Casa de Mita

Eight Rooms on a Beach at the End of the Point

Punta de Mita is the headland that closes Banderas Bay to the north, and Playa Careyeros is one of the quieter beaches along it, a long pale curve with very few footprints on it. Casa de Mita is a villa rather than a resort: six rooms and two suites, all of them facing the Pacific, most with a balcony over it. Inside, the house is furnished in hand carved wood and hand painted talavera drawn from several Mexican craft regions, and the showers are open, tiled in natural stone mosaic. Eight keys is the whole of it, and the beach does the rest.

Why It Works

We chose it for a combination that almost never occurs: all inclusive, adults only, and a dog allowed. All inclusive here means a kitchen cooking for eight rooms rather than for a buffet hall, working with local produce and the day’s catch, which is a different proposition from the usual meaning of the phrase. Adults only means the pool stays quiet. And the pet policy turns a beach house into somewhere a couple can actually bring an animal for a week without negotiating every meal.

Why This Location

Playa Careyeros faces west, so the sunsets land in front of the house, and the water on this side of the point is calmer than the open Pacific beaches further north. Puerto Vallarta is the arrival airport and the house arranges the transfer, which spares an animal the taxi rank. The village of Punta de Mita, with its fishing pangas, its taco stands and the boats out to the Marietas Islands, is the local centre; the golf on the point and the Sierra behind account for most of the rest. Sayulita and San Pancho are up the coast for a day out.

Fast Facts

• Price: Luxury

• Vibe: Barefoot villa, adults only, Pacific facing, unhurried

• Rooms: eight in all, six rooms and two suites, ocean view or ocean front, with a junior penthouse and an owner penthouse at the top

• Best For: couples with a dog, long slow beach weeks, honeymooners

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the heated saltwater pool, set between the house and the sand

• Dining: all inclusive and served oceanside, Mexican, contemporary and international cooking from organic local produce and fresh caught seafood, drinks included

• Amenities: private beach, heated saltwater pool, spa treatments and yoga therapy, fitness, water sports, tennis and riding arranged, VIP transfer from Puerto Vallarta, free private parking, pets allowed

• Attractions: Playa Careyeros, the village of Punta de Mita, the Marietas Islands, the golf on the point, Sayulita and San Pancho

The Rooms, and the Two at the Top

Six guest rooms and two suites, sold as deluxe ocean view on the lower and upper levels, deluxe ocean front, a junior penthouse and an owner penthouse. The two penthouses are the reason to book early: they take the top of the house and, with it, the whole width of the water. Every room faces the sea and the balconies are private rather than shared, which is the detail that counts when a dog is asleep on one of them.

The Table and the Spa

Meals are included and cooked to order rather than laid out: Mexican, contemporary and international dishes built on organic local produce and seafood landed that morning, served by the water, with dietary requirements taken seriously in a kitchen this small. The spa list runs from four hands and hot stone massage through shiatsu, therapeutic and relaxing work, to body treatments, facials and yoga therapy. There is a fitness room, and diving, fishing and water sports are arranged off the beach.

Travelling Here With a Dog

Pets are accepted, and the shape of the place suits them: a private beach rather than a public one, a villa of eight rooms rather than a tower, private balconies, and parking free and on site. The transfer from Puerto Vallarta is arranged by the house, which is the leg of the journey that usually goes wrong with an animal. Children are not accepted, so a dog has the pool terrace largely to itself in the afternoon. Confirm size and numbers when booking.