Las Alamandas Resort

Las Alamandas Resort

Between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, where the Costalegre coast turns quiet, Las Alamandas sits inside its own 2,000-acre nature reserve, private beach on one side and fresh-water lagoons on the other. Come between August and November and guests can watch a hatched turtle release into the sea, part of the resort's own conservation work. The 18 suites, each with a secluded position and panoramic ocean or garden views, were designed and owned by Isabel Goldsmith-Patino, daughter of Sir James Goldsmith, who combined traditional Mexican craft with crisp white rooms and bursts of pink, orange and blue. Days can be spent on horseback or mountain bike across the estate, fishing the San Nicolas river, or on the tennis court, golf course and diving; the outdoor pool and private beach cover the slower hours, and a kids club with babysitting mean families are not an afterthought. A gym, massage and doctor on call round out the practical side, alongside 24-hour reception, wheelchair access and pets allowed, a combination that suits a couple wanting isolation as much as a multigenerational group that needs room to split up. This is not a hotel for anyone chasing nightlife or a short walk to town; Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, the two coastal cities it sits between, are each a distance away, and that separation is the point. What sets it apart from other beach resorts on this coast is the reserve itself, acres of protected land and wildlife that turn a stay into something closer to a private estate than a hotel. Guests who want that scale of privacy, and are willing to trade convenience for it, tend to leave planning the next visit.\n\nA 2,000-acre private reserve on Mexico's Costalegre coast, with a hatched turtle release between August and November and 18 secluded suites designed by owner Isabel Goldsmith-Patino. It suits those trading convenience for isolation, not anyone wanting nightlife or a walk into town.