Getting Between Stops
Mexico City to San Miguel de Allende is best done with a private driver, about three and a half to four hours. Leave after breakfast so the whole drive is in daylight. Some couples break it with lunch in Querétaro.
San Miguel to Punta Mita is the longest travel day. Arrange a shuttle to Querétaro (QRO) or Bajío/León (BJX), then fly to Puerto Vallarta (PVR), often via Mexico City. Book a midday flight so you arrive at the resort before dark. The alternative is to drive back to Mexico City and fly MEX to PVR, which can make sense if the connection times are better.
From PVR, arrange a private transfer through your resort. The arrivals hall can be busy with timeshare sellers, so walk straight to your driver. Inside the gated peninsula, resorts provide carts and shuttles.
Where to Stay
In Mexico City, choose Polanco for calm luxury, Roma Norte or Condesa for walkable streets and casual restaurants. The Four Seasons Mexico City on Paseo de la Reforma wraps around a garden courtyard. Ask for a room facing an inner courtyard if street noise bothers you.
In San Miguel de Allende, the town's specialty is boutique hotels in colonial mansions, with courtyards, fireplaces and rooftop terraces. The Rosewood is the larger luxury choice. Pick a room with heating or a fireplace for December and January nights.
At Punta Mita, lodging is small and very high-end. Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita is the classic, family-friendly but deeply romantic in the right suite. Imanta Punta de Mita is smaller and more secluded. For lower prices, look at boutique hotels in nearby Sayulita or villas within the Punta Mita development.
When to Go
November through April is the best window for all three stops. Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende are dry and sunny, with highs in the 70s and low 80s Fahrenheit. Nights in December and January can drop close to freezing in San Miguel. Pack a warm layer.
Punta Mita is sunny and dry in the same months, with low humidity. Humpback whales fill Banderas Bay from roughly December through March, which makes those months the most rewarding and most popular. Book resorts and whale tours well ahead.
May is warm and still mostly dry, a good value month. From June through October, the rainy season brings afternoon storms to the highlands and heat, humidity and hurricane risk to the coast, typically peaking from August to October. Day of the Dead in early November is popular in both cities and books up early.
Budget and Booking
This is a luxury itinerary with a heavy final chapter. As an approximate guide, a good boutique or luxury hotel in Mexico City and San Miguel runs from about $350 to $700 a night for two. Punta Mita's resorts typically cost well over $1,000 a night in high season. Food in the cities is excellent value even at the top end.
Book early for the Teotihuacán and San Miguel balloon flights, Casa Azul tickets and tasting menus. At Punta Mita, reserve whale tours, golf tee times and special dinners when you book the room, since capacity is limited in high season.
US dollars are widely accepted at Punta Mita, but carry pesos for village restaurants, taxis and tips. Ask your resort about honeymoon touches when you book.
Staying Comfortable and Safe
Plan for altitude. Mexico City is at 7,300 feet and San Miguel de Allende at 6,200, so drink water and go light on alcohol for the first day or two.
In Mexico City, use ride-hailing apps or authorized taxis rather than street cabs, especially at night. Guanajuato state, where San Miguel sits, carries a Level 3 advisory from the State Department. Travel to and from town only in daylight, use arranged drivers and recheck the advisory the week you fly. The town itself is easy to walk.
Bring shoes with grip for San Miguel's steep cobblestones for both of you. At Punta Mita, pack reef-safe sunscreen for snorkeling and the Marietas. If you're pregnant or hoping to be soon, check CDC travel health notices for Mexico, since mosquitoes on the coast can carry dengue. Consider travel insurance for summer and early fall trips.
Make It Shorter or Longer
For a 9-day trip, keep two nights in Mexico City, two in San Miguel and four at Punta Mita. The rhythm still works, though the travel days will feel closer together.
Couples with a week should pick two stops. Mexico City and Punta Mita make a clean pair, linked by a flight of about an hour and a half. San Miguel and Punta Mita work too, but the connecting flight takes more planning.
With 14 days, add a night in the city of Guanajuato near San Miguel for its colorful hillside streets, or stretch Punta Mita to six or seven nights. Many couples also add a night in Puerto Vallarta's old town at the end, about an hour from Punta Mita, for its malecón and hillside restaurants. Hacienda San Angel, on the hill behind the cathedral, is a romantic choice there.
