Puerto Vallarta, Mexico | Mantamar Beach Club

Make fun of me all you want, but I have a strange relationship with the ocean. While I absolutely love being near it (traveling to multiple seaside destinations throughout the year), I don't necessarily want to be in it. In fact, I know I don't want to be in it. From being knocked down by waves and losing expensive sunglasses to nearly stepping on transient stingrays, more than one incident has left me less than plussed with making a foray into the shallows. But put me in a pool with a swim-up bar AND an ocean view? Could anything be more perfect? Make it adults-only and yes, it's possible to take perfect to a whole new level.

This is the scenario at Mantamar Beach Club, a chic hangout on the famous Los Muertos Beach in Puerto Vallarta. Situated near one of two also-famous boy-riding-a-seahorse statues on the "gay" section of the beach, this festive spot caters heavily to an LGBTQ clientele, but welcomes anyone and everyone with an open mind who's ready to have some fun. Actually, here, Fun with a capital F makes more sense. And if you're looking to never be far from a bed and shower, their all-adults hotel property, Almar Resort, is just a short sashay away. (Or cha-cha if that's more your style.) –Steven Lindsey

mantamarvallarta.com

---

5 Reasons to Visit Mantamar Beach Club

Poolside Cabanas
​The sun can be brutal here year-round, but a poolside cabana with food and beverage service (including bottle service) makes it easy to camp out for the entire day working your way from the pool overlooking the beach to the cantilevered hot tub and back to your cabana. Choose your own adventure—or lack thereof. And if you want to get in the Pacific, you're mere steps away.

Waiter-Service Beach Chairs & Cabanas 
​​​​For a full-service option that's a little more budget-friendly, rent a beach chair and have a designated spot (and towel) to use throughout your stay with food and cocktails on-demand. Cabanas and gazebos make for a great hangout for larger groups that wish to be closer to the ocean than the pool.

Swim-up Bar
​​​​​One of my favorite things about the swim-up bar (besides getting drinks at their coldest and frostiest is being able to enjoy my drink while I'm submerged underwater, either on an underwater stool or overlooking the infinity edge onto the beach and the hustle and bustle going on below. A bonus of being in the pool versus the beach is that it's perched high enough that few, if any, beach vendors interrupt you to sell their cheap sunglasses and other trinkets. We love supporting these people if they are selling something great, but at other spots along the beach you can be bothered by a vendor on average of every five minutes. No, gracias.

 TheFull-Service Restaurant
​​​​​Craving sushi? Pizza?  Or something more local like catch-of-the-day ceviche, fresh marlin tacos al pastor, or a shrimp burrito. At Mantamar Beach Club, you can dine at a table in the thatched-roof restaurant, which includes several tables with a similar beach view others enjoy from cabanas, the swim-up pool and beach chairs. The full menu can also be ordered from any of those other sections of the club, too, so hunger never needs to be an issue. 
​

Picturesque Weddings
​​​​The sunsets on Los Muertos Beach are gorgeous every night, so imagine that as a backdrop for a dream beach wedding. Whether you're straight, gay or anywhere on the Kinsey scale for that matter, Mantamar can host a ceremony that will make all other destination weddings jealous.