Casa Solika

A Palapa-Topped Villa with its Toes in the Sand

With room for a crowd to spread out as well but also celebrate in communal gatherings, this sparkling villa draws inspiration from Bali and the Yucatan. Its sleekly plastered interior feels cool and modern, with just the right combination of natural elements and contemporary opulence, and the estate's three villas offer four private sanctuaries tucked into the lush foliage, anchored by a palatial family room and a sweeping saltwater pool.

Beachy palapa roofs meld with contemporary stonework and traditional chukum, sleek wood finishes and a notable suspended staircase. With well-appointed, breezy spaces to unwind in, the villa offers just the right dose of low-key boho accents in stone, palm, cane and wood. Handpicked furniture and design pieces from India, Indonesia, Morocco and other global locations echo the multicultural backgrounds of the home's creators.

Huge slideaway doors mean you can be poolside even when inside, and a generous outdoor living palapa sits right on the sand, its couches, chairs, and dining table offering front-row seats to the rolling surf. It's seamlessly linked to the chef's kitchen, which also boasts a rooftop terrace, the entirety creating an enviable space for entertainment.

Maybe best of all, the home’s beds look straight out to sea, snuggly perches from which to watch technicolor days dawn or to grab a fiery sunset show from under the covers. Each villa has an ensuite bathroom and its own outdoor shower.

An oceanview swimming pool, outdoor bar and showers, and tidy plots of manicured lawn complete the picture, making this sleek, toes-in-the-sand beach house a haven on the white sands of Litibú Beach in the Riviera Nayarit.

The property has a full-time concierge and dedicated housekeeping team, and their staff quarters blend unobtrusively into the surroundings. Additional services can be added, including those of bartenders, butlers and chefs. There is a yoga area, a barbecue zone, and a lush lawn leading to the beach. Surfboards, kayaks, body boards and beach essentials are provided.

Around

Litibú Beach is located between Puerto Vallarta, Punta Mita and Sayulita on the Riviera Nayarit. Relatively wild and strikingly pristine, the powdery sands are backed by the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains and fronted by open ocean. There are no paved roads in Litbú, and the beach is secluded, a surf spot with left-hand waves. Higuera Blanca is the nearest village to the beach, a tiny town named for its beautifully sculptural fig trees boasting thick twisting trucks and a tangle of woody roots. When the Higuera trees’ fruits are ripe, vivid parakeets flock to their canopies. The low-key jungle-meets-Pacific village is a favorite of nature and wildlife lovers who prefer its slower scene to the buzz of nearby Sayulita or Punta Mita. Several riding schools in the village offer guided horseback adventures. Hiking trails extend into the dense jungle vegetation, and bird watchers love the area for its parakeets and abundance of tropical bird life. 

Part of a stretch of Pacific coastline located north of Puerta Vallarta known as the Riviera Nayarit, the Pacific coast here offers nearly 200 miles of beach, praised for its aquamarine waters and bleached white sand. A string of charming beach towns pepper the coastline, from the happening surfer getaway of Sayulita, one of the country’s pueblos mágicos, to a teeming mangrove at Boca de Chila and the waterfront shrimp restaurants in Chacala, the Nahuatl term for “where the shrimp live.” Punta Mita offers luxe waterfront resorts and dozens of all-inclusive beach clubs, so boutique travels tend to gather in the cobbled village of San Francisco, known as San Pancho, for great surf, curated shopping and dining, and an enchanting, artsy/organic atmosphere.

Location

Litibú Beach, Nayarit, Mexico. Nearest airport: Puerta Vallarta (50 mins)

Best time to visit

October to March