Beach dreams are made in Mexico

I have discovered an instant cure for seasickness. Transfixed on watching the spectacle of a whale courtship ritual, I totally forget about my ocean-induced nausea.

Tails thrash ferociously against the waves and gargantuan oil-slick bodies breach from the water, with a cluster of competitive males vying for attention from the single female they are trying to impress.

There’s calm as the whales retreat underwater for a few minutes, then suddenly emerge, blasting water from their blowholes.

It’s hard to estimate how many majestic humpback whales we’re watching from our boat on Banderas Bay. The pod fluctuates as unsuccessful males retreat and others join to try their luck.

Once the acrobatics end and whale tails disappear from view, Riviera Nayarit’s 192 miles of Pacific coastline has plenty of equally magnificent sights, all laced with Mexico’s enchanting culture and traditions.

And when new direct flights from the UK to Puerto Vallarta with Thomson launch in May, the number of Brits falling for its charms is likely to rise.

History is everywhere you look, from the native Huichol handicrafts through to nature’s handiwork.

We cruise to the volcanic Marieta Islands to witness the world’s most picturesque bomb site. I snorkel past tropical fish through a short, dark tunnel following beams of sunlight to a secluded sandy beach not much bigger than a back garden. Light streams through a large hole which appears to have been blasted in the rock. Only agile snorkellers with waterproof cameras tucked into their swimming trunks can capture the idyllic spot.

Some believe Playa De Amor, or Hidden Beach, formed in the early 1900s after being used as a site for military target practice by the Mexican Government. Now, thanks to conservationist efforts first led by legendary diver Jacques Cousteau, the uninhabited islands are protected as a national park.

On a boat ride along the coast, we whizz past the never-ending wall of rocky islands as flocks of birds soar gracefully overhead. I’m told that Riviera Nayarit has the second highest number of North American birds in one location, as well as being home to many endangered species, such as blue-footed boobies and green macaws.

Blue-footed boobies

Like bird watching, celebrity spotting is also common here. Lady Gaga has tackled the Mexican wave surfing in Puerto Vallarta, while Jennifer Aniston and the Kardashian clan are regular visitors.

Puerto Vallarta first rose to prominence in 1963 when Banderas Bay was used as the setting for Hollywood film Night Of The Iguana. A publicity frenzy surrounded leading actor Richard Burton’s affair with Elizabeth Taylor, who he brought on location, and tourists arrived in droves.

There were no roads, no telephones and limited plumbing and electricity. Fifty years on, the popular resort city is much more developed but still retains much of its natural beauty.

During a morning bike ride from my hotel, the newly opened Iberostar Playa Mita, north of Puerto Vallarta, I had fully expected to get sweaty shifting gears in the searing Mexican morning heat. But our trip is much more relaxing and scenic.

My cycle guide tells me the flat, pristine pathways and roads of the Litibu gated complex were “nothing but crazy jungle” less than five years ago. We spot at least three female workers on the cycle path sweeping wayward leaves off the road – the only evidence of overgrown palms that sit opposite the designer 18-hole golf course.

It’s a similar contrast on Litibu’s beautiful 10km beach that fronts the Iberostar Playa Mita. Stroll away from the sun loungers and lifeguard tower and, in no time, you’re dodging fallen coconuts and stumbling upon a sea turtle conservation ground.

I see the region’s extremes for myself aboard a Unimog jeep on Vallarta Adventures’ Offroad Adventure that promises to uncover ‘the real Mexico’.

We make a pit-stop at Valle de Banderas, a vibrant town where locals pick up supplies from the Tortilleria, street cafes play toe-tapping Mexican music as tourists wolf down generously-stuffed tacos, and market stalls sell colourful native Huichol arts and crafts.

The shopaholic in me can’t resist a doll in elaborate traditional dress housing a hot salsa bottle under its hem.

Our yellow jeep sets off for the heart of the Sierra Madre. You feel every bump in the terrain but the openness allows you to absorb the sights as well as greet adorable local school children and families, who excitedly wave at us as if we are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

We pass watermelon fields, take pictures of vivid jackfruit hanging from trees, and spot a camouflaged green iguana clinging onto a branch.

There’s no drinking and driving but we’re introduced to family-owned distilleries in the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains, revealing the process of making tequila, from agave plant to bottle.

The biggest butterfly I’ve ever seen (a white morpho locals nickname guardian angel) flutters past our jeep as we enter the sub-tropical forest along a dried-out mountain stream fringed with human-sized cactus.

We’re overtaken by friendly locals on horseback, all wearing matching thick moustaches and tall hats. It feels like I’m on a location film set, but for them, this is their everyday mode of transport through the jungle.

On foot, as we hike through the dense canopy of the trees, our paths are regularly crossed with a flash of colour from lightning-quick blue-tailed lizards. They have every reason to be timid as our guide leads us to a bulging termite nest, estimated to be 10 years old, and promptly picks up one of the tiny insects to eat. He tells me termites are packed with protein, but I politely decline the forest feast.

Instead, I save my appetite for a homemade local delicacy. We stop off at a tiny village called San Ignacio where fresh tortillas are warmed over a fire-lit outdoor stove. They’re served with beans, salsa, guacamole and prickly pear salad that taste so deliciously authentic rolled up together, we go back for seconds – and then thirds.

Riviera Nayarit’s authentic cultural heritage makes for a destination rich in culinary traditions and handicraft trinkets that can be found in brightly painted galleries, boutiques shops and open-air markets.

In Sayulita, I stumble across an artisan in traditional dress quietly weaving with varying shades of green thread to create a trinket for his market stall. He’s one of many Huichol Indians who display their colourful crafts on tables in the town’s cobbled plaza.

I immediately feel at home in this bohemian-chic surfer town as I stroll the bright bunting-lined streets leading to the beachfront. I’m beeped out of the way by a truck with a man standing in the back holding strings of fish. He announces his catches of the day melodically through a megaphone in Spanish song.

Nearby, a group of musicians perform as a female dancer moves wildly to the beat outside a street-side taco restaurant, drawing a crowd.

We get talking to one of many expats clapping along, now in his fifties, who moved to Sayulita as a teenager for the surf and never returned home. In his words: “Bitten by the Mexico bug.”

I can see what he means.

But unlike my seasickness, this is one illness that really needs no cure.

TRAVEL FACTS – Riviera Nayarit

:: Lisa Haynes was a guest at the new all-inclusive Iberostar Playa Mita hotel (www.iberostar.com), which offers doubles from £211 per night.

:: Aeromexico return flights to Puerto Vallarta start from £629 per person, via Mexico City connection. From May, Thomson (www.thomson.co.uk) will offer direct flights to Puerto Vallarta from Gatwick or Manchester. Iberostar Playa Mita/flight package, from £1,166 per person.

:: For more information on Riviera Nayarit, visit www.RivieraNayarit.com