Imanta feels like a secret the Pacific has been keeping. Hidden on a 250-acre reserve of tropical dry forest between Punta de Mita and the surf town of Sayulita, it holds only about a dozen stone buildings, each one looking out over the ocean or into the jungle. There is also a private beach where the sand is soft enough to sink into. There is no lobby buzz, no crowded pool deck, no sense of a resort at all. Instead, there are monkeys in the treetops, whales passing offshore in winter and the sound of the surf drifting through palapa roofs.
That extreme intimacy makes Imanta one of the most romantic places in Mexico for a honeymoon. The architecture uses rough-hewn stone, wood and thatch so the casas seem to grow from the hillside. The oceanfront casas have their own climate-controlled private pools. The showpiece is the Treehouse, a vertical villa with a granite-set hot tub and a waterfall spilling into its pools. Days are spent with a book on a beach-club daybed, or in a cabin at the Jungle Spa under ancient fig trees. Evenings might bring a torchlit dinner on the cliffs, cooked over wood fire, with not a single electric light in sight.
Highlights at a glance
- About a dozen stone casas on a 250-acre private reserve
- Oceanfront casas with climate-controlled private pools
- The Treehouse, with a granite hot tub and waterfall-fed pools
- Torchlit Cliff dinner cooked over wood fire
- Jungle Spa beneath ancient fig trees
- Private beach and sea-turtle release program
A Private Reserve on the Pacific
Imanta sits outside the gated Punta Mita peninsula, roughly 10 minutes from the village of Punta de Mita and 15 minutes from Sayulita, on a stretch of coast backed by the Sierra de Vallejo mountains. The resort's 250 acres are mostly left wild, crisscrossed by trails and wrapped around a crescent of private beach.
The result is a level of seclusion that's rare this close to Puerto Vallarta. You'll hear birds and waves far more than voices. Guests often go a whole day without seeing anyone but staff. The property also runs a sea-turtle release program, freeing thousands of hatchlings each year. Guests can sometimes join a release at dusk.
Stone Casas and the Treehouse
Each casa has its own name and personality, many of them words from the Wixárika (Huichol) language of the region. Categories run from Jungle and Jungle Deluxe casas to Ocean, Ocean Deluxe and Oceanfront casas, which sit closest to the sand. Oceanfront casas like Ayé and Tayau come with climate-controlled private pools, 14-foot ceilings, indoor tubs and outdoor showers. Ayé is the casa nearest the ocean, with a huge deck and an ocean-view outdoor shower.
The Treehouse is Imanta's most famous accommodation. This two-bedroom vertical villa offers Pacific views from every level, a master bedroom under a soaring palapa ceiling, an outdoor raw-stone tub, a hot tub set into granite bedrock and natural river pools fed by a waterfall. Two larger villas, Los Templos and Jaguar, suit groups or families.
Dining by Fire and Tide
With so few guests, dining at Imanta is personal rather than a choice of restaurants. Tzamaika, the beach club under a grass-thatched palapa, is the heart of the property: Mexican-leaning breakfasts, fresh seafood at lunch and bar service until sunset, with daybeds where you can watch whales pass in winter. In-room dining brings meals to your terrace. The kitchen caters to vegan and gluten-free diets.
The resort's cooking leans on a wood-fire grill and daily-caught seafood, with a deep selection of tequilas, mezcals and raicilla, the regional agave spirit. Book a premium agave tasting or a cooking and cocktail class for a fun shared memory, or a private dinner on the beach for a quiet celebration.
Why guests fall for it
The Jungle Spa and Rituals
Set near the beach in a grove of ancient palm and fig trees whose canopy forms its ceiling, the Jungle Spa is one of the most atmospheric treatment spaces on the Pacific coast. There are only three cabins, including one designed for couples and a signature cabin with an ancient raw-stone tub, so the experience is never crowded. Treatments use aloe vera grown on the property and leaves from banana and bird-of-paradise plants.
Imanta's wellness program goes deeper still, with temazcal sweat-lodge ceremonies, yoga, sound baths, reiki and even ice baths. A temazcal shared as a newly married couple is a powerful way to begin your next chapter.
The Cliff and Other Adventures
The Cliff is Imanta's signature evening. Many honeymooners plan their stay around it. A golf cart drops you at the edge of the jungle and a drummer leads you along clay trails. The dinner unfolds across torchlit stations: cocktails under a palapa, a raw bar as the sun sets over the Pacific, then lobster and filet from the wood fire with Champagne and chocolate fondue. It runs roughly November through May and is a significant splurge, priced per couple, so reserve early.
Daytime adventures include the Monkey Mountain hike, kayaking, snorkeling, birdwatching, whale watching in winter, Marietas Islands tours and surf lessons nearby.
Why Guests Fall in Love
Guests describe Imanta as the most private place they've ever stayed. That seclusion is the theme that runs through nearly every review. Couples love waking to monkeys and birdsong, having the beach nearly to themselves and feeling that the staff are hosting them in a private home rather than a hotel.
The architecture earns constant praise, especially the Treehouse and the oceanfront casas with their private pools. The Cliff dinner is regularly called the most romantic meal of a lifetime. The Jungle Spa, the turtle releases and the personalized service round out the picture. Many guests say Imanta feels like a true escape from the modern world.
Good to Know
Imanta is spread across a large, hilly reserve, so expect trails, steps and golf-cart rides between your casa, the beach and the spa. Pack comfortable sandals, insect repellent and reef-safe sunscreen. With so few rooms, availability is tight, especially in whale season and around the holidays, so book well ahead.
The resort is not all-inclusive and signature experiences carry significant additional costs, so budget accordingly. The best weather runs November through May; summer brings heat, humidity and rain. The Pacific hurricane season runs roughly June through November. If you're pregnant or hoping to be soon, check CDC travel health notices for Mexico, since mosquito-borne illnesses occur here. Nearby Sayulita and San Pancho are easy for an evening of tacos and people-watching.
Insider tips
- Request Ayé, the oceanfront casa closest to the water, for the most romantic setting.
- Reserve The Cliff dinner as soon as you book; it runs only in the drier months.
- Ask about joining a turtle release at sunset, typically during nesting season.
- Wear comfortable shoes: the clay trails and cliffside paths aren't made for heels.
