We explore the One & Only Mandarina complex. This elite eco-hideaway sits nestled among Mexican rainforest overlooking the Pacific Ocean which offers up a bounty of seafood upon which guests are invited to feast.
Thick rainforest blankets the hills of Mexico’s Nayarit Riviera, the tangled green canopy rolling along its ridgelines and tumbling off of black cliffs into the Pacific Ocean that stretches along the country’s western coast. The great curve of a breakwater extends from the golden beachfront, bracketing it against the gentle swell of the turquoise water stretching beyond the horizon. Along the beach, white umbrellas throw neat squares of shade onto the sand around them while sprawling, curtained cabanas nestle back under the eaves of the jungle. Across the hillside the roofs and terraces of the resort’s villas poke through the treetops, hinting at seclusion and splendour just beyond your grasp.
Across the hillside the roofs and terraces of the resort’s villas poke through the treetops, hinting at seclusion and splendour just beyond your grasp.
This is the One & Only Mandarina. Having only opened in November 2020, the Mandarina is a series of villas strung across 44 hectares of lush Nayarit jungle that aims to accommodate its guests intimately with nature, in an ultra luxury setting. Guests at the Mandarina can choose between three types of villa: treehouse, cliff, and grand, with options within these for those wanting a more premium stay. Although exactly how much more premium it could get is a worthy question, with even entry level stays costing more than what most travellers would spend on their entire holiday – but a stay at the Mandarina is not like any other holiday. Starting at US$1,200 a night, laying your head in the one-bedroom treehouse means waking up 12 metres in the air, enveloped by the jungle and staring out over an infinity plunge pool that will have you swimming in the treetops. Upgrade to a panoramic ocean treehouse, and your foliage filled views will be replaced by the vast sweep of the Pacific coast stretching away from you.
Cliff villas swap the dizzying heights of the trees for the rich carpet of the jungle floor, with wide poolside terraces offering seclusion and space to unwind in the undergrowth, with ocean and panoramic options providing enhanced views for those who want to remain in sight of the sea. While none of the choices at the Mandarina come even remotely close to the idea of ‘affordable’, those mentioned so far pale in comparison to the resort’s selection of grand villas, each with their own name: Cumaru, Tortuga, Jaguar, Pacifico, and Villa One. Designed for families and large groups, the grand villas – as the name suggests – offer a supersized, personalised experience, including complimentary champagne and canapes on arrival, personal training sessions and in-house chefs to cater meals, as well as a 24-hour butler service.
A stay here is not just about laying around the pool however, though you’d be forgiven for doing so. Alma and Carao, the resort’s restaurants, are all about refinement and the exploration of local ingredients, either pulled fresh from the sea or grown in the Mandarina gardens. Alma’s menu features more familiar Mediterranean cuisine, with a special focus on seafood, while Carao, curated by star Mexican chef Enrique Olvera, brings experimental technique and a true fine dining approach to traditional Mexican cuisine. The Mandarina’s pristine natural surroundings also give guests unfettered access to the bounty of the Pacific Ocean and the complexity of the Nayarit jungle. Fishing, surfing, diving and whale watching are all possible off the main beach or along the coast in either direction, while miles of trails wind through the neighbouring rainforest and afford guests the option of guided or free roaming walking tours through an area renowned for its thriving ecosystems and rich biodiversity.
A stay here is not just about lying around the pool however, though you’d be forgiven for doing so.
For those that can afford it, the Mandarina is more than a hotel, it is a meditative retreat into unmatched luxury, an opportunity to escape into a world crafted solely for pleasure, where everything from the food to the views has been designed and curated to offer a glimpse of Mexico that most will never get to see. It might involve remortgaging the house, but from what we’ve seen, the Mandarina might be the one place that is actually worth that.
WORDS – Nick Ainge-Roy
