There’s just something about Champagne that puts you in the mood for romance. At the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, the luxury property on the Bay of Banderas in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, they serve it with quite a flourish. In a ritual that dates back to the time of Napoleon, head butler Carolina Evans deftly beheads a bottle of Veuve Clicquot with one swift slice of her saber. The cut is clean; the bubbles flow.

So begins our introduction to the St. Regis Punta Mita, “gateway to paradise,” a lush tropical retreat with sweeping Pacific views about an hour from Puerto Vallarta. The resort is part of a 1,500-acre gated community of high-end condos and multi-million dollar homes, along with a Four Seasons hotel and two Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses. My husband and I are on a couple’s getaway, looking for the three Rs: rest, relaxation, romance.

We turn off the main highway, and for more than a mile, our car winds along roads lined with palm trees and bougainvillea before coming to a stop in the resort’s courtyard ringed by low buildings. At its center is the Altamira bar, decorated with dramatic wood sculptures, and a terrace overlooking a reflecting pool that seems to stretch seamlessly to the Pacific. The pampering begins as we are whisked by golf cart to an ocean-view suite, where our own personal butler offers to unpack and press our clothes. The spacious room has a big white bed as fluffy as a marshmallow, beamed ceilings, private patio, and an outdoor shower for soaping up beneath the stars.

The next morning, we have brunch at Las Marietas, where the doors open to the ocean breezes. We slide into teak chairs, sip the “Red Snapper,” the St. Regis’s signature bloody Mary, and sample Mexican sweet breads. Then comes the hard part, choosing between Veracruz-style eggs with black bean sauce and avocado; machacas con huevos, marinated dried beef with eggs; or chilaquiles verde, tortilla chips cooked in a green chili sauce, topped with cheese, and, according to our charming waiter, Oscar, spiced with love.  

Although it’s still morning after our big Mexican breakfast, I feel a siesta coming on. (We are, after all, on vacation.) We wander down to the beach where I flop down on a day bed shaded by a lacey tree. “How about a walk?” my husband suggests. “Mañana,” I say, feeling too overcome with inertia to move. But eventually, he coaxes me into the warm blue water.

Over the next few days, we take long dips in the resort’s three infinity pools and leisurely walks along stone paths lined with birds of paradise and hibiscus. There are drinks and dinner at the casual Sea Breeze Beach Club and the sophisticated Carolina Restaurant, named after Mrs. (Caroline) Astor, New York City’s reigning hostess in the late 1800s. For more intimate dining, there’s 24-hour room service, or hotel staff will be glad to arrange a romantic dinner right on the beach. We also sample treatments at the Remède Spa, where you can book a couples massage, or an aromatherapy bath for two in a secluded, star-lit Jacuzzi.

You may never want to leave the resort, set amid 22 tropical acres, but worth a quick trip is the funky fishing village of Sayulita, a haven for surfers. Here Mexican cowboys entertain tourists by the beach and vendors hawk cold coconut juice. Have a shot of tequila at Don Pedro’s as you watch dozens of surfboards bobbing in the bay. But our favorite experience was a snorkeling trip to the nearby Marietas Islands led by our Vallarta Adventures guide Señor Kimi, a tan, taut bundle of kinetic energy who excitedly points out the rare blue-footed booby and swift frigates in this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The area is home to some of the largest colonies of birds, fish, and marine mammals in the Mexican Pacific, including humpback whales that come here to breed. After swimming among spiny blowfish, sea urchins, blue damsels, and rainbow fish, we return to the resort with a new passion — the region’s rich marine ecology.  (877/787-3447, www.stregis.com/puntamita)  Andrea Naversen