Where to eat, which beaches to swim, what to book ahead, and how to let this stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast work on you.
In 1968 an Italian financier named Gian Franco Brignone flew over this coast and bought it before he'd set foot on it. What he built is unlike anywhere else in Mexico: candy-colored casitas and cliff-top castles ringed by infinity pools, a turtle sanctuary, two polo fields, and a giant concrete cup that catches the sun.
No town, no clubbing, no shopping. Just moonlight dinners, bonfires on the sand, and a quiet you feel in your chest. Here's how to do it right.
Careyes keeps just five tables open year-round, and holds them to a high bar. In winter, seasonal gems open too: omakase at Shio Sushi, the polo-stable tavern Malabar, and Pueblo 25's wine cellar.
Playa Teopa · Tapas to vegan · Bonfires & DJs
Our favorite, and the most Careyes of them all. A rustic beach house on Playa Teopa that feels like Careyes decades ago: Spanish tapas to vegan plates, a soundtrack in the background, and on the right night a bonfire on the sand and a DJ. Book ahead, stay for sunset, and don't be surprised if it becomes the night of the trip.
Beach club · Mexican-Mediterranean · The heart
The Barragán-pink beach club on the sand, and the social center of Careyes. Recently renovated with a new indoor bar and an outdoor juice-and-cocktail bar, its Mexican-Mediterranean menu was built with the seafood team behind Punta Arena. If you eat one meal here, make it a lunch that runs into sunset.
El Careyes Club · Modern Mexican · Pool & ocean views
On the deck above the infinity pools at El Careyes Club & Residences, modern Mexican cooking with genuinely good vegan options, from breakfast to dinner. The breakfasts are the quiet standout. Open to non-guests, and worth the trip even if you're staying elsewhere.
Playa Careyitos · Mexican-Mediterranean · Beach club
A polished beach club on Careyitos, Mexican-Mediterranean plates and full days by the water, with live music or a DJ on special evenings. The easy, luxurious middle of a day in Careyes.
The Plaza · Italian steakhouse · Wood-fired
In Plaza de los Caballeros del Sol, an Italian steakhouse: brick-oven Napolitan pizza, fresh pasta, roast meats, and an open-air dinner under a wildlife film projected across the plaza. For the nights you want the plaza instead of the sand.
The whole coast is about eight kilometers, so nothing is ever more than a short drive from your door.
Calm bay · Swimmable · The social beach
Soft golden sand and gentle water, the beach that comes alive on weekends and holidays. Home to the pink beach club, and the best swim in Careyes is the one you take here before breakfast.
6 km · Wild · Turtle sanctuary
Six kilometers of virgin beach with, most days, no one on it. Surreal afternoon walks, nesting sea turtles, and the sanctuary on the far corner. It's protected, so tread lightly and leave it as you found it.
Hidden cove · Snorkel · Family
A small, sheltered cove, calm and easy, made for snorkeling and slow days with the whole group.
~20 min · Pacific swell · Arroyo Seco & more
Careyitos, Playa Piratas, Arroyo Seco, Boca de Iguanas. A short drive along the coast for real Pacific waves, from first-timer lessons to serious sets.
Cliff sculpture · Sunset · Sound bath
A concrete cup eighty-eight feet wide and thirty-five feet tall, perched on a cliff over Teopa, built to catch the sun and hold sound. Go for sunset with a cooler of drinks, or book a sound bath inside it and leave a slightly different person.
Architecture · Mi Ojo · Tigre del Mar
Careyes' cliff-top “castles” are why the design magazines keep showing up. Ask the concierge to arrange a look at the icons — Mi Ojo, Tigre del Mar, Sol de Oriente — ringed by infinity pools that pour toward the Pacific.
Culture · Gallery · Cinema Paradiso
The one small plaza that stands in for a town: the Arte Careyes gallery, the open-air Cinema Paradiso, a few shops, and dinner. The cultural heart, such as Careyes has one.
Color · Hillside · Careyes' soul
The candy-colored casitas stacked into the hillside, all rounded corners and framed ocean. Half the joy of Careyes is simply walking the bougainvillea paths between them.
Playa Teopa · Careyes Foundation · Sunset
Join the Careyes Foundation at the Teopa sanctuary and release hatchlings into the Pacific at dusk. Over two thousand turtles nest here a year. Nesting peaks in August, releases run roughly October to March. Book same-day through the concierge, and no touching — it's the law.
Nov–April · Two grass fields · Watch or play
Careyes keeps some of Mexico's largest Bermuda-grass polo fields and around eighty ponies. Come for a Sunday practice, a season match, or a first lesson, and the drinks and dinners that tend to follow at the stables.
Sea caves · Hidden beaches · Whales
Take a private boat out for the coastline you can't reach by road: sea caves, secret beaches, Copa del Sol from the water, and, December to March, humpback whales with their calves.
Teopa beach · Golden hour · All levels
Ride the empty shoreline of Teopa, or up into the hills as the sky turns. Careyes was built around its horses, and this is the way to feel it.
Cliff-top · Meditation · Book ahead
Inside that giant concrete cup, a sound healer and the acoustics do the rest. Sunrise or sunset, it's the most Careyes thing you can do. Reserve well in advance.
Snorkel · Dive · Islas Cocinas
Snorkel straight off the shore for fish, octopus and the odd turtle, or dive the reefs and swim-throughs toward the Islas Cocinas sanctuary. Calm mornings are best.
No town, no market
There are no grocery stores in Careyes. Provision on the drive in from Puerto Vallarta or Manzanillo, or, better, let your villa's team do the shopping before you land. Most will.
No addresses, only names
There are no street addresses here, only house names, and every staff member knows all of them. Tell your driver “Casa Mi Ojo,” not a street and number.
Whales, polo, turtles
Whales run mid-December to March, polo November to April, turtle nesting in August with releases into spring. High season (Nov–Mar) is dry and social; June to October is green, quiet, and far better value.
Getting there
Manzanillo is about ninety minutes away and blissfully small. Puerto Vallarta has more direct flights but a two-and-a-half to three hour drive. Either way, arrange the transfer ahead of time.
Cash and calm
Restaurants take cards, but carry cash for the small things. Then stop planning. Careyes is bonfires, long lunches, and bougainvillea walks, not a checklist.
Concierge · A day's notice
The turtle release, the Copa del Sol sound bath, the best tables — all run through the concierge and all can fill. A day or two's notice is the whole difference.
Careyes changes with the season, and villas are limited. The window you choose decides whether you get polo, whales, turtles — or the greener, quieter, better-value side of the year.
Releases at the Teopa sanctuary run roughly October to March. Whatever you're timing it around, tell the concierge early — the best villas in Careyes go a season ahead.
The magic of Careyes is not about doing more. It is about where you are, who you are with, and how naturally the day unfolds.