I recently had the opportunity to stay at The St Regis Punta Mita Resort in November 2020 and I thought I would compile my experience into a comprehensive review. I hope you find this helpful and inspires you to visit the beautiful St Regis Punta Mita in Mexico! It really is a magical place. If you have any questions about the resort please leave a comment below.

I’ve had The St Regis Punta Mita on my list for quite some time after seeing Punta Mita trend for a bit on Instagram and then seeing Marriott Bonvoy advertise the property in emails, Instagram, etc. However, I didn’t really know much about the area so I never really made it a priority to visit.

Fast-forward to July of last year when I got an email from TravelZoo and The St Regis Punta Mita Resort was one of their featured deals! We had been discussing finding somewhere in Mexico to go for Thanksgiving so when this popped up in my email, I knew it was fate. We quickly purchased the 3-night deal and emailed the resort with our desired dates. Luckily they were able to accommodate us and within no time, we had the resort booked!

Another quick email to the concierge and we had transportation set up from the Puerto Vallarta Airport. The reservation and the concierge teams made the booking process so easy. That’s just a small glimpse of the St Regis hospitality we all know and love.

How to Get to The St Regis Punta Mita

The easiest way to get to The St Regis Punta Mita Resort is by flying into the Puerto Vallarta Airport. Coming from San Diego, we flew a direct flight on Alaska Airlines. From the airport you can either take a taxi, rent a car or have the resort pick you up.. 

The resort is about a 45 minute to an hour drive from the airport depending on traffic. The drive is so beautiful as you make your way out of the city and into the lush jungle with terrific views of the ocean at every turn.

Resort Overview

The Resort sits on a huge property development called Punta Mita, (now keep in mind, the actual name of the town is Punta de Mita), that they share with The Four Seasons Punta Mita, two Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses and a few small residential communities. It was nice seeing some of the residents whipping around in their golf carts after a round of golf or a day at the beach. We also saw a few of them pull up for dinner at the resort. I believe you have to be a member of some kind to do this.

We were also told that we too could rent a golf cart in town for the duration of our stay but we decided to hold off until next time as a taxi drive into town was only about 5 minutes and wasn’t much of a hassle. 

Guest Rooms

The St Regis Punta Mita Resort has a total of 120 guest rooms ranging from their base Deluxe Guest Room with a garden view to a three-bedroom Beach Front Villa with a whirlpool and plunge pool. There are many options between those two categories so you’re bound to find a room perfect for your stay.

I bought the TravelZoo voucher with the base Deluxe Guest Room with a garden view. Because of my gold status with Marriott Bonvoy, they graciously upgraded me to a Deluxe Guest Room with an ocean view.

The views from the balcony were stunning. Our room overlooked the Arecas adult only pool and just past that was the beautiful twinkling ocean. The sunsets were incredible to watch from the balcony each night.

Each room has a walk-in closet which I found to be a great touch as it was easy to keep all your belongings organized instead of stuffed in random corners. Every room also has a marble tub (located inside of the huge shower room) and an outdoor shower! 

I had read several reviews that the rooms were very outdated and needed a major overhaul. While I could see where these people were coming from, I thought the room was very charming. It was a good mix of Mexican decor and modern chic furnishings. Yes, the rooms could use a fresh coat of paint, the wood a fresh coat of stain and they should definitely get rid of the white pleather benches in the room. They were pretty ugly. However, I loved the Mexican tile on the ground, the big comfy chair, the luxurious wood outdoor furniture and the huge bathroom layout. I still definitely think it’s worth the price tag per night.

Pools

There are three pools guests can enjoy on property and the beach stretches the entire length of the resort with plenty of lounge chairs and hammocks. 

Las Marietas Family Pool

The family pool is located next to the Las Marietas Restaurant. The two-level pool is heated and they offer pool toys and floaties for the children. This pool is perfect for those traveling as a family with little ones. This pool was closed during our trip in November due to COVID.

Arecas Adult Pool

The adult pool was my favorite of the three pools. It was the quietest and had an upper level infinity pool that had amazing views of the ocean. There are also Cabanas available for rent with many special amenities. 

Sea Breeze Pool

The final pool is located next to the Sea Breeze Restaurant. The location to the restaurant and beach made it an ideal location. The infinity edge made for great views of the ocean as well. Since the family pool was closed during our stay, this is where the families with children came to hang out for the day.

Beach

In front of the Arecas Adult Pool is also the adult only section of the beach. We split our days between the pool and the beach soaking in the sunshine. The service at both the pool and beach was incredible. The cushioned lounge chairs were very comfy and staff went above and beyond to meet your every need. 

We never once had to flag someone down to get a refill. They really are on top of their game here and checked in with you pretty frequently which I appreciated. When we would first set up camp, we would get a bucket of waters and they never let that ice melt all the way. It was incredible that our waters never got warm.

The beach attendants would also come by time to time with different refreshments for you to try. Ranging from fresh cut fruit and Tajin to homemade mini popsicles. They were definitely welcomed mid-day treats.

Restaurants

During our stay at The St Regis Punta Mita, only three of the six restaurants were open. I completely understood since we visited during COVID so I can’t wait to go back and try the others!

Sea Breeze Restaurant & Bar

This is the only restaurant that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The breakfast here is top notch. They offer an a la carte menu or a breakfast buffet which includes an omelet station and a homemade quesadilla and taco bar. During COVID, the breakfast buffet was still open but only the servers could handle the serving utensils. A server walked you through the buffet and made your plate as you picked out items.

Lunch and dinner were equally as good in a more casual setting. They had dishes from all parts of the world ranging from ceviche to empanadas to pizza to Argentinean style steaks. Everything was executed perfectly although it was a bit pricey considering it’s their more casual restaurant on site. We particularly enjoyed sitting in the outdoor bar area where we had some of the best margaritas and were able to catch some of the football games on Sunday.

Carolina

Carolina is the resort’s fine-dining Mexican restaurant. In fact, this restaurant is the only AAA Five Diamond Award for dining experience in Punta de Mita. I was very bummed as we had planned to dine there Sunday night but when I called to make a reservation, they informed me they were closed on Sundays. I wish we would have known that at check-in as I would have changed our plans to eat there Saturday night instead. I guess just another reason to come back!

Mita Mary Boat Bar & Bistro

This was a fun little casual spot to grab some lunch or dinner. The bar is inside of a big boat and the tables are set up in the sand so going barefoot is a must! Their menu was simple with choices of fresh tacos, quesadillas and ceviche. My shrimp tacos were definitely tasty however, we left still hungry as portions are small. We ended up back at Sea Breeze for more food. This restaurant is first come first serve and as it is a very small restaurant on the beach, I would recommend getting there fairly early in the evening.

Las Marietas Restaurant & Bar

A casual Mexican restaurant located next to the family pool. They are open for lunch with a casual dress code. This is one of the restaurants that was closed during our stay.

Altamira Cantina Gourmet

This Mexican restaurant on property was also closed during our stay. From what I could tell, the resort was currently using the space as the lobby area since it’s open air. From the pictures online, the restaurant looks beautiful especially at sunset as you can see the ocean from almost every seat. Yet another reason to come back!

Avocado Vegan Bar

This vegetarian restaurant is the newest of the restaurants on property. I didn’t even see it set up when we were there in November. But according to the resort website, they serve organic and plant-based options daily from 12pm-5pm.

Remede Spa

Wow, the Remede Spa here at the St Regis Punta Mita is stunning. It really is a relaxation haven. The spa has 10 treatment rooms including 2 couples’ treatment rooms and even a luxury suite for those wanting ultimate seclusion. They also offer outdoor treatments that are shaded.

Other amenities include a Spa Dining menu, a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, cold plunge pools and relaxation gardens. There’s also a salon for manicures and pedicures. 

I visited the spa for a massage and found myself to be the only one there. I had the whole place to myself and it was so blissful. Their relaxation gardens and waiting room were my favorite part as you could lounge on a sun bed soaking in nature or relax in the covered area on one of the sofas with a cup of tea.

The therapists were all so nice and professional. They explained all the precautions they were taking during COVID and made sure you felt 100% safe during the treatment. My massage was wonderful and I think I may have even fallen asleep a couple of times.

Fitness Center

I did not actually get a workout in on this trip but after a quick peek inside, they have everything you need to get a quick but effective work out in. They had treadmills, Stairmasters, bikes, elliptical trainers and free weights. There’s also private yoga and Pilates lessons available by reservation.

If tennis is more your style, they have the Punta Mita Tennis Center which has 5 hard-surface courts and 5 sand-filled synthetic grass courts.

Golf

Punta Mita boasts 2 courses designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus. Both Bahia and Pacifico Golf Course have made the list for the Best Golf Courses in Mexico awarded by Golf Digest in 2019. Pacifico Golf Course is best known for its island green called “The Tale of the Whale.” This green is the world’s only natural ocean island green.

Other amenities include the clubhouse, golf shop, restaurant, driving range and putting green. They also offer lessons as well as a golf program for juniors.

La Tortuga Children’s Club

The St Regis Punta Mita also has a children’s club on property. Reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance and they have all kinds of activities planned for the little ones. This includes treasure hunts, arts and crafts, board games and they even have a children’s spa. I can remember the days my brother and I spent at hotel children’s clubs. I wish one we stayed at had a children’s spa!

Other Resort Activities

In addition to lounging by the pool and beach and eating all the tasty food, the resort offers some other activities that might spark your interest. They have cooking classes, yoga, a baby turtle release program and SUP paddle boards and surf boards available for rent. There’s actually a good surf break out front of the resort so my boyfriend rented a surf board and caught a few waves!

St Regis Punta Mita Tips

• Bring water shoes! The beach is pretty rocky so save your feet and bring some if you plan on going in the ocean or walking on the beach.
• Don’t forget your bug spray. Punta Mita is technically jungle, so there are quite a bit of mosquitos at night.
• You don’t have to pack a ton of sunscreen to beat the prices of buying it onsite. The resort has sunscreen stations at all three pools for your own use!
• Bring cash for tipping! They do have an ATM in the lobby area if needed. We had zero issues tipping in both dollars and pesos.

Price

Marriott Bonvoy Points

The St Regis Punta Mita is a category 8 resort and the redemption rates are as follows:

• Off-Peak 63,000 points a night
• Standard 85,000 points a night
• Peak 100,000 points a night

Generally, in this part of Mexico, peak season is in spring and fall (after September) with the slowest time being summer when it is usually very hot and humid.

Cash Price

I’ve seen basic level rooms start at about the mid-$500’s range a night although this number has been known to sky rocket depending on the season, occupancy rate, etc. When I was booking our trip for November, I saw at one point the price per night got all the way up to the high $700’s and then as people started cancelling due to COVID, the rate lowered.

I would suggest trying a few dates you have in mind and see what works best for you price-wise. Even after booking, I still check prices for the dates of my stay, if I see it has lowered significantly I usually rebook at that price. This trick does not work if you booked a pre-paid reservation. I find it highly useful to book a flexible rate so you have more wiggle room.

Everything about The St Regis Punta Mita is executed perfectly. It is luxurious without being over the top and in your face. The staff is incredible and they somehow know what you need before you even do. No request is too little or too big and everyone seems to genuinely enjoy working there. The vibe is amazing here and I can’t wait to start planning our next trip back!

Related Posts

• Traveling to Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita During the Pandemic
• Where We Ate in Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita
• Traveling to Cabo San Lucas During the Pandemic

Have you been to The St Regis Punta Mita Resort? What was your experience like? If you haven’t been, has this review inspired you to do so? Let me know in the comments below!

Thank you for hanging out!

A Review of The St Regis Punta Mita Resort

The post The St Regis Punta Mita Resort Review appeared first on A Blonde's Eye View.

I recently wrote a blog post about my experience traveling to Cabo San Lucas during COVID-19 in both July and September. I included my experiences on flights, airports, snippets from the resort we stayed at and shared a bit of the downtown experience. I thought it would be interesting to compare my Cabo experience with my most recent trip traveling to Puerto Vallarta in November for Thanksgiving. Can you guess which destination I felt safest regarding COVID-19? Spoiler alert, it’s not the one you would think. 

Alaska Airlines San Diego to Puerto Vallarta

Like I mentioned in my Cabo San Lucas post, Alaska Airlines is my favorite domestic airline. Obviously I’m biased since I live on the west coast and Alaska Airlines is readily available for most of my needs especially when it comes to traveling to Mexico. They have it covered! From San Diego, the flight is about 2 hours and 45 minutes. It’s an easy peasy flight so it doesn’t necessarily make too much of a difference if you’re sitting in the main cabin, premium or first class due to how short the flight is. 

I booked my boyfriend and I a main class ticket for this trip. I’m currently MVP Gold 75K with Alaska Airlines so I knew my chances of getting an upgrade were pretty high. They are so good at upgrading their elite members. It’s very rare that I don’t get any kind of upgrade. After booking, I was upgraded to premium class right away. However, we didn’t get the upgrade to first class until we were literally about to board our flight. Even though it was nerve racking because I knew there were available seats, Alaska Airlines came through once again!

Because of such a short notice on the upgrade, they didn’t have enough breakfast meals loaded on the plane to give us one which we were totally ok with. From what I could tell, it looked like some kind of omelet however, I don’t believe it was served hot so I definitely wasn’t mad about missing out on it.

When snacks came around I was ecstatic to find it was their cheese plate which is hands down my favorite snack they offer in first class! On our way to Cabo, they just gave out Mediterranean tapas boxes which were just meh. Like the Cabo flight, all alcohol was in single serve bottles for first class and premium class. Beer and wine were the only options for this. No mixed drinks. Alcohol was also not for sale in the main cabin.

Puerto Vallarta Airport Arrival

After a quick flight, we landed in beautiful Puerto Vallarta! We deplaned and like Cabo, we were all shoved into a bus to take us to the terminal. Not exactly COVID friendly but everyone was respectable and kept their masks on. If you read my Cabo San Lucas blog post, you would have read about the chaos that ensued when health forms to nowhere were passed out as we walked down the stairs to the bus. I’m happy to report that this did not happen at the Puerto Vallarta airport. There was no health declaration passed out upon arrival.

Once in immigration, we quickly noticed how packed it was. There must have been a couple other flights that had just gotten in before us so there was quite a long line. There were social distancing stickers on the ground but, and I’m not sure if this related to COVID-fatigue or not, people were not paying attention to these stickers. Everyone was crammed in this small room and while we kept our distance from the people in front of us, I can’t say the same for the people behind us. 

As you wind your way through immigration, there is a temperature check with a big screen showing your body temperature as you walk by. The man standing by the screen wasn’t really paying attention so I’m not sure if there was someone with an elevated temperature walking though that he would even notice. There was no beeping to signify a difference and he never once pulled someone aside for further testing. I for sure thought out of all these people in that room that someone would need to be pulled aside for additional testing.

The line actually moved pretty quickly so once our passports were stamped, we were quickly on our way to baggage claim. Once bags were collected, we quickly made our way through the timeshare hallway of doom trying our best to avoid eye contact with anyone and everyone. I quite admire these timeshare agents’ tactics to get you to their desk. They’re ruthless!

Airport Transfer to The St Regis Punta Mita Resort

While in Puerto Vallarta, we stayed at two resorts with the first being The St Regis Punta Mita. We arranged private transfer through their concierge. We easily spotted the driver as he was in the exact spot the hotel said he would be waiting which is always a great way to start a trip. Stress-free!

As we always do in Mexico, we had the driver pull over for some road beers as the drive to The St Regis Punta Mita is almost an hour. We of course asked if he was comfortable with us removing our masks during the car ride and he had no objection. He kept his on the whole duration. We stopped at a small Corona store right outside of the airport and ran in for some beers. We were startled to find that we were the only ones in the store wearing a mask. Not the cashiers, not the shoppers, no one! I guess that should have been my first sign.

Hotel Arrival St Regis Punta Mita

The drive to The St Regis Punta Mita is beautiful. The landscape change from the city to the jungle is so different than the desert views in Cabo San Lucas. I was in awe. As we pulled up to the resort, we put our masks back on and started the check-in process. They put all of our luggage off to the side and sanitized the outside of it while we were directed toward some mats on the ground that disinfect your shoes as you walk over them.

Our temperature was also taken as well as a squirt of hand sanitizer. Once we were sterilized, we were offered a delicious complimentary margarita and the check-in process officially began. I will be writing a more in-depth review of The St Regis so stay tuned!

Hotel Arrival Grand Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta

The second resort we stayed at was the Grand Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta. Our arrival was pretty similar to our arrival at The St Regis when it came to COVID precautions. We walked on the sanitation mats, temperature check, used the hand sanitizer provided and we were whisked away to a special check-in area since my mom is a timeshare owner. A complimentary margarita was also given! I think this should be mandatory for hotels when checking in. It just makes the process so much more enjoyable.

Room St Regis Punta Mita

Upon entering our room, we immediately noticed a small zip bag sitting on the table that included two masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. The best part is that these are replenished daily if you decide to use them! Housekeeping here is optional. If you want housekeeping, you schedule it with the front desk at check-in. Just give them a preferred time and they will schedule it for you for the rest of your stay!

Room Grand Fiesta Americana

Housekeeping came as usual at the Grand Fiesta American Puerto Vallarta. There was no need to schedule but I’m sure if you wanted to opt out you could definitely arrange that and just call down when you need fresh towels, etc.

Restaurants St Regis Punta Mita

Restaurants were operating about the same as we were used to in California (at least at that time). You could sit either inside or outside, tables spaced out and masks worn until you’re seated. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the breakfast buffet was open in the mornings! The only difference was that you waited until one of the waitstaff was available and they walk you through the buffet and you just let them know what you would like! This way, they were the only ones touching serving utensils, etc.

Restaurants Grand Fiesta Americana

I wish I could say the same about the Grand Fiesta Americana as I did about the St Regis but restaurants were definitely ran a little more relaxed here. You could sit inside or outside, masks worn until seated however, tables were not spaced out much. This hotel definitely had a higher occupancy and the hotel didn’t hide that they wanted to accommodate everyone they could.

Their breakfast buffet was also open which was nice. Their approach was you stood back at a safe distance and kind of yelled at the person at each station what you wanted as you held your plate out. It was pretty comical yelling at each other from a distance with masks on. It made for some funny miscommunications but still safer than everyone handling the same serving utensils I would think.

Pools St Regis Punta Mita

The St Regis has three pools. Out of the three only two had service. The only one that didn’t have service was the family pool which caused people with kids to migrate over toward the pool located by the main restaurant. The pool closest to the lobby was an adult only pool which is where we spent most of our time as well as the beach where there was also plenty of service.

Pools Grand Fiesta Americana

There are also three pools at this property all located right next to each other. The first pool was what I would call the “party pool.” There were so many people crammed into this pool, drinks flowing, loud fist pumping music with many games and competitions throughout the day. This pool was definitely a breeding ground for COVID. We stayed far away from this pool and alternatively spent our days lounging on the beach on the opposite end of the COVID infested pool water.

Spa and Gym St Regis Punta Mita

I will admit that I did not make it to the gym this trip but it was open for guests as long as a reservation was made in advance. Masks are required while working out. It’s a smaller gym but there’s enough to get in a good quick workout to help balance out the delicious margaritas and food!

The Remede Spa at the St Regis Punta Mita is stunning. You thought lounging by the pool and beach here was relaxing? Just wait until you spend just a few minutes in the spa’s gardens and waiting room. I’m not sure if they are spacing treatments out to be COVID safe but I only saw one other guest the whole time I was at the spa and she was on her way out as I was on my way in. There were outdoor showers available and the jacuzzi and cold plunge were open for use as well.

The therapists wore masks at all times and they give you a few options to make sure you are comfortable. My therapist asked if I preferred if she wore gloves or not and left it up to me if I wanted to wear my mask the whole time or keep it off during the massage. I really appreciated them giving options as it can be tailored to anyone’s personal preference. I personally opted for her to not wear gloves and I did not wear my mask during my massage. 

Spa and Gym Grand Fiesta Americana

Again, I did not make it to the gym while here (shocker), but from what I saw by taking a quick peek inside, it had the essentials. Enough to get a quick and efficient workout in. I didn’t see anything about making an appointment, but I never saw many people in it whenever I walked by.

I also didn’t get a spa treatment during our stay at The Grand Fiesta Americana so I can’t really speak on what precautions they are taking. However, I imagine it is similar to the precautions resorts in Cabo and Punta Mita are taking.

Downtown Punta de Mita

Downtown Punta De Mita is so quaint and cute! We went into town on a Saturday night for dinner at DeMita and the streets weren’t very busy. The restaurant filled up pretty fast but once you step outside, it was dead. Many people, depending on where you’re staying, rent golf carts and cruise into town for meals and shops. However, taxis are readily available.

Downtown Puerto Vallarta

Downtown Puerto Vallarta is a whole different story than our trips to Cabo and Punta Mita. Downtown PV was a free for all. The streets were packed, restaurants were packed and bars were overflowing with people. I would have to say it was a 50/50 chance someone was wearing a mask or not. PV was definitely more relaxed on the restrictions. We even found out bars and clubs were allowed to stay open until 4am!! Quite the difference to our 10pm closures in California.

Luckily the two restaurants we chose for dinner in downtown Puerto Vallarta were adhering to COIVD dining guidelines and tables were spaced out, masks worn and hand sanitizer at your disposal. Our dinners at both The Iguana Restaurant and Café Des Artistes were incredible and I highly recommend both of them for different reasons. I will get a blog post up about the restaurants we ate at on this trip to go more into detail. I honestly had no idea Puerto Vallarta had such a good food scene! 

Puerto Vallarta Airport

The Puerto Vallarta airport is a bit bigger than the Cabo San Lucas airport and they seemed a little more technologically advanced. Checking in our bags at the Alaska Airlines counter was the first time we had been approached about health check forms. The nice part about their health declarations is that it could all be done online after scanning a QR code. Only one person in your party had to fill out the form for everyone. This saved some headache of four of us trying to scramble with using cellular data and filling out forms. 

The TSA lines were pretty long and once again we found ourselves in a room where no one was social distancing. However, masks were being worn. I think this took a bit longer because agents had to check your online health form submission. There were quite a few people that didn’t know about it and had to leave the line to fill it out.

Once we were through, we found there were quite a few spots for food. Right after TSA, there’s a small food court with different cuisines available. Tables were spaced out and masks were being worn. We were looking for a more sit-down style restaurant so we kept exploring the terminal. Surpisingly, the only sit-down restaurant we could find was good ol’ Bubba Gumps. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised as Cabo’s airport only had one sit down restaurant as well. We didn’t even attempt the airport lounge as they aren’t quite as useful during the times of COVID. Service and food is severely limited. 

As I concluded with my Cabo blog post, did I feel safe in Punta Mita? 100% yes. Did I feel safe in Puerto Vallarta when it comes to COVID precautions? 100% no. Haha. Punta Mita is much smaller and I felt they did a great job with following COVID guidelines. Puerto Vallarta on the other hand is much bigger and I definitely felt like it was more of a free for all there. Life looked pretty much back to normal downtown. 

In terms of COVID safety precautions I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Cabo San Lucas and Punta Mita as travel destinations during this pandemic. Although all three destinations can be as secluded as you want them to be, I felt Cabo and Punta Mita’s safety was more effortless if that makes sense. I didn’t really have a moment where I thought, “Wow this is sketchy.” Where in Puerto Vallarta I had quite a few of those thoughts. My guess is that this is because Cabo San Lucas and Punta Mita are more secluded than Puerto Vallarta.

With more accessibility comes more people and then it just kind of all unravels from there. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Puerto Vallarta and I would love to go back and explore more of the beaches and food scene, but I think I’ll be waiting until everything settles down before I head there again. As for Cabo and Punta Mita? I would go back tomorrow if I could.

Have you been to Punta de Mita or Puerto Vallarta during the pandemic? What were your thoughts?

Related Posts

• Hotel Review: The St Regis Punta Mita Resort
• Where We Ate in Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita
• Traveling to Cabo San Lucas During the Pandemic

Traveling to Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita Mexico

The post Traveling to Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita During the Pandemic appeared first on A Blonde's Eye View.