I’ve Stayed at More Than 200 Hotels in Mexico — and This Luxury Resort on the 'Happy Coast' Is the One I Can't Stop Thinking About

Las Rosadas on Mexico’s Costalegre offers gorgeous hilltop villas with plunge pools, private beach dinners, and a castaway feel.

Courtesy of Las Rosadas

I fell in love with Mexico on a backpacker’s budget. Back then, luxury wasn’t about high thread counts or gourmet meals. It was about freedom — pristine beaches, no-name palapa-topped restaurants serving the best fish tacos of your life, and a quiet hammock swaying languidly in the shade. You can find an abundance of that in Mexico, especially on a shoestring budget. In my 20s, if I could drag my backpack into a quiet beach town, post up at a sleepy bar, and sip an ice-cold Corona, I knew I had found my slice of heaven. After all, that’s how so many have fallen in love with Mexico.

Not much has changed, except for my budget and a now-deep appreciation for those coveted amenities like high thread counts and gourmet meals. So, after 15 years of covering luxury hotels in Mexico, Las Rosadas seems to be the one designed exactly for me. It’s unlike any other place I’ve stayed at in Mexico. It’s not a large resort, but a collection of ocean villas, a beachfront bungalow, and a vibe that’s both bohemian and luxe.

Michael Gilbreath/Courtesy of Las Rosadas

Picture open-air, palapa-topped living rooms on the sand with cloud-like sofas and giant white poufs. White Grecian-style villas with private plunge pools overlook a rugged, mile-long stretch of private beach peppered with swaying palm trees. Like that locals-only bar in your home city that you hope stays out of guidebooks, you’d never know Las Rosadas was there unless you knew what you were looking for — and that’s part of its magic.

Courtesy of Las Rosadas

Unlike other luxury resorts in Mexico, it’s ideal for travelers who, like me, grew up chasing beach backpacking experiences, but now have elevated tastes and a bit more money.

After visiting more than 200 properties in Mexico, the one I can’t stop thinking about is more than just a hotel — it’s a step back into a memory. It’s the entire reason I fell in love with Mexico in the first place, wrapped up in one soul-satisfying experience.

Here’s everything you need to know about Las Rosadas.

Las Rosadas

• From the gleaming, white hilltop villas with floor-to-ceiling windows and private pools to the outdoor beachfront living room with oversized poufs and a thatched palapa, Las Rosadas exudes a boho-chic vibe.
• Casita Las Palmas, a beachfront bungalow located just steps from the thundering surf, is the most romantic suite at the hotel.
• Every night, guests dine on a private beach with their toes in the sand and the warm glow of string lights and a crackling bonfire.
• Maria Rodriguez de Campos is the property manager who acts more like a spirit guide helping to customize each guest’s visit, truly making them feel like family.
• Located on Mexico’s rugged Costalegre, Las Rosadas feels like you’ve stumbled into a castaway fantasy.

The Rooms

From left: Courtesy of Las Rosadas; JUANJO ARAIZA/Courtesy of Las Rosadas

With only a handful of villas, Las Rosadas offers an intimate experience. Guests can book one of the three room categories, each offering a slightly different vibe. The Ocean Club Casitas are the most popular option, evocative of the hillside villas in Greece — think gleaming white spaces, soaring ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the modern interiors in natural light. Chic touches include sparkling plunge pools, outdoor showers, and materials such as wood, clay, and stone. Casitas range from one to three bedrooms.

Paloma Blanca is the largest room category. This luxurious villa estate is shrouded in tropical foliage, perched above Playa Las Rosadas with views out over the bay islands. The palatial space has six separate bedrooms; a gorgeous kitchen; plenty of outdoor patios for yoga, meditation, and sunbathing; and a spectacular infinity pool.

The most intimate space is Casita Las Palmas, the very first bungalow to be built at Las Rosadas. The romantic, palapa-topped beach bungalow sits right on the golden sand, less than 20 steps from the crash of the rolling Pacific.

Food and Drink

Meagan Drillinger/Travel + Leisure

Like everything at Las Rosadas, dining is elegant and understated. The culinary program is all about local ingredients, keeping the food simple yet fresh and in a setting that’s beyond photogenic. Overseeing the unpretentious menu is chef Laurent Manrique, owner of Cafe de la Presse in San Francisco. (Manrique was also the corporate executive chef at Michelin-starred Aqua.)

There are two on-site restaurants: Bar Mono, directly on the beach, and La Terraza, a small casita-style kitchen with an outdoor patio. At the former, you can dig your toes into the sand while sipping a perfectly crafted margarita overlooking the sea. Enjoy a fresh lunch of grilled fish and shrimp skewers or colorful, fresh ceviche. In the evenings, underneath a blanket of stars and by the warm glow of a burning beach bonfire, tuck into juicy arrachera steak or chicken enchiladas bathed in a tangy red sauce.

La Terraza, meanwhile, serves handcrafted pizzas and burgers in a more casual sit-down setting.

As for breakfast, guests can dine on fresh fruit, eggs, handmade tortillas, or yogurt and granola in their casita or right on the beach. I’m always partial to breakfast by the water, when there’s still a little chill under your feet before the sand has had time to bake in the sun.

Activities and Amenities

Meagan Drillinger/Travel + Leisure

As far as beachfront hotels go, Las Rosadas makes it easy to fully check out of reality or dial into exploration. Each day’s adventure is as you wish. I’ve enjoyed lazy beach picnics at one of its more remote beaches, sipping rose and snacking on ceviche before napping in a slow-swaying hammock.

Those who need a bit more excitement can grab a paddleboard and explore the hidden coves and rocky shorelines. Las Rosadas can arrange for boat tours to the Chamela Bay islands, scuba excursions, or horseback riding. Just down the road from Las Rosadas is the small village of Pérula, where a gorgeous curve of undeveloped beach, wreathed in mountains, rewards with gorgeous views, casual shoreline restaurants, and a laid-back energy. Depending on the time of year, there are cultural events and festivals in the nearby communities, like polo tournaments and even a beachfront Chinese New Year celebration down the road at Careyes.

While there’s no spa, property manager Maria Rodriguez de Campos can arrange for in-villa massages on the beach or on the private terrace with nothing but the soundtrack of ocean waves.

If you can dream it up, Las Rosadas can likely make it happen.

Sustainability

In general, the Costalegre is one of Mexico’s most protected regions. The land is in the hands of five families who have come together to agree to preserve as much of it as possible. Just offshore from Las Rosadas is a cluster of protected islands, home to rays, dolphins, and whales (in season). To the south is the 36,000-acre Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve, where there’s a limit on development and an emphasis on protecting the natural beauty and wildlife.

Las Rosadas has set aside the majority of its nearly 400-acre property as a nature preserve. Visitors can spot iguanas, help release sea turtles, and see hundreds of migratory birds that fill its lagoon. The hotel works with a regional biologist to help keep its environmental management plan on track.

Location

Meagan Drillinger/Travel + Leisure

The beauty of Las Rosadas — and the Costalegre — is just how remote it is. It’s surrounded by nature, far from the rattle and hum of all-inclusive resorts, beach bars, and cruise ships. To get to Las Rosadas, visitors can fly into Puerto Vallarta, about three hours north, or into Manzanillo, about 2.5 hours south. Las Rosadas can arrange for private transfers, or visitors can rent a car and drive themselves. I recommend having your own car so you can move around the area with ease, exploring secluded beach after secluded beach and all the little villages along the way.

How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay

Las Rosadas is far from a budget experience. Rates for the Casita Las Palmas start at around $700 per night, and the Ocean Club Casitas only get more expensive from there. While breakfast is included in all room categories, what makes Las Rosadas worth the splurge is the customization and personalization. Meals and experiences can be tailored to each guest. Because the property is so small, it has less of a cookie-cutter approach and strives to be a true home away from home.

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