Coming of Age Story
Not that Riviera Nayarit is an unproven concept.
It’s been two decades since the area christened its first luxury hotel: a posh, hacienda-inspired Four Seasons within the gated community of Punta Mita. And while that hotel has leveraged the name of its residential development—it’s the Four Seasons Punta Mita rather than Four Seasons Riviera Nayarit—several of its high-profile regulars have brought gloss to the area. Among them: the Kardashians and the royal family of Norway.
“Punta Mita and beyond it, Riviera Nayarit, has had a long gestation period,” says the hotel’s general manager and Four Seasons regional vice president John O’Sullivan. “Now it’s finally coming of age.” The Four Seasons itself is in the midst of a four-year, $30 million renovation, which will see all of its rooms redone by 2019.
O’Sullivan says infrastructure developments and a booming economy are largely what’s led to the area’s sudden uptick. As flights to nearby Puerto Vallarta airport increased, the market grew from intrepid honeymooners to corporate travelers and families. “Now we have the infrastructure to service those markets,” he explains.
That trend is continuing. In the last year the destination has added direct flights from Los Angeles, San Diego, Toronto, and Calgary, and service will also be added from Panama in December, opening up access for moneyed South Americans. What’s more, a new highway connecting Riviera Nayarit to Guadalajara will be finished in October, bringing in vacationing Mexicans from neighboring states.
When and Where to Go
Travelers who want to get in early on the trend can plan trips now and stay at one of three already-excellent hotels: the Four Seasons and the St. Regis, both in the gated Punta Mita community on the far west end of the Punta de Mita peninsula, or a youthful-feeling W Hotel, closer to Nuevo Vallarta on the Riviera’s southern end.
Those who wait longer will be rewarded with a whole new spate of luxury accommodations. Of the six-star resorts coming soon, One&Only will likely open first, in early 2020. Zuber promises 108 rooms and villas, including several family-friendly “tree house” rooms that are suspended in the jungle canopy. There will be a restaurant on a cliff, private homes for purchase, and a swimmable beach that lets guests decide between lazy days or ample water sports options. All of this will be set within the new gated community of Mandarina, a competitor to Punta Mita farther north up the coast, past the towns of Sayulita and San Francisco, that will focus on sustainable, local sourcing and community development.
Also in Mandarina will be a Rosewood resort with 130 rooms, all facing either the mountains or the Pacific coast. A 10-room spa will anchor the amenities list, and fishing excursions will take guests into winding lagoons or out towards the marlin-packed Islas Marietas.
Auberge Susurros del Corazon (translation: “whispers of the heart”) will also open in 2020, with a rustic surf shack at the beach to emulate the nearby towns and three pools that cascade down from the bluffs to the beach. “Just like in Cabo, you’ll be able to see whales migrating here,” says Minchin, “and we’ll have a restaurant on a promontory with excellent views of the sea.”
When asked about the red-hot competition, Zuber, Minchin, and O’Sullivan all take the region’s growth in stride.