From sunrise birding walks to sunset margaritas poolside, Las Alamandas redefines quiet luxury on Mexico’s hidden "Happy Coast."

Named one of AFAR and Travel + Leisure’s top destinations for 2025, Mexico’s Costalegre is a largely undeveloped 200-mile stretch of coast between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo. After inheriting land here from her grandfather—Bolivian mining magnate Antenor Patiño, who built the Las Hadas Hotel in nearby Manzanillo in the 1950s—and decades before “eco-luxury” became a buzzword, Isabel Goldsmith preserved 2,000 acres of dry forest, lagoons, and pristine beaches as a private nature reserve—choosing conservation over the sprawling resort Patiño had envisioned.

A Colorful Sanctuary

Inspired by Mexico’s landscapes and the joyful minimalism of Mexico City architect Luis Barragán, the result was Las Alamandas. A study in color, with sunbaked magenta pinks, cobalt blues, and marigold yellows reminiscent of a Frida Kahlo painting, it feels blissfully immersive and off-grid. Named after the golden Copa de Oro flowers that once grew wild here, Las Alamandas opened in 1997. Robert De Niro was among the first guests, followed by who's who of A-listers, like J.Lo and Marc Anthony, Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman (while filming "Kill Bill 3"), but celebrity was never the goal. 

Goldsmith’s vision for Las Alamandas was deeply personal: a sanctuary honoring nature. Today, the resort operates with nearly 92% of its energy from solar power. Water is drawn from private wells, purified with Swiss technology, and recycled to nourish the gardens. Electric golf carts handle housekeeping and room service, and even kitchen soaps are biodegradable and earth-friendly. A sea turtle conservation program protects olive ridley nests and releases hatchlings during nesting season. And with some 280 bird species in the region, a personalized excursion guided by local biologist Marisela Lazareno is a visit highlight—even for non-birding enthusiasts. 

The Stay

Each of the 18 suites—spread across eight villas—is a study in comfort and color. During a casual conversation, Goldsmith shared her long-held ambition to trademark “Las Alamandas Pink” with Pantone. Inside, freshly cut blooms from the orchard—birds of paradise, ginger, hibiscus—fill vases and sofas are piled with decorative cushions. Rooms blend spacious layouts and natural materials with soft modern touches: king beds dressed in Egyptian cotton and marble bathrooms with deep soaking tubs.

At Casa Isabel, once Goldsmith’s personal residence, the entranceway is inlaid with protective runes, while interiors glow with personal touches—books, art, and the effortless glamour of a once lived-in home. Outside, a spacious patio faces the beach, complete with a private plunge pool, daybed, and a macrame hammock that welcomes afternoon siestas. 

A few doors down, part of Casa del Sol, the Presidential Suite boasts a private infinity lap pool and an airy terrace designed for sunrise yoga or late-night stargazing. Butler service is available upon request and at turndown; staff leave jars of homemade cookies alongside bottled water—a simple yet thoughtful gesture. More like a private estate than a traditional resort, the grounds at Las Alamandas feel lush but not over-manicured. The Gallery, currently filled with colorful paintings of birds and jungle fauna by Mexican artist Tana Gaxiola, serves as a casual hub for reading, chatting with fellow guests, or catching up on emails (it has the best Starlink Wi-Fi on the property). There’s also a newly added games room, a boutique, and a central yet discreet swimming pool flanked by sun loungers and day beds.

The Food

Meals at Las Alamandas celebrate what the land and sea provide: roughly 75% of the ingredients come from the resort’s own gardens and orchards, overseen by head gardener and horticulturalist, Brenda Loera. The rest, mainly seafood, arrives fresh each day from fishermen in nearby Perula. You will never see salmon on the menu, one staff member assures me.

Breakfast at the open-air La Palapa includes platters of neatly cut tropical fruit and a classic omelet made with eggs collected that morning. Lunch might be a snapper ceviche or a bowl of chilled cucumber soup topped with fresh herbs. For dinner at Oasis, perhaps grilled sea bass in a delicate cillantro sauce, followed by mango mousse or a scoop of homemade helado ice cream in daily-changing flavors—like coconut or papaya.

Goldsmith, who divides her time between London, Paris, Los Angeles, and her beloved Costalegre, can often be spotted at dinner, seated quietly at the corner table in a chic caftan—a presence both elegant and approachable, happy to converse with new and returning guests.

The Activities

Adventures unfold at an unhurried pace with horseback rides, cliffside trails explored by guided ATV, or private picnics at hidden lookouts, all options. Considered good luck for love and relationships, look for “deer’s eye” seed pods—tropical sea beans carried north by ocean currents—at Soledad Beach, or have the team set up sun loungers, boogie boards, and a prepared lunch for a half-day or full-day private retreat at nearby Chachalacas Beach. Back at the resort, mornings drift between swims in the main pool and hammock siestas. There’s also a small gym, sauna, loaner bicycles, and a tennis court, should the mood strike.

A Secret Worth Returning To

Even decades on, Las Alamandas feels like a secret. Nearly half the clientele are repeat guests, some returning for 20 or 30 years, now bringing their children. One woman from Los Angeles, who stopped by our table one evening after dinner, has visited annually since the '90s.

Currently concepting a new beach house, Goldmsith plans to place her clifftop residence into the rental pool, offering guests a multi-bedroom retreat complete with private chef, butler, and chauffeur—rivaling the bespoke homes of nearby Careyes. If “quiet luxury” is a travel trend, she anticipated it long ago. Her beloved sanctuary—where the soundtrack is birds, surf, and occasional rustle of palm fronds—a lovely reminder that true luxury lies not in what you add, but in what you choose to leave untouched.

Getting to Las Alamandas is part of the experience. Guests typically arrive via Puerto Vallarta (two and a half hours north) or Manzanillo (one hour south), chauffeured in one of the resort’s gleaming Suburbans. The soon-to-open Chalacatepec International Airport, just 15 minutes away, will make this stretch of coast far more accessible—though Goldsmith still hopes her private airstrip will once again welcome small planes once restrictions are lifted. However you arrive, stepping into Las Alamandas feels like entering another world—one where color, conservation, and calm converge, leaving an impression that lingers long after you depart.