St Regis Punta de Mita

On the Pacific coast of Bahía de Banderas at Punta Mita, north of Puerto Vallarta, The St Regis Punta Mita Resort occupies a position on a private peninsula where the jungle-covered sierra meets the Pacific in a configuration of bays and headlands whose beauty drew the Four Seasons and later the St Regis to this stretch of the Nayarit coast. The 120 suites and villas are arranged through tropical gardens above the beach, with three swimming pools, direct beach access, and views across the bay towards the Marietas Islands — a protected national marine park — visible from most of the resort’s vantage points. The peninsula’s position at the boundary between the deep Pacific offshore and the protected bay creates surf conditions at several points along the coast that have developed a dedicated surfing community alongside the resort’s leisure clientele.

Carolina, the hotel’s signature restaurant, serves contemporary Mexican cuisine drawing on the Pacific seafood, tropical fruits, and the chile and spice traditions of the Nayarit coast, and the beachfront grill’s informality provides a counterpoint to the main restaurant’s more formal programme. The Iridium Spa draws on traditional Mexican healing practices and the volcanic and marine mineral resources of the surrounding environment. Two Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses on the peninsula provide the most consistent outdoor sports option, and the Marietas Islands excursion — by panga to the protected islets and their blue-footed booby colonies — is among the most distinctive natural experiences in the Nayarit region.

The St Regis Punta Mita’s conservation relationship with the Marietas Islands’ protected status and the Banderas Bay marine reserve reflects the hotel’s awareness that the quality of its setting depends on the ecological health of the bay and its coastal habitats, and the hotel’s support for the local fishing communities and the conservation organisations working in the bay gives this awareness a practical dimension.