1. Punta Mita
For Grandeur
By Jay MacDonald
The serpentine jungle road to Punta Mita winds like a Mexican history lesson in
reverse. From the hustle and din of Puerto Vallarta, itself but a sleepy fishing village not
so long ago, we jostle and sway our way through lush overgrowth north and west, and
back in time as well, as the urban tang of cement dust and petrol fumes gradually yields
to the ancient perfume of flowering vines carried aloft by warm Pacific breezes.
Ah, you think, the real Mexico at last! Then you catch yourself as you recall your
earliest expeditions into the “real Mexico” that featured some all-too-real unpleasantness.
Are the faucets going to work? Will the electric stay on? Dare I eat that?
All of a sudden the jungle parts, and for a moment you become disoriented. The
sapphire Pacific appears on your left, then your right. Then the roadsides take on a
planned, then manicured, appearance. By the time you pass the wall-of-water entry and
pull beneath the towering palapa that serves as porte-cochere to the Four Seasons Resort,
your worries of subsisting on Ritz crackers and Cheez Whiz have slunk away into the
bougainvillea.
Turns out you haven’t been journeying these 45 minutes into Mexico’s past at all,
but instead into its future. This picturesque peninsula that defines the northern coast of
the Bay of Banderas represents a beachfront of a different sort for DINE (pronounced
DEE-nay), Mexico’s numero uno real estate developer.
Adios to the failed experiments that once sought to attract nortenos to these
shores; the timeshares from hell, the getaways that went astray. At Punta Mita, DINE has
broken the code on how to attract American investors to these shores.
Prepare yourself for Mexico with infrastructure.
Visions of Glory
For centuries, the native Huichol Indians considered Punta Mita sacred ground, a
place of pilgrimage where they would gather to partake in ceremonial peyote rituals. That
may explain in part how this pear-shaped peninsula of roughly 1,500 acres surrounded on
three sides with nine miles of white-sand beaches came to be called Punta Mita, or
Mythic Point.
But there is nothing mythical about its fabulous climate. Punta Mita shares the
same latitude as Hawaii, with summers in the mid-80s and winters in the mid-70s,
tempered year-round by a gentle Pacific breeze.
Perfect climate, unsullied beaches, virgin jungle − no wonder DINE started
having visions of glory about this place as well. Here was a chance to do it right literally
from the ground up. Drinkable water is piped in from developer-owned deep wells in the
Sierra Madres and filtered on-site. Wastewater is recycled for irrigation. Fiber optic
cables carry telephone, fax and high-speed Internet throughout the planned community.
Electricity and natural gas are plentiful. Literally all the comforts of home − your home.
And that’s just the groundwork. Across these hillsides, DINE is in the process of
building a low-rise gated community with a dizzying array of high-end offerings:
oceanfront villas, golf villas, custom estates, private signature homes, town homes,
luxury condominiums and three luxury resort hotels.

2. Punta Mita’s anchor property of the moment is the Four Seasons. Completed in
1999, the 114-room, 26-suite resort serves as the unofficial gathering point for the
growing number of residents and guests scattered across the hills above it. It’s just a short
golf cart ride to the Four Seasons Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus-designed, par 72 course
with a 131 slope rating and an optional par-3 hole, a 199-yard drive over open ocean to
one of the world’s only natural island greens. Nearby is the first of four planned
residents’ beach clubs, which feature full-service restaurant, infinity-edge pool and
private shower facilities.
Coming soon, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts and St. Regis Hotels will open their
signature resort hotels and villas. A second Jack Nicklaus signature course is being built
adjacent the future St. Regis property, and a Greg Norman championship course is
planned on the eastern entry to the peninsula.
If you have not heard Punta Mita whispered about at cocktail parties yet, chances
are you soon will. Fonatur, the Mexican government’s mega-resort developer that
brought us Cancun, Ixtapa and Los Cabos, is in the early stages of developing Litibu, a
massive stretch of the Mexican Riviera between Punta Mita and San Blas. DINE
envisions secluded Punta Mita as the high-end, low noise alternative to Fonatur’s next
public-works paradise.
Sea Dogs and Puntaritas
The Boston Whaler was approaching shore when we spied what looked like a
Labrador retriever on board. As it neared to within a stone’s throw however, the sea dog
gracefully slipped overboard in a most un-canine fashion. When it’s head popped up, kids
(and kids at heart) bounced down the sandy beach to get a closer look − and perhaps
catch a swim with − a very gregarious sea lion.
There’s a private little grin that’s shared by many of the guests (and not a few of
the staff) at the Four Seasons Punta Mita. Loosely translated, it reads: Does it get any
better than this?
Short answer: probably not. Deep in the shade of the beach palapa, bartenders are
carving exotic garni, blenders are humming and waiters are making indentations into
bowls of crushed ice and expertly inserting shrimp that have clearly outgrown their
diminutive name. At the Apuane Spa and Fitness Center nearby, frazzled urbanites are
working out the kinks while their offspring enjoy the children’s program down at the
beach, chatting with the chef about today’s catch or taking part in an educational dolphin
swim. Waterborne sports are restricted to paddle- or windborne craft; the dentist-drill
whine of jet skis or other motorized craft is blissfully absent. Surfers consider the breaks
here some of the best in the world. Does it get any better than this indeed?
Actually, it did. While preparing for dinner one night, the Dallas couple that owns
the villa next door invited our us over for a tour and Puntaritas, a special concoction that
defies description and probably duplication. We drifted as a merry group through their
four detached master suites as our host and hostess described how they had appointed
each within the design requirements of the master plan. The workmanship was excellent,
they said. In fact, in Mexico, builders are required to be civil engineers as well.
As we were leaving, I spoke with their friend Bill, a Dallas fine furniture
manufacturer who was down to check out the territory. Bill was impressed as much by
the easy access to Punta Mita as the general good feeling about the place.

3. “I have a place in Hawaii and it takes me nine hours to get there; it takes me two
hours to get here. That’s a no-brainer,” he said.
He was already acquiring that Punta Mita grin.
Our cliffside villa was tastefully appointed and cozily private. Each of the four
master suites circumscribed a central patio with cushioned outdoor seating, playful floor
fountain to cool your feet and a fire pit for evening stargazing. The living room/dining
room common building was a wonderfully welcoming two-story affair that our chef
Daniel happily shared with bleary-eyed guests in need of jetlag caffeine or midnight
guacamole. The outdoor covered patio overlooking the endless Pacific was a favorite
place to linger over dinner. Late afternoons would find us in the villa’s infinity-edge
pool; smaller versions were also available on each room’s private patio.
Four-unit villas like ours, complete with chef, house staff and on-call golf cart
transportation to and from the Four Seasons, cost $1.7 million to $2.7 million cliffside,
$4.5 million to $5.2 million beachfront to build, or $5,100-$3,050 per room daily
(high/low season) to rent.
Palmasola: Singularly Spectacular
We dined that night at a signature beachfront compound called Palmasola, as
guests of the California couple that own the one-of-a-kind property. Palmasola (lone
palm) is well off the map of the hoi polloi for good reason; this is where the world’s most
recognizable faces come to catch some beach time and relax in style. At Palmasola, a
staff of nine, including private chef, resident manager, driver, bartender and
housekeepers, take personal service to another level. Guests must apply in advance for
approval to rent Palmasola.
Our pre-dinner tour of Palmasola’s 10 buildings included seven guest bedrooms
with private baths, rooftop terraces, fitness tower, outdoor poyo (living room) that
overlooks the winding 200-foot infinity-edge pool, and the palapa-covered oceanside
banquet hall. The perfectly chosen music throughout the property came through hidden
speakers playing tunes selected from a library of more than 6,000 digital iTune
downloads. Our five-course dinner of sea bass or rack of lamb was capped off by tawny
port around the beachside fire pit.
Although most Punta Mita signature homes don’t run to 22,000 square feet or rent
for $9,000-$12,000 a night as Palmasola does, many are available by the night, week or
longer. Staying in a private home affords guests all the amenities the residents enjoy,
including onsite staff, special menus, pre-arrival grocery shopping, airport transfers,
access to the resident’s beach clubs and preferential tee times and greens fees. In
addition, you also have Punta Mita’s Residential Concierge at your service to arrange
activities, tours, an English-speaking nanny, car rentals, catering, even in-house spa
services.
Property rental rates vary, but average $3,800-$4,000 per day in season
(December-April), $2,000-$3,000 per day off-season (May-November) and $4,400 per
day during holidays.
It’s hardly news that some portion of the historic transfer of wealth now befalling
America’s baby boomers is heading south these days. Costa Rica and Belize have been

4. popular second home destinations for years; family estates in the Bahamas, Jamaica and
smaller Caribbean ports of call are into their third and four generations.
Punta Mita may have the vision to follow through where other Mexican
developments have faltered and create a real investment opportunity worthy of serious
consideration. But geography in this case truly is destiny, since this mystical point will
only accommodate about 1,200 private homes as planned.
If a Mexican hacienda or fractional ownership intrigues you, the time to visit is
now. The next time you hear about Punta Mita, it may already be too late.