The Costalegre coast is one of Mexico’s best kept secrets…until now.
One of my least favourite acronyms in the acronym-obsessed, life-in-abbreviation-social-media-saturated times we’re currently all living through (enduring?) is undoubtedly, “IYKYK”. But, I am stumped to think of any phrase more appropriate than ‘If you know, you know” when it comes to conjuring up the magical Costalegre pacific coast in the western, Jalesco region of Mexico – such is its word-of-mouth-preserved appeal. Translated literally as the ‘coast of joy’, it is easy to see why; especially when it comes to the destinations Careyes and Tamarindo, where the Four Seasons has recently opened, both of which are just a few hours south of the more famous tourist haven of Puerto Vallarta.
Mexico has been having a moment for some time now, with its culture, colours and cuisine infiltrating the design, art, interiors and the culinary worlds. As such, it has certainly cemented itself as the far-flung holiday of choice for Instagram-happy travellers seeking adventure in the guaranteed, year-round sunshine.
“Oh you’re going to Mexico, whereabouts?” many people asked when I told them of our upcoming trip. “Tulum? Cabo? Holbox?” they would eagerly inquire, mentioning the country’s more popular southern destinations on the east coast or the exceedingly trendy island, Holbox, north west of Cancun. “No, no, we’re heading to Careyes and Tamarindo on the west coast,” I would respond to mainly blank faces, even from the well-travelled. But for those rare few who knew exactly where we were heading – the select “IYK” – their eyes would light up and a stream of animated joy would pour forth, preceded with a guaranteed, “Oh wow!”
We headed to the region in February for some winter sunshine, spending four days at Careyes, before heading one hour further south to the Four Seasons in Tamarindo for three nights of crazy luxury…
What makes Careyes different from other destinations?
Speaking to fellow travel writers who’ve visited Careyes, like journalist and Mexico expert, Meagan Drillinger, who is currently living there, it’s hard to know how exactly to describe it. The logo for the resort is simply: “?!”. And by the end of our stay we laughed that we understood why, as this pretty much sums up this wholly unique destination: you arrive at Careyes and you question, “Wow, what the hell is this place?” then once you become acclimatised and realise how unusual and magical it is, you exclaim: “Oh wow, what the hell IS this place!”
Karla Cifuentes
