Iberostar Selection Playa Mita
Iberostar Selection Playa Mita sits at the northern end of Riviera Nayarit, near Punta de Mita, on a wide Pacific beach rather than a flat Caribbean bay. Iberostar built it with 100 percent locally sourced materials, including quarry stone, marble and Guanacaste wood, and the sense of place comes from the Wixarika and Huichol culture of Nayarit: the Wirikuta sunset bar is named for a Huichol sacred site, the Litibu theater bar for the valley next door, and the evening program runs a Wixarika ceremony and mariachi by the lake alongside the usual resort show. This is a surf coast, not a snorkeling one, which is why Sayulita and San Pancho are the natural day trips and why a surfboard is on the included watersports list.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Eight restaurants and seven bars for 452 rooms, and only Tsuba and the La Bahia Steak House need a booking. El Cuate Pancho (Mexican a la carte), the Pacific Express bistro and both buffets are walk-in
- +Unusual dining range for an Iberostar Selection: Tsuba cooks a Japanese and Thai tasting menu on teppanyaki tables, and Pacific Express is a French gourmet bistro styled as a tribute to the Orient Express, with escargots and shrimp thermidor on the menu
- +The Starcafe runs 24 hours, and August 2026 guests single out the pastries there and breakfast at the Mexican restaurant as trip highlights
- +The culture programming is genuinely of the place rather than generic resort filler: a Wixarika ceremony, mariachi by the lake, the Sunset Circus show, Huichol artisan demonstrations and cooking classes, with the Wirikuta sunset bar named after a Huichol sacred site
- +Wide, uncrowded Pacific beach you can walk roughly three miles round trip to the rocks, and beach staff put out the chairs and umbrellas themselves, so there is no dawn towel race on the sand
- +Three pools including an infinity pool, plus a separate heated children's pool and the Aquafun slides, which keeps the family swimming away from the adult swimming
- +Star Camp is split by age into Monkey for 4 to 6, Dolphin for 7 to 12 and Eagle for teens 13 to 15, which is more than most Riviera Nayarit all-inclusives bother to set up
- +Stays earn IHG One Rewards through the Iberostar and IHG partnership, which matters if you already hold that currency
Cons
- −Room air conditioning is the most repeated 2026 complaint. An August 23, 2026 guest was told the lower two floors were remodeled with better AC while the top two floors barely work, and a September 18, 2026 guest had none at all in their room. Ask for a low floor
- −The same August 2026 guest describes the lunch buffet as feeling hotter inside than out, with the steakhouse in the same block only slightly cooler. Buffet lines also run long and the rotation gets monotonous by day four, so go at opening
- −Check-in and reservations handling is disorganised. Guests report waiting past 3 p.m. while later arrivals get the same room category immediately, and one August 2026 guest needed eight phone calls across six hours to add a single night
- −Pool area upkeep has slipped. A September 18, 2026 guest found pool tiles breaking loose from the floor and underwater lights held on with zip ties
- −Rooms run damp enough that guests advise packing socks, and 2026 reviews cite a jammed closet, a shower that pooled water into the bedroom and a major leak on arrival
- −Remote even by all-inclusive standards, roughly 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta with nothing walkable off property. Uber does work here, but one August 2026 guest had a hotel-arranged airport taxi quoted at $60 and then doubled by the driver at pickup
- −Beach vendors do work this stretch of sand. An August 2026 guest calls them pushy and says they only stop approaching you after the second or third day
- −Star Prestige is not a guaranteed upgrade. An August 4, 2026 guest reported the club delivering below its contracted minimum, two requests for assistance for an elderly parent that were agreed to and never came, and a promised follow-up email that never arrived
Food is where the resort genuinely overperforms its tier. Eight restaurants serve 452 rooms, and only Tsuba, the teppanyaki room running a Japanese and Thai tasting menu, and the La Bahia Steak House require a booking. Pacific Express is a French bistro with escargots and shrimp thermidor, El Cuate Pancho handles Mexican a la carte, El Toston does tacos and tostadas on the beach, and the Starcafe stays open 24 hours. The problems are operational rather than culinary, and 2026 guests repeat them independently: room air conditioning that works on the remodeled lower floors and barely works on the older top ones, a lunch buffet several guests describe as hotter inside than outside, chaotic check-in, a reservations desk that costs hours to reach, pool tiling coming apart with lights zip-tied in place, and damp rooms. Room service runs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on a short menu with no drinks, so do not plan around it.
This works best for travelers who weight beach, sunsets and food heavily, do not need a polished front desk, and are willing to ask for a low floor. Rates average near US$300 a night for two adults all-inclusive, which is fair for what arrives and expensive for the maintenance you may inherit. Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, south along the bay, wins outright on room condition and service finesse at a much higher price. Sayulita is about 20 minutes north and reachable by a cheap Uber, San Pancho a little further, the Greg Norman designed Higuera Blanca golf course is five minutes away in Litibu for a fee, and humpback whale watching runs out of the Punta de Mita marina from roughly November through March.
Common Questions
What does the all-inclusive actually cover, and what costs extra?
Which rooms should I ask for?
Is the beach calm, and do I need water shoes?
How do you get to Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita and San Pancho?
Can the kitchens handle celiac or other dietary restrictions?
Do you need restaurant reservations?
Restaurants (6)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | El Nopal buffet, La Bahia Buffet Restaurant |
| Mexican | El Cuate Pancho Mexican restaurant |
| Teppanyaki / hibachi | Tsuba Asian Restaurant |
| Steakhouse | La Bahia Steak House Restaurant |
| French | Pacific Express - Bistró |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
Sayulita Beach20 min drive · 7.8 mi
San Pancho Beach30 min drive · 12 mi
Punta de Mita6 min drive · 2.7 mi
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle20 min drive · 10 mi
25 min drive · 11 mi
More things to do (25)
- Whale watching (December to March) · excursion50 min drive · 25 mi
- Playa de los Muertos (Sayulita) · beach20 min drive · 8.0 mi
- Marina Vallarta · marina50 min drive · 25 mi
- Sunset sail from Marina Vallarta · excursion50 min drive · 25 mi
- Playa Monterrey · beach50 min drive · 23 mi
- San Francisco (San Pancho) · town30 min drive · 12 mi
- Splash Water Park · water park40 min drive · 21 mi
- Las Caletas beach day trip · excursion50 min drive · 25 mi
- Playa Litibú · beach3 min drive · 0.7 mi
- Destiladeras Beach · beach15 min drive · 8.1 mi
- Playa Careyeros · beach6 min drive · 1.5 mi
- Playa La Lancha · beach8 min drive · 3.3 mi
- Playa Patzcuarito · beach20 min drive · 7.2 mi
- La Manzanilla Beach (La Cruz) · beach20 min drive · 11 mi
- Marina Riviera Nayarit (La Cruz) · marina25 min drive · 11 mi
- Bucerías · town25 min drive · 14 mi
- Las Huertas Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 12 mi
- Playa Malpaso · beach30 min drive · 10 mi
- Flamingos Golf Club · golf35 min drive · 17 mi
- Lo de Marcos Beach · beach35 min drive · 19 mi
- Paradise Village Marina · marina40 min drive · 20 mi
- Aquaventuras Park · water park40 min drive · 21 mi
- Playa Los Venados · beach40 min drive · 20 mi
- Evening show and dinner at Las Caletas · excursion50 min drive · 25 mi
- Sport fishing charter · excursion50 min drive · 25 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Google Reviews★ 4.8 · 22,867 reviews
“We’re spending 7 days at this wonderful resort with our family (two adults and two girls, ages 14 and 9) and friends (two adults with three kids, ages 15, 14, and 8), and we’ve had such a great, relaxing stay. Fermin from the entertainment team has...”
“This past Friday, my wife and I had our wedding at the Iberostar Selection Playa Mita. To say we had an incredible time would be a major understatement. Adriana is the most professional and talented wedding coordinator you could ever have. Her and th...”
“My child spent half a day at Star Camp, and it was a very positive experience. The activities were well organized, fun, and appropriate for the children’s age. The atmosphere was friendly, safe, and welcoming. The staff were kind, patient, and attent...”
