Gated Villa in Punta Mita

The house sits directly on the sand of Banderas Bay, and the ocean is present in almost every room. Mornings start with the water flat and pale. By late afternoon the light turns gold across the bay, and the group tends to drift towards the Grand Palapa, an open-air pavilion with a full bar and a long table set for dinner in the sea breeze.

Nine bedrooms make this a house built for gathering. Four are oceanfront master suites, and five more have their own bathrooms, so up to 20 guests can share the house without anyone feeling like an afterthought. Each room has quality bedding, wireless Sonos audio, a smart TV, a small fridge and a coffee and tea station, which means early risers can start the day on their own terms.

Meals are handled by the house’s culinary team, working out of a commercial-grade kitchen. Breakfast might be on the terrace, a long lunch under the palapa, dinner in the formal dining room or up on the rooftop Skybar, where the bay opens out below. Food and drink are billed separately, against a deposit of US$150 per person per day that’s credited to the final bill, so the group eats and drinks exactly as it likes and settles once at the end.

For the hours away from the beach, there’s a private cinema with reclining seats and Dolby Atmos sound, built to commercial standard and reportedly the only one of its kind in a Mexican home. A second family room has a 100-inch screen for something more casual. A private spa and a gym fitted with Technogym equipment round things out.

Staff look after daily housekeeping and laundry, and a six-seater golf cart is kept on hand for getting around the area. A refundable damage deposit equal to one night’s rate is taken before arrival, and a 15% service charge is added to the final bill.