The Punta Mita Resort: The Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort / The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort

Travelogue

About an hour north of lively Puerto Vallarta lies the Riviera Nayarit, a 200-mile stretch of rugged, white-sand coastland that’s home to some of Mexico’s most diverse and beautiful destinations. The Punta Mita Resort, home to both a Four Seasons and a St. Regis, is situated within a 400-acre nature preserve on a private peninsula overlooking Bahía de Banderas, in an area that feels lush and tropical without feeling claustrophobic. The golf, all 37 holes, traverses the area, with numerous lakes and bunkers flanking what are regarded as some of Jack Nicklaus’s most dramatic green complexes. The resort’s original course, Pacifico, is an 18-hole sprawler with stunning views and eight oceanside holes. The newer Bahia course is a fun, slightly more playable design with views of Banderas Bay. The showstopper though, and the reason the two-course complex has 37 holes, is the extra hole named “Hole 3B,” the only au natural island green anywhere on earth. You can sometimes walk to it during low tide, or otherwise take an amphibious golf cart when the tide is up. Nicklaus Companies and GOLF.com are affiliates of 8AM Golf.