Since it opened in 2021 the Conrad Punta de Mita resort has escalated the concept of “luxury retreat” in the region of Riviera Nayarit to new heights. Now the 324-suite tropical oasis, wrapped around a two-mile-long white-sand beach hugging the Pacific, has taken those standards to a new level with an ambitiously sublime culinary endeavor. Located 10 miles north of Puerto Vallarta in a village favored by those seeking a stylish hideaway, the resort has rounded up an A-team of food-and-drink pedigree, led by Executive Chef German Ghelfi. The property was already widely heralded for its culinary acumen with four restaurants, the award-winning Codex being its anchor outpost.
The property and Chef Ghelfi recently tapped new director of food and beverage Antonio Meden and chef de cuisine Ivan Bautista Martinez to make fine and casual dining an insurmountable and organic experience at the Riviera Nayarit resort. Combining the deep roots of coastal Mexican gastronomy with contemporary nuances, it’s a new refinement for resorts in the region, which has seen an increase in tourism in recent years.
German Ghelfi is hands on with all of the food and beverage offerings, including its more casual but distinct beachfront Mezquite and beachside haven Arbol. Codex is a dinner-only experience that is not to be missed. Ghelfi has been the culinary director and executive chef at Mandarin Oriental Santiago and Waldorf Astoria Panama, as well as other culinary destinations. He now oversees the tequila-barrel tasting room Agave Studio and the beach grill with its distinct “butterfly roof.”
Codex is entered via a bridged walkway through mangrove forests and multiple fountains. Dinner guests are handed a candle in a gratitude ritual. A bar / lounge with a working fireplace offers the perfect spot for a pre-dinner cocktail. The restaurant is open air and open-air kitchen. You may start thinking “Michelin star” the moment you bite into the tuna tartare plus chorizo blend—just for starters.
The views surround it of the Pacific and beach, waters lapping nearly at your feet. All drink and food ingredients are locally sourced with a lean toward flavors of charcoal and wood inspired by the ancient Aztec book of herbs, “Codice.” Well, and there’s Mezcal hues too, plus an impeccably curated list of Mexican wines.
Nearly all the hotel’s suites provide ocean views, with patios and terraces. But for those wanting a true sense of seclusion, the Conrad has multi-tiered “casas” houses, mirroring old-school villas. Some can provide for as many as 30 guests. Many include plunge pools, freestanding soaking tubs and outdoor showers. The décor is modern-coastal décor with nods to traditional Mexican trappings.
The menus are a mélange of seafood and meat dishes. Appetizers entice, such as seared scallops with fresh cheese, bean pureed mushroom tinga, Yucatan pulled pork with epazote and pork belly tacos with chapulin dust. The Earth salad is a favorite, featuring carrots and roasted beet in a pumpkin cream and pineapple vinaigrette.
Entrees are indescribably tasty, including Pacific lobster Miloso style, grilled octopus in a black bean tamal, blue shrimp in a cilantro curry, soft shell crab in a creamy esquites, and catches of the day, prepared in plaintain leaves with a chili glaze or in a coconut mole with fish chorizo.
Cocktails compete with the best of Manhattan’s artisanal bars. All feature locally sourced ingredients, from mango to cacti. Mezcal is a must, such as the Nogalito, with Ancho Reyes Liquor, and chile en nogada. The Nahualt Sour is a fruit drink with cactus and Xoconoxtle juice and lemon. Go wild and try an old school fix: the Nixtamal. It’s made with corn syrup and puree. And the Ataulfo is potently sweet, made with variations of mango and tequila Casachuin Bianco. All play well with seafood or beef, or just as an apertif by the beachside at sunset.
Mezquite is open-air bliss, and features smaller-plate dishes directly on the beach. Try a cured catch of the day with flamed avocado and heirloom tomatoes, Argentinian -tyle empanadas, some smoked cevice, tuna tartare with a mango salad, or simply fresh smoked local oysters, while taking a laidback breath of it all. And if you love traditional fresh Mexican cuisine, try out the casual and airy Arbol, where guests can share tableside guacamole, quesabirrias with beef, Oaxaca cheese in corn tortillas, shrimp in a aquachile sauce, and tostada de las Marias.
The various swimming pool oases, some of the most beautiful in the region, cater to swimmers and loungers alike with tiki bars by the water’s edge, and a sliding board that all enjoy. They seem to wrap around the entire compound indigenously, like the palm-frond vegetation.
The Conrad Punta de Mita offers plenty of leisure and workout experiences. They include its Litibu Golf Course, and its outdoor fitness lawn with yoga classes. Take a stroll to the local fish market. And its piece-de-resistance is a 10,000 square foot spa, featuring, as the hotel says, “seven cocoon treatment cabanas nestled among the vegetation and connected by an inspiring tunnel of plants and flowers. It also features Conrad’s first traditional Temazcal.”
Like all Conrad Hotels & Resorts—part of the high-end Hilton portfolio—including the gorgeous property in Tulum, which span five continents and include 50 world-class locales, the Punta Mita site takes guests to heightened levels with its tranquil but sophisticated design and comfort-in-mind amenities. You’ll want to add this to your travel bucket list, stat.
