Careyes Is the Private Enclave on Mexico’s Pacific Coast You Need to Know

In the Costalegre region of Jalisco, along a wild stretch of the Pacific Coast, lies Careyes, a community with a nine-mile beach studded with rocky islets and sea caves often described as the Mediterranean of Mexico. First founded in the 1960s by the Italian banker and creative visionary Gian Franco Brignone—who bought 25,000 acres of land after flying a helicopter over the region and discovering the landscape of this tropical paradise reminded him of the Amalfi Coast in Italy—this private design enclave quickly turned into a luxury development rife with villas and cliff-top castles with all-star appeal for the international jet set. Throughout the years, it has attracted the likes of Cindy Crawford, Mick Jagger, Uma Thurman, and even a wealth of European royalty, heirs, and heiresses.

Now, over 50 years since its inception, Careyes is still a destination beloved by the stars, but it has since evolved to attract a more robust profile of travelers. Something like an exclusive artists’ colony (akin to the allure of Ibiza, Spain, or Trancoso, Brazil), Careyes attracts an aristocratic European creative community to its luxurious homes and tropical shores—especially because it’s a place they can kick back, ditch their fashion labels, and go unnoticed as they drive around in rusty Jeeps down dirt roads. But Careyes is also increasingly drawing in a younger generation of creatives who are spiritually inclined, as well as a burgeoning class of artists who draw inspiration from the area’s enigmatic charm.