Jungle House

Jungle House stands on Punta Tokipa, a thirty-three-acre private peninsula of tropical shoreline a few minutes from Sayulita. The house is split-level and covers 5,059 square feet, built from locally sourced materials in wood and stone, with window walls that leave the jungle in view from almost every room. Four bedrooms sleep eleven. Two indigenous papilla trees rise straight through the terrace deck, kept where they stood when the house was built, which says most of what needs saying about the approach.

The lower floor holds a contemporary kitchen with stainless-steel appliances, a breakfast bar and dining area, and a living room with a deep sofa and a large flat-screen television, all of it opening through sliding glass to the terrace. A media room doubles as a den. The children’s bunk room is on this level with two wooden bunk beds, a full bathroom and a half bathroom beside it. Three bedrooms occupy the upper floor and share a terrace with a view across the canopy: the main bedroom under a vaulted ceiling with a king bed and a television, a second with a double and a single bed, and a third with a double. All three have ensuite bathrooms.

The terrace is the centre of the house. Cushioned wooden loveseats, sun loungers and an outdoor dining table are set around a private heated pool, with the jungle closing in on three sides and the papilla trees for shade. A second terrace above catches the breeze. Guests have the use of the Punta Tokipa beach and surf club, which has an infinity pool and a jacuzzi, a gym, a spa and a restaurant, and the beach itself is reached directly from the community rather than by road.

Sayulita is a short drive away, with its surf break, its market mornings and its restaurants, and San Pancho a little beyond; Punta Mita lies in the other direction. Puerto Vallarta International Airport is about forty minutes by road. The peninsula is gated and quiet at night, which suits families with small children and anyone who would rather hear the jungle than the town. For a week of surfing, a family holiday or a stretch of remote work with reliable internet, Jungle House gives Villa Experience guests a house that sits inside the landscape rather than on top of it.