Hotel Meson de Mita

A small beachfront hotel with tropical gardens, an outdoor pool and a practical base for a stay in Punta Mita. With 25 rooms, Hotel Mesón de Mita keeps things relatively straightforward: you have the sea, a restaurant, a pool and the town close enough for a change of scene without turning every meal into an expedition.

The setting will suit you if you want the beach to be part of the day rather than a view glimpsed from behind a road. There are sun loungers beneath palapas, a private beach area and pool towels, so returning from the water does not require a complicated plan. The hotel’s website is available in English and Spanish, which is useful when arranging the practical details of your stay.

You are in Punta Mita, in Nayarit, on the north side of Banderas Bay. The address is on Avenida El Anclote, right on the seafront, with Punta Mita Beach directly outside. This is Punta de Mita itself, not Puerto Vallarta; the latter is the neighbouring airport location, not the town where you will be staying.

The centre of town is about half a mile away, giving you nearby alternatives for food and drinks when the on-site restaurant is not what you fancy. Several restaurants sit within a few minutes of the hotel, including Si Señor, Restaurante Blue Shrimp and Restaurante de Comida China Sisushi. Sayulita is a 15-minute drive away, while the Marietas Islands lie about 6 miles from the property.

The room choice is easy to read in practical terms. For two of you, the Standard Queen Room keeps the arrangement compact; for a family or a group of up to four, the version with two queen beds gives you proper sleeping space rather than asking everyone to negotiate ownership of one mattress. There are family rooms, and children of any age are welcome.

Air conditioning matters when the day has involved heat, salt and a fair amount of sun. A fan is also available, while the tiled floors, wardrobe and private shower keep the room functional rather than fussy. You have a flat-screen television with cable channels for the evening, free Wi-Fi and daily housekeeping.

The rooms are non-smoking and each has its own bathroom with towels and complimentary toiletries. A cot can be requested for a child aged up to two years, subject to the accommodation option, but there are no extra beds. That is the useful caveat: choose the two-bed room when your party needs real sleeping capacity, rather than hoping the room will grow an extra bed overnight.

El Anclote is the on-site restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast covers continental and American options, giving you a familiar start before heading out, while the all-important fact for a dive holiday is that the restaurant also serves later meals on the property rather than leaving you to search the town every evening.

There is no bar service described here, so the drinking plan is simple: use the nearby town and its bars when you want more than a meal. The centre is about half a mile away, and restaurants are even closer, including Si Señor and Blue Shrimp just a short walk from the hotel. Punta Mita is not a place where you are marooned with one menu, though the hotel itself keeps the main breakfast-to-dinner routine close at hand.

The outdoor pool sits in front of the ocean, with a panoramic outlook towards the Marietas Islands. It gives you a second place to cool down when you have had enough sand, while the separate children’s pool makes the arrangement workable for families. Sun loungers, beach chairs, umbrellas and showers are available around the beach area.

The spa offers massage, facials, a hammam, sauna, jacuzzi, mud bath and body wraps. That is a fairly good menu for the day when your legs have had enough action and your shoulders would prefer a professional opinion. A few quiet hours under a palapa may also do the job, with the tropical gardens and outdoor furniture providing somewhere to sit without heading straight back to the room.

If you still have energy, the beach is set up for water-based activities including snorkelling, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing and boat excursions. Whale-watching trips are also available among the excursions, giving couples an option for a day away from the diving schedule without simply moving from one sun lounger to another.

Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport is about 22 miles away, with the journey taking around 45 minutes by car. Airport transfers are not listed among the hotel services, so arrange your arrival transport separately. Free private parking is available on site, with no reservation needed if you are driving.

Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out is by 12:00. You will need photo identification and a credit card at check-in, while the accepted payment methods listed by the hotel are Visa and MasterCard. The front desk operates around the clock, and luggage storage is available if your travel times do not line up neatly with the room.

The tour desk can help organise outings, and the hotel also has on-site shopping for Mexican handicrafts. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and laundry and ironing services are available as additional services. Pets are not allowed, and early departure is treated as a cancellation without a refund, so check your plans before committing to a shorter stay.