.
Same corridor: Beachfront in Playa del Carmen  · Corasol guide  · Meet the team
Tell us what you are looking for in Zona Esmeralda.
We do the filtering.
- A selection made for youA short list, not a catalogueThe buildings that fit your budget and how you will use the place, with the difference between full and partial ocean view stated up front.
- The review before you offerA licensed advisor looks at your buildingCondominium regime, permit, land title, payment schedule, beach access in writing and what can be built in front.
Choosing a building is only the start. Our job is that you understand what you are buying before you commit.
We tell you which tower fits you.
And which access is really yours.
In Zona Esmeralda almost everything is new and almost everything is advertised as beachfront when it is ocean view or partial ocean view. The difference is on paper, and we read the paper.
Licensed real estate advisors in Quintana Roo  · We do not represent developers
Karina D. Sayed, CPA · CEO, Broker and Owner · Playa Realtors
I have lived on this coast since 2001 and Playa Realtors has represented buyers here since 2008. The ranges and prices on this page come from inventory for sale building by building in Zona Esmeralda, from our own comparables and from the condominium documents we read in legal review, not from a listing description.
Licensed brokerage in Quintana Roo · License 1917120B0FBGMR008000735 · AMPI · SEDETUS · NAR REALTOR® 61235866
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Last reviewed September 2026
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