Four Seasons Punta Mita (Pacifico)

The Punta Mita resort sits in the shadow of the Sierra Madre Mountains to the north of Bahía de Banderas, one of the largest bays on Mexico’s Pacific coastline and the development is spread over an enormous 2,700 acres, encompassing white sandy beaches and clear blue waters that are ideal for sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving.

Water sports enthusiasts are certainly well catered for but so too are golfers now that there are two championship courses to play here and, make no mistake, this is a world class place to golf, with Conde Nast Traveler magazine listing it as number one in its Top 100 Golf Resorts chart compiled in 2008.

Jack Nicklaus designed the two courses at Punta Mita (the Pacifico course opening in 1999, some ten years before the Bahia layout) and both sets of lush, rolling fairways are set out on a stretch of natural rock outcropping renowned as a prime site for whale watching.

The Pacifico routing brings eight of the holes into close proximity with the ocean and Jack incorporated even more water into the design when he created the first 19th hole in Mexico, an optional par three called “Tail of the Whale,” which plays to a natural island green 200 yards from the mainland tee.

In 2021, Jim Lipe started work on a 5-year renovation project at the resort, upgrading greens, surrounds, bunkers and tees on the Pacifico layout. Further work will include replacing fairway grass with Trinity Zoysia.