Punta Mita
A gated point at the mouth of Banderas Bay, two Nicklaus courses with a green on its own island, humpbacks in the bay all winter, and the Puerto Vallarta runway forty-five minutes down the coast.
- Arrival
- Puerto Vallarta International · PVR
- To the resort
- About 45 minutes to Punta Mita by car
- Private jets
- Two FBOs at PVR, customs on arrival
- Best time
- November to May
The city
The point of the bay.
Punta Mita closes the northern arm of Banderas Bay, in the state of Nayarit, and the resorts sit behind their gates on the tip of the point with the Pacific on one side and the bay on the other. Sayulita is 25 minutes up the coast; the Marietas Islands and their hidden beach lie offshore, a boat trip from the point.
Come in the dry half of the year. From November to May the rain all but stops, afternoons reach 29 to 32 °C, and from early December to late March humpback whales are in the bay. Summer brings over 300 mm a month in July, August and September.
Arriving
Down the coast from Vallarta.
Puerto Vallarta International, Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, sits at sea level just north of Marina Vallarta. Punta Mita is 20 kilometres and about 45 minutes north by road.
- Los Cabos 1 h 00
- Houston 2 h 15
- Panama City 4 h 20
- Geneva 13 h 05 long-range jet
- Tokyo 14 h 05 long-range jet
When to go
November to May.
On the Pacific the afternoons reach 29 °C in winter and climb to 33 °C in summer. November to May is dry, with under 25 mm in any month, and the sea at 24 to 26 °C. The rains run from June to October and peak at over 300 mm a month from July to September.
- 29° J 23 25°
- 29° F 10 24°
- 29° M 7 24°
- 31° A 5 25°
- 32° M 6 26°
- 33° J 170 28°
- 33° J 319 29°
- 33° A 337 30°
- 33° S 329 30°
- 32° O 121 29°
- 32° N 20 28°
- 29° D 23 26°
What to see and do
Days in and around Punta Mita.
-
Landmark
Marietas Islands
A national park off the point, with the Hidden Beach inside one island and seabird colonies on the rocks, reached by boat from Punta Mita.
-
Landmark
The whales
Humpbacks spend early December to late March in Banderas Bay, and watching trips leave from Punta de Mita and Sayulita.
-
Landmark
Tail of the Whale
The hole at the Four Seasons whose green sits on a natural island, one of two Jack Nicklaus courses on the point.
-
Golf
Bahía course, Punta Mita Golf Club
The second Jack Nicklaus layout on the point, 18 holes with five of them looking over Banderas Bay.
-
Golf
Litibú Golf Club
Greg Norman designed these 18 holes, par 72 and 7,022 yards, running between jungle and the Pacific shore at Higuera Blanca.
-
On the water
La Lancha
Reached by a ten minute path through the scrub, this break near Punta de Mita suits longboards, with a middle peak and a point.
-
Nature
Monkey Mountain (Cerro del Mono)
From the plaza at Higuera Blanca a trail of about two miles climbs some 1,050 feet to a summit looking over the coast and Punta de Mita.
-
Nature
Vallarta Botanical Garden
Founded in 2004 in the hills south of Puerto Vallarta, its 79 acres hold orchids, magnolias, bromeliads, agaves and wild palms, mostly kept as reserve.
Official site
Where to stay
On the point, and up the coast.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita A hundred and seventy-seven casita-style rooms on their own spit of land, two private beaches, the Apuane spa and the Tail of the Whale on its doorstep.
- One&Only Mandarina Three MICHELIN Keys for treehouses and villas in coastal rainforest an hour up the coast from Vallarta, with a polo club and whale-watching from the shore.
- Susurros del Corazón, Auberge Collection Built on a beach chosen for itself, with rooms, villas and homes, pools stepping down the slope and a spa larger than most.
- The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort The first St. Regis in Latin America, 89 rooms and 31 suites around three infinity pools, newly given a Key in 2026.
Where to dine
Where to book near the point.
No MICHELIN-starred restaurant on this coast. One table holds a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star rating for 2026, one is in the 2026 Mexico Gastronomic Guide, and the third is the premium table of One&Only Mandarina, run by Enrique Olvera of Pujol.
- Carolina Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Contemporary Mexican The St. Regis Punta Mita
- Codex Mexico Gastronomic Guide 2026 Contemporary Conrad Punta de Mita
- Carao Signature restaurant, One&Only Mandarina Contemporary Mexican One&Only Mandarina, Lo de Marcos, about 30 km north
Elsewhere in Mexico
More reasons to come.
- Mexico City Polanco, Roma, and the murals of the historic centre.
-
Los Cabos
The arch at Land's End, the golf courses, and the Sea of Cortez.
-
Tulum
Jungle hotels along the beach, and cenotes inland.
- San Miguel de Allende The pink spires of the Parroquia, and an art scene in the highlands.
- Mérida Restored haciendas around the old capital of the Yucatán.
- Oaxaca The cooking of the seven moles, and the craft villages of the valley.
Flying to Punta Mita?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.