Just announced as the Best Hotel in North America at The World’s 50 Best Hotels held in London this September, placing it eighth in the world, One&Only Mandarina deserves every single accolade.
Where?
On an unspoilt stretch of coastline along the Riviera Nayarit, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by rainforest. Just 45 minutes from Punta Mita, One&Only Mandarina spreads over 88 acres of landscape, encompassing a jungle which houses more than 50 species of ancient trees. Wildlife abounds, from migrating whales, to armadillos, to friendly coatis playing in the trees.
Style
One&Only Mandarina blends beautifully into the rainforest, at times in a real ‘hide and seek’ way, allowing a feeling of immersion as well as cleverly framing its natural surroundings. Two of the infinity pools, which jut out over the ocean, are placed to be the perfect sunset viewing spot.
There are 105 villas, some cliff-top, some treehouse, the latter sitting within the canopy of the jungle. All are sleek, minimalist, and easy on the eye. A sustainable contemporary design alongside careful low-density planning has resulted in a resort which feels as though it has always been there, dramatically sandwiched, as it is, between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra del Vallejo mountains.
Interiors draw on raw materials indigenous to the region, with clay, wood and stone taking centre stage. Throughout there is a generosity in all senses – showers are huge, baths are big enough for two, beds are oversized, there are enticing swimming pools (and, of course, there are also a private pool in every villa). Staff, from your private butler, to the barmen, to the buggy drivers all go that extra mile.
Food & Drink
Both are such a treat in Mexico, where avocados taste incomparably better, tequila slips down nicely and zingy lime in everything uplifts body and soul. Start your visit with an agave tasting at the botanical bar, The Treetop. Try the five different types of tequila, deliciously smoky mezcal and even a shot of sotol, a liqueur with rattlesnake poison on the ingredients list (neutralised by the alcohol obviously). It will be paired with local nibbles of ants or grasshoppers.
Dinner at Carao, under the umbrella of acclaimed chef, Enrique Olvera, who runs the celebrated Pujol restaurant in Mexico City, is the culinary highlight of the resort. The charred avocado with scallops, shrimp and red jalapeno is one not to miss. Neither is the rock cornish with parsnip puree and fennel. And, if you go for the tasting menu, go for the wine pairing, too. Mexico has really some interesting wine now. Try the Casa Madero, Gran Reserva Chardonnay, or the Bodega Los Cedros pinot noir to see what I mean.
For lunch indulge in some dazzlingly fresh ceviches and tiraditos down at the Jetty Beach Club, or head out to the wildlife-rich Mandarina flatlands, for a pizza at their Italian restaurant, Allora.
Facilities
There is everything you could wish for here and more. Within the resort itself, there is an impressive spa, set amidst the forest, with a swimming pool, a Temazcal (a sweat lodge where you can cleanse yourself with the help of a shaman) and treatment rooms offering Tata Harper products, with a unique Tata Harper Sensorial Reset. There are walking trails to visit the 235-year-old La Abuela, one of the many Higuera Blanca trees in the forest with huge, powerful roots.
Down by the ocean, you can paddle board and kayak. There is a wonderful kids-only club, whose forest setting encompasses treehouses and suspended bridges, slides, climbing walls and even a butterfly sanctuary. In the neighbouring Mandarina development there is a Polo & Equestrian Club, there is archery, bike and Segway rentals, tennis, soccer, and pickle ball. There is also a zipline through the jungle.
Extracurricular
If you want to explore outside the resort there are a couple of small towns, San Pancho and Sayulita, with some very pretty streets, nice shops and a surf vibe. The Riveira Nayarit Tourist Board is a good source of info on the best shops and restaurants there.
Which room?
I loved our clifftop villa, with its pool which stretched out into the trees with the Pacific Ocean shimmering beneath us. Some might prefer to look onto the jungle in a tree house; interiors are much the same in both, with a lot of wood and glass and polished concrete. There are large bath tubs, huge showers and bedrooms which have desks and sofas. Terraces outside have loungers by the pool and a table to eat at… until the coati descend.
Best for...
Honeymooners or those who want to pop the question — for the resort brims with romance. It is good for families too though, with its excellent facilities for children. Spa junkies and nature-lovers will also thrive here and — to be honest anyone who loves good hotels. After all this is now considered the eighth best in the world.
