Is it possible that the Costalegre will turn out to be Mexico's "final coast"?
When I was riding on the back of my now-motorcycle husband's through Mexico, I couldn't help but fall in love with the country. We used to take long road trips along the Pacific coast surrounding Puerto Vallarta when we were younger. We would spend our time discovering the area's many secluded beaches, sleepy fishing communities, and calm coves along the way. My first experience with the Costalegre was in 2017, on my 30th birthday, when we wobbled on two wheels down an unpaved, sandy road and emerged at one of the largest bays I had ever seen — a gentle arcing curve of sand backed by towering mountains, and not a single hotel or building in sight. This was my first encounter with the Costalegre. It was the item that came the most close to my conception of paradise during all of my life. I felt an ache in my heart as I munched on freshly grilled fish tacos underneath a thatched palapa. I knew that finding these spots in Mexico is like uncovering buried treasure, and that they never remain a secret for very long.
The Costalegre is a stretch of coastline that can be found running in a southerly direction from Puerto Vallarta all the way down to Manzanillo. The name Costalegre literally means "happy coast," and it doesn't take much of a leap of imagination to understand why this is the case. The crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean are met by miles of untouched, golden beach. Mountains gradually move inward from the coast, and their surfaces are covered in verdant vegetation. A landscape that seems more like the remote parts of Hawaii or Southeast Asia is created when low-lying creek beds are colonized by palm tree groves. This type of terrain can be seen in some parts of the United States. It's absolutely different from what you might believe you know about Mexico, and it's quite dramatic.
It seems like the ideal recipe for the start of the end — a blank canvas for all-inclusive resorts, restaurants, and nightclubs to fill up with their establishments. However, in contrast to other locations in Mexico, the Costalegre has retained its status as a protected area and has, on purpose, maintained a minimal level of influence for decades. But with the recent opening of the Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo and the opening in phases of a second multimillion-dollar luxury development project called Xala, the question that everyone is asking is whether or not Costalegre will continue to be known as Mexico's "last coast," or whether it is destined for the same fate of overdevelopment as other parts of the country.
The Guardians of the Gates of Paradise
This abundance of raw, unspoiled environment is not a fluke, which is one of the things that gives the Costalegre its one-of-a-kind character. It is not a region of Mexico that has not yet been found by high-end hoteliers and developers with vast pockets. On the contrary, in fact. The surrounding area is under the jurisdiction of a small group of developers who also own a major piece of the coastline. These developers, along with the local governments and towns, have established regulations and guidelines to safeguard the destination from unwanted visitors. Because of their vision, Costalegre has been designed in the most purposeful way, allowing it to maintain its natural state. Because the Costalegre was constructed with the intention of remaining undeveloped, and because those who are in charge of ensuring that it continues to be undeveloped for as long as is physically possible, I refer to it as Mexico's "last coast."
There's a reason Mexico is a popular beach destination. https://t.co/UauxGtgnRM pic.twitter.com/ZOFdQl9o54
— Condé Nast Traveler (@CNTraveler) February 25, 2022
Ricardo Santa Cruz, founder and president of RSC Development and a founding partner in the Xala project, stated that "Costalegre is a very unique area within Mexico because between five different developers, we control more than 40 kilometers of coastline." Santa Cruz is also a founding partner in the Xala project. "Our collective goal is to make certain that Costalegre is never subjected to an excessive level of development. We aim to be more than merely environmentally friendly. We are in fact working toward becoming more self-sustaining.
The Origins and Beginnings of Costalegre
The Costalegre has always been there, but Care yes is the one who put it on the map as a tourist destination. Along this stretch of beach, the opulent residential neighborhood of Careys was the very first of its kind to be built. Gian Franco Brig none, an Italian banker and philanthropist who had visited this region of Mexico for the first time in 1968, was the one responsible for its development. During the time of his trip, Costalegre was completely unavailable to travelers. There were no roads at this point, and everything that stood in their place was uncut jungle. But as he walked through the woods, he had a revelation: He wanted to coexist with this environment by transforming it into a haven for supporters of the arts in Mexico, as well as Mexico, music, and poetry.
More than forty different nationalities are represented in today's vibrant residential and tourist community of Careyes, which is comprised of cosy beachfront bungalows, dramatic clifftop villas, and brightly coloured hillside casitas. Careyes has evolved over the years to become a thriving residential and tourist community. It's a community of artists, authors, designers, and other creative types — all of whom have money, but who present themselves in a way that makes them very approachable. The homes may be worth millions of dollars, and locals may enjoy watching polo on Careys' private polo field, but the residents are expected to wear T-shirts rather than crowns. In addition, Careys takes great pride in its efforts to safeguard the natural environment and the communities that surround it. A sea turtle sanctuary, a school for the local people, uninhabited coves, and secluded beaches are some of the features that are included in the roughly 20,000 acres of land that are protected. In point of fact, you wouldn't even know Careys was there unless you knew exactly where to look, and the people who live there and the people who own it both prefer it that way.
The New Participants
Despite the fact that preservation and protection are the cornerstones of the Costalegre, the region is anything but unchanging. Although it is subject to a great deal of regulation, the Costalegre is undeniably contributing to Mexico's lightning-fast rate of economic development. Both the brand-new Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo and Xala are the most recent additions to the area. These are two projects that will bring a greater number of tourists, but they are also devoted to preserving the culture of the area.
However, this does not mean that they are not considered to be luxury places. For instance, house lots in Xala are selling for millions of dollars, and the city already has three residents who are worth a billion dollars. An anchor hotel has been signed up for the year 2024, and it will be the first time that one of the most well-known luxury brand names in the world will be present in Mexico. There will be a focus on health and wellbeing, as well as gourmet cuisine and infinity plunge pools, among other luxuries. On the other hand, there will be an ironclad dedication and unwavering allegiance to the communities that have been here since the beginning.
For instance, in order to supply Xala with water, it was necessary to establish a river that would pass through the settlements in the surrounding area. Xala has collaborated with the local community to ensure that they will have access to this drinkable water throughout the entire year. Over 200 local families of farmers and cattle ranchers are able to increase the amount of value-added crops they produce as a result of the delivery of clean water to these areas, which receive little rainfall throughout the year. This will directly result in increased cash availability for the local community.
However, the effects are not limited to only that. Xala has provided children in the surrounding area with a community center where they can participate in after-school activities, a skate park where Olympic skater Johnny Schillereff hosts skate clinics with the local communities, and even a psychologist so that children can have someone to talk to about their mental health concerns. Reforestation activities, an organic mango orchard, and a whole host of other environmental projects are now underway.
Santa Cruz advised that one must "always make sure to listen to the community." "Developers come in and tell [the community] what [they] need, and then they say, 'let me help you.'" In point of fact, the community is in the best position to choose what services it requires and in what order they should be provided than any of us.
The launch of the Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo in 2022 was one of the most significant events to take place along this area. In addition, despite the fact that "Four Seasons" is not exactly synonymous with "boutique," the particular property in question was built and constructed with the ethos of Costalegre in mind.
"Pretend for a moment that you are the first person to set foot on this territory. When you get off the boat, the first thing that will strike you is how naturally beautiful the region is. You will be utterly taken aback. According to Felix Murillo, the general manager of the hotel, "the spirit, the service, and the quality are what you sense when you come to the Four Seasons for the first time."
The resort blends in seamlessly with its 6,000 acres of surrounding terrain because to the careful planning and design that went into creating it. It was not the desire for any of it to be flashy, despite the fact that its design is flawless, the materials are of the highest quality, and the service is outstanding. There is no intention to alter the natural surroundings in any manner.
Murillo continued by saying that "our dream is that stuff will come into the resort, but we won't allow waste go out." "Everything that we eat or drink gets thrown into an organic compost. We brought in pigs so that they could consume the compost that was here. We have our own farms where compost is produced, and with their help, we get everything ready to be returned to the soil.
The "Last Coast" of Mexico.
The name Costalegre is not brand new. The desire to travel to "undiscovered" locations is not a recent phenomenon. What is novel and invigorating are the developers who are not interested in building high density communities. This shared vision offers hope that this coastline can be preserved in a state that is unspoiled to the greatest extent feasible.
[These families] are forerunners in their fields. They were the first to see it," said Zach Rabin or, CEO of Journey Mexico, a locally based travel curator that specializes in extremely luxurious vacations. "The consumer interest in this topic has circled back around to it as a result of the post-pandemic mentality. Even before the pandemic, this kind of interest had been around. Everyone was interested in finding out what the next low-rise, small-batch, boutique-style destination will be. However, the epidemic fueled an already strong yearning for quiet, low-density, and out-of-the-way places to vacation even more.
Nevertheless, nothing can ever really remain the same for an infinitely long time. Development is occurring. The time it takes to go from Puerto Vallarta to the Costalegre will be reduced from several hours to just 20 minutes when the airport close to Xala is ready to accommodate private flights in 2023. At some point in the future, that airport is going to start allowing commercial airlines to use it. In addition, Puerto Vallarta's airport is in the process of being expanded in order to meet the enormous rise in the number of tourists. The population is growing, and the land itself is morphing to accommodate them.
The people who control the keys to Costalegre have made it such that it is unlike any other area in Mexico that you have been before, and it is important to emphasise this point. And once you have had the opportunity to experience the Costalegre, it will be very difficult for you to return to anything else.