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 Travel & Outdoors | May 2005 
Costa Careyes - A Magical Destination
 PVNN
Costa Careyes, a lush, secluded resort on the Pacific coast of Mexico, has been a retreat for chic and rich bohemians for years. Located on Mexico's Costa Alegre between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta, Costa Careyes is lesser known than places such as St. Bart's, which of course only adds to its appeal.
The brainchild of artist/architect and Italian banking heir Gian Franco Brignone, who had searched the world for the optimum environment in which to live well amidst unspoiled nature, this remote and pristine paradise was virtually uninhabited until less than two decades ago.
In the late 1960s, Brignone began creating this sophisticated tropical paradise where an international community of residents and exclusive travelers can indulge their every whim. Famed for its fine beaches and rugged tropical scenery, Costa Alegre boasts a charming array of sophisticated and secluded resorts and boutique hotels, including Las Casas de Careyes, Las Alamandas, Cuixmala, Hacienda San Antonio, and an 18-hole, championship golf resort at El Tamarindo.
You'll also find luxury homes built amidst thousands of acres of ecological preserve and along the unspoiled coastline. Designed with the tropical surroundings in mind, and combining Mediterranean and Mexican styles with tile and thatched roofs, these luxurious homes are painted more like flavors than colors - lemon, mango, curry - and they look almost like large exotic flowers blooming on the hillsides.
Living in resort-casual style seems to suit the rarified crowd. It is said that from the start, the homes and villas along Costa Careyes were what first attracted Brignone's jet-setting friends, including Gianni Agnelli of Fiat and British financier Sir James Goldsmith, to this tropical paradise surrounded by thick jungle vegetation and the rugged Sierra Madre Mountain ranges.
Today, homeowners include singer Seal and supermodel Heidi Klum, who plan to wed at their Careyes house; polo player Nick Clarke; and Italian actress Luciana Paluzzi and her husband, Michael Solomon. Giorgio Armani and Francis Ford Coppola have been guests at some of the largest villas, and Directors Quentin Tarantino and Sofia Coppola reportedly rented a house over Christmas.
Not just for the rich and famous, Costa Careyes offers something for everyone. With an always-pleasing climate, temperatures averaging 75° F and 345 days of sunshine annually, sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, tennis and horseback riding are year-round options. Add to this tiny fishing villages and an array of hidden beaches, bays and lagoons filled with exotic water birds - and this entire stretch of coastline is ideal for those who wish to escape from the rapid pace of big cities.
Vallarta Adventures offers regularly scheduled flights from Puerto Vallarta to this extraordinary destination every Wednesday through Saturday at 5 pm. Click HERE for more information about Vallarta Adventures and flights schedules. |
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