In February 2020, long before I knew just how fortuitous my timing would be, I spent a month solo traveling along Mexico’s Pacific coast. (I know; don’t hate me.) Though my days of traveling alone for weeks at a time are squarely behind me (a girlfriend, dog, cat, work deadlines, etc. will do that to you), there’s one spot I visited on that trip that I couldn’t get out of my head: Costalegre ("happy coast"), an absolutely magical region just south of Puerto Vallarta that thrummed with virgin coastline, friendly people, and thousands upon thousands of acres of protected land and sea. When, 4+ years later, I got the chance to revisit, I’ve never said yes so fast—and y’all, it was even better than I remembered.
Now, unlike some other Mexican destinations that seemingly went from zero to Señor Frog in the blink of an eye, Costalegre is under the care of conservationists at heart who are determined to develop slowly, and with the community’s blessing, and in tiny portions of the land—so, thank God, we’re not about to see all that natural beauty giving way to a Lego-like lineup of glassy chain hotels.
