St. Regis Punta Mita Blog, Guest Blogger Diaries, November 2012

From November 2nd to November 8th we shall have a guest writer contributing to our blog. On his journey at The St. Regis Punta Mita he shall provide inside tips and stories that shall allow us to follow him on his quest at our extraordinary destination. Don’t forget to follow our blog and read his great stories every day! Guest Blogs from Guillermo will be posted over the next couple of weeks. We hope you’ll enjoy his entries with us…

First Day in Paradise

11/3/12

Candlelight predawn coffee on the terrace is a personal St Regis tradition I enjoy immensely. It starts my day with a lovely balance of fresh air, sounds of birds and gently rolling waves after a restful sleep.

Punta Mita, in the Mexican state of Nayarit, occupies a lovely setting on Banderas Bay, 40 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. Miles of white sand beach, the Banderas Bay and ocean surround a gated 1,500-acre lush tropical peninsular property developed by DINE, Mexico’s premier real estate developer.

Since it opened four years ago, the St. Regis Resort has enhanced the destination’s prominence as an upscale luxury paradise, welcoming visitors to its beachfront setting, capacious guestrooms and suites with pleasant terraces and entrancing ocean views. The charming tile- roofed casitas, adorned with stylish rustic Mexican décor and handcrafted furnishings, create a relaxingly seductive and tranquil ambience. The private outdoor stone shower and a 24-hour butler accentuate St. Regis’ attention to detail and service.

Yesterday was a long one, capped off by a late night of pleasurable food, drink, and conversation that exponentially released the stresses of contemporary travel. I no longer find the old adage “getting there is half the fun” to be true. All that began to change when my feet touched Mexican ground and my bag was slung into the back of a Lincoln Navigator for transport to the St Regis. That wonderful moist tropical atmosphere that soothes the soul and slows the heart rate replaced the 35° early morning temperature at my New England home and poor airplane cabin air.

The comfortable and cooling drive to Punta Mita along a path with familiar land marks-vistas of Banderas Bay and indigenous vegetation, still very green from the recently ended rainy season-delivered me to resort and washed away some of the woes brought on by a 12 hour trek. The warm and friendly greeting, cold towel and margarita, all part of the St Regis welcoming reception, took care of the rest.

The comfy suite, steps from both Bahia’s 18th green and the Pacific Ocean shoreline, with Islas Marietas as backdrop helped to complete a transition of place and time as the change in latitude gave way to my change in attitude.

A festive buzz met me at one of the oldest St Regis traditions held each Friday at 6pm in the Altamira Lounge-swording champagne. The open air space was alive with people, conversation, drink, hor d’oeuvres and swoosh of the blade displacing the cork from its bottle.

I strolled down to Las Marietas beach where Chef Sylvain Desbois and staff put on a family style Mexican beach barbeque. Feet in the sand, I took a seat at the long table shared with 40 other or so guests to enjoy a variety of grilled meats, catch of the day, vegetables and guacamole, salads, drinks and desserts.

Fading evening sunlight and the bright orb dropping into the sea ushered in a warm light and gentle ocean breezes. The night was delicious; food was tasty, live music entertaining and conversation with guests and staff engaging and lighthearted.

Guillermo

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