Secret Mexico

Thanks to its geographic isolation and commitment to conservation, Careyes has retained an unspoiled natural beauty—and long been the playground to an international creative set with a taste for the otherworldly.

- PILAR GUZMÁN

After a six-and-a-half-hour flight from New York that narrowly escapes a nor'easter, followed by a two-and-a-half-hour drive south from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, we finally arrive. Our driver leads us through a warren of stone stairways and bougainvillea-strewn alleyways that connect a complex of cadmium yellow, mint green, dark red, and blue casitas. He opens the door to what we assume is a public lounge and reception area. Immediately drawn to the edge of a cliff-hanging terrace, we shed our bags and winter layers, staring like possums at the golden-hour sun that is setting—as if on cue—between the jutting rocks.

“Welcome!” A WhatsApp message from our host pops up, breaking the spell. “Come to the cocktail party a few doors down from you once you get settled.”

When margaritas and guacamole appear from the eat-in kitchen, it becomes clear that this is no reception area. Also, this is no resort town, and this three-story, indoor-outdoor stucco home with its 270-degree ocean views is our private perch for the next few days. Like the rest of the community of 105 casitas and villas for rent in Careyes, Mexico, Casita Azul—named for the deep cobalt hue seen throughout—seems etched into this wild stretch of the Pacific coast as if it has always been here. Suspended between the sky and the ocean, terraces with low-slung sofas give way to a lower level, where bedrooms and an infinity pool play footsy with the horizon. There are oneto six-bedroom houses as well, many of which have some version of this view.