Beach resorts along Mexico’s teeming coasts are a dime a dozen. However, it remains rare to find a luxury hotel tucked into a bucolic bay with its own private beach, where you are more likely to spot a sunbathing iguana as you bike to the spa or a coy coati during a shoreline stroll than another guest.
If that is the kind of Mexican getaway that calls to you, the new Rosewood Mandarina, which opened in May 2025, should be at the top of your list. Not only is the sprawling resort a breezy, beachside idyll that’s also incredibly convenient to get to, but there is plenty to keep you occupied (or not, if you just want to relax) while there.
Here’s what it’s like staying at the new Rosewood Mandarina and how to make the most of your time there.
First impressions
Forget the tourist-thronged lobbies of Puerto Vallarta with lines of soon-to-be-sunburned travelers waiting to check in. Your arrival at Rosewood Mandarina, just an hour north of the city, is likely to be a private affair where you will have the whole breezy reception pavilion to yourself — all the better to enjoy an ice-cold hibiscus welcome drink.
Take a moment to admire the artisanal, handcarved wooden sculptures adorning various desks and the overhead art installation with handmade ropes meant to evoke a traditional loom used by the Indigenous Cora people.
Then, catch a buggy to your accommodations as your personal butler gives you a rundown of the hotel’s restaurants and amenities.
The hotel is split into three zones (or ecosystems), so your experience might vary based on your home base. The jungly Flatland area is a draw thanks to suites with expansive private gardens and proximity to the beachfront pools and restaurants, as well as the kids club, making it ideal for families who only want a quick walk between amenities.
The Beach suites are located right along the resort’s milelong strip of golden sand, just across from the heart of the resort via a pedestrian bridge from which you might spot a (small) resident crocodile or two lazing in a sedate estuary. Choose these if you want true barefoot luxury, where you can walk to breakfast and dinner each night along the shore.
The Mountain section of the hotel, meanwhile, requires a vertiginous, but panoramic, drive up a 400-foot hillside, but the stunning views of the Sierra de Vallejo mountains and the Pacific from each room are well worth it.
No matter which of the 134 villas and suites you choose, you can count on your own private plunge pool — all the better for enjoying the tropical environs in utter privacy.
Rooms at Rosewood Mandarina
My Premier Beachfront Studio Suite was located in one of the low-slung, tropical-brutalist buildings directly on the beach — a rarity along this stretch of Mexico’s coast — and encompassed nearly 1,100 square feet of indoor and outdoor space.
Each of the suite’s furnishings was custom-made, from the caramel-colored tornillo wood furniture to the Indigenous Wixarika (also known as Huichol) beaded bedside bowls in which you could leave your valuables.
With warm wood paneling and neutral-toned fabrics in various shades of stone and taupe, the overall aesthetic was fittingly tranquil for such a setting. Don’t worry, there was also plenty of color thanks to little curios and sculptures artfully arranged here and there.
Anchoring the main indoor space was a sumptuously white-sheeted king-size bed with a profusion of pillows and a nightstand with plentiful plugs to either side. Just in front was a shabby-chic love seat.
To one side of the room, a wall-mounted flat-screen TV hung above a long work desk holding locally made bead and textile artworks, as well as a few books on Mexican art.
To the other, the minibar was well provisioned with a variety of Mexican snacks like dried, chili-dusted jicama chips and artisanal spirits, such as Abasolo Alma de la Tierra corn Mexican whiskey, plus an espresso maker and a tea kettle.
Through enormous sliding doors, the shaded outdoor deck had a large sectional for leisurely lounging and a stone-topped table for intimate in-room dining, as well as a small plunge pool for refreshing dips. A set of stairs led directly down to the beach, where there were two lounge chairs and an umbrella for our private use as well.
Back inside, the bathroom was located toward the rear of the suite, its marble double sink sectioned off by wooden screens.
To one side, a walk-in shower provisioned with D.S. & Durga Jazmin Yucatan products led to an outdoor shower on the back deck, while to the other was a small water closet.
Anchoring the space, a dramatic, dark stone stand-alone tub held pride of place next to sheer-curtained floor-to-ceiling windows so you could enjoy the afternoon light while having a soak.
Private, palatial and inviting, the suite was exactly the place I wanted to retreat to after an active morning in the muggy heat haze of the jungle or an afternoon of sunbathing by the main pools. Drifting off to sleep was easy each evening thanks to the lull of the crashing waves at our doorstep.
Dining at Rosewood Mandarina
Given the sprawling nature of the resort and the occasions guests are likely to celebrate during their stays, Rosewood Mandarina offers four restaurants and bars, plus a robust in-villa dining program.
Located adjacent to the pool area and right along the beach, La Cocina Mandarina is the main all-day dining venue and bar. Its laid-back vibe feels equal parts Architectural Digest magazine and Acapulco circa-1960 thanks to its chunky wooden tables and art fixtures, woven-fiber chairs, hanging lights and feet-in-the-sand ambience.
Breakfast includes specialties like hearty chilaquiles ($19) and huevos rancheros ($22), while you might tuck into lunch dishes like luscious marlin tostadas with avocado ($14) and more than a dozen types of tacos, including those stuffed with battered fish ($12.50) or spicy grilled shrimp ($12) with all the fixings.
At dinner, you might spot a coati foraging along the beach while you dig into dishes like local tuna tiraditos with passion fruit, avocado, cucumber and ponzu ($32.50); juicy “cucaracha”-spiced prawns with pickled onions and coriander ($36); and the catch of the day prepared zarandeado-style over coals with fresh farmers market vegetables ($46).
Leave room for a fluffy banana bread dessert with mascarpone, candied plantains and cotija cheese ice cream ($19.50).
Just up the beach from the main pool area, Buena Onda is a Spanish cantina that feels like you could be dining on the Costa Brava in Catalonia. Arrive before sunset for refreshing dusk drinks like the Coastal-Gria with rosé, vermouth, damiana liqueur, fresh herbs, lemon and ginger beer ($21).
Afterward, perambulate over to a table for a leisurely dinner of signature dishes like tender artichoke hearts with quail eggs and jamon iberico ($36), a sumptuous Spanish cheese board with marcona almonds and mixed olives ($41), wood-grilled fresh catch of the day ($80 per kilo) and tender duroc pork chop grilled over an open flame ($39.50) before a dessert of assorted popsicles like one with white chocolate and Mexican vanilla liqueur ($9.50).
Though not open at the time of our visit, the hotel will also have a mountainside speakeasy called Barra Penasco and a Japanese-Peruvian eatery called Toppu, with a variety of indoor and outdoor seating areas overlooking the coast and even a lively sushi counter.
As my husband and I were on our honeymoon at the time of our visit, the resort arranged a romantic in-suite dinner for us, complete with string lights and flowers, where we could choose what we liked from the room service menu, and it was all carefully coursed out and delivered by a dedicated server straight to our deck. It was simply magical.
Guests can also visit the rest of the larger Mandarina complex’s eateries, including the Argentine grill, Chukker (overlooking the polo fields), and Allora, a beachfront Italian trattoria that’s also open to guests of the nearby One&Only Mandarina resort.
The spa at Rosewood Mandarina
With 10 treatment rooms, including two just for couples, and a jungly courtyard surrounding a centuries-old parota tree (its leaves look like ears, so according to Wixarika myth, you can tell the tree your troubles to feel better), the resort’s Asaya Spa complex is truly impressive, as are the treatments incorporating French-Japanese EviDens and German Dr. Barbara Sturm products.
There are separate men’s and women’s locker rooms, as well as shared steam and sauna facilities with a cold plunge and a small lounge with drinks and snacks for pretreatment or posttreatment relaxation.
The complex also houses a large fitness center with all-new Technogym cardio and weight machines.
For my personalized restorative massage ($300 for 60 minutes), I was asked to choose from three house-distilled essential oil combinations, settling on an invigorating blend of rosemary, lavender and frankincense that was incorporated into the treatment. I left feeling reenergized after all the wedding festivities of the week before.
Amenities and service
- The hotel has four oceanfront pools tiled in attractive green Balinese Sukabumi stone — two for families and two for adults, with chairs and cabanas available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Next to the pool area, the Rosewood Explorers kids club has plenty of indoor and outdoor activity areas and toys, and its colorful play fixtures are inspired by a popular Mexican fairy tale called “The Journey of Tunuri and the Blue Deer.”
- Spend a morning exploring the resort’s world-class equestrian center before a scenic horseback ride ($150 per person for 60 minutes) through jungle trails and along the beach. (Polo season runs from November through March if you’re interested in catching a match.)
- Tee up at the Greg Norman-designed Mandarina Golf Club, which just opened last April.
- Thrill-seekers can book a fast-paced zip line excursion through the forest-covered hills surrounding the resort ($120 per person).
- Your personal butler will take care of every need, great or small, from arrival and departure details to restaurant and activity reservations.
Location and logistics
Rosewood Mandarina sits in an exclusive enclave about an hour’s drive north of Puerto Vallarta’s Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR) along a new highway. You can easily rent a car and drive yourself, or catch a taxi for about $100 each way. The resort can also arrange private transfers in a fleet of new SUVs for $500 round-trip.
What it costs
Nightly rates at Rosewood Mandarina start at $805 per night for Flatland and Mountain studio suites, and range up to over $11,000 for the two-bedroom Canalan Beachfront Villa. However, these rates skyrocket during the festive season and at other popular times of the year.
The hotel is part of American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts, so if you have The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you can make a booking through amextravel.com and receive perks like availability-based upgrades, up to a $100 credit to use on-property during your stay for things like drinks and meals, complimentary daily breakfast for two and guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout.
Thanks to these cards’ recent revamps, both now offer a biannual $300 (up to $600 per calendar year) statement credit on prepaid stays at Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts properties, so you could shave $300 off your expenses on a reservation at Rosewood Mandarina if you are able to leverage one of these cards’ credits.
Accessibility
The resort’s lobby, La Cocina Mandarina, Toppu and the spa are accessible via road, walkway and buggy service, though you might find some uneven surfaces and flagstones, which might limit the paths that wheelchair users can take. The pool area and beach, however, are sandy, so if your mobility is limited, you might not be able to access them easily.
There are three accessible suites, one in each section of the resort (Flatland, Beach and Mountain), with wide entryways and indoor spaces, no steps and roll-in showers. Before booking, though, call the resort directly to ensure that the accommodations will meet your specific requirements.
Bottom line
With three distinct ecosystems and an incredible location along a secluded stretch of the Riviera Nayarit, Rosewood Mandarina is an exciting new addition to Mexico’s hotel scene. Rosewood enthusiasts will be excited to see many of the luxury brand’s hallmarks, including the gorgeous Asaya Spa and sumptuously appointed accommodations.
But they also have some extraordinary, location-specific elements to look forward to, ranging from pieces of Indigenous Wixarika arts and crafts highlighted throughout the hotel to traditional Mexican flavors and locally sourced ingredients on the menus at its various restaurants.
If you’re able to book through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, you might even be able to use various statement credits to shave some dollars off your stay as well as to experience some of the more exciting activities on offer.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
