SERENE SECLUSION - The free-form pool sits on the private beach at El Tamarindo. CNS Photo by Priscilla Lister. Then, in front of the fire that was heating the lava rocks, we gathered to receive copal, an ancient incense, in our hands. We held it while Reto, our leader, threw his copal into burning ashes to make smoke, which he wafted toward each of us with an herbal wand. We made two wishes as we threw our copal into the fire and entered the adobe hut. The lava rocks, which were heated in the wood fire for three hours, were raked inside to the center pit of the hut, while the five of us were seated around it at the west, east, north, south and center. Reto dipped his herbal wand of homegrown lemongrass and sage into an urn of cold water and threw it onto the hot rocks, making a cleansing steam like a sauna. We sang together to send and receive energy. We chanted "O Meteo," meaning everything is good. We went through two "doors" of this Temazcal pre-Hispanic ritual, physical and spiritual, spending nearly two hours in the adobe hut. ALL TO YOURSELF - Poolside at colorful El Careyes Beach Resort, where architecture combines Mediterranean and Mexican elements. CNS Photo by Priscilla Lister. We surrendered to the steam. We relaxed. "Your wishes will come true," Reto told us. Our wish for a beautiful beach, a secluded tropical resort and indulgent spa treatments already had come true. With three of my favorite friends, Judy, Verna and Erin, I had journeyed to El Tamarindo, an exquisite, small golf resort, one of two we experienced on the quiet Costa Careyes of Mexico. Located roughly midway between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, Costa Careyes is often called one of Mexico's best-kept secrets. Indeed, it is a wonderfully secluded destination that offers El Tamarindo, an amazingly beautiful golf resort; El Careyes Beach Resort, an intimate beachfront hotel that is a popular wedding destination; and a collection of castles, casitas and villas available for rent. The nearest town of any size is Barra de Navidad, a little less than an hour's drive away. Gian Franco Brignone, an Italian who flew over this stretch of Mexico's Costa Alegre in 1968, created this dream destination. We met the charming entrepreneur, now in his late 70s, during lunch one day on lovely Playa Rosa. He told us not to tell anyone about his secret love, this place. Sorry, Gian Franco. SWEAT IT OUT - A wood fire heats lava rocks for Temazcal, the sweat box treatment at El Tamarindo. CNS Photo by Priscilla Lister. In nearly 40 years now, he and his son, Giorgio, have crafted a place combining elements of Mediterranean and Mexican architecture, craftsmanship and color and sensual "savoir vivre," all while protecting the natural landscape. It's a favorite haunt of celebrities - and anyone else - who seek seclusion, magnificent villas and views, and such activities as polo, golf, horseback riding, deep-sea fishing, kayaking, sailing, surfing, bird watching and those indigenous spa treatments. El Tamarindo and El Careyes are now operated by Starwood Hotels, while the castles, casitas and villas for rent are managed by the Brignone family. We began our exploration at El Tamarindo, a collection of just 29 palapa-roofed villas. We each took an oceanfront villa that was truly the stuff of tropical dreams: an outdoor living room complete with overstuffed, built-in banquettes, lounge chairs for sunning, and a hammock, suspended next to the private plunge pool fed by the even more private Jacuzzi just off the bathroom. With the lovely year-round warmth in this tropical destination, any time is a good time to go to El Tamarindo. Reto Kade is the spa manager there. Born in Switzerland, he has made his home in Mexico for more than 20 years and has become a true master of the Temazcal, that very special "sweat box" treatment that is reason enough to travel to El Tamarindo. Massage tables under open-air palapas on the beach are another. El Tamarindo's 18-hole, par-72 golf course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and David Fleming, with seven holes directly overlooking the Pacific, is surely one of the most spectacular golf courses anywhere. Typically very uncrowded - which was great for us beginners - daily rates are just $120-$150. We all loved the guided walk we took with resident ecologist Charles Sacamano on one of the resort's hiking trails. He told us that this subtropical rain forest, located at 18 degrees latitude, is so complex, you could never know all of it. OCEAN VIEW - The 12th hole at El Tamarindo Golf Resort is one of seven with breathtaking ocean views. CNS Photo by Priscilla Lister "There are over 6,000 botanic species in this region of Mexico, and this country is the third-most biodiverse in the world, after Brazil and Columbia," he said. He showed us the strangler fig vines that begin at the top of a tree and grow down to the ground, until the host tree has been completely swallowed by the strangler fig. He showed us the Cayaco palms, the tallest palms in Mexico, that produce oil used by locals to cure ailments and by the spa to heal the rest of us. We especially loved the Red Paper Tree, the bark of which looks like peeling red tissue paper. But our coolest eco-adventure here was releasing the 1-day-old sea turtles. Careyes means tortoise shell, and this entire region is an important nesting ground for giant sea turtles. Both resorts provide sanctuaries to help the turtles lay their eggs and then protect the babies until they can be released at dusk. We helped a bunch make that first trek to the ocean, hoping many of them would grow up into their 300-pound, 60-year-old selves. Lots of animals and birds live here, including raccoons, wild boar, deer, armadillo, iguanas, fox, coyotes and even lynx. But our favorite was the coati, a small charmer that resembles a raccoon. One joined us for dinner one night in the lovely poolside restaurant, taking a chair at our table to see if we had anything good to eat. He liked the lemons. We drove the hour north to El Careyes Beach Resort and had an equally wonderful time in this more social and developed part of the destination. The 48-room hotel, which is booked for weddings nearly every weekend from October through April, is the centerpiece in a charming enclave of brightly painted villas that dot the bluffs along the horseshoe beach. With Bob Cohen, an upstate New Yorker who runs the horseback-riding program during the winter season, we rode along the Playa Careyes, the perfect "angel's wing" beach where Sol de Oriente and Sol de Occidente preside high atop two opposing bluffs. These two villas are Gian Franco's masterpieces. Identical, they feature infinity-edge pools that, like moats, surround most of the properties. One of these was the site of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.s' recent wedding. One more Mayan wrap and we felt just as happy to discover this place. One of my wishes is to go back to Costa Careyes. IF YOU GO We flew Alaska Airlines from Los Angeles into Manzanillo, which is about an hour's drive closer to the destination than Puerto Vallarta. The Manzanillo airport is served by Alaska Airlines, Mexicana, America West and Aerocalifornia. Puerto Vallarta is served by all major airlines. We arranged transportation from El Tamarindo to pick us up when we arrived. WHERE TO STAY El Tamarindo Golf Resort, Kilometro 7.5 Carretera Barra de Navidad-Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, C.P. 48970, Mexico; phone 011-52-315-351-5032; fax 011-52-315-351-5070; www.eltamarindoresort.com. There are eight beachfront villas ($587-$660 depending on season), five palm tree villas ($461-$533), two-bedroom palm tree villas ($650-$765), 10 forest villas ($356-$436) and four garden villas ($482-$562). El Careyes Beach Resort, Kilometro 53.5 Carretera Barra de Navidad-Puerto Vallarta, Costa Careyes, Jalisco, C.P. 48970, Mexico; phone 011-52-315-351-0000; fax 011-52-315-351-0100; www.elcareyesresort.com. Rooms and suites range from $289-$919, depending on size, location and season. Both resorts are part of the Luxury Collection of Starwood Hotels, www.luxurycollection.com. The castles, villas and casitas available for rent are operated by the Brignone family. There are three castles (each $5,000 a night): Casa Mi Ojo, an eight-bedroom, nine-bathroom private home with pool; Sol de Oriente and Sol de Occidente, each a six-bedroom, seven-bath private home with a 10,000-square-foot circular pool. There are four Villas de Playa Rosa, custom-built private homes with stunning ocean views, offering three to five bedrooms and costing $1,500-$2,000 per night, depending on season. Casitas de las Flores and Playa Rosa Bungalows, ranging from one bedroom without pool to four bedrooms with pool, range from $250-$1,200 a night, depending on season. For more information on these properties, contact Costa Careyes, Kilometro 53 Carretera Barra de Navidad-Puerto Vallarta, Costa Careyes, Jalisco, Mexico 48980; phone 011-315-351-0320; fax 011-315-351-0324; www.careyes.com. Priscilla Lister is a freelance travel writer.

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