Behind the scenes of a Villas by Journey Mexico Site Inspection

Journey Mexico writer Sam Murray joins a Villas by Journey Mexico site inspection at Punta Mita’s Casa del Muelle. Here’s what he found…

A gallery-worthy slideshow of landscapes, framed by the car windows, flashed past as we drove from our Puerto Vallarta office to Punta Mita. The twinkling Pacific Ocean on one side, verdant Sierra Madre mountain range on the other. Every so often, we’d pass through sleepy Mexican towns in which restaurant owners had just started to lay out seating before the lunch-time rush.

I’d been invited to join a Villas by Journey Mexico site inspection, in which a member of the VbJM team casts a careful eye over one of the luxury villas on our portfolio. Our picturesque journey was taking us to Punta Mita, an ultra-exclusive gated community home to A-list stars, a world-class golf course, gourmet restaurants, and gorgeous views over the sea.

Read more: Here’s why we make regular inspections of our luxury villas

Arriving at our destination 45 minutes later, we were met at the guarded gates of the private enclave by one of the on-site concierges, Antonio.

The living area of Casa del Muelle

After introductions, Antonio led the way, first helping us to pass the initial security checks, then to navigate the almost-empty roads inside Punta Mita.

Towering palms, manicured lawns, and endless views over the Pacific Ocean greeted us throughout the ride. There may be a whole residential community, plus a Four Seasons and St. Regis Resort in Punta Mita, but you could never tell. We may have passed two other vehicles, but no more.

Finally, we arrived at our destination: Casa del Muelle, a beautiful new five-bedroom villa with an elegant design and sweeping ocean views. So new was the property that our site inspection took place before it had even hosted a guest. The first, Villas by Journey Mexico guests, were due a week or so later.

Antonio led us through the front doors to begin our inspection. And what we found was pure bliss.

Completed in the middle of December 2019, the villa was box fresh. As we made our way around –checking for safety hazards or design faults (we didn’t find any) – it was impossible to suppress our smiles.

The first room we hit was a sumptuous living area with a stunning television stand created from, what looks like, pieces of driftwood.

Attached to this room, though well out of sight, were the bedrooms, one with bunks for younger guests and the others with gloriously inviting white-linen beds.

One of the bedrooms at of Casa del Muelle

Having inspected the bedrooms, we continued through the living room to discover another seating area plus a dining area and, turning back on ourselves, a fully equipped gourmet kitchen.

The majority of the communal living areas boast magnetic views of the Pacific Ocean, making it impossible not to be drawn to the outside area. There, I found a beautiful pool – the perfect size for a dip and a cool place to gaze out over the sea – plus a gourmet barbecue area and more seating.

Most inviting of all, however, is the virgin, yellow-sand beach that lies at the foot of the property, leading right to the ocean. To the left are stunning views over the nearby mountains and the pier, after which the property was named.

The outside area of Casa del Muelle

After grilling Antonio and the newly installed house manager on all the questions we had (they graciously answered everything for us), we made our way out, back through the manicured lawns of Punta Mita, past the security checks and onto the road to Puerto Vallarta.

Having joined the site inspection, it was easy for me to understand why they are so important. Yes, it gave us the chance to check those safety features and to make sure the property was clean, but it also put us in the shoes of the customer.

We drove the route from Puerto Vallarta to Punta Mita. We met with the local concierge. We even enjoyed that “wow” moment the first time we walked into the property.

In essence, we lived the first few moments of a vacation at Casa del Muelle. This time round, it was perfect. If it wasn’t, we would have asked to have changed it to make it perfect.