Celeb hideaway Casa Aramara opens its doors

For years I’ve heard about the magnificent Casa Aramara, Joe Francis’ private, beachfront hideaway in Punta Mita, Mexico which has attracted Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Quincy Jones, Eva Longoria and a multitude of other A-listers. I recently returned from a trip to check out the luxurious, 12-bedroom property, which was recently renovated and sold and is now available as an exclusive villa rental.

I expected fabulous service but not to be entertained by a sea lion in the pool. Yes, in the villa’s pool. Litibu, a very well-trained sea lion named after a beach on the Riviera Nayarit, came to the pool so we didn’t have to go to him. Nor did we have to leave the compound to ride horses on the beach. They were brought to us. That’s the kind of service you can expect when you rent Casa Aramara, where an “anything” button on the phone in every room lets guests request anything they want, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Of course the staff can handle your packing and unpacking needs. You might find a surprise like Kim Kardashian did after her recent visit with hubby Kanye West. After discovering a box of Pulparindo, a Mexican candy made from the pulp of the tamarind fruit, with a note that read “Enjoy a candy at home,” Kardashian posted a photo of the box and note on Instagram and wrote “Look what I found in my luggage while unpacking!!! Casa Aramara knows me too well! This just made my day! #MexicanCandy.”

She also wrote on Instagram, “No better place to be…Thank you Joe Francis!!!! #CasaAramara #PuntaMita.”

Francis is the creator of the Girls Gone Wild entertainment brand. Although the villa changed hands (a Mexican owns it now), Francis’ spirit lives on at Casa Aramara. The black writing pens in every room have his name and initials in white letters. There’s a Girls Gone Wild guitar in the game room. And Francis had just left the day before I arrived.

I presume he still has rights to the owner’s suite, which isn’t included in the nightly rate of $15,000 to $30,000. But that doesn’t mean you can’t rent the two-level suite with its own spa room for yourself. Nicholas Woodman, the Founder and CEO of GoPro, recently stayed in it. You just have to know the right people.