Move Over Tulum, There's A New Riviera In Town
If you hear the word ‘riviera’ associated with Mexico, chances are your immediate thought is of Riviera Maya, which has long been the country’s tourism hotspot (and with good reason). Tulum may be most people’s first port of call when planning a trip to Mexico, but there are many other corners of this wondrous country to explore. Just north of Puerto Vallarta, and over state borders from Jalisco to Nayarit, Riviera Nayarit is the quieter coastal Mexican destination you’re looking for. The sun shines almost daily here, with average temperatures in the high twenties.
One of Riviera Nayarit’s most stellar stays is One&Only Mandarina, a series of treehouse-style suites and villas surrounded by rich jungle foliage and the Sierra del Vallejo, above a curving bay. The elevated One&Only experience started as soon as we were collected from the airport, with an elaborate selection of drinks (from kombuchas to beers) presented by the driver, and an array of snacks stuffed into the SUV’s drawers to sustain us on the hour’s drive north. Things only improved at check-in, when we were shown around our glossy tree-top residence, set on stilts in the thick of the coastal rainforest. Receiving extra titters of excitement were the outdoor bath tub and a plunge pool out on the deck above the Pacific.
The suites are all spread out, with butlers and buggies on hand to help you get around the vast estate. The only neighbours we encountered were the resort’s resident coatis (forest badgers), who are very cute, but guests are warned to not leave food lying around, since these animals are rather resourceful with their snouts and sliding doors.
During our stay, we were fortunate enough to try a pop-up restaurant by acclaimed chef David Castro Hussong from Valle de Guadalupe – Fauna was in situ for a few months earlier this year. The resort hosts regular guest chefs but a thankfully more permanent fixture is Carao, One&Only Mandarina’s signature restaurant by the star Mexican chef Enrique Olvera, whose Pujol in Mexico City is regularly ranked as one of best restaurants in the world. We dined on simple Mexican cuisine, but it was absurdly good – grilled pineapple to enhance our al pastor tacos, some perfectly grilled fish to go in them. By day, Carao has a more casual offering by the adults-only pool, which extends out over the cliffs: rib-eye tacos, aguachile and quesadillas. With food this good, it’s just an added bonus, but Carao is perfectly positioned for sunsets over the ocean.
The spa at One&Only Mandarina is more like a temple, with towering ceilings to gaze up at in your inevitable state of post-treatment serenity (especially if you’ve sensibly opted for a Nature’s Sanctuary treatment by Tata Harper) and palm fronds peeking in..
There’s also lots to keep more adventurous travellers entertained, including hikes to La Abuela, a 500-year-old tree on the estate. I was persuaded, against my better judgement, to do some zip-lining and found myself suspended above the canopies an hour or so later, with our guide frantically pedalling back to retrieve me. I hadn’t raised my legs high enough to land, apparently, and had reached the end point of the wire only to go straight back the way I came. It was a nice view of the treetops at any rate.
Back at ground level, we headed to the Canalan beach club, which is part of the wider Mandarina complex, rather than the One&Only resort (which, naturally, has its own beach club, too). The reserve has lagoons by the beach, where you can look out for the (friendly) resident crocodile on your way by buggy to the shore. The Pacific can be a little precarious, so there’s a pool for safer swims. There’s also an Italian restaurant, dispensing plates of pasta and Aperol spritzes to your table on the sand.
At the Jetty Beach Club back at One&Only, we spent another afternoon in a cabana, with grilled fresh fish and ceviche delivered to our canopied sanctuary on the sand. The resort is also home to Alma, an international restaurant with high ceilings and wooden shutters framing the tropical foliage – here, we dined on summer rolls, seared tuna and flatbreads fresh from the wood-fired ovens.
Down the coast, Punta Mita has lots of resorts, but one of the newest offerings is the Four Seasons brand Naviva. This small, 15-tent camp is taking the term ‘all-inclusive’ to new levels, with no menus and an entirely ask for whatever you wish approach. Since there’s a fully equipped Four Seasons next-door, your wish will be their command – if you want sushi for lunch, just say so at breakfast.
The tents (if you can call them that) have a deck with a plunge pool, biophilic design (so that they don’t encroach on their surroundings) and indoor and outdoor sitting areas, at which to enjoy the welcome guac. The star of the property is its yoga deck, suspended above the rocks, with a prime view for sunset and sun salutations.
Behind the pool at Naviva is a temazcal, where we met a shaman who had come to conduct this ancient Mayan ritual for us. I had feared claustrophobia inside the squat stone structure, made worse by being incapacitated by heat. I chose a seat close to the exit, so I could escape quickly if the need arose. At one point, my skin was so hot, my exhalations stung. But it was an amazing experience and wonderful to pause and really consider gratitude. And not just for Mexico, but it’s a good place to start.
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