Coast into Costalegre – Mexico’s Most Exclusive Oasis

Everybody loves Puerto Vallarta—for its nightlife, its beaches, the food, the people. PV has been an LGBTQ+ oasis for decades, not unlike Los Angeles or New York. But sometimes you want to escape to a more exclusive oasis—and that’s when you head to Costalegre, the coastal region between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.

Costalegre is like the Hamptons of Jalisco. Notable for its cerulean beaches and bays, and numerous private villas and luxury resorts, it’s the sort of destination where certain celebrities and luminaries can relax beneath a palapa without intrusion from paparazzi.

Costalegre is where you find yourself at polo practice at Careyes Polo Club on Saturday morning, and then off to lunch at Playa Rosa Beach Club where you run into an editor you know from the States, as well as a handful of European expats and a well-known American novelist, all swilling mezcal margaritas with a mound of guacamole that resembles a close encounter of the third kind.

In the evening, there might be an art opening at the Careyes Art Space, which is located on Plaza de los Caballeros del Sol, or a private screening at a jewel box theatre that recalls Cinema Paradiso. Later, you might consider volunteering at the Sea Turtle Protection & Conservation Center, where thousands of sea turtles nest along Playa Teopa.

There’s also Ondalinda, a celebrated tribal gathering which evokes Burning Man or Coachella for its ability to attract hundreds of global nomads to the beaches of Costalegre for a multi-day festival marked by music, art, and consciousness. The word ondalinda means “beautiful wave,” which is both a metaphor and a testament to the eco-sensibility of Costalegre residents who work together to protect the natural environment and preserve Mexican heritage.

In all honesty, I knew nothing about Costalegre until my friend mentioned she’d been traveling there on behalf of a client: five trips in the past year. And there was another friend who’d recently relocated from Los Angeles to Careyes, and another who was leaving PV for Costalegre. There were also two friends of friends who traveled there regularly from Connecticut. Suddenly, it seemed like I was the last to know.

That’s not unusual. For one thing, Costalegre values its privacy. It’s one reason many people consider Costalegre to be Mexico’s undiscovered treasure. Those who do find their way there are often the more intrepid travelers. The drive from PV to Costalegre takes about three hours on Mexico’s federal highway known as Carretera Pacifico. But there’s also the jungle, a dense tropical nature reserve that separates Costalegre’s pristine beaches from the two-lane paved highway. Of course, there are heliports and private airstrips for private aircraft—and the new Chalacatepec International Airport is scheduled to open in the near future. For now, those who wish to visit Costalegre fly into PV or Manzanillo where, invariably, a driver awaits to take them to the resort or villa of their choice.

Located within the Mexican state of Jalisco (aka Land of Tequila), Costalegre is loosely defined as the 150-mile stretch of Pacific coastal beaches between PV and Manzanillo. The term Costalegre, which means “happy coast’ or “coast of joy,” has been employed since the 1990s when the state government of Jalisco began promoting the destination for tourism—but the origins of Costalegre’s global appeal can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s with the arrival of European expatriates such as Sir James Goldsmith and Gian Franco Brignone.

Sol de Oriente at Careyes

Dinner at Villa at Four Seasons Tamarindo

Four Seasons Tamarindo infinity pools

Hammocks along Playa las Rosadas at Las Rosadas

Both Goldsmith and Brignone purchased thousands of coastal acres to build private estates, which have now become luxury eco-resorts known respectively as Cuixmala and Careyes. Situated across a series of dramatic cliffs and secluded bays, Careyes includes more than eight miles of private beaches, 46 villas, 40 casitas, as well as two ocean castles and the oceanfront El Careyes Club & Residences with five infinity pools.

In late 2022, Four Seasons Tamarindo opened in nearby Tamarindo with a spectacular low-density cliffside enclave that maximizes the dramatic setting with panoramic water views from 157 cliffside and beachfront accommodations located on more than 2,000 acres of protected eco-reserve. More than 98% of the property remains undeveloped and protected as a nature reserve. As well, the resort includes its own 35-acre organic farm, Rancho Ortega, alongside numerous fields of agave glistening silver in the sun.

At the resort’s Discovery Centre, ornithologists and conservationists are on site for ethnobotanical walks during which guests encounter various indigenous species—though, fortunately, I didn’t glimpse a single scorpion. As for grasshoppers and maguey worms (aka edible caterpillars), they’re served atop guacamole and lobster tacos at the resort’s taqueria known as Nacho. If you’re anxious about eating insects, just close your eyes; they’re as crispy as chips—and twice as nutritious.

The resort’s various restaurants include Coyul, which is helmed by Elena Reygadas who was designated World’s Best Female Chef 2023 by the judges of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Framed by infinity pools, the dining room overlooks the Pacific ocean and the menu reflects the ocean’s bounty and its impact on regional Mexican cuisine with various varieties of ceviche, aquachile, and seafood carpaccio.

As for the breakfast buffet at Coyul, let me remind you that Reygadas is the owner of the acclaimed Rosetta in Mexico City, where her bakery La Panadería de Rosetta offers no less than fifty unique sweet and savory baked goods. Dock it there, sailor—and linger long over estate reserve Mexican coffee.

Located just down the coast and overlooking the islands of Bahia de Chamela, the 387-acre Las Rosadas was originally a family compound for a California couple. Intoxicated by the region’s beauty, the couple traveled regularly to Las Rosadas where they raised their children in a beachfront bungalow. The bungalow remains, a reminder of the couple’s first romance with the region—albeit now transformed into a one-bedroom barefoot luxury lodge known as Casita Las Palmas. Perfect for guests who yearn to sleep with the ocean lapping at their feet.

Secluded and romantic, Las Rosadas is a clandestine retreat for those who value privacy over publicity. It’s where you go when you need only the sounds of nature. Chachalaca birdsong in the morning, the ocean at night, and a staff who anticipates your needs with hardly a word exchanged. The expansive estate is crowned by the three-acre Paloma Blanca, a six-bedroom modern villa with infinity pool and fire pit overlooking the Pacific, as well as four Ocean Club Casitas, each of which is a masterpiece of contemporary Mexican design and architecture. Regardless of which accommodation you choose, complete privacy is all but guaranteed. 

Situated at the edge of a palm grove, Playa Las Rosadas is one of those pristine beaches that fuels fantasies of tropical escape. Sugar sand, cerulean water, palapas—it’s all there, along with tequila and mezcal at the palm thatch palapa bar and grill known as Bar Mono. For dinner along the beach, there’s La Terraza, a charming garden restaurant with wood-fired oven and grill. In keeping with the region’s prevalent eco-conscious ethos, Las Rosadas honors the environment with its low-density development and the maintenance of an extensive nature preserve, much of which is accessible via the property’s Polaris fleet.

According to Luis Villaseñor, Director General of Puerto Vallarta, and Fernanda Landa, Director of PR for Guadalajara, the state of Jalisco has become the most progressive state in Mexico. “Guadalajara is like the Brooklyn of Mexico for its visionary vibe,” says Landa. “And also, the Silicon Valley of Mexico,” agrees Villaseñor. Thanks to education and outreach, Jalisco has become a beacon of progressivism for much of the rest of Mexico. Consequently, the entire state of Jalisco is extremely welcoming to LGBTQ+ visitors from around the world. In a world where so many LGBTQ+ people are unwelcome in too many places, it’s a comfort to bask in Costalegre.

There’s a sense of wonder that accompanies most people who find themselves in Costalegre, as if they have discovered the correct portal into a different consciousness, where natural beauty is celebrated and protected. Those who climb to the top of La Copa del Sol at Careyes or the lighthouse at Xala are rewarded with panoramic vistas of the region’s breathtaking beauty—and a reminder of Costalegre’s enduring empyrean appeal.