It’s not exactly a secret address, but privacy and an intimate ambience are the hallmarks of Mexico’s Hotelito Desconocido Sanctuary Reserve & Spa — translated, the name means “little unknown hotel.” Located in Jalisco about 90 minutes south from Puerto Vallarta International Airport, the hotel sits between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre Occidental range. Fronted by a blue lagoon and 37 miles of alabaster beaches within a UNESCO-named natural aquifer, accommodations consist of 27 separate, luxurious palafitos set upon stilts. Hand-carved furnishings, outdoor Vichy showers, stone and mosaic soaking tubs, and artisanal Mexican décor with folkloric touches give a colorful sense of place. Terraces provide views of the ocean, mountains and nearby rivers.

Despite the abundant luxury, the hotel is 80 percent self-sustaining, with the majority of foods grown onsite. Sample the fare beachside at Nopalito, or in El Diablito restaurant, regarded as one of the best dining venues on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Relax with a cooking class, yoga session, sailing excursion, tour of the farm and orchard, bird watching, or with any number of water sports. In the spa, authentic seawater thalassotherapy treatments are supplemented by therapeutic massages, facials, and traditional temazcal sweat lodge experiences.