TO DO
THE TRIP
At Mandarina, Mexico’s lowestdensity resort, blending in with and experiencing nature is the true luxury. BY SA M A N T H A B R O O K S
T
here’s something to be said for ease, accessibility, and abundance of Los Cabos’s resorts, but in roughly the same amount of time it takes to land in the deserts of Baja, you can be in the lush jungles of Riviera Nayarit. About an hour north of the Puerto Vallarta airport rests the new 636-acre MANDARINA development, which currently houses 105 treehouse-style hotel rooms, designed by Tucson-based architect Rick Joy (who also designed Utah’s Amangiri) to disappear into the landscape, as well as the first few One&Only private residences. (Priced from $5.1 million, there are plans for just 55 of them.) In late 2023, a Rosewood resort will open 130 guest accommodations designed in collaboration with Manuel Cervantes Cespedes, one of Mexico’s most in-demand architects. But that will be all, as the property is intentionally free of golf courses, vertical structures, and anything else that would dominate the pristine land. The destination resort is its own self-contained oasis, and unlike other popular regions in Mexico that pack with tourists, it has been created to make as little impact on the environment as possible. In the ten years it took to plan and build the resort, there was a tree specialist to ensure that the maximum number of
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trees on the pristine site would be preserved, which even meant that it would occasionally take weeks to move a single tree from one location to another. The result means that when guests stand on the beach and look back at the verdant mountains, guestrooms and buildings are almost completely hidden. The canopy of trees—mostly made up of higuera blanca (fig), papelillo, and palm—as well as 50 migratory bird species and endemic wildlife such as the shy badgers that roam freely throughout, are the only things that stand out. The resort is secondary to the location. It also means that part of the joy in experiencing the property is riding through the jungle in butler-driven golf carts. It might take 10–15 minutes to get from your room to the fitness center or Alma restaurant to the Jetty Beach Club, but each different area creates its own unique experience, and roaming through the jungle instead of trampling on it results in a more immersive experience. Among the property’s many amenities are a polo field and equestrian facilities, complete with stables and arena; a tennis center; a full-service spa featuring Tata Harper products; five swimming pools spread throughout; four restaurants, including Carao from famed chef Enrique Olvera; two beaches; and the Canalan Beach Club, designed by Manuel Cervantes, along the property’s mile-long, swimmable beach. A quick weekend trip is doable, but the property is imagined as a secluded getaway, spread out and eager to be explored without being rushed. With most of the world still closed off to American visitors, it is the ideal place for extended getaway not far from home but yet feeling a world away.
ONE&ONLY MANDARINA
THE JUNGLE LOOK
