Section I · The Ranked Twelve
From best to twelfth.
Sorted by what each estate actually delivers at its Christmas rate. The number-one estate is the one we would book first given a free pick from all twelve.
No. I
The Four Seasons Private Villa, ten-bedroom oceanfront.
Bedrooms: 10. Sleeps: 20. Neighborhood: Four Seasons Private Villas. Christmas 14-night rate: $185,000 to $240,000. Resort privileges: Full Four Seasons access (golf, three pools, kids club, spa, all six F&B venues, daily housekeeping, concierge, beach service). Included: full staff (estate manager, butler, two housekeepers, gardener, pool attendant, security), four vehicles, daily housekeeping, golf-cart fleet. Not included: chef, sommelier, sport-fishing charters, additional spa services beyond resort allotment.
Why it ranks here: the only ten-bedroom on the list with full Four Seasons resort privileges, which means the children’s club at the hotel works for the cousins, the housekeeping is hotel-grade, and the beach service runs from the property to the sand without the renter handling any of it. Direct beach frontage on the inner cove. Bahia Banderas water visibility runs 8 to 12 metres from December through March. We have stayed once, in December 2024.
What we would change: the master-bedroom AC zone is undersized for the room volume. Set the thermostat to 22°C the day before arrival. Tell the estate manager on inquiry.
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No. II
The St Regis residence, eight-bedroom beachfront.
Bedrooms: 8. Sleeps: 16. Neighborhood: St Regis Punta Mita Estates. Christmas 14-night rate: $148,000 to $195,000. Resort privileges: Full St Regis access (butler service via the resort, two pools, beach club, spa). Included: St Regis butler (24-hour), housekeeping, three vehicles, beach setup. Not included: chef, sommelier, additional spa services beyond resort allotment.
Why it ranks here: the St Regis butler service is the reason. The butler is dispatched from the resort and handles the property as if it were a suite. Eight en-suite bedrooms across two wings, a kitchen rebuilt 2023 around a working chef line, infinity pool above the cove. The St Regis spa is a four-minute golf-cart drive.
What we would change: the included three vehicles are golf carts. Cars require a separate rental from the resort concessionaire at $180 a day.
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No. III
The La Punta Estates oceanfront, nine-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 9. Sleeps: 18. Neighborhood: La Punta Estates. Christmas 14-night rate: $138,000 to $182,000. Resort privileges: Punta Mita Golf Club access for registered guests, Kupuri Beach Club (no Four Seasons or St Regis privileges from this neighborhood). Included: full staff of five (estate manager, butler, two housekeepers, gardener), three vehicles, mid-stay refresh, two pools. Not included: chef, Four Seasons or St Regis access (separate day passes available at $185 per adult).
Why it ranks here: the largest oceanfront parcel inside La Punta with direct beach frontage on the point. Nine bedrooms across the main house and a guest casita, all en-suite, kitchen sized for 18 at dinner, a 22-metre infinity pool above the sand. The point exposure means swell visibility from every primary room.
What we would change: the lack of Four Seasons or St Regis access is the trade-off. Buy two day passes for the spa days; do not buy them daily.
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No. IV
The Lagos del Mar lakefront, seven-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 7. Sleeps: 14. Neighborhood: Lagos del Mar. Christmas 14-night rate: $98,000 to $135,000. Resort privileges: Punta Mita Golf Club (Pacifico and Bahia), Kupuri Beach Club, no Four Seasons or St Regis privileges. Included: housekeeper, gardener, two golf carts, daily breakfast service. Not included: chef, butler, beach service.
Why it ranks here: the lake-and-fairway location reads as the calmer alternative to the oceanfront neighborhoods, with the Bahia course’s 19th hole visible from the dining terrace. Seven en-suite bedrooms, all king, a kitchen handled by an in-house chef when booked, and a 16-metre pool. The 12-minute golf-cart drive to Kupuri Beach Club is the only friction.
What we would change: the master bath shower drains slowly. The owner has been told.
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No. V
The El Encanto / Iyari golf-view, six-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Neighborhood: El Encanto / Iyari. Christmas 14-night rate: $72,000 to $98,000. Resort privileges: Punta Mita Golf Club, Kupuri Beach Club. Included: housekeeper, gardener, one golf cart, daily breakfast service. Not included: chef, butler, second golf cart.
Why it ranks here: the El Encanto / Iyari cluster reads as the value proposition inside Punta Mita. Same gate, same beach club, same golf, smaller rate. Six en-suite bedrooms across a single-story footprint with a 12-metre pool, kitchen sized for 12 at dinner, and a fairway view rather than ocean. Right for a group that wants the Punta Mita gate without the oceanfront premium.
What we would change: the single golf cart cannot move 12 anywhere. Negotiate a second cart into the rate.
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No. VI
The Hacienda de Mita beachfront, eight-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 8. Sleeps: 16. Neighborhood: Hacienda de Mita. Christmas 14-night rate: $118,000 to $160,000. Resort privileges: Punta Mita Golf Club, Kupuri Beach Club, plus the on-property Hacienda de Mita beach club. Included: full staff of four, two golf carts, daily breakfast service. Not included: chef, Four Seasons or St Regis access.
Why it ranks here: the Hacienda de Mita private beach club is the differentiator. Direct beachfront with a working surf break at the south end of the cove (Las Marietas surf is a 22-minute panga ride). Eight en-suite bedrooms, two pools, a kitchen built for 16 at dinner. The Las Marietas snorkel runs depart from the beach.
What we would change: the gate to the beach club closes at 8pm. After-dinner walks on the sand require a five-minute detour through the resort road.
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No. VII
The Las Marietas point villa, ten-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 10. Sleeps: 20. Neighborhood: Las Marietas. Christmas 14-night rate: $158,000 to $215,000. Resort privileges: Punta Mita Golf Club, Kupuri Beach Club. Included: full staff of six, three vehicles (two cars, one golf cart), three pools, gym. Not included: chef (mandatory at this occupancy, $1,400 a day plus food at cost), boat charter.
Why it ranks here: the point exposure delivers a 240-degree water view from the main terrace. Ten en-suite bedrooms across two buildings, even bedroom parity, two main pools, the dining table built for 20 without anyone shouting. The Las Marietas private islands run a 25-minute boat ride from the property dock.
What we would change: the chef-mandatory clause should be optional at this rate. Negotiate or skip the in-house chef for the off-week dinners.
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No. VIII
The Ranchos Estates compound, twelve-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 12. Sleeps: 24. Neighborhood: Ranchos Estates. Christmas 14-night rate: $172,000 to $228,000. Resort privileges: Punta Mita Golf Club, Kupuri Beach Club. Included: full staff of eight, four vehicles, four pools, tennis court, gym, screening room. Not included: chef (mandatory, $1,600 a day plus food), boat, helicopter pad use (the pad is for the resort, not the rental).
Why it ranks here: the largest property on the list, configured as three buildings around a central pool deck. Right for two or three households sharing a 14-night window. Bedroom parity is the issue most 24-person properties fail; this one delivers. The compromise is the trade off between scale and intimacy; at 24 guests, the house party is the trip.
What we would change: the third building’s Wi-Fi is slow. The owner has been told.
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No. IX
The Four Seasons Private Residence, five-bedroom ocean-view.
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Neighborhood: Four Seasons Private Villas. Christmas 14-night rate: $68,000 to $92,000. Resort privileges: Full Four Seasons access. Included: daily housekeeping, butler service via resort, golf cart, beach setup. Not included: chef, additional vehicle, sport-fishing charter.
Why it ranks here: the small-group pick that buys Four Seasons resort privileges at a five-bedroom rate. Right for two couples and a guest, or a family of ten. Ocean view rather than oceanfront (the property sits 80 metres back from the sand). The Four Seasons kids club, three pools, and six F&B venues all run as the renter’s full-service backstop.
What we would change: the kitchen is a residence kitchen, not a chef line. If you plan one large in-house dinner, hire the chef and accept that prep takes 45 minutes longer than at a chef-line property.
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No. X
The Lagos del Mar fairway villa, six-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Neighborhood: Lagos del Mar. Christmas 14-night rate: $58,000 to $82,000. Resort privileges: Punta Mita Golf Club, Kupuri Beach Club. Included: housekeeper, gardener, one golf cart, daily breakfast service. Not included: chef, second golf cart.
Why it ranks here: the value pick for golfers. Direct frontage on the Pacifico 5th and 6th holes. Six en-suite bedrooms, kitchen for 12, 14-metre pool with fairway orientation. The drive to Kupuri Beach Club is 11 minutes by golf cart on the resort road.
What we would change: the early-tee-time golfers will wake the upstairs bedrooms at 7am. Heavy curtains help, but the better fix is to assign the road-side bedrooms to the early sleepers in the group.
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No. XI
The Kupuri beachfront, five-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Neighborhood: Kupuri. Christmas 14-night rate: $62,000 to $88,000. Resort privileges: Kupuri Beach Club (the beach club sits 90 metres from the property), Punta Mita Golf Club. Included: housekeeper, gardener, one golf cart, beach service. Not included: chef, butler, second cart.
Why it ranks here: the 90-metre walk to the Kupuri Beach Club is the value. The property sits beachfront on a quieter stretch of the Kupuri cove, with kid-friendly water (no rip) and the beach club’s full F&B and pool as a 90-metre annex. Five en-suite bedrooms, kitchen for 10, 12-metre pool.
What we would change: the master is not the largest bedroom on the property. The upstairs second bedroom is.
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No. XII
The Porta Fortuna oceanfront, six-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Neighborhood: Porta Fortuna. Christmas 14-night rate: $76,000 to $108,000. Resort privileges: Punta Mita Golf Club, Kupuri Beach Club. Included: housekeeper, gardener, two golf carts, daily breakfast service. Not included: chef, butler, vehicle (golf carts only inside the gate; cars require the concessionaire).
Why it ranks here: the only Porta Fortuna villa we keep on the list. Most of the cluster sits inland; this property holds an oceanfront parcel with a direct path to the sand. Six en-suite bedrooms across the main house, a 16-metre pool, and a working kitchen for 12.
What we would change: the property is at the resort’s east boundary. The drive to Four Seasons or St Regis day-pass entry runs 14 minutes by golf cart. Plan accordingly.
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