Verana
Style Remote, rustic jungle retreat
Setting Sun-soaked shores of the Mexican Pacific
Not far from Puerto Vallarta, but so far from the beaten path, you can only access it by boat trip followed by mule ride, Verana, a Yelapa boutique hotel on the shores of the Pacific, is a swoon-inducingly gorgeous collection of thatched-palapa huts overlooking a dramatic vista of jungle and ocean. With in-water massage pools in the spa, cotton-canopied beds open to the balmy air, and a mouth-watering menu of fresh Mex cuisine, it’s the very last word in hide-away luxe.
Need to know
- Rooms Nine houses.
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Rates
Double rooms from $210.08, excluding tax at 19 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional service charge of 10% per room per night on check-out.
The price shown represents the lowest nightly rate for a double room available at this hotel over the next 21 days. Any price conversions from the hotel's local currency ($210) have been conducted using today's exchange rates from xe.com.
- More details Rates include tax and transport between the hotel and Boca de Tomatlan and Yelapa. Service is an additional 10 per cent and the optional meal plan is $95 a person a day, excluding drinks. Meals area also available à la carte from US$20 to US$45 a meal.
- Facilities Spa with soaking tub and Watsu massage pool, yoga palapa, gardens, library, free WiFi in the restaurant and in some rooms. In rooms: king-size beds, natural spa toiletries. The Stone House, Studio and Casa Chica have air-conditioning.
- Poolside The raw concrete pool is surrounded by a series of stepped terraces lined with orange loungers and parasols. The wall of one terrace has become an unofficial guestbook, where people have scratched their names and assorted declarations of love.
- Check-out 11.30am. Later check-out times are subject to a charge.
- Children Verana is far too romantic to be suited to under-16s. Extra beds are $70 a night.
- Also There’s a five-night minimum stay in high season (November–June), and a seven-night minimum over Christmas and New Year's. Smoking is permitted throughout.
- Hotel closed 6 June to 1 November.
Food and drink at Verana
- Hotel restaurant Breakfast and dinner are served on the terrace, lunch is enjoyed lazily beside the pool. The daily changing cuisine is authentic Mexican, varied with European or Asian dishes that meet the chef’s approval. Look out for Taco Night.
- Dress code Flip-flops and sun-dresses; it really couldn’t get more laid-back.
- Top table Almost every table on the terrace has a camera-friendly view of the Pacific, but elbow your way to the front to snag the most enviable.
- Last orders Dinner is available until 9.30pm, but there’s an after-hours snack menu. The bar keeps the tequila a-flow until gone midnight.
- Room service There’s no room service system as such, but you can request a candlelit romantic dinner in the privacy of your house.
- Hotel bar Smart, intimate, and chilled-out in the extreme, Verana’s bar sits alongside the restaurant and mixes chilli-infused margheritas that’ll send you to sleep with a smile (and a stumble).
Also worth knowing
- Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...
Verana Zaragoza 449, Colonia Centro, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, C.P. 48300
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Smith extra at Verana
Your choice of a cooking class with Verana's chef or a wine-tasting session for two
In the know
Our favourite rooms
We loved the lofty, arboreal setting of the Tea House, a Japanese style suite spread over a series of floating wooden platforms above the forest canopy. Although smaller, the Studio also raised our appreciative eyebrows with its pale bluey-grey concrete walls and natural-effect crackly pattern, huge wrought-iron four-poster, and whole wall of metal-framed windows that capture the pastel brilliance of the Verana sunrise. Mayan, the bedroom of which opens out onto a wide private terrace with staggering sea views, is one of the hotel’s most theatrical, and has an outdoor bathroom.
Packing tips
The hotel library is well stocked with books and magazines, so don’t waste suitcase space on reading matter. Outdoorsy clothes would be a wise inclusion if you plan on hiking or horse-riding in the jungle.
Also
As well as the expected range of resort activities, such as kayaking, snorkeling, and island-hopping, the hotel also has a tarot reader on hand, should you fancy dabbling in the spirit realm. The chef gives cooking classes too.
