December 24, 2020|Bonvoy, Marriott, United

by Eric Lipkind

Last month, amid rising Covid cases in the US, my wife, son, and I went to Punta de Mita Mexico.    I had been keeping a close watch on cases in Nayarit, Mexico and compared to the US, they were miniscule.  So off we went.   My prior post mentioned how I got $10,846 of travel for $339.   In this post, I’ll tell you a bit about the trip itself.

We flew non-stop on United in First Class from Newark to Puerto Vallarta.   I think there were six of us in first class and four in coach.    This was great from a Covid perspective.  However, we were a bit concerned when we spotted a pair of underwear of the floor in the row behind us.  We were concerned if the plane had been cleaned.    I asked the flight attendant and her response was ‘Who Knows’?   Great…

I had made a car rental reservation through Gecko car rental based upon online reviews.  Their price also included mandatory Mexico insurance.   They quoted a price of $200 for 5 days.   Upon arrival in the Puerto Vallarta airport, as promised there was someone holding a VIP sign with our name on it.   She walked us over to a VIP desk where we were given complimentary bottles of water.  We were then escorted outside to a prepaid taxi (by Gecko) which drove us the 5 minutes to the Gecko location.   Upon arrival, we were told we would be given an upgrade to an SUV.   Additionally, as our flight was leaving early, we were told to drop the car in the airport parking lot with the keys in it.  Sounded strange, but it worked out great.    I can’t recommend Gecko enough.  Not only did they deliver as promised, but they were very quick to respond to emails.

We then took the easy 45 minute drive to Punta de Mita.   The St. Regis is located in the gated community of Punta Mita.  Within the gated community, there are private residences, a golf club, beach clubs, a surf club, a Four Seasons hotel and the St. Regis.  This was our third time to the St. Regis Punta Mita.

Once we went through security, we drove about two miles to the St. Regis.  We were greeted by a porter who took our bags and parked our car.   We were escorted to the beautiful open air lobby where we were served margaritas in glasses we loved (and later bought).   We were handed keys and someone drove us in a golf cart to our upgraded beachfront room.   

The room is amazing.   My favorite part (aside from being able to walk out right to the beach) is the outdoor shower.   Every room at the property has one.    The General Manager, James Hughes, even arranged for a wired ethernet connection in advance which I mentioned we needed.  I was in contact with him prior to our arrival to discuss Covid protocols and any closures at the property we could expect.    The hotel website also fully disclosed what was open and what was not.  As a result, we weren’t surprised upon arrival that the Spa, Butler Service, and certain restaurants were not in operation.   This did not impact our stay as the service in general is over the top.  Soom rooms even have beachfront plunge pools outside the door.

In the morning when exiting our room, an attendant quickly came over to set up towels on our chairs, brought an ice bucket filled with complimentary bottles of water, and asked if we wanted anything off the menu.   Throughout the day, attendants would come over offering us complimentary ice pops, chips and popcorn sprinkled with hot sauce, and fresh fruit sprinkled with Tahin which is chili-lime flavored (our new favorite spice).

The beach at the hotel, while beautiful, is very rocky and when you walk into the water, you need to be careful where you step.  However, there is great nature to be seen.   The water is so clear, you can look down when standing in the water and see fish on the bottom.   

There was also a bearded dragon walking around our beach chairs.

The week we arrived, the breakfast buffet re-opened.   We were given complimentary breakfast for two of us as Bonvoy Platinum.   This was valid for the cold buffet.  An upgrade to include hot items was $15.  The cold buffet for the third person was $20.   Under Covid protocols, the attendant held your plate and you said what you wanted and it was placed on your plate.   Fresh juice was also brought to you at the table, including their famous green juice.   My son’s favorite discovery was fresh dragonfruit.  While eating outside, there was also a fresh taco station with tortillas made from scratch.  They were great.  I learned there is a Bonvoy 10% discount as well on all food purchases (not drinks) which was unexpected but welcomed.

Given Covid precautions, the hotel was limited to 30% occupancy, or 36 of the 120 rooms.   I don’t believe it was even that full, so we had a ton of space wherever we went, including the beautiful infinity pool.

The hotel was doing housekeeping upon request.  Initially, we requested new toiletries and towel to be left in a basket outside the room.   This happened with no issues.  The hotel also provided complimentary bottles of water and bug spray in the rooms as well.

As we became more comfortable with the Covid protocols, we eventually had the room serviced.   Not once, did we ever see an employee not wearing a mask or wearing it below the nose.   This was very comforting.  Never did we feel uncomfortable.

As far as things to do, lounging at the beach and pool was a lot of fun.  The hotel also has free bicycles you can borrow to ride around  the Punta Mita community.  We did this a few times.

When it came to requests, the front desk was very responsive to the chat function in the Bonvoy app.  The concierge Gustavo was also very responsive to emails and making reservations quickly.   I didn’t have a single complaint about service or anything else at the hotel.  James runs a very tight ship.   The hotel is definitely a five-star property.

Our friend Carl Emberson, who used to be the General Manager of the St. Regis, now is the Director of Marketing and Operations of the Punta Mita community.  He makes sure everything runs smoothly and that Punta Mita is well promoted.  He invited us to the new Punta Mita Surf club.  This was about a 10 minute drive within the gated community.

There was an excellent restaurant there.  My son also took a surfing lesson.    The beach was very quiet and spread out from others.  It was a nice diversion for a day.    

We went off property for a few dinners.  Our favorite was Casa Tradicional.  They had excellent Mexican food and an amazing harp player.   The jalapeno margarita was my favorite.   This was about 10-15 minutes from the hotel.    We drove into the little town of Punta de Mita where we purchased those glasses we liked.   We also ate dinner at DeMita, formerly called Si Senor and Lobster Paradise.   They were a bit touristy, but decent.   Additionally, we ate at Casa Teresa which was good, but very expensive.   

When we left, we dropped the rental car in the airport parking lot and emailed Gecko where the car was.  Shortly after I received an email that they retrieved the car and confirmed the price of $200.

Our non-stop flight home had been canceled so we now had to connect in Houston.   This went smoothly, albeit the flights were very crowded.  

If you are looking for a high-end getaway with top Covid precautions in place, I highly recommend Punta Mita.