Punta de Mita is a locale made up of two Mexican villages, referred to as Punta de Mita, and is also home to the luxury resort of Punta Mita™. These all sit out on the peninsula at the edge of Banderas Bay, a few miles from the Marietas Islands.
Punta de Mita has a tropical wet and dry climate, and maybe 1000 full time Mexican residents. The two Mexican villages are separated from each other by the river, and the villages are separated from Punta Mita by a large wall.
Punta Mita is a 1,500-acre (6.1 km2) private peninsula that is home to the Four Seasons Punta Mita, St. Regis Punta Mita, and various communities of housing. Punta Mita is located on the north end of Banderas Bay in the Mexican state of Nayarit, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) north of the airport in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. There is evidence of a prehistoric human settlement in Nayarit. On the Punta Mita peninsula, a hilltop archaeological site known as Careyeros Hill has been dated to around 800 AD. Punta Mita is one of the most exclusive resort communities in Mexico.
Punta de Mita is a favorite destination for surfers, as several surfable waves are located within walking distance of the town. Punta Mita has been made famous by the Kardashians, and is owned by the billionaire Bill Gates.
Punta de Mita Town Vibe and Culture
Because Punta de Mita is both high end private resort and traditional Mexican villages, the town Vibe and Culture is a bit schizophrenic. The resort side of town is filled with the extremely rich, and serviced by the locals who live on the outside of the wall. But these rich folks often venture into the poorer side of town for surfing, shopping and gaining access to the myriad of non-resort restaurants and bars.
The less rich (notice I did not say poor, because the cost of living in Punta de Mita, even in the villages, is at least 50% higher than the rest of the Riviera Nayarit) live or vacation outside of the wall. Yes, the wall is so well known that the Four Seasons is affectionately called the Fort Seasons by the locals!
There are many multi-million dollar houses along the beach for rent outside the wall. It is a great way to say you were in Punta Mita while saving a few thousand dollars a day. If you want to experience authentic Mexico, you will stay in one of the villages.
Beach(es)
The beaches within the Punta Mita area are kept spotless by the resorts. You will not be bothered there too much by beach vendors either, as access to these beaches is somewhat limited.
The beaches on the free side of town, in Punta de Mita are a different story, but suffice it to say, if you are a surfer, Punta de Mita is probably the town where you want to be staying, as there are several surfable breaks within walking distance of the town.
Playa Punta de Mita
Playa Punta de Mita is outside the wall, and available to all. It officially begins in front of what I call restaurant row, is separated by the local marina, and then continues on to the south from of the condos.
There is little to no beach in front of the restaurants, and what is there is usually rocky. But the waters are calm as they are blocked in by both the main marina in town and a jetty to the north where the boats that take you out to the Marieta Islands sit. This area has a rocky bottom as well, but kids love to swim there, and search for coral. This is also where the stand up surf board riders cruise around.
On the other side of the marina is the larger section of beach, which is a bit wider and has mostly smooth sand. Just past the southern jetty separating the marina from the beach, you have an area called “stinkies” because it is where the sewer used to run into the ocean before they built the sewage treatment facility. It no longer stinks though.
This is another area for surfers, as the marina jetty causes waves to roll higher and faster than farther south along the beach. You can rent surf and boogie boards here, and there are palapa seafood restaurants and tables with umbrellas to rent as well.
If you are not staying in Punta de Mita, and take only one trip to another town, then hop on the ATM bus from wherever you are south of Punta de Mita. Ride it up to the roundabout by the Oxxo in Punta de Mita, then walk down the hill to restaurant row, enjoy some fine seafood, and spend the day at this lovely beach.
If you are there when the tide is going out, you can walk down the beach all the way to La Lancha (described in Other Beaches section below), passing multi-million dollar homes, each with their own “private” beach along the way.
Playa El Faro
Just to the north past the restaurants is Play El Faro. This is another surf beach, but be careful, the bottom close in gets rocky. You need to walk up the beach to get here, or take a boat from the marina, as land access to this beach is from behind the wall in Punta Mita.