You’ve likely never heard of Mexico’s next big vacation gold mine. After all, Riviera Nayarit made up its own name—and has only been using it for roughly a decade. But this 200-mile stretch of Pacific coastline, its southern tip is just a few minutes’ drive north of Puerto Vallarta, is about to burst onto the radar.

Between now and 2021, here on the southern edge, One&Only, Auberge, Rosewood, and Fairmont are all bringing their A-game to what they consider the next great beach resort, with Hilton’s tech-forward Conrad hot on their ultraluxury heels. A Cirque du Soleil theme park is in the works. And Six Senses, a leader in five-star, spa-centric hotels, is rumored to be inking a deal soon.

That’s just the start. Richard Zarkin, public-relations manager for the region’s tourism board, forecasts that Riviera Nayarit will gain 5,000 hotel rooms in the next five years, mostly in the form of small and high-end beach properties.

“We used to be seen as nothing more than a satellite to Puerto Vallarta,” says Zarkin, whose team once struggled to promote the region’s cluster of charming surf towns and fishing villages. (Of the bunch, Sayulita is the most famous.) “We still have a long way to go, but we are getting there,” he adds. Tourism has become the region’s largest generator of income, with $200 million in revenue in 2017 and an average hotel occupancy rate of 90 percent year-round. Here’s what to know and when to plan your trip.

Why It’s Great
“There’s something of a formula when you’re creating a luxury high-end resort,” says Mike Minchin, chief marketing officer of Auberge Resorts Collection, who fixed his sights on a Riviera Nayarit location in 2013.

The three things he looks for? A destination with immense natural beauty, a culture of warm hospitality, and ease of access.

Riviera Nayarit has all three. Its flat, pearlescent beaches are flanked by staggering, rose-hued bluffs and densely tangled jungle. That picturesque coastline is punctuated by soulful fishing villages and artistic communities that demonstrate a fierce pride for their regional culture—places that brim with Mexico’s genuine knack for hospitality. And direct flights, which were once limited, connect nearby Puerto Vallarta to 38 cities in the U.S. and Canada with daily service from both the East and West Coast. All this makes it prime for development, while Riviera Nayarit’s lushness makes it a very different destination than desert-chic Los Cabos, where few beaches are fit for swimming.

One&Only President and Chief Operating Officer Philippe Zuber counts the region’s lagoons, rivers, historical sites, and “excellent food” as key factors in deciding to open there. He says his guests will be able to go fishing or enjoy a wide variety of water sports from his hotel’s various beaches—or go on guided excursions to archaeological sites such as Altavista, filled with thousands of Aztec petroglyphs, and “Ancient Ixtlán,” a compound that dates to 100 AD.

“Our guests are always looking for something to discover,” he says.

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