If you're a home-based agent who still hasn't become familiar with the one-year-old Mexico destination, Riviera Nayarit, it's about time you get up to speed. 
Here's a crash course on some selling points to this Mexico getaway that seems to be generating news on a frequent basis.
The Near Future
October is slated to be a huge month for the destination with St. Regis leading the pack. The St. Regis Punta Mita (www.stregis.com) is scheduled to open that month and will feature 120 guest rooms and suites, which include 89 Casita Rooms with beach views, 70 with king beds, 19 with two queen beds, 10 Junior Suites, 16 Deluxe Suites, three Deluxe One-Bedroom Suites, one Luxury Two-Bedroom Suite and one Presidential Suite. The resort will also feature a 10,000-square-foot Remede spa and 3,200 square feet of meeting and function space, as well as Punta Mita's second Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. Home-based agents can call Melanie Schneider, director of sales and marketing, at 011-52-322-226-1147.
Riu Palace Pacifico (www.riu.com) is on schedule to open in October as well. This will be Riu Resorts' third hotel in Riviera Nayarit and will include 445 Junior Suites and Jacuzzi Suites. It will include a spa and fitness center, special activities for adults and children and a variety of restaurants. The Riu Palace Pacifico is located on Flamingos Beach, just nine miles away from the Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Of the Jacuzzi Suites, the best are the 28 Sea View Suites, which come with a hydromassage bathtub, independent shower, living room and bedroom, as well as the sea-view terrace and an outdoor Jacuzzi. The best rooms, however, are the ones with an extra terrace (and Jacuzzi) at the top, which your clients can access by a staircase from the first-level balcony. These rooms have the best location and views of the hotel. The square footage and facilities are the same as the previous 28 Suites. Home-based agents can contact Alejandra Constantino, director of sales, Pacific coast, at 011-52-624-146-7174 or [email protected].
Also opening up in October is Dreams Villamagna Nuevo Vallarta (www.dreamsresorts.com), which will be right next to Riviera Nayarit's Banderas Bay. Its 228 rooms are all luxury suites and offer views of the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre Mountains from a private, furnished balcony or terrace. Maximum occupancy is three adults and one child or two adults and two children. The best of the best is the property's Presidential Suite, which has a walk-in closet; a five-piece bathroom with bidet; a dining room table with seating for eight; a kitchenette with a small refrigerator and microwave oven; a furnished parlor with a bar; a home theater area with a 40-inch flat-screen TV, CD/DVD player and surround-sound system; and an office area with computer among other features. Home-based agents can contact Rodolfo Cresta at [email protected].
Just Opened
Villa la Estancia Beach Resort & Spa (www.villagroupresorts.com) opened its doors in 2008 and features 245 spacious suites. The one-, two- and three-bedroom units are all decorated with marble floors, granite countertops, whirlpool tubs, walk-in showers and balconies. The Villa la Estancia also offers a 17,000-square-foot Tatewari Spa, offering such treatments as massages, facials, hydrotherapies, body scrubs and wraps, as well as salon services. Other amenities include a fitness center, two championship tennis courts and a Kids' Club.
The Villa la Estancia is part of the Villa Group, which owns the adjacent Villa del Palmar that also opened its doors this year. Villa del Palmar is perfect for families and couples and features a Spanish Colonial courtyard that opens to gardens, lawns and palm trees. Ten Hacienda-style buildings with terra-cotta tile roofs range from four to eight stories. The centerpiece is a free-form activities pool containing a rock garden waterfall with waterslide. This property includes 560 guest rooms, including one- and two-bedroom suites designed with tile floors, bright fabrics and marble bathrooms. They offer garden, pool or partial ocean views, and also include balconies or patios furnished with dining sets. Small and large studios feature a kitchenette equipped with mini-refrigerator, electric stovetop, microwave, toaster, blender, coffeemaker, dishes, cookware and utensils, while one- and two-bedroom suites provide a complete kitchen.
Getting There
Riviera Nayarit is located in the state of Nayarit on Mexico's Pacific coast just minutes north of the Puerto Vallarta International Airport, which offers the nearest commercial air service to Nayarit—only 10 minutes south of Nuevo Vallarta and 40 minutes from Punta Mita. Carriers that serve the destination, most with flights daily, include Aero California (www.aerocalifornia.com.mx), Aeromexico (www.aeromexico.com), Air Canada (www.aircanada.com), Alaska Airlines (www.alaskaair.com), America West (www.usairways.com), American Airlines (www.aa.com), Continental (www.continental.com), Delta Air Lines (www.delta.com), Frontier (www.frontierairlines.com), Mexicana (www.mexicana.com), Transat (www.airtransat.com), United Airlines (www.united.com) and US Airways (www.usairways.com).
— JP