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Discover the quiet side of Mexico in the country's lesser-known Costa Allegre region.

The forested, rolling hills of Mexico's Costa Allegre (which translates to the "Happy Coast") offer honeymooners plenty of privacy. With no big clusters of resorts, it's easy to feel completely alone here. But while this region, which stretches south along the Pacific Ocean from Puerto Vallarta to Manzanillo, may sound exotic and remote, it's actually easy to reach: The highway along this gorgeous coast is surprisingly well paved, and those cities that mark its northern and southern ends have international airports and convenient rental-car offices. As a result, the four secluded, romantic resorts that are spread out along this largely unknown shore are fairly accessible. The Costa Allegre has long attracted well-to-do Europeans and Mexicans looking for a vacation hideaway on still-untouched land—and you can join them for a sophisticated honeymoon escape.

One with Nature

An hour's drive north from Manzanillo, a sign welcomes you to El Tamarindo Golf Resort. The hotel van turns onto a stone-paved driveway—and then, for almost six miles, the driveway curves gently through pristine tropical forest. Just about the time you realize this is the longest driveway you've ever been on, you come upon the adobe main building, climb up to the top of the stairs and get a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean sparkling behind the palm trees. You are officially in the middle of nowhere, and it's time to exhale.

But just because the place feels remote doesn't mean you've given up luxury. All 29 of the thatch-roofed villas have open-air living rooms and plunge pools. The white-walled bedrooms are fully enclosed and air-conditioned—a good thing, because the area's greedy coatimundis (frisky cousins of the racoon) are partial to fruit from the complimentary fruit baskets and chocolates from the mini-bar.

The 2,000-acre spread includes a spectacular 18-hole golf course, which meanders through the forest and out onto the ocean cliffs. In fact, it is so expansive that, even when it's busy, you can feel like you're on the course alone. Not a golfer? A resident naturalist can walk you through the property, identifying plants and trees that are still used medicinally today.

El Tamarindo was among the first five-star resorts to offer guests a temazcal (ancient sweat lodge) experience, with a shaman who lives in the local village to lead the ceremonies. The orchid-decorated spa is made of bamboo, and the fresh scrubs are blended daily, a part of the resort's concept of being one with the forest. The restaurant's menus are inspired by Mexico's best-known chef, Patricia Quintana, and offer a wide variety of fresh-from-the-ocean fish.

Honeymooners can even opt for a private dinner at the end of the hotel's discreetly torchlit pier. El Tamarindo is the place to forget the world—there are no televisions, for instance. Instead, you'll spend your time eating, swimming, golfing, hiking, playing tennis, fishing, searching for whales—and truly getting away from it all (eltamarindoresort.com).

Take to the Hills

About 45 minutes north of El Tamarindo lies El Careyes Beach Resort. This property began as a small hotel, opened by the Brignone family (bankers from Italy) in the '70s. Today, the spot on the bay where the Brignones first built their enclave looks like a town on the Italian Riviera, marked by the large Careyes building as well as the colorful villas, also for rent, that dot the hillsides. The Brignones sold the hotel—now run by Starwood—long ago, but they still manage the surrounding villas and condos.

The 48-room El Careyes is a U-shaped, jewel-colored, colonial-style expanse built around a large swimming pool, and sheltered by cliffs on either side of the narrow bay. The gardens here contain a riot of flowers and whimsical Mexican décor, with bright, contrasting colors that range from terra-cotta to mustard to fuchsia. All of the guest rooms have indoor or outdoor Jacuzzi tubs and cable TV, but no two rooms are alike. Each has its own color scheme and original Mexican art and crafts.

There is more activity here than at El Tamarindo. The hotel has a spa and a gym. From November through April, polo matches are held in the area. Year-round, you can visit the sea turtle sanctuary. In late spring, eggs are collected from the beach and brought to the sanctuary before predators can destroy them. Once they've hatched, the baby turtles are released onto the dunes and guarded from the gulls as they scramble into the ocean to begin their lives.

Like El Tamarindo's, El Careyes' excellent menu was designed by Patricia Quintana. The condo restaurant, Playa Rosa, provides a break from the hotel's one dining room. (To get there, you have to take a long walk across the sand, so leave the stilettos at home.) Both restaurants serve gourmet Mexican food with Mediterranean influences, but it's nice to have choices, even in the middle of nowhere (elcareyesresort.com).

Oh, to Be Alone

Most guests of Las Alamandas resort, a 15-room hotel on more than 1,500 acres, arrive by private plane, but it's an easy two-hour drive from either Puerto Vallarta or Manzanillo. Even if you do come by car, you'll still feel like a celebrity—the place is just that posh.

The villas, which reflect the Mexican love of bright, contrasting colors, have curved terra-cotta-tiled roofs. Inside, the suites are spacious, with soaring ceilings and four-poster beds, and each one is decorated with Mexican crafts (even the oversized bathtubs are covered in colorful Mexican tiles). The upstairs suites have access to private rooftop terraces, which overlook tropical vegetation.

There are two restaurants—one is right on the ocean—but you can easily spend your whole vacation eating in your suite, rarely meeting another guest. (Here, too, your every gustatory pleasure might be carefully watched by those wily coatimundis, hoping to snag a spare canapé or a bit of your leftovers.)

At the resort, you can go mountain-biking, horseback riding (a one-hour ride is included in the room rate), hiking, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing and fishing, play tennis and take a yoga class. North and south of the hotel sit deserted beach coves, just in case you're looking for even more privacy for an afternoon in the sun (alamandas.com).

Lost in the Wild

When you want your morning coffee delivered at Hotelito Desconocido, just pull a rope to raise a red flag above your bungalow, and it'll be on its way. There are no phones for summoning room service—nor are there TVs or air-conditioning. This is not the real world—Hotelito offers an unplugged fantasy vacation.

This ecological wonder of a resort, a 90-minute drive south of Puerto Vallarta, is set on an estuary inside a nature preserve. The thatch-roofed guest bungalows are built on stilts over the estuary and along the beachfront. Inside, beds are draped in romantic gauze mosquito netting and there are paintings and frescoes. The floors are wood, and the bathrooms are decorated in colorful Mexican tiles, with a bamboo-lined "outdoor" shower that's big enough for two. The resort grounds are joined across the estuary by roped bridges, and some of the villas come equipped with boats. The whole resort, which is beautiful by day, turns into a fantasyland by night. Solar energy provides power for food refrigeration, ceiling fans and hot water, but light is generated strictly by candle, so paths glow with luminarias (candles placed in paper bags weighted by sand), and candles illuminate the villas and the restaurant.

Like El Careyes, Hotelito Desconocido also aids in the protection of sea turtles, gathering the eggs and releasing the baby turtles once they've hatched. Inside the estuary—which can be explored via kayak—live approximately 150 varieties of birds. Horses are available for riding on nearby deserted beaches. Hotelito is a real adventure for anyone who has been feeling too "plugged in," and a true escape from the real world (hotelito.com).