Punta de Mita, Nayarit: Luxury, Golf and Relaxation

The northern limit of the Banderas Bay culminates in a magnificent peninsula unlike any other on the Riviera Nayarit on the Pacific Coast. A distinction should be made about the name: in the area known as Punta de Mita, which is also the name of the town there, the Punta Mita private residential community (Club Punta Mita) and a luxury hotel resort were built; just so you don’t confuse them.

Punta Mita peninsula is bounded by almost 9 miles of Pacific Ocean beaches on its three sides and includes Litibu Bay.

El Anclote Beach, Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico

The town of Punta de Mita is 25 miles (40 kilometers) from PV’s International Airport. Punta de Mita is approx. 30 miles (1 hour and 10 minutes) from downtown Puerto Vallarta.

If you come from Nuevo Vallarta or Puerto Vallarta, you will first see Punta de Mita — the seaside town itself.

La Lancha Beach is still very natural and undisturbed, you won’t encounter many tourists there despite it being a 10-minute hike from the road. Before getting there you’ll have to walk along a well-worn path through the jungle. Not too difficult, but you have to be in shape and if it is the rainy season be prepared for mud, water wading and bugs, so bring your repellent. It’s a great place for people learning to surf and all skill levels. Also a great beach and waves for body surfing.

The town itself is a quiet one, with El Anclote beach and Corral del Risco beach as other main attractions.

Access to the peninsula’s beaches is open to the public walking along the edge of El Anclote beach.

You can also enjoy eating at one of the restaurants within the real estate development, this is fine, as long as you make a reservation at least 48 hours in advance.

After enjoying the white sand beaches at El Anclote Beach, we suggest you stop by the Café des Artistes restaurant. There you will savor the artistic cuisine of Gerardo Sandoval, one of the best chefs of Riviera Nayarit.

El Anclote Beach, Punta de Mita

At Punta de Mita you can also take advantage of the abundance of sailfish, marlin and dorado on this part of the coast and spend a day sportfishing out in the open sea. If you don’t catch anything, don’t worry, the beach itself has resorts and restaurants with cool thatch-roofed palapas on the sand that serve deliciously fresh seafood.

Punta Mita Peninsula

A short drive on the highway takes you to Punta Mita, one of the more luxurious residential and tourist developments in all of Mexico.

Extending over 700 hectares (2.7 sq. mi.), this development is a private peninsula surrounded by white sand beaches, Pacific waves and exuberant tropical vegetation that shelters exotic birds.

Currently, Punta Mita has two Jack Nicklaus signature golf courses designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus; and two Five Diamond resorts: the St. Regis Punta Mita hotel resort and the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita.

Punta Mita Beach

In constant evolution, the master plans include two more hotels of the same category, as well as hundreds of houses, villas and condominiums.

Just as you’d expect on this idyllic peninsula, there are beach hotels, restaurants, beach clubs, gyms, spas (like the Remède Spa), bars and even cultural centers offering – for example – cooking and art appreciation courses.

You can also enjoy eating at one of the restaurants within the real estate development, this is fine, as long as you make a reservation at least 48 hours in advance.

Punta de Mita main square, Nayarit

The town itself is very rustic and makes brings to mind smaller towns in the Banderas Bay area or the Los Cabos península too, like Barriles or similar small villages in Mexico. Rustic dirt streets, half-finished countryside homes mixed with more luxurious homes and bungalows.

There is also a small plaza in town, well kept, with the seemingly standard Emiliano Zapata sculpture (you’ll find him in all small towns of the area, don’t know why… ;-)) and enjoyed by the locals – see photo above.

Jack Nicklaus, the golf legend, designed two spectacular and iconic golf courses at Punta Mita. They offer extraordinary sea vistas and world-class play.

The Pacifico Golf Course has seven holes directly toward the Pacific Ocean or playing along Banderas Bay’s edge. They offer spacious fairways and greens, and the only natural island golf green – called “Tail of the Whale” – in the world. This unique championship course is highly praised by golfers and golf magazines, and in 2006 and 2008 inspired readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine to choose the Four Seasons Hotel Punta Mita as the world’s number one golf resort.

The Bahia Golf Course is Nicklaus’ second championship course in Punta Mita. It has five ocean-view holes, with undulating fairways and greens flanked by deep green bunkers, that Jack Nicklaus says “add a little spice”, to the mix.

Both golf courses have tee times exclusively reserved for members and guests of Punta Mita Resort and other residents of Punta Mita, it is very convenient to play there.

The Litibú Golf Course in Mexico opened on March 7, 2010, very close to Punta Mita, one of the most unique areas of the Nayarit Riviera. It was designed by Greg Norman, you will find a challenging course where 7 of them are “linked” holes and 8 other holes are surrounded by pristine jungle. The last 3 holes in the course extend along the Pacific Ocean, offering spectacular views of Punta Mita and the western coastline of Mexico. There are also specialty shops, snack bars, practice tees, driving ranges, and golf cart, clubs and other golf equipment for rent.

Golf Course Design: Greg Norman
Holes: 18
Par: 72
Yards: 7,022
Grass: Paspalum Seadwarf
Bunkers: 130

Phone: (329) 29 84091

Here you can hire boats to visit the nearby Marietas Islands (15-minute boat ride) at the Punta de Mita quay. The islands are a Mexican national park and sanctuary for birds and marine animals that includes the now world-famous “hidden beach” inside what looks like a crater and which can only be accessed swimming through a cave carved out by the sea.

One of the most famous villas in the area, south of Punta de Mita and not within the Punta Mita development is Casa Aramara, a private villa and luxury travel option for public figures and celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Courtney Cox, Demi Moore, Eva Longoria, Farrah Fawcett, Jennifer Aniston, John Mayer, Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Orlando Bloom, Quincy Jones, Selena Gomez, Sheryl Crow, Vince Vaughn, among others.