Villa La Estancia Woos Guests With Their Mega-Luxe Bath

January 19, 2009 at 2:31 PM | by shiralevine | Comments (2)

All this week, Shira Levine will be filling us in on the emerging hot spot in Mexico--Riviera Nayarit. Any questions or suggestions? Let us know.

There's a version of gentrification storming the tropical tourism world. In urban metropolis' you know things are a changing when an artsy bookstore and a health food store run by hippies opens up in the ghetto.

Just a few years ago, a previously undeveloped place like Riviera Nayarit was a lovely stretch of 20 some Pacific Coast villages in Mexico and considered a secret surfer's haven with Rasta dudes and beach hippies. Now another $350 million has been invested into 35 projects on top of the initial $1.5 billion dedicated to infrastructure just two years ago. So yeah, the chic yoga studio is a given, as is the soy Frappuccino.

Expect something close to another 4,000 rooms within 20 new developments by 2011. It's amazing what adding the word "Riviera" does tourism wise for a place. The area of note begins just outside of Puerto Vallarta and works its way north about three hours along the Bay of Banderas.

So here's where we say it: Watch out Cabo San Lucas and Riviera Maya, there's a new set of tan gams in town and they belong to the state of Nayarit.

Some beaches in Riviera Nayarit are immaculately manicured with high-end foliage and furniture designed to compliment the Caribbean's azure waters. Others retain their rustic charm with palm accoutrement littering beaches and rocky coves. The Sierra Madres are always the other view in the distance.

And already some fairly notable bodies have been spotted sunning fifteen miles north along Riviera Nayarit's coastline--particularly in the little villages of Sayulita and Punta Mita. Jennifer Aniston, Britney Spears and Will Smith have all vacationed here at one time or another.

A road trip is a great way to experience a few of the 20 or so villages between Nuevo Vallarta and San Blas. When the El Capomo airport finishes its construction (sometime in the next two years), the ideal way to drive the coast is to begin with the quaint, lower-key, more family-owned San Blas haunts and end with the posh packagey Nuevo Vallarta.

In between is Punta Mita, a gated enclave for the bourgeoisie and then Sayulita and San Pancho, fishing villages attracting ex-pats and those vying for the boho chic.

Just 15 minutes north of the Puerto Vallarta airport, Nuevo Vallarta is ideal for families and honeymooners who want it all taken care of for them. There are also several fancyshmancy all-inclusive and a la carte resorts for the poshest of the posh.

And since Riviera Nayarit hotels are amping up their services to competing with established Mexican hot spots like Riviera Maya and Cabo San Lucas, chances are your every wish will be fulfilled. Possibly some you didn't even wish for.

Photo: NurseAnna08]

The personal concierge service at Villa La Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico is insane. I returned to my one-bedroom suite after a late dinner and a Bvlgari bubble bath was awaiting my tired body. The tub was filled to the brim with scented bubbles and topped with the most ridiculously ornate design of flower petals. Also exceptionally cool were these little dials that heat up the water without adding water. The bath never goes cold!

My only criticisms are that the jet button looked like the button to drain the tub. So I only discovered the magic of water massage late in the game of my first bath. (Once my personal concierge heard how much I loved the bath she made sure it was ready every time I came in each evening.) Also, those Bvlgari products are likely licensed out by some other company. The bath products were like butter on the bod, but the conditioner was bupkis.

Shira visited Riviera Nayarit courtesy of the Riviera Nayarit CVB and the Mexico Tourism Board.

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