Best Exclusive-Use Resorts and Villa Buyouts around Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita
A practical guide to the best exclusive-use resorts and private villa buyouts around Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita. Learn what a full buyout includes, how many guests each sleeps, and which estates suit a wedding, family reunion, or corporate retreat.
Mateo Herrera
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The way to take a Mexican beach for a private group is to rent the whole thing. Around Banderas Bay, options run from an 18-suite estate you buy out entirely, to a 15-tent Four Seasons camp for about 30 guests, to staffed private villas inside gated Punta Mita. Every property here goes to a single group with no other guests on site, either as a full buyout or a whole private villa.
Below are the 8 best exclusive-use resorts and villa buyouts around Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita in 2026, with capacity, location, and who each one suits. The two areas sit in different states, Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco and Punta Mita in Nayarit about 45 minutes north, so we keep them in separate sections.
Methodology
Every property here can be taken over by a single group, either as a full buyout or as a whole private villa. We weighed them on the things that actually decide a group booking.
Criterion | What it captures |
Capacity | How many rooms or bedrooms, and the maximum guest count for the whole property. |
Buyout or villa | Whether it is a full resort or estate buyout, or a private staffed villa. |
Staff & service | Private chef, dedicated staff, and events or wedding support. |
Setting & access | The location, the beach and grounds, and any resort or golf access that comes with it. |
Best-for use case | Whether it fits a wedding, a family reunion, a corporate retreat, or a friends' trip. |
Quick picks
In Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco)
Best full-estate buyout: Las Alamandas (Costalegre coast)
Best adults-only buyout near town: Casa Velas (Marina Vallarta)
Best intimate private estate: La Troza (south of Puerto Vallarta)
In Punta Mita (Riviera Nayarit)
Best for a large family or golf group: Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita
Best small, adults-only full buyout: Naviva (15 tents, about 30 guests)
Best private staffed villas: Punta Mita estates (Kupuri and Ranchos)
Best butler-service group stay: The St. Regis Punta Mita
Best small private estate: Hacienda Los Milagros (nine rooms)
Exclusive-use resort vs private villa: what you are booking
The two models overlap but they are not the same, and the right one depends on your group size and how much service you want.
Model | What it is | Best when |
Full resort or estate buyout | You reserve every room at a small resort or estate, with the full staff, kitchens, and event spaces at your disposal. | Weddings and larger reunions that want full-service catering, staffing, and event support. |
Private staffed villa | You rent a whole home with its own chef and staff, often inside a gated resort community with access to its amenities. | Families and friends' groups that want a house and privacy, with resort facilities nearby. |
Best in Puerto Vallarta and the Jalisco coast
1. Las Alamandas — best full-estate buyout overall
Type: Full estate buyout.
Area: Costalegre coast, Jalisco, a roughly two to three hour drive south of Puerto Vallarta airport.
Capacity: 18 suites, accommodating up to about 45 guests as a full-property buyout.
The setup: A private beachfront estate on a large ecological reserve, with the full staff, customized dining, and tailored events and activities included in a buyout.
Best for: Weddings, family reunions, corporate retreats, and friends' groups that want a whole estate to themselves.
Downside: It is remote, a real drive south of Puerto Vallarta, which is the price of the seclusion.
Las Alamandas is the estate people picture when they imagine buying out a property in Mexico. Owned by Isabel Goldsmith, it still feels like a private family estate that lets a group in, spread across four beaches and lagoons with room to disappear. The distance from the airport is the tradeoff, and for most groups the seclusion is exactly the point.
Read more about Las Alamandas here
2. Casa Velas — best smaller adults-only buyout near town
Type: Full resort buyout.
Area: Marina Vallarta, Jalisco, about 10 to 15 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Capacity: An intimate adults-only hotel of around 80 suites, bookable for group takeovers.
The setup: A boutique hotel on the Marina Vallarta golf course, with a full staff, a spa, and a private Ocean Club beach club reached by shuttle.
Best for: Adults-only weddings and corporate groups that want short airport transfers and a golf setting.
Downside: It is not beachfront, so the beach is a shuttle ride away at the separate Ocean Club.
Casa Velas is the easy-logistics choice, minutes from the airport in the marina district. It trades a beachfront address for privacy, golf, and a quiet adults-only feel, which makes it a strong fit for a corporate retreat or an adults-only wedding that wants the whole hotel without a long transfer.
Read more about Casa Velas here
3. La Troza — best private estate on the Vallarta side
Type: Private staffed estate, rented whole.
Area: Jalisco, in the hills and coast south of Puerto Vallarta.
Capacity: A private estate for a single group, with capacity confirmed at booking.
The setup: A secluded staffed estate rented whole, with private chef service and a gourmet, all-in getaway format.
Best for: Small groups and couples who want a chef-driven, fully private escape.
Downside: It is a single estate, so capacity is smaller than a resort buyout, and remote by design.
La Troza is the more intimate Vallarta-side option, a staffed private estate built around food and seclusion, not scale. It suits a small group that wants the whole place, a private chef, and no other guests, without the size or the logistics of a full resort takeover.
Best in Punta Mita and the Riviera Nayarit
These properties are in the state of Nayarit, on the gated Punta Mita peninsula about 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. They share the PVR airport and the greater Banderas Bay setting, but they are a separate destination from Puerto Vallarta itself.
1. Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita — best for a large family or golf group
Type: Private villas within the resort, or a full resort buyout.
Area: Punta Mita peninsula, Nayarit, about 45 minutes north of PVR airport.
Capacity: Multi-bedroom villas and residences that sleep large groups, with larger group takeovers arranged through the resort.
The setup: Private villas within a full-service resort, with access to two Jack Nicklaus golf courses, the Apuane Spa, beach clubs, and the resort's dining and kids' programming.
Best for: Large family or golf groups that want a private house plus the full resort behind it.
Downside: As a full resort, a complete buyout is only for very large budgets, so most groups take villas instead of the whole property.
The Four Seasons is the leading name on the peninsula for group stays, and it is the most-cited property for exclusive stays in Punta Mita. Its multi-bedroom villas give a family or golf group a private base with plunge pools and staff, while the resort's golf, spa, beaches, and dining sit a buggy ride away. It is the pick for groups that want privacy without giving up a full resort.
Read more about Four Seasons Punta Mita here
2. Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort — best small, adults-only full buyout
Type: Full resort buyout (all 15 tents).
Area: On the Four Seasons headland at Punta Mita, Nayarit, about 45 minutes from PVR.
Capacity: 15 all-inclusive tented bungalows for around 30 guests, taken as a full-camp buyout.
The setup: The whole resort to your group, with private plunge pools per tent, a daily spa treatment, and wellness rituals including a resident-led temazcal.
Best for: A smaller adults-only wedding, milestone celebration, or executive retreat that wants total seclusion.
Downside: The cliffside beach is not swimmable, so groups use the main Four Seasons for calm water, and the price per guest is high.
Naviva is the cleanest true exclusive-use resort on the bay: at 15 tents and about 30 guests, a single group can genuinely take the entire property. That makes it a natural fit for an adults-only celebration or a small executive retreat that wants the whole camp, the wellness programming, and complete privacy, without the scale of a big resort.
3. Punta Mita private estates (Kupuri and Ranchos) — best private staffed villas
Type: Private staffed villas.
Area: Inside the gated Punta Mita community, Nayarit, about 45 minutes from PVR.
Capacity: Individual villas that sleep from a handful of guests up to roughly 20 in the largest homes, with several villas combinable for a bigger group.
The setup: Whole staffed homes with private chefs, many beachfront or on the Jack Nicklaus golf courses, with access to the community's clubs and beaches.
Best for: Families and friends' groups who want a private house with resort amenities on hand.
Downside: Amenities and service vary home by home, so the details are worth confirming for each villa.
The estate-rental route in Punta Mita gives you a private home inside the gates, staffed and often steps from the golf or the beach, with the resorts' facilities close by. The estates at Kupuri and Ranchos, along with the community's residential rentals, are the way most groups take Punta Mita privately, and combining villas scales the group up without a full resort buyout.
Read more about the estates here
4. The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort — best butler-service group stay
Type: Private villas, or a group buyout.
Area: Punta Mita peninsula, Nayarit, about 45 minutes from PVR.
Capacity: Villas and suites for a group, with larger buyouts arranged through the resort.
The setup: Signature St. Regis butler service, three pools, and a private beach, within the gated peninsula.
Best for: Groups that want full-service butler luxury on the peninsula alongside the Four Seasons.
Downside: Like its neighbor, a full resort buyout is a large commitment, so most groups book villa clusters.
The St. Regis is the other peninsula flagship for group stays, with its butler service the main point of difference. Its villas and suites work well for a group that wants the polish and the staffing of a major resort, and the setting sits on one of the best beaches on the bay.
Read more about St. Regis here
5. Hacienda Los Milagros — best small private estate
Type: Full estate buyout.
Area: Punta Mita area, Nayarit.
Capacity: A nine-room estate, available only as a full-property buyout.
The setup: A single private estate taken whole, with total privacy for one group.
Best for: A small family reunion or friends' group that wants an entire private estate.
Downside: With nine rooms, it caps a mid-size group, so larger parties need a bigger estate or a resort buyout.
Hacienda Los Milagros is a compact estate, sold only as a whole-property buyout so a single group always has it to themselves. It suits a mid-size reunion or celebration that wants a genuine private estate, not a resort, at a smaller scale than Las Alamandas.
Read more about Hacienda Los Milagros here
How to choose the right exclusive-use resort
For a full-service wedding or large reunion: Las Alamandas, the standout whole-estate buyout, with the staff and event support to run a big group.
For a large family or golf group who want a resort behind them: Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, with private multi-bedroom villas plus the full resort and two golf courses.
For a small, adults-only celebration where the whole place is yours: Naviva, 15 tents for about 30 guests as a full-camp buyout.
For a private staffed home, or several combined for a bigger group: the Punta Mita estates at Kupuri and Ranchos, inside the gated community.
For short airport transfers and an adults-only takeover: Casa Velas in Marina Vallarta, minutes from PVR.
For an intimate, chef-driven private estate: La Troza on the Vallarta side, or Hacienda Los Milagros near Punta Mita for a nine-room estate.
For butler-service luxury on the peninsula: The St. Regis Punta Mita.
Whichever you choose, confirm the guest maximum, the staffing, and the event capacity in writing, and book well ahead for peak dates.
Frequently asked questions
What is an exclusive-use resort or a buyout?
An exclusive-use resort, or a buyout, is when one group reserves an entire property so no other guests are on site. It comes in two forms: a full buyout of a small resort or estate, and a private staffed villa rented as a whole. Both give you the whole place, a private staff, and customized dining and events, which is why they suit weddings, family reunions, and corporate retreats.
What are the best exclusive-use resorts near Puerto Vallarta?
On the Puerto Vallarta and Jalisco side, Las Alamandas on the Costalegre coast is the standout estate buyout, and Casa Velas in Marina Vallarta suits smaller adults-only groups. In Punta Mita and the Riviera Nayarit, about 45 minutes north, Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and its adults-only sister Naviva, the private estates at Kupuri and Ranchos, and The St. Regis Punta Mita are the leading options.
How many guests can you fit in an exclusive-use resort here?
It varies by property. Las Alamandas has 18 suites and accommodates up to about 45 guests. Naviva has 15 tented bungalows for around 30 guests as a full-camp buyout. Hacienda Los Milagros is a nine-room estate. Private villas in Punta Mita typically sleep from a handful of guests up to roughly 20 in the largest homes, and several villas can be combined for a bigger group.
Which is best for a destination wedding or family reunion?
For a wedding or large family reunion, Las Alamandas is the strongest full-estate buyout on the Jalisco coast, while Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and the large private estates at Kupuri and Ranchos suit groups who want the Punta Mita peninsula and its golf. Naviva suits a smaller, adults-only celebration where the whole resort is yours.
Is Punta Mita part of Puerto Vallarta?
Not exactly. Punta Mita is on the Riviera Nayarit, in the state of Nayarit, about 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, which is in Jalisco. It shares the same airport (PVR) and is part of the greater Puerto Vallarta area, but it is a separate destination with its own gated resorts and estates. This guide keeps the two regions in separate sections.
How do you book an exclusive-use resort or villa buyout?
Book well ahead, since peak dates and holiday weeks go a year or more in advance for full buyouts. Most estates and resorts handle buyouts through their events or reservations team, and private villas are booked through the community's estate-rental office or a villa agency. Confirm the guest maximum, what the buyout includes, staffing, and event capacity in writing before you commit.
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