Banderas Bay is one of the largest bays in the Americas, about 100 kilometres of shoreline in a horseshoe with the Sierra Madre coming down to the water at both ends. Puerto Vallarta sits in the middle of the southern arm, in Jalisco. Cross the state line north and you are in Nayarit, and the coast changes character within twenty minutes.
Punta Mita is the headland at the northern tip of the bay: a gated peninsula of about 600 hectares with two Jack Nicklaus golf courses, private beaches and a handful of resorts. It was developed from the late 1990s under a single plan and access is controlled, which is either the appeal or the objection.
Why the bay matters more than the beach
Banderas Bay is deep and protected, which does three things.
It keeps the water swimmable. Unlike the open Pacific coast further north, the bay has little surf on most of its beaches and the swimming is genuine rather than a paddle.
It brings humpback whales. They come into the bay to calve between December and March in substantial numbers, and they are visible from shore as well as by boat.
And it produces the sunsets, because a west-facing bay puts the sun down over water from every beach on the southern and eastern shores.
The stretches
Punta Mita, at the northern tip, is the gated peninsula: golf, private beaches and the highest concentration of luxury.
Higuera Blanca and Sayulita, north of the point, are outside the bay on the open Pacific. Sayulita is a surf town that has become extremely popular; San Pancho next door is the quieter version.
Nuevo Vallarta and Flamingos, on the flat northern shore, have the large all-inclusive resorts and the marina.
Puerto Vallarta has the old town, the Malecón, the art galleries and the restaurant scene, plus the airport.
The southern shore, toward Mismaloya and Yelapa, is where the mountains meet the water and some of it is reachable only by boat.
The ten below are grouped by stretch.
Punta Mita
The gated peninsula at the top of the bay.
Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita occupies a stretch of the peninsula with casitas along two beaches, two Nicklaus courses including a hole on its own island, and the most polished service on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita
Punta Mita peninsula · 5★ · $$$$
Two private beaches and a golf hole on its own island
Check availabilityConrad Punta de Mita sits on the same peninsula with a large spa, several pools and a design that is more contemporary than its neighbour.
Conrad Punta de Mita
Punta Mita · 5★ · $$$$
Large spa and several pools in a contemporary build
Check availabilityW Punta de Mita occupies a beachfront position at Punta de Mita outside the gates, with a surf-led tone, a good beach club and a younger crowd.
Susurros del Corazón, Auberge Collection sits above the beach at Punta de Mita with villas, private pools and views across the bay.
Susurros del Corazón, Auberge Collection
Punta de Mita · 5★ · $$$$
Villas with private pools above the beach
Check availabilityMarival Armony Luxury Resort occupies a hillside position with suites, several pools and full facilities at a lower rate than the peninsula resorts.
Higuera Blanca and the open coast
North of the point, outside the bay.
One&Only Mandarina occupies 24 hectares of jungle-covered hillside above a beach north of Punta Mita, with treehouse-style casas among the canopy, a beach club below and a suspended walkway through the forest. It is the most striking resort on this coast.
One&Only Mandarina
Higuera Blanca · 5★ · $$$$
Treehouse casas in jungle canopy above a beach
Check availabilityNuevo Vallarta and the northern shore
The flat stretch with the marina and the large resorts.
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit-All Inclusive occupies a large beachfront site with all-suite accommodation, several restaurants and a full all-inclusive operation at a genuinely high standard.
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit-All Inclusive
Nuevo Vallarta · 5★ · $$$$
All-suite all-inclusive at a genuinely high standard
Check availabilityPuerto Vallarta
The town, the Malecón and the southern shore.
Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta Adults Only sits on a hillside south of the town with adults-only suites, an infinity pool over the bay and a serious restaurant.
Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta Adults Only
South of Puerto Vallarta · 5★ · $$$
Adults-only with an infinity pool over the bay
Check availabilityGarza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta occupies a preserve on the southern shore with several pools, a beach and a large protected hillside behind it.
Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta
Southern shore, Vallarta · 5★ · $$$
A protected hillside preserve behind the beach
Check availabilityCasa Velas Adults Only All Inclusive sits in the Marina Vallarta area with an all-inclusive operation, gardens and a quieter position than the main strip.
Casa Velas Adults Only All Inclusive
Marina Vallarta · 5★ · $$$
Adults-only gardens away from the main strip
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The villa rentals inside the Punta Mita gates are excluded, and for groups they are how a great deal of that peninsula is actually occupied. They are houses rather than hotels.
What to do
Go whale watching between December and March, with an operator that keeps the required distance. The bay is a calving ground and the encounters are close.
Take a boat to Yelapa or Las Ánimas on the southern shore, which have no road access, for a beach and a fish lunch.
Surf or learn to at Sayulita, and go to San Pancho for the quieter version of the same coast.
Walk the Puerto Vallarta Malecón in the evening for the sculptures and the street performers, and eat in the Zona Romántica, which has the best restaurants in the region.
Visit the Marietas Islands, a protected archipelago with the hidden beach inside a collapsed crater. Access is capped and requires a permitted operator, and the caps are enforced.
Practical notes
Puerto Vallarta airport sits between the town and Nuevo Vallarta, 40 minutes from Punta Mita, with heavy North American traffic.
November to April is the dry season and peak, and it is also whale season. May and June are hot and quiet. July to October is the rainy season with afternoon storms and hurricane risk, at much lower rates.
The state line between Jalisco and Nayarit means a one-hour time difference at some points in the year; check which zone your hotel uses.
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Questions people actually ask
Is Punta Mita worth the gates?
For golf, private beaches and quiet, yes. If you want to walk out to a town, no.
When are the whales there?
December to March, in a bay they use for calving. They are visible from the shore as well as by boat.
Puerto Vallarta or Nayarit?
Vallarta for restaurants, galleries and a real town. Nayarit for beaches and resorts. Forty minutes apart.
How many nights?
Six. Four on the coast and two in the town.
If you only book one
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