In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- Of the four casas, the enormous La Loma was Sir Jimmy’s private house, so naturally it’s the most gasp-inducingly opulent, with four bedrooms, an outdoor Jacuzzi overlooking the beach, a movie lounge, lounges and dining rooms galore, and more than a passing resemblance to Florence’s Duomo. Casa Alborada, perched on a hillside with great views of the estate, is humbler, but still magnificent: a three-bedroom villa with a sparse white sheen, complemented by blue accents and light terracotta hues. Artworks and ornaments from Mexico and India are dotted around and there’s a team of four staff on hand to ensure your every need is met instantly. Guests staying in the casitas share a pool, clubhouse and restaurant – Gardenia and Primavera have pretty day-bed terraces with enviable views.
- Packing tips
- Guests are often given a sarong on arrival, but you may want to bring a sun hat to go with it, especially if you plan on horse riding during your stay.
- Also
- You can hop on board Cuixmala’s 47ft sailing boat available for trips to the nearby Chamera Islands nature reserve, and there’s a smaller Boston Whaler available for fishing jaunts.
Current offers
- Smith card offer
- An hour’s horse-riding session for two
More photos
Cuixmala
Jalisco, Mexico[view map]
- Style
- Moorish-Mexican millionaire’s playground
- Setting
- Sprawling plantation estate
A sprawling swathe of jungles, beach, wilderness and fruit plantations two hours from Puerto Vallarta, Cuixmala is one of Mexico’s biodiversity hotspots, but it’s the Moorish Palace-inspired casas and casitas that make this Costa Alegre boutique hotel such a breath-taking stay. Kissinger, Reagan and Nixon holidayed here when it was home to British billionaire James Goldsmith. Now managed by his daughter Alix, this Pacific paradise attracts A-listers to its immaculate suites like butterflies to bonfires.
Need to know
- Rooms
- 13, including nine casitas and four private villas.
- Rates
- Low season, $400–$10,000; high season, $520–$16,500, excluding 27 per cent taxes and service. Casita rates include breakfast; additional meals are $95 a person a day, including non-alcoholic drinks. In villas, meals are $140 a person a day.
- Check-out
- There are no set times for check-in or check-out; each is determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Facilities
- Massages and beauty treatments, free WiFi in the villas and the clubhouse, 25,000 acres of grounds, tennis court, airstrip, DVD library. In rooms: TV, DVD/CD player, bar, open fireplace. The four villas each come with a full complement of staff.
- Poolside
- The villas all feature their own private pool area, and the casitas share a pool overlooking the coconut groves and the turquoise waters of the Pacific.
- Eco-friendly
- Sir James Goldsmith became something of conservationist during his last years, and it shows: Cuixmala includes a wildlife sanctuary, and food is sourced from the grounds or the nearby farm. Even the lobsters are plucked straight from the sea.
- Also
- Dogs weighing less than 9lbs are welcome, but you’ll be expected to feed them and ensure they’re appropriately leashed in communal areas.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- Each casa has its own cook who can prepare whatever you want, whenever and wherever you want it; casita guests dine in the clubhouse on a menu of classic Mexican dishes such as enchiladas, mole and chiles rellenos.
- Dress code
- Boho beach style with linen trousers and espadrilles, supplemented with a flash of stupidly expensive jewellery – you may not be a holidaying billionaire, but you can certainly look the part.
- Top table
- Most tables in the clubhouse and on the villa terraces offer beautiful views of the estate, but for an added romantic frisson, ask staff to set up a low table on the beach and dine on cushions in candlelight.
- Last orders
- Everything about Cuixmala is tailored to your needs, including meal times.
- Room service
- Only available in the casas, where staff are on hand to provide whatever you require, 24 hours a day.
- Hotel bar
- Each villa has a bar area where you can help yourself to drinks or have ‘your’ staff mix a cocktail for you. Casa Gomez, the clubhouse, is a relaxed spot to enjoy a margarita, and there’s waiter service around the pool.
Also worth knowing
- Children
- Under-12s stay free and cots are available. Babysitting can be arranged with two days’ notice ($15 an hour). Meals are free for under-fives, and half the adult rate for under-11s.
- Weddings
- This hotel is suitable for weddings. More…
Smith Members offer
An hour’s horse-riding session for two
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
Click here to become a Mr & Mrs Smith member
Book this hotel
To book this hotel please click here, or contact our travel team on 1 866 610 3867.
Cuixmala
Km 46.2 Carretera Melaque
Puerto Vallarta
La Huerta
Jalisco
