For the past two years, Travel Agent has been telling you why Punta Mita should be on your radar and why it is becoming one of Mexico’s best luxury destinations for families. Now, allow us to recap some previously reported—but still incredibly important—Punta Mita news along with some new updates on this increasingly popular Mexico giant.
Destination Refresher
Created by DINE, a Mexican real estate developer, Punta Mita is a gated, 1,500-acre resort and residential community situated on Mexico’s Bahia de Banderas Peninsula, with 9½ miles of Pacific Coast shoreline. Punta Mita is north of Puerto Vallarta.
The resort is home to private villas and residences, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and the Four Seasons Resort at Punta Mita. The master plan of Punta Mita includes several additional developments currently in the works, including the St. Regis Resort & Residences and a second Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, the all-suite La Solana Resort and a variety of luxurious residential offerings and estate lots.
St. Regis Opening Nears, Four Seasons Already Open
Perhaps the biggest news Punta Mita has on the horizon is the much-anticipated opening of its St. Regis Resort. Already home to the aforementioned Four Seasons, Punta Mita’s November opening of St. Regis will officially make this spot a force to be reckoned with in the world of luxury.
The St. Regis Resort Punta Mita will join the Four Seasons Resort as the second international luxury hotel brand within the gated community. The new property will offer 120 guest rooms. Guests and owners will have access to a 10,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, two restaurants, butler service and a private beach club with a poolside grill.
The best rooms here are the Luxury Suites and, of course, the Presidential Suite. The Luxury One-Bedroom Suite (only one in the hotel) measures approximately 1,800 square feet and is directly on the beach with great views of the ocean. Butler service is included. It also comes with a large terrace, which includes a private pool and Jacuzzi.
The Luxury Two-Bedroom Suite offers the same amenities as the One-Bedroom Suites, but at 2,490 square feet, it is much larger. There is only one Two-Bedroom Suite, so we recommend booking at least a month in advance.
The Presidential Suite, the ultimate in luxury, is 3,100 square feet and offers three bedrooms, two with a king-size bed and a third with two queen-size beds. Like the Luxury Suites, it also comes with a terrace with a private pool and Jacuzzi. There is only one of these, so again we recommend booking at least a month in advance. Agents should contact Melanie Schneider, sales and marketing director, at 011-52-877-787-3447.
The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita opened back in 1999 before Punta Mita was even a blip on most agents’ radars. Today, the property is considered one of the finest resorts in all of Mexico. It offers 173 units, including 141 guest rooms and 32 suites, housed in 16 Mexican-style casitas set along the Pacific coast. Most of the suites have private plunge pools. Guest rooms feature full ocean views from their private terraces or balconies. The Four Seasons Private Villas comprise 68 single-family, oceanfront and oceanview homes surrounding Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita. Four different floor plans are available, which range in size from about 3,000 to 4,000 square feet and include options for four to five bedrooms. To book Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, agents should contact Ann Armstrong, sales and marketing director, at 011-52-329-291-6000.
Ayia Punta Mita Offers Agent Discounts
Travel Agent recently sat down with representatives of Ayia Punta Mita. The 27-unit boutique residential community, which is slated to open November 15, will have a reception and concierge center, poolside deck, gourmet bistro and a fitness and yoga center. Although the property is opening later this fall, agents can book now. We were also told that, to celebrate the upcoming opening, the property will host individual agent fam trips, in which agents can call and arrange a three-day stay for only $150 a night and receive a full site inspection. Insiders also tell us that the best suite is the Penthouse Suite, which has a 27-foot-high ceiling and a 1,100-square-foot terrace with ocean views. The travel agent liaison at the property is Basri Emini ([email protected], 011-52-329-291-5368).
Punta Mita’s Newest Operator
Agents looking to book a trip to Punta Mita might consider contacting Luxury Punta Mita, the region’s rental and concierge company that provides luxury retreats for your clients. The company can provide your clients with everything from reservations to personal concierge services. Agents should contact either Luis Avila ([email protected]), director of operations, or Cliff Damavandi ([email protected]), marketing director. Both can be reached by phone at 011-52-329-29-15420.
Aqua to Enter in Summer 2009
We first told you about Aqua Resorts’ expansion plans during our April coverage of Tianguis Turistico in Acapulco. Since then, Travel Agent learned of the popular resort company’s plans for Aqua Punta Mita, which should be ready by next summer. That resort will have 80 rooms and 250 suites.
Amenity News
Punta Mita’s second 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, Bahia, will open for play in November. Like the original Jack Nicklaus championship course, Pacifico, the second course will offer golf-loving clients challenging fairways and greens amidst ocean views and vistas that weave in and around the strategically sited St. Regis and other luxury residential communities.
The initial phase of the expansion of Punta Mita’s Tennis Center was completed this month. Managed by Four Seasons and Peter Burwash International, the upgraded facility will offer 10 courts—a combination of hard-surface and synthetic grass courts lit for evening play. The first phase consists of four courts and a new apparel and equipment shop, as well as men’s and women’s locker rooms.
Punta Mita’s second Residents’ Beach Club is opening in the community of Kupuri in 2009 and will serve all residents and renting guests. The oceanfront Club will offer a series of pools, dining options, event facilities and a specialized children’s activities area, among other amenities.
Other Punta Mita Resort Info
Porta Fortuna includes two-story, three-bedroom “Zen Casitas” offering about 4,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, as well as luxury condominiums, which will be available at the end of the year. A new private beach club, Playa Fortuna, will also open, providing immediate access to Punta Mita’s surrounding waters. It will feature a palapa-style gathering spot, a full-service restaurant called Sufi, a bar, pool, swinging daybeds and several semi-private nooks and social areas.
Enchantment Group, a Sedona, AZ-based spa resort development management company, announced a new Mii amo spa with guest rooms and residential condos, slated for a 2010 opening.
Strategic Hotels & Resorts, owner of the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, is developing the neighboring La Solana Resort & Residences, with 70 hillside hotel suites, 55 residential villas, a spa, restaurant, swimming pool, retail stores and boutiques directly facing the Pacific Ocean. It is not slated to open, however, until 2011.
Getting There
The closest airport is Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport, located 20 miles to the southeast of Punta Mita in Puerto Vallarta. Direct, regularly scheduled air service is available from the following U.S. gateways: Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Park City, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, St. Louis, San Diego and San Francisco. Also, Mexicana Airlines has announced new nonstop flights from San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta, which will be offered four days a week starting this December. A taxi from the airport to Punta Mita costs about $80.
Contact
If agents need any more information on Punta Mita, we recommend contacting the resort community’s Marketing and Operations Director Lynne Bairstow ([email protected], 011-52-329-291-6500, ext. 112).