WE WERE FLYING in a jeep past sand dunes lining the cerulean waters of Mexico's Pacific coast. The breeze, balmy and salt-tinged, flowed through my hair. At the wheel, Ricardo Santa Cruz smiled as he turned onto a dirt road lined with palm trees. "The ultimate luxury is to have space, and a real communion with nature," he said. Santa Cruz is a cofounder of Xala, a multimillion-dollar development slated to open in late 2026 in Costalegre, or "the happy coast"-a part of the western state of Jalisco, south of Puerto Vallarta, that's full of unspoiled beaches, capes, and bays.
Comparisons to the once off-the-beaten-path Riviera Maya come to mind, as do reservations about that region's ultimate fate. Its once-vibrant spirit quickly turned into something more sterile under the economic pressures of overdevelopment. Along Costalegre, however, there's a trend for regenerative, high-end tourism in places like Xala and the Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo (doubles from *70,461; fourseasons.com/tamarindo), which opened in November 2022 on a nature reserve 101 kilometres south.
Much of the land along the coast is owned by private developers, who have worked together in partnership with the government to ensure that Costalegre's wild beauty is carefully preserved.
Xala, which has been 15 years in the making, will include a Six Senses hotel, low-density luxury residences, bars and restaurants, and an organic farm. The owners' commitment to social impact, land stewardship, and the right of future generations to enjoy the coast have led Xala to help develop a waterway that has brought clean water to more than 200 families of nearby ranchers and farmers.
As we neared a mango grove, Santa Cruz slowed down and turned onto a wide, shaded aisle of trees. They were young and not yet bearing fruit. Santa Cruz explained that mangoes were chosen because they oxygenate the land.
Esta historia es de la edición March 2024 de Travel+Leisure India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición March 2024 de Travel+Leisure India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
The Medieval Charm of Elsinore
Elsinore, in eastern Denmark, is a charming city full of surprises, such as its interesting link to Shakespeare, discovers Ami Bhat
Natural Selection
In other parts of the world, natural wine production can be raw, wild, and a little messy. But a road trip through southeastern Austria reveals that, in a land where order and understatement reign, even the low-intervention bottles are elegant and refined.
Where the Wild Things Are
Uncovering Rwanda's natural treasures-and the gift of multigenerational travel
Lunching in Leh
Turtuk, the last town of India in Ladakh, is having a culinary and hospitality renaissance, discovers Harsh Surti
FROM THE VOICE WITHIN
A hit new season of a cult show, a brand new production venture, and a baby girl-it seems Ali Fazal is on top of the world right now. Amid a new parenting journey, the actor talks to SAMREEN TUNGEKAR about his travel persona, his instincts, and what feeds the artiste within him
MONSOON IN THE WILD
For nature lovers craving the lush serenity of monsoon forests, off-season safaris in national park buffer zones offer rare rewards and vital support to local economies, discovers Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay.
Ray of Sunshine
Getting diagnosed with life-threatening ailments can spell doom, but for actor Lisa Ray, it became a testament to her resilience. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2009, the former model maintained a positive outlook, blossomed into a vocal advocate for cancer awareness and support, and turned author with a book chronicling her story. In a chat with Bayar Jain, she gets candid about her journey of hope and healing
Championing Change with Conversations That Matter
Aditi Mayer is a responsible storyteller who likes to look at fashion through a lens of social and environmental justice. She tells Samreen Tungekar about how she manages her own mental health and wellness despite work that promotes positive change and requires mental bandwidth
Travelling Through Conscious Well-Being
In the ever-evolving landscape of wellness, where data meets intuition and science aligns with ancient practices, Deepak Chopra stands as a unique bridge between these worlds. Chopra talks to Dipali Patwa about how travel, when intertwined with wellness, becomes a powerful catalyst for personal transformation.
Transcending The 'Trend'
For Rimzim Dadu, the creation of a collection is about lending the pieces a timeless quality. Samreen Tungekar talks to the designer about her creative process, and how her travels intersperse with her approach to design