7 Best Punta Mita Resorts with Swim-Up Bars

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Punta Mita Resorts with Swim-Up Bars

Which Swim-Up Bars Come With an All-Inclusive Rate

At Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and Conrad Punta de Mita you run a tab, while the all-inclusives put swim-up bar drinks in the rate. Know which kind you’re booking before you compare nightly prices.

• Drinks in the Rate Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa, Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa, Iberostar Selection Playa Mita, Family Selection at Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa and Armony Marival Resort & Spa Punta de Mita sell all-inclusive rates. Meals and bar drinks are part of what you pay for the room. Compare those rates with a room-only rate plus a day of food and drinks for two.
• A Tab at the Bar At both, food and drinks go on top of the room. Guests at each call the menu prices steep. A few afternoons at the bar add up fast for two.

Adults-Only Pools and Family Pools

Some swim-up bars sit in water kept for grown-ups, and others share it with kids on floats. Check the pool before you book if a quiet drink matters.

• Adults-Only Complex Side Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa takes adults only and shares its complex with the family resort next door. Families on the Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa side have their own in-pool bar, Sea Legs. Some guests have met families from that side at the Secrets pools, so expect a few kids around.
• Pools Split by Age Family Selection at Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa has its own family pool and a children’s pool. Grown-ups can slip off to the adults-only Relax pool, and a saltwater pool sits in the same complex. The Splash swim-up bar is shared with Grand Palladium Vallarta, whose facilities Family Selection guests use.
• Slides and a Bar Half in the Water At Iberostar Selection Playa Mita the kids have a heated children’s pool and the Aquafun slides. The Marea bar has one side in the pool and one on the deck. Parents can order from either.
• One Pool Kept for Grown-Ups Conrad Punta de Mita sets one of its pools aside for adults only. Families use the main pool and splash pad instead.

Where Punta Mita Starts and Ends

The name covers more than the gated point. The resorts sit along the road from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle out to the peninsula, or just past it in Litibu.

• Gated Peninsula The point itself is a 1,500-acre gated community with two Jack Nicklaus golf courses, home to Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and the St. Regis. The fishing town of Punta de Mita, with its pier and surf beach, is just outside the gates. Surf schools and boat trips leave from there.
• Litibu and Higuera Blanca Just north of the point, Litibu is its own gated area on Litibu Bay with a Greg Norman-designed golf course. Conrad Punta de Mita is inside it, and Iberostar Selection Playa Mita is a short walk from the course. Higuera Blanca, a small town with beach restaurants, is next door.
• Bay Road East of the Point East of the point, the Carretera a Punta de Mita runs along Banderas Bay toward La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa, Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa and the Grand Palladium Vallarta complex sit on this stretch, with Armony Marival Resort & Spa Punta de Mita closer to La Cruz. The marina at La Cruz is another place to charter a boat.

Pool Water Through the Year

Winter on Banderas Bay brings dry days and cooler pools, and summer brings heat and storms. The water in the pool changes with it.

• Summer Pools Run Warm In July and August, a guest at Conrad Punta de Mita and another at the Grand Palladium Vallarta complex found the pool water too warm. Swim early or late in the day.
• One January Guest Found the Pools Cold One January guest at the Grand Palladium Vallarta complex found every pool ice cold, and a March visitor to Iberostar Selection Playa Mita said the same. Save long swims for the afternoon sun. Families get a heated pool at Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa.
• Storm Season The eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from mid-May to the end of November. Travel insurance that covers hurricanes is worth having for trips in that window.

Calm Water or Waves on the Beach

The water changes a lot over a few kilometres of coast. Look at it before you plan a swim off the sand.

• Open Pacific Waves Litibu faces the open ocean, and waves run strong on some days. A guest in front of Iberostar Selection Playa Mita found the waves strong in January, while a Conrad Punta de Mita guest found the sea calm in June. Swim where the water looks calmest that day.
• Rocky Patches Some stretches have rocks underfoot near the shore. A guest at the Grand Palladium Vallarta complex called its beach a bit rocky, though another found the water calm enough to swim. Water shoes help if you wade in. The same complex has an ocean tide pool by the beach.

Surf Lessons and Towns Nearby

Punta de Mita town has the beginner waves, and Sayulita sits a short drive up the coast. Both are easy half days away from the pool.

• Beginner Waves at El Anclote El Anclote, the beach in Punta de Mita town, has a gentle right-hand wave that suits longboards and first-timers. Surf schools along Avenida El Anclote run lessons there. Experienced surfers head to La Lancha and the other point breaks nearby.
• Sayulita for an Evening Sayulita is a short drive north for a looser night out than the resorts give you. Beach bars and restaurants also line the shore at Higuera Blanca on the way. A taxi there and back saves driving after dinner.

FAQs

1. Are there swim-up rooms in Punta Mita?

Only a few, and they’re swim-out rooms: the terrace steps down into a pool, which at Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa is semi-private. Rooms sold as pool access open onto the pool deck instead, so you walk to the water. Read the room description for a pool off the terrace before you book. Look for Swim Out in the room name.

2. Is Punta Mita part of Puerto Vallarta?

No, Punta Mita is in Nayarit, in the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, while Puerto Vallarta is in Jalisco. Both towns sit on Banderas Bay, and you fly into Puerto Vallarta’s airport for either. The bay’s north shore is sold as the Riviera Nayarit, which is the name you’ll see on resort websites and transfer bookings.

3. Do Punta Mita resorts have kids’ clubs?

Yes, the family resorts run their own clubs with daily activities. Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa has the Explorer’s Club for ages 3 to 12 and a teen club. Conrad Punta de Mita runs Turi Kids Club for children aged 3 to 12. Ask each resort for its age range and hours before you book.

4. When is whale season in Punta Mita?

Humpback whales are in Banderas Bay from December to the end of March, with January and February the busiest months. They come to mate and give birth, so mothers with calves are a common sight. Boats leave from the pier in Punta de Mita town. You can also watch for breaches from the beach.

5. Can you visit the Marietas Islands from Punta Mita?

Easily, because Punta de Mita is the closest launch point to the islands. Boats leave from the town pier for snorkelling and wildlife trips, and the crossing is short. The islands are uninhabited, protected as a national park and good for bird-watching. Book ahead in winter, when the boats are busiest.

6. Are the beaches in Punta Mita private?

Every beach in Mexico is public by law, including the sand in front of a resort. Hotels can own the land behind the beach, but the beach and the federal strip beside it stay open to everyone. Resort gates are private, so locals and day visitors reach the sand from public access points such as El Anclote in town.

7. What time zone is Punta Mita in?

Punta Mita runs on Central Time, the same clock as Puerto Vallarta. The rest of Nayarit sits an hour behind, but the municipality of Bahía de Banderas switched to match Puerto Vallarta. So there’s no time change on the drive from the airport, and your transfer pickup time and hotel clock agree.