Tropical Paradise

Celebrity favorite Mexican resort is only a short flight away — but be ready to break out the big bucks

Even if you’ve never been to Punta de Mita, the name likely strikes a chord thanks to a long list of celebrities, including Tom Cruise, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Rihanna and Jessica Simpson, who have kept the Mexican hotspot in the tabloid headlines.

The lush peninsula, nested in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit where the Banderas Bay and the Pacific Ocean meet, is home to gated development Punta Mita. Behind the guarded entry is a tropical paradise of white-sand beaches and turquoise waters and the famed Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita.

It’s all about you

Soak-up-the-sun frolicking begins at the free-form infinity-edge pool with striking views of the Pacific Ocean, where you’ll spot dolphins and humpback whales during their seasonal migration. Or you can lounge at the adult-oriented pool complex featuring a main pool and a plunge pool which boasts 10 private cabanas and a full bar with a lavish bites menu that includes sushi and caviar.

The amenity-rich retreat prides itself on fulfilling your every request. Cool off with a frozen piña colada without ever getting out of the water courtesy of a drink-fetching pool butler. Need to clear your sunglasses of sand and water while you lounge? Merely hand over your shades to a sunglass-polishing attendant.

Enjoy frolicking at the free-form infinity-edge pool with striking views of the Pacific Ocean.

There’s never a dull moment with an assortment of classes and lessons including scuba diving, windsurfing, salsa dancing, stand-up paddle boarding and more. Sign up for tequila class and learn how to distinguish tequila from mescal.

Hit the links

The Pacifico Golf Course offers world-class play designed by Jack Nicklaus. Spread over 200 acres of rolling hills and flowering landscapes, eight holes border either the Pacific Ocean or Banderas Bay, offering picturesque ocean views.

Take your golf game to a new level with the optional Hole 3B. Dubbed “the Tail of the Whale,” the unique par-three, 19th hole is one of only a handful of natural island greens in the world. Tee off from a natural rock outcropping with a green designed in the shape of a whale's tail and an oceanside tee on the beach situated 199 yards off the coast.

Take your best shot as you aim for the putting green set on a natural offshore island. Get a lift to the green in an amphibious golf cart.

Weather proof

And when the weather doesn’t cooperate, seek refuge at the state-of-the-art fitness facility with yoga classes and the latest cardio and weight-training equipment. Better yet, head to the on-property spa where you can indulge in a facial, manicure, pedicure and signature Punta Mita massage which incorporates agave tequila (lathered on your back, stomach and feet) and traditional Mexican healing techniques.

Family time

The ultra luxe resort caters to well-heeled singles and family units alike. Inner tube or noodle along to the mild current of the Lazy River, the third pool option, which encircles an all-family building with 23 rooms and suites.

Kids will also enjoy nature trails, an outdoor playground with a jungle gym and a 2,400-square-foot game room with PlayStation consoles, Wii, Xbox 360, Guitar Hero and the like. The options are bountiful with a card table, ping-pong, air hockey and foosball tables.

Hey big spender

The expansive property features 143 rooms and 30 suites situated on 26 acres. Most suites have plunge pools, some oceanfront suites are set atop cliffs, and other rooms open directly onto the beach. Mexican-style casitas are richly designed with beach-inspired décor, a flat screen TV and a spacious bathroom (two-basin vanity, glass-enclosed shower and deep soaking tub).

Hospitality is topnotch starting with your arrival when you are served a welcoming tray with chips, guacamole, salsa and make-your-own margarita ingredients (salt, lime, tequila, orange liquor, a martini shaker, ice and a margarita glass).

Of course, having your every whim answered in these luxe surroundings doesn’t come cheap. Be ready to break out your wallet with room rates ranging from $545-$1,175 for a double and $1,685-$16,000 for a suite during high season. During low season, rates hover around $375 to $925 for a double and $1,025 to $8,750 for a suite.

Getting there

The largest nearby airport is Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR), an hour’s drive from Punta de Mita. United Airlines flies direct to PVR from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, while AeroMexico makes one stop in Mexico City. Southwest Airlines begins service to Puerto Vallarta this October, with flights already on sale. With no stops, the total flight time is just under three hours.

Barely time to catch a flick before starting your trip in Mexican paradise.

(Marcy de Luna’s trip to Mexico was hosted by the Mexico Tourism Bureau.)

Take your golf game to a new level at the optional Hole 3B, dubbed the “Tail of the Whale."

Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita Tail of the Whale Golf Course

Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita

Take your golf game to a new level at the optional Hole 3B, dubbed the “Tail of the Whale."

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WILDFLOWER WATCH

The hunt for Texas bluebonnets could be tricky this spring, experts predict

Marble Falls bluebonnet field, bluebonnets

Photo courtesy of Visit Marble Falls

Bluebonnets could be sparser this year across Texas.

Bluebonnet bounty across Texas may be a little harder to spot this spring after a dry fall and mild winter, particularly across the Hill Country.

The 2026 wildflower bloom season is expected to vary widely across Texas, shaped by uneven rainfall, continuing drought conditions, and local microclimates that influence where seeds germinate and how wildflowers thrive, according to the experts at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. This forecast is similar to the 2025 season projection.

Across the Hill Country, from Austin to San Antonio — considered bluebonnet mecca each spring — the recent fall and winter weather helps explain why bluebonnets, in particular, may be sparse. Much of Central Texas saw a notably dry fall, followed by a mild winter with limited rainfall. The fall is the time when many wildflower seeds, and especially bluebonnets, germinate.

Bluebonnets rely heavily on fall moisture to sprout and winter rain to grow before blooming in spring, according to the Wildflower Center. When conditions are dry, fewer seedlings emerge, and roadside displays can appear patchier than usual.

“We may just have to look a little harder for bluebonnets on the side of the road this year in many locales,” said Andrea DeLong-Amaya, horticulture educator at the Wildflower Center, in a press release.

Caltrops in Big Bend National Park Caltrops on the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park.Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service

Central Texas, in particular, has the native prairie ecosystem where hardy native flower species can thrive. Add to that thin, rocky limestone soil and the state's long-established roadside management practices, and it's no surprise that drivers see an abundance of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and pink evening primrose emerge and thrive during the spring.

The lack of rain in early spring does not mean a paltry wildflower season. Bluebonnets dominate early spring in areas around the state, then retreat. With subsequent solid rainfall, later wildflowers such as firewheel, purple horsemint, and black-eyed Susans will take over as the wildflower season progresses into the summer, according to the Wildflower Center.

“If early spring bloomers are a little more sparse, later spring and summer flowers have more room to flourish,” DeLong-Amaya said.

Around the state
Wildflower displays can vary dramatically even within short distances. Small environmental differences, including soil moisture, shade cover, and pavement heat, influence which seeds will germinate and how flowers thrive. The Texas Department of Transportation, which has sown wildflower in highway medians since the 1930s, provides a map for the best wildflower weeks across the various regions in the state.

Across North Texas prairies, fields of Drummond phlox and prairie verbena often appear alongside bluebonnets, particularly around the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails south of Dallas.

ennis bluebonnets Ennis Bluebonnet Trails will be open April 1-30, 2026. Photo courtesy of Visit Ennis

The organizers of the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival posted on Facebook on February 27, "Ennis Bluebonnet season is officially on the way! We are already monitoring the trails, and these sweet little baby bluebonnet plants are starting to pop up right on schedule. Bluebonnets plants start emerging as these green rosettes in late winter and typically bloom throughout the month of April here in Ennis."

Ennis bluebonnets typically peak around the second to third week in April. This year's Ennis Bluebonnet Trails will be open April 1-30, and the Festival will take place April 17-19.

In West Texas and the Big Bend region, desert wildflowers such as Mexican gold poppies and desert marigolds can produce dramatic blooms after winter rains.

Coastal prairies along the Gulf Coast can produce sweeping displays of yellow coreopsis and red Indian blanket wildflowers in spring.

Even in dry years, experts say Texans can still expect to find wildflowers somewhere across the state.

“I’ve never seen a year where nothing is blooming,” DeLong-Amaya said. “That just doesn’t happen.”

The Carolina jessamine is the Wildflower Center's 2026 Wildflower of the year.Photo by Stephanie Brundage via the Native Plant Information Network

The Wildflower Center also named Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) as its 2026 Wildflower of the Year. The evergreen vine produces fragrant yellow trumpet-shaped flowers and can climb along fences or trees.

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