Villa Magnolia — Hotel in Nayarit

This is a cozy, formerly private home, set just a few minutes walk to the marina in La Cruz. The setting is itself is very private and a bit off the beaten path, although next to a road leading down to the fish market/marina area with plenty of restaurant options nearby (bring good walking shoes as the 'roads' are rained-out rubbles of dirt and rocks). Amenities include a pool, Jacuzzi, lovely gardens, tennis court and outdoor grills which you are free to use. We stayed in a smaller single room (with queen bed) next to the pool area, separate from the main house - 'El Platanar'. This room was fairly basic with a bed and a/c, and small patio with a couple of chairs, nothing plush but perfectly fine. Some minor problems/annoyances we had were the toilet flush (would not reset to stop water flow so had to constantly depress the handle - irksome in the middle of the night), the light on the a/c was so bright keeping us up so we taped something over it, and wifi signal did not reach the room. There is no room safe, but we felt very secure with our things. A couple staying in the room with kitchenette next to the entry gate complained of dog noise throughout. The tennis court is rented out to the public so you must confirm your court time, particularly if you want a prime time. It seemed there were 'outsiders' playing every morning. A tennis pro can be booked but felt I paid way too much for Mexico (around US$35/hour) for him to have brought very bad rackets and very old balls (I left with tennis elbow, first time in my life!). Bring your own, if you want to play. None were available through the villa, something they should consider. We encountered people on the court at our reserved time, suggesting we should play doubles and politely had to insist (several times) we were not interested. ||I believe our rate was around US$100/night (Feb) which included a breakfast of lots of fruits, cereal, yoghurt, pastries, coffee and tea. There were just a few other couples during our stay. Any more and it may have been too crowded, given the size of the common areas, # of chairs around the pool, limited breakfast table size, etc. Onsite staff were great. Fabi took care of all our needs including handling any bookings we requested, and arranging cabs when needed. She is a marine biologist, well educated and speaks very good English. Juan takes care of the security gate and grounds area (he lives next to the tennis court). ||Eva Mandarina is a cool beach club less than 10 minutes walk away, with plenty of chairs/umbrellas, restaurant and facilities. You can stay all day, just have a drink or some food. There are a few smaller corner store groceries in the neighborhood and the fish market (must see!) every morning, but other than that, not much. A car would be helpful but not required. Cabs are relatively inexpensive to get you places, and easy to arrange with Fabi. Puerto Vallarta is about 45 minutes away and approx 300-350 pesos (US$20) by taxi. Same for the airport (you must walk across the walkway if coming from the airport - upon arrival, otherwise taxis will charge 750 pesos). Bucerias is a great town to hit for gifts/souveniers/jewelry/ etc (about 10 minute cab ride away) with lots of restaurant options. Punta Mita is a bit further drive (about 30 minutes), home of the Four Seasons, small town with lots of shops, restaurants and easy to pick up a boat to take you to the Marieta Islands. ||La Cruz is a very low key destination and Villa Magnolia is a low key...

Casa Villa Magnolia is an oasis in the midst of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. It is beautiful and incredibly well maintained. The whole place is spotless and feels safe. The overall structure and design of the spaces, indoors and out, is aesthetically interesting. We have just returned from our third trip there, and have stayed in 3 different rooms over the years, including the casita near the gate. It has a small number of rooms and there is am cozy feeling to the place. There are always other interesting guests to meet over breakfast, which includes freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee or tea, a lovely arranged fruit plate, and a sweet roll. The staff are lovely, kind, and helpful, and have mostly been there for a long time. |We prefer the casita as we like to cook some of our own meals, especially given how close the fish market at the marina and the other fish market a block away are. However, the main house has a beautiful and well equipped kitchen, which guests can also use. The pool is a saving grace after a hot day around town or after some sort of hot adventure- it is cool and sunny in the afternoon, which makes it so refreshing. Along with others, we have enjoyed many afternoons sitting around the pool reading and talking. The iguana family members provide ample poolside entertainment too.|There are many restaurants close by as well as small grocery stores, so much so that a trip to a large supermarket in Bucerias is really unnecessary and we have avoided that for the most part. It is less than 10 minutes to walk to the Sunday market at the Marina, or to most places in the centre of town. There is a medical clinic for tourists nearby, which we found very helpful too.|It is such an enjoyable...

This is a lovely well kept and beautifully designed Casa will lovely helpful and warm staff. The beds are comfortable and rooms are cleaned daily. A lovely and healthy breakfast is offered at your reasonable leisure. It is very reasonably priced and very private.It is within walking distance to the Marina and Fresh fish and vendors Market. The bus stop to Bucerias is around the corner. There are a number of good and great restaurants to choose from within a 10 minute walk. This is not a good choice for those who want a party nightlife. Slow paced and relaxed is the vibe of the authentic little town of La Cruz.||We were very happy with all the amenities though the beautiful tennis court needs to be booked ahead as it is rented out to locals when available. Yes you may want bring earplugs to help sleep when the neighbourhood dog starts barking but that was a small problem the management was working on. ||We are looking forward to returning for another stay at this sweet...