W Punta Mita surf & sand time is the cure for a hectic stressed out life. In case you’ve forgotten, and I had, this is what it is like to take a vacation.
Thanks to the W Hotel Punta Mita and Riviera Nayarit for hosting me on this quick getaway.
A bad thing has happened in the last few years. I’ve lost myself. I’m last on everyone’s list, including my own.
Maybe it’s this midlife parent thing. Years of putting everyone and everything else first have taken a toll on me. Even the pets outrank me. Their happiness and comfort is more important than mine. That’s not ok. How did this happen?!
Does this sound at all familiar? Here I am in my “Travel is my Therapy” teeshirt…. That’s wanderlust x escape in my smile.
When was the last time you planned a vacation solely around the things that YOU wanted to do?
The W Hotel Punta De Mita in Riviera Nayarit is a gorgeous resort. There’s a lot to do there, but also, it’s fine to do nothing. This sounded a lot like what I wanted to do. A whole lotta nothing, with the option to do something. I jumped at the chance to travel there.
This trip was planned partly as a girlfriend’s getaway. And partly as a personal retreat – a return-to-me. My only travel goal, just this once, was to put myself first.
I am so used to traveling with my family that it seemed odd to me to pack for a vacation for one. One by one I took out all the things in my bag that live there for other people. Special sunscreens. kids meds. Card games. I felt lighter.
Despite my intentions, it took tremendous effort to NOT write this as a family travel post. My radar for family friendly, for things that other people would enjoy is always on. It’s hard to shut it off. When arriving I could not help but notice and tick them off. Lets just list them
- The adorable jitneys, tuk tuk and golf carts that ferry you to your room.
- Swings in the lobby.
- Spacious rooms. So spacious, with a big televisions, swimming pool sized tubs and large patios to play on.
- The beach that is perfect for kids.
- The family friendly pools.
- The picky-eater-kid friendly breakfast buffet.
- The scooters and bikes.
All beside the point this trip.
Here’s what the W Hotel has for you, and by you I mean ME. Me and those like me.
W Punta Mita Surf and Sand
The beach front at the W Hotel Punta Mita is soft soft white sand. You can walk a great distance and expect to encounter people here and there, but there are no crowds. Waves are gentle. Water is warm. This is a perfect place to float, body surf, swim, or just wade with your toes in the water. If you are shell picker like me, there’s a few shells.
What’s more exciting than shells in the Punta Mita surf are piles of well worn driftwood. I love to pick through driftwood bits at least as much as seashells. Punta Mita Driftwood is perfect for making beach fairy houses. I enjoy making driftwood beach homes for vagrant hippie fairies even more than sandcastles. I might have left a few in the sand behind me.
W Punta Mita Surf Eats
You do not have to leave the beach to eat the best meal of your stay at W Punta Mita. I consumed a ridiculous amount of Ceviche at the resorts beachside restaurant Chevycheria. This surf shack bar has integrated the front end of a Chevy Truck. It’s a laid back, feet in the sand experience where you can order custom made cocktails, and the aforementioned ceviche. I’m going to go on about this for a bit.
Booze and raw fish? This is all me. This is not what the rest of my family does. So naturally I wallowed in it. Two meals a day. On the cocktail side I had to watch it because of keto diet, but the staff was happy to make me drinks without any added sugar on the few occasions I indulged.
I ordered almost all the ceviches at this place but I had a favorite. The Punta Mita Ceviche which featured tuna “cooked” in lime, coconut milk and a garnish of chili, diced green apple and jicama? Heaven. And pretty keto friendly too. It’s made my top ten list of travel foods I wish I could have again.
W Punta Mita Surf… and Spa
Also impressive at this property is the large spa complex where I went for an hour long blissed out massage. There are separate pools and lockers, as well as a sauna and steam room off the spa area.
The pools have thalassotherapy massage jets and seats integrated into them. There are hot and cold plunge pools. There are dreamy sprawling trees overhead and the sound of surf provides the backdrop beat for the songs of the jungle.
I spent an entire day here, blissed out and sipping tea.
W Punta Mita Surf and Me
My one other goal for my time here was to practice self love. As the family and friend “shooter” I am always taking gorgeous, dreamy and flattering photos of others. When people ask “do you want me to take a shot with you in it?” or let me know they have taken some candid photos of me, I kind of cringe, just knowing they are well intended while capturing three extra chins and my thigh smashed flat on the bench. Occasionally these photos are ok, so I know I am not a complete troll, but I still prefer my selfies. When I look at myself objectively through the lens, I like myself better than when I look in a mirror. Maybe it is because I have more control. I can pick the angle and the focus, emphasize what I like…
Just finding things that I like about myself has been more of a challenge lately. Probably also because I am so focussed on others.
So on this trip I decided I would bring a tripod and try something new. I would turn the camera on myself, full body shots and headshots. My goal was to portray myself in a more positive light. See myself as I want others to see me. Which maybe they already do, or maybe not. But either way, an interesting experiment.
I almost didn’t go through with it. I delayed till my last morning. Temps were high and slothfullness beckoned. But I forced myself to dress up in a stunningly blue maxi dress I had chosen to match the resort’s tile. I ticked off a list of locations that I had noted as perfect for portraiture. And I got Angel, one of the kind resort drivers, to drive me around the grounds while I set up and quickly took my shots. Sure I felt stupid and amateur. But you know what? I think I did ok.
At the end of the shoot I jumped in the pool and ordered my last round of ceviche before flying home. Mission accomplished.
Stay tuned for a post about how I photographed myself at this resort.
Leave a Reply