Isolated, private, secluded, peaceful, spectacular, unique, exotic... and luxurious — these words hardly do justice to Punta El Custodio, the site of Casa Colibri.

Punta el Custodio is a five acre promontory jutting into the Pacific Ocean, just 75 miles north of the Puerto Vallarta airport, but it may as well be a thouand miles away, or on another planet entirely. You'll be in the jungle, yet just steps away from a fantastic beach, and some of the finest surfing on Mexico's Pacific coast.

Casa Colibri, about 40 miles north of Sayulita, is a luxurious five-star, four-bedroom villa that sleeps eight people.  It's part of an exclusive gated community of just 14 private homes. There are two bedrooms with a king size bed each, a third bedroom with queen size bed, and a fourth bedroom with two twin beds. Each bedroom has its own private bathroom with shower, and there is a fifth, full guest bathroom right off the main living area. All the bedrooms have hanging fans and are air conditioned as well.

Casa Colibri's main living area is a round, open structure, supported on massive columns, with a 35 foot high, vaulted palm-frond roof (known as a palapa). All other rooms are walled, but two of the bedrooms are also palapa structures, with conical, palm-frond 25-foot high roofs and large, open vents at the peaks. There is a fully-equipped and up-to-date kitchen with six-burner gas range, large double sink, 22 cu. ft. refrigerator, toaster, blender, microwave and full set of pots and pans, glassware, hand-painted Talavera tableware, silverware and a whole spectrum of kitchen knives. The master bedroom on the second floor opens onto a tiled rooftop terrace with a wet bar with sink and small fridge. There are two interior terraces as well.

The house consists four separate buildings (which are never rented separately) connected by a vine-covered walkway. You and your guests will not only have privacy from any neighbiors (the house is almost invisible in the jungle), but, if you want it, privacy from one another as well. You can all get together in the main palapa at mealtime -- there is a huge, round marble table that seats 14, plus a second table that seats 6 and a bar that seats 5, so if you are interested in entertaining, there is plenty of room. The kitchen is big enough for four or five cooks at once.

Casa Colibri has its own private, secluded pool, shielded from view. It's heatable in the winter months.

There's a food package run by the rental manager, which provides really lavish meals, cooked right there in the kitchen, at a cost of $210 USD per adult per week. The package includes two daily meals (breakfast and comida, the Mexican main meal), all the freshly-squeezed orange juice you want, plus soft drinks and beer and snacks. Wine and liquor can be purchased at the gatehouse. On Sundays, when the cook is off, comida is provided for you at one of the oceanside seafood restuarants abiout 1/4 mile away -- an easy walk.

But Casa Colibri isn't for everyone: we are above the "tourist belt," so shopping is limited. There is no nightlife, except what you provide for yourselves. Little English is spoken. There is no telephone except for cellular service. You'll have electricity, gas for cooking and hot water... and no other utilities, such as cable TV. There is intermittent, satellite-based wireless Internet access, however, but it is not guaranteed. This is really, really rural Mexico.

There is a lot of wildlife: whales, dolphins, pelicans, hummingbirds, raccoons, frogs, ducks, shorebirds of all types. There is deep-sea fishing, horseback riding, eco-tours, trips to the local spectacular waterfalls, pre-Columbian petroglyphs, release of newly hatched sea turtles, surfing (and boogie-boarding) right at your doorstep. There are also bugs, so be sure to bring repellant.

Leave the smog, noise and crowds of Puerto Vallarta far behind, and come to Casa Colibri for the vacation experience of a lifetime!

Make sure to visit the Casa Colibri website at www.villanayarit.com. If you have any questions, please email us at: okorshin@gmail.com.

Note: Meal Package, airport pick-up and drop off and propane heating of private pool charged separately. The community pool is unheated.