Costalegre, Mexico

If untouched beaches and wild, windswept nature spark joy, Mexico’s Costalegre — a 283-mile stretch aptly called the “happy coast” — should be on your list for 2025. Careyes, the first luxury community developed in the area in the 1960s, beckons today with more than eight miles of private shoreline, Positano-inspired casitas, and the largest polo fields in Mexico. Still, the region on the country’s Pacific coastline has “remained protected and purposefully low-impact for decades,” as T+L reported, thanks to careful oversight on the part of local governments and the handful of developers who own much of the land. But change is slowly coming: The new Chalacatepec International Airport in Jalisco is expected to begin operations in late 2024, providing direct access to the destination previously only reached by flying into Puerto Vallarta or Manzanillo, a four- or one-hour drive away, respectively. An expansion on the Puerto Vallarta airport is also in the works to accommodate an uptick in visitors, and Xala, a $1 billion development that will house luxury residences and a Six Senses hotel (the latter slated for 2026), will open in phases, joining the buzzy Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, Cuixmala, Las Rosadas, and 2024 Michelin two-key-winning Las Alamandas. — Christine Burroni