an Escape From Puerto Vallarta

Imagine hopping on a boat from one of Mexico’s busiest beach destinations and arriving at a hidden bay hideaway surrounded by jungle, with a usually empty beach at the end of that bay and hardly anyone else around. The water is so clear you can see 20 kinds of fish when you jump in with a snorkel and mask and there’s just one small hotel hidden in the foliage: Corrales Bay Resort.

I like Puerto Vallarta plenty and I’ve probably been there 10 times, not even counting the times I went straight to Punta de Mita from the airport or immediately headed down to Costalegre. Puerto Vallarta itself is a bustling and busy place though, which is part of the reason most of the luxury hotels we cover in that region are not in the city itself. They’re way down or way up the coast, where the crowds thin out and there was more space to build.

This last time I visited I hopped in that boat and rode an hour and a half to a real getaway place. Not a luxury resort that costs thousands per night, but with that million-dollar view above. It’s hard to get that kind of view anywhere near the city anymore since since the whole coast around PV is increasingly stacked up with hotels and condos.

So Corrales Bay is not the kind of hotel we review in detail and recommend as a top spot for luxury travelers. If you want to be pampered and have an army of staffers waiting on you, this is not the place. What it does offer though is seclusion, privacy, and the chance to truly relax in a natural place that feels like the Pacific Coast of Mexico did decades ago. It would be a terrific place for a buyout since it only has 14 rooms and it’s not going to break the budget for an extended family get-together, a low-key destination wedding, or a party weekend for a group of friends.

Facilities and Suites at Corrales Bay Resort

This is a small resort without a long list of facilities, but what they have is quite good. The centerpiece is the large and beautiful swimming pool that is surrounded by a large lounging deck and a few umbrellas. It’s a relaxing place to while away the days enjoying the changing view on the mountains as the light changes.

Just inland from there is the main social space, with a lounging area and the restaurant. To the right of that you find the block of rooms, then a few platforms along the water. One of those can be set up for massages, something my friends who were along took advantage of, with the waves lapping the shore below them.

The resort would have to be at capacity for the restaurant to fill up and the whole main area feels spacious. There are public restrooms here you can use without going back to your room. Then when it is high season, there’s a bar area just up from that, a welcome addition since the drink choices were limited during my off-season visit. Best to bring an extra bottle of tequila, mezcal, or rum if you have top-shelf tastes. (Or specify what should be stocked if you do a buyout.)

If you’re coming on your own, definitely snag one of the suites unless you only care about the view. The rooms with a balcony closest to the main building with the restaurant have the best water views, but the suites have more than twice as much space and a huge wrap-around balcony with lounge furniture and a hammock.

All rooms have attractive hardwood furniture and interesting carved stone sinks in the bathroom, plus air-conditioning, satellite Wi-Fi, and some toiletries. No TVs for a good reason though in this tranquil environment and no power-sucking room refrigerators. Staffers are happy to set you up with ice though.

Dining and Activities

The sole restaurant at Corrales Bay serves all three meals and the menu is understandably limited in this remote location that’s a long way from a highway, much less a supermarket. I doubt many guests come here for a full week though: it’s a great getaway spot for two or three nights, which is not enough time to start getting tired of the offerings.

When we were there, the same two women served as cooks, waiters, and bartenders, so they were working hard. They did a great job with both the flavors and the presentation, serving us meals that were photogenic and tasty too.

The highlight meal was one we had to plan in advance. If you want a grilled zarandeado style full fish dinner, which was delicious and all disappeared down to the bones for us, you need to let the staffers know the day before. That’s so they can tell a fisherman to bring them a large fresh fish that morning so they can prepare it for you for a late lunch or dinner.

The other seafood dishes were quite good, especially the grilled shrimp and the ceviche. There’s definitely a big advantage in being right by the water next to a fishing village.

That fishing village is where the beach is, so you need to kayak over to it, paddleboard to it, or take an interesting up-and-down walk along the shore to get to it on foot. Once you’re there, you’ll find a basic cafe serving grilled fish and beers and you can take a dip when you get hot. There is another hike in the other direction from the hotel up to a lighthouse on a high ridge.

You can arrange activities like fishing trips, ATV rides, or other tours, but we didn’t want to go anywhere while we were there. We were pleasantly surprised at how good the snorkeling was though. There’s very little coral in this part of the Pacific, but we saw a lot of colorful fish, including some fun puffer fish and some quite large parrot fish. Then lots of tiny blue ones that were glowing in the sunlight, giving the feeling that we were swimming around in an aquarium.

Corrales Bay Location and Logistics

This secluded small resort is 30 miles south of Puerto Vallarta, in the rugged Costalegre region. Although it’s possible to get there by car, it can take four hours, part of it on rough roads, so it’s best to travel by boat from the Puerto Vallarta marina area. The trip takes an hour and 15 minutes if you go when the ocean is calm, a bit longer when it’s not. You can book the round-trip boat trip for your party when make a room booking here.

Much of the time in Latin America there’s a trade-off between luxury and adventure, between pampering and closeness to nature, so our readers who have traveled in remote areas are used to the trade-offs. You don’t usually find a Ritz-Carlton next to a nature reserve that’s a long way from an airport and in places where you’re tracking wildlife, your jungle lodge may be off-the-grid and basic.

Corrales Bay is not off the grid, but it does require going in with the right mindset if you book a getaway here. You won’t be pampered or have your every whim catered to by a personal butler — and the rates reflect that. Your stay will be serene, relaxing, and regenerative though, and maybe even magical. Come with someone you love or a few people who are close to you and enjoy the spectacular setting.

See more about Corrales Bay here at the official website.