I'm planning a honeymoon in Punta Mita for next year and I was originally looking at doing a half week at the St. Regis and a half week at the Four Seasons, but then I came across this place and it looks amazing. The rates for a one-bedroom villa with a plunge pool the rate is less than half of the SR and FS too, so I'm think of checking it out.

http://www.imantaresorts.com

I've found a few magazine write-ups which are all very positive, but I was looking for some reviews from normal guests. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

We went over to Imanta for drinks and dinner last month while staying at the 4S Punta Mita. If you are looking for absolute privacy and seclusion, this place will be great. It is about 20 minutes from Punta Mita. There are only 8 or so rooms and when we were there in high season, they only had 3 rooms occupied.

The food was quite good. Our party of 6 had the entire restaurant to ourselves.

The setting is beautiful and the rooms are fabulous. They all have there own pools. The one that I saw had a giant bathtub that had been carved in situ out of a huge boulder.

I know they are willing to bargain on the rooms. My brother is staying there this summer for a couple of days after he goes to the Four Seasons and they made him a good deal.

It will by a little like having your own private island. My wife and I watched the humpbacks surfacing while having drinks at sunset. It was very beautiful and romantic.

By the way, the St Regis is a brick. I would either spend your entire trip at the Four Seasons or go to Imanta for a couple of days. We go to the Four Seasons at least twice a year. It is fabulous. We have been over to dinner at the St Regis several times and the whole report just does not work.

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me or I will answer them here.

deals at imanta >
http://www.kurtzahlers.com/pdf/Imanta3nightfree.pdf
http://www.kurtzahlers.com/pdf/Imanta4nightfree.pdf

FS has same deals at the moment
FS rates are high through apr 30

beachfront >
FS - 3 rooms, 2 pool suites, 3 4BR, 2 5BR (2BR in high season only?)
st regis - 7 rooms, 2 suites, 3 pool suites, 1 2BR, 1 3BR

will be interesting to see what happens with imanta residences

EDIT >
current full board etc deal >
http://www.kurtzahlers.com/pdf/romantic_at_imanta.pdf

previously theyve had 2nd nt free a number of times as well

Imanta is not in Punta Mita. Nor is it in Punta de Mita. It's between Punta Mita and Sayulita. And while the hotel itself may be nice, it's surroundings are somewhat lacking and you will be fairly isolated (although that may be what you are looking for on your honeymoon).

Frankly, if you are interested in what the Punta Mita resort has to offer, I would pick either the St. Regis or the Four Seasons and spend all of your time in one hotel. Both hotels have access to all the facilities at Punta Mita and are a 5 minute golf cart ride from each other. You can easily stay at one and dine at the other or at the other restaurants in the compound.

The Four Seasons has a nicer beach and restaurants than the St. Regis. The St. Regis has a better beach club bar and spa. The Four Seasons probably wins in the service department but the facilities at the St. Regis are a bit nicer. In other words, six of one half a dozen of the other (with a slight lead for the Four Seasons).

My family has a house in Punta Mita and I have been going there for several years. Before the house was built I stayed at the Four Seasons. I honestly thought nothing could beat that hotel. But after recent experiences at the St. Regis I have a much higher opinion of the hotel than I used to (although I have never actually stayed there).

I would be surprised if they have much luck with the residences at Imanta. If I owned a house in the area, I would much prefer to be in the Punta Mita compound itself. Imanta would be too isolated for me. I do think it would be great for a few days though.

Thanks for the replies. I sent a message to their reservations department to see what rates they are offering for my dates.

I'm not going until January and I contacted the Four Seasons because they aren't showing availability for the first part of our stay and they have a TEN night minimum over those dates! So I think it will be either the St. Regis the whole time or a split between the St. Regis and Imanta.

I'll post back with what I hear from them re: rates.

I ended up booking the first half at the SR and then Imanta got back to me offering a stay 2 get 1 night free package which includes 2 massages, a dinner, and daily breakfast. So I booked that for the last 3 nights our trip.

The trip is not until January but I'll try to remember to post a detailed stay report along with some pics. Thanks for all the helpful information.

Are there any first hand reports on this property, yet?
Thanks!

My brother stayed there for 3 days in May. He loved it and was blown away by the room. He did say that 3 days was enough because it is quite isolated and they were 1 of only 3 couples at the resort. On the whole, I think he enjoyed the Four Seasons more. You can find plenty of peace and quiet there if you want and there is much more to do in the Punta Mita compound itself.

Thanks so much.

Is it safe to drive from the airport to the St Regis and is there really any need for a car when staying at this resort?

We were there last summer for 3 nights and did not leave once. It's really far from everything and between the SR & FS there is plenty to keep busy with.

I had dinner at the Imanta in December and they showed us both a room (big) and their Jaguar Suite (called a "casona"). I think it had three bedrooms and was really exceptional, with a very sophisticated style and lots of privacy. Previous posters seem to have it right here, this is a place to get away from everything but still have the advantage of easy access to an international airport. Think more remote Costa Rica or Hawaii and less Mexico and you'll get the idea. Ignore the fact that the location is just 15 minutes from Punta Mita since the experience would be completely different. If you have more than a few days I would suggest two days at Imanta at the end of a trip to Punta Mita. The lovely St. Regis or Four Seasons would not look as good after Imanta.

I wrote a trip report a year ago. Wasn't impressed - the soft product wasn't up to the price level, and the hard product, while great when it opened, suffers from negligence.