On the heels of my inaugural blog (new word of the week: inblogural) that focused largely on beach volleyball in Hawaii and at the risk of reading more like a travel log than business blog, I am compelled to highlight my recent trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

What a scene! Visiting Fifth Avenue, with its remarkable shopping and dining, is worth the trip on its own. Bargains galore, an abundance of beach/ocean activities from which to choose, a very high level of customer service and a great overall vibe in the community will have me going back soon.

It was nice to see the waves crashing from our condo and be 20 metres from the volleyball court, but especially nice was that, thanks largely to a lofty loonie (1.0466 US at last report), my pitches to realtors and developers in Mexico and Hawaii were successful enough to easily justify return trips.

Rob with a performer at the Red Cross fund-raiser who, with her wild dance moves, was something of a Mexican Shakira

I toured several real estate developments, and given Playa’s ideal climate, relatively low prices and the recent dramatic increase in the power of the Canadian dollar, I truly believe it’s a great time to look at investing in a piece of this Mexican paradise.

I found the locals very friendly and helpful, particularly realtor Lilia Martha Cisneros Muller, who kindly invited me to a Red Cross fund-raiser that provided a fabulous night of live music and dining at Mamitas Beach Club.

Lilia Martha Cisneros Muller - realtor in Playa del Carmen

Anyone interested in discussing real estate opportunities in the Playa del Carmen area can reach Lilia toll free at 1.800.495.5290 or sales@playatulumrealty.com.

Welcome to my first blog.

I may be a magazine publisher who spends a lot of time working with advertisers, but I was first and will always be a writer, so I look forward to typing content to my (and hopefully your) heart’s content.

I will be getting blogging help from social media manager Diandra Good, who is charged with ensuring our blog is written weekly and never weakly. She will be my co-blogger and will help line up guest contributions from various industry experts.

Meanwhile, online marketing specialist Stefanie Chomiak of Anduro Marketing is offering her extensive expertise on the do’s and don’ts of blogging.

Apparently, I am not supposed to go into great detail about each of my seven children, even though I’m sure you would be fascinated to know what each of them has planned for spring break. My seven-year-old and I had an epic wrestling match last night, which he won with a dazzling drop-kick from off the coffee table. (Oops, sorry Stef.)

Nor am I to give you a rundown on each of my beach volleyball matches this spring and summer, although I can’t help but tell you that I had the pleasure of playing a couple of matches in Hawaii last month against former pro volleyball player, model and TV celeb Gabrielle Reece and her male beach partner on a business trip (seriously … check out the Maui advertisers in the March 11 edition at www.BusinessEdge.ca for the proof that I was actually working!).

Teamed up with former Canadian champion and good friend Tony Wells, we dropped 10 straight points before remembering that we needed to keep our eyes on the ball, and finally rallied to win 17-15 in a lengthy old-school-rules match. While you take the time to do a web search for “Gabrielle Reece images”, keep in mind that she is every bit as charming as she is beautiful … although it didn’t seem so charming when she crushed me in the rematch. (I guess that makes me two-for-two in blogging sins.)

Last, Stefanie instructed me to avoid overuse of sales pitches. I told her not to worry as I’m sure everyone in cyberspace is already well aware that Business Edge News Magazine’s editorial excellence and unrivalled distribution to about 280,000 businesses translate to superior advertising value and that they can call me any time at 403.769.9359 if they are interested in joining the fun.

Sorry Stef – three strikes and I am OUT!