Naviva, a Four Seasons Resort located at Punta Mita, Mexico, on a private peninsula overlooking the Pacific Ocean, is the brand’s first adult-only luxury tented resort in the Americas – we flipped back the designer tent to take a closer look…
Naviva, Punta Mita, Mexico, is slated to open in December 2022. Designed as a nature retreat featuring 15 luxury tents nestled amid 48 forested acres (19 hectares) on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, the unrivalled and unconventional Naviva experience is focussed on creating an environment that fosters community, personal growth and knowledge enhancement.
“Naviva is an ambitious new resort concept that offers highly individualised service and innovative design that brings guests closer to nature than ever before,” said Vince Parrotta, Four Seasons President, Hotel Operations – Americas West. “With the debut of this exceptionally personalised retreat, guests will interface one-on-one with knowledgeable guides during thoughtful experiences that embrace the culture and character of Mexico.”
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With only 15 luxury tents designed by Luxury Frontiers – all with private plunge pools – Naviva is one of the smallest Four Seasons resorts in the world. The resort’s transformative approach and certified guides come together to create a high-touch, yet unassuming adult-only experience inspired by biophilia, a love of life and living things.
“Our location tucked in a cliffside forest creates the feeling of being disconnected in a faraway destination, when in reality, we’re only a short flight away from the US,” said Ronny Fernández, Resort Manager, Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort. “Our untamed natural setting organically encourages guests to embark on their own personal journeys.”
Naviva celebrates the intrinsic bond that humans have with nature through biophilic design – an architectural approach that connects people to their natural surroundings. Guests are immediately immersed in the outdoors upon arrival, meeting their guide on a cocoon-inspired bamboo bridge overlooking a deep forest ravine.
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Guests will continue to experience direct connections to nature throughout their stay. Each stand-alone luxury tent features spacious indoor and outdoor areas that seamlessly blend together, allowing guests to take in the sun and smell the ocean breeze along with indirect connections to nature with textures and fabrics that mimic natural patterns found in the surrounding environment. Luxury Frontiers designed the spaces of each tent to engage humans’ natural desire to seek prospect, refuge, mystery and thrill with an open-air living room and separate bedroom flowing to a private plunge pool and expansive deck with a hammock and outdoor shower.
Daily life at Naviva sets the stage for individual transformation as guests explore their passions and discover new ones with the heartfelt support of their guides. Unscripted Naviva experiences such as sampling small-batch Mexican coffees, stargazing and joining in sunset rituals, are among spontaneous activities for guests to pursue at the Resort.
Guests can also enjoy Signature Naviva experiences that bring the character, heritage and expertise of local talent and tradition to the forefront, such as visiting award-winning local artist Jose Juan Esparza at his private home and studio, nocturnal forest bathing, sound therapy and breathwork.
Deviating from traditional hotel wellness offerings, the resort offers a series of intimate spaces including two spa pods tucked away in the lush forest, a traditional Mexican temazcal or ‘house of heat’, an outdoor gym, a serene jungle oasis at the Alma Pool and a private 175 metre expanse of pristine Pacific beachfront – a calming place to practice yoga or mindfulness.
Each area promotes human connection to nature by immersing guests in tangible and intangible aspects of the environment, such as a half-day retreat in one of the cocoon-like spa pods that were inspired by the seed of the local Ceiba tree and provide cocooned refuge, allowing for shifts in internal energy. All holistic rituals at Naviva harness the healing properties of indigenous ingredients, from regenerative reishi and hydrating snow mushrooms to natural gemstones and coloured clays found throughout Mexico.
Guests are also given the opportunity to focus fully on their physical wellbeing. Workouts at Naviva include cliffside yoga sessions at Risco Terrace, scenic hiking and running trails, and strength training in the outdoor open-air gym overlooking the Pacific, where guests can incorporate existing formations such as boulders and trees, connecting to nature with every stretch and every breath.
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Rustic luxury is brought to life overlooking the coastal seascapes of the Pacific at Copal, the heart of Naviva. More than simply a restaurant, the shared space is designed to evoke the feeling of being in a living room and kitchen of a private home, inviting guests to gather for games, reading, conversation, ideas, and music. Handmade games such as backgammon and a foosball table fashioned from reclaimed wood by Mexican artisans are available for playful competition.
At Copal Cocina, guests can feel the live cooking energy of the open-air kitchen, which is at the epicentre of the space and features all natural open-fire cooking methods with traditional BBQ pits, wood-fire grill rotisseries and wood-fire ovens. Bountiful sea catches and seasonal produce are the inspiration and foundation of fresh daily offerings.
On Mexico’s Pacific coast, within the Riviera Nayarit, the resort is located at the northern tip of Bahía de Banderas on the same peninsula as Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita. Naviva guests also receive full access to the adjacent Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, located just five minutes away.
Main image credit: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
