Punta de Mita, about 40 km (25 mi) north of Puerto Vallarta, is home to the posh Four Seasons and the boutique resort Casa de Mita; other exclusive developments, condo complexes, a second golf course, and private villas are under construction. Just a few minutes past the entrance to the Four Seasons, the popular beach at El Anclote has a string of restaurants—once simple shacks but today of increasing sophistication—and price. This is a primo spot for viewing a sunset. Artificially calmed by several rock jetties and shallow for quite a ways out, it's also a good spot for children and average to not-strong swimmers to paddle and play, but there's a long slow wave for surfing, too. Most of the jewelry and sarape sellers and fishermen looking for customers have moved—or been moved—off the beach to more official digs in buildings along the same strip or facing the Four Seasons.
Accessible from El Anclote or the adjacent town of Corral del Risco, Punta de Mita has the most surf spots in the region, nearly a dozen, and the long swells here pump year-round. Divers favor the fairly clear waters and abundance of fish and coral on the bay side of the Islas Marietas about a half-hour offshore from El Anclote. In winter, especially January through March, these same islands are also a good place to spot orcas and humpback whales, which come to mate and give birth. Las Marietas is the destination for fishing, diving, and snorkeling; in addition, sealife viewing expeditions set out from El Anclote and Corral de Risco as well as from points up and down Banderas Bay.
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