72 Hours at Four Seasons Punta Mita
“Embracing every bit of Mexico on a pretty spot with breathtaking views, incredible service and lots to do and see.”
They say Mexico‘s Pacific Coast is the pearl of the Pacific Ocean. Magazines write about upscale luxury hotels, beautiful boutique properties, hidden spots, tranquil beach clubs and award-winning dining. A place that I never had on the radar but definitely needed to visit during my Mexico trip in June. I got a First Class Ticket to the capital and had no clue where to go. I mean the Caribbean site (Hello mass tourism in Cancun) is not a secret anymore, and with the current algae problem, even Mexico City looks prettier than Tulum. So the choice was soon made once I realized that I need a few beach days after one week and a half of sightseeing in the highland. It was Costa Careyes (they call it Costa Alegre) and of course, Punta Mita where I decided to bed my head for seven nights. As soon as I had the opportunity to stay with Four Seasons, I went crazy with the itinerary and scheduled the best at the end. So I was spending my last four days in Punta Mita before a one-hour hop to the capital where I had to change for a red-eye transatlantic flight to Rome and another bounce back to Switzerland. Yes, you guessed it, that wasn‘t the shortest of flight connections, but I had a pleasant journey so not worth mentioning.
Having booked the Four Seasons at the end of my trip seemed like a challenge, but at the end, it was the best idea logistically. I could fly to Colima, from there I drove up the coast to Careyes and then drove further to Punta Mita through the seaside town Puerto Vallarta. I really like driving through the countryside as it gives the best insights to a country and you can connect with the local people. Even though I had some safety concerns at first, after I was actually driving, everything was easy and smooth. Once I arrived at Puerto Vallarta Airport, I was warmly welcomed by a Four Seasons crew, and they handed me over to the hotel‘s luxurious car. The music started playing, the latest issue of the Four Seasons Magazine was provided along with water and a cold towel - my vacation was about to begin. Once we entered the security gate, I was informed of the Punta Mita Resort which is a massive property with two fantastic golf courses (the thing I regret most was that I didn‘t free enough time to play, but they're always is need for a reason to return), two luxury hotels (one of them is the Four Seasons) and residences and villas to purchase or rent. So basically you have got plenty of options here already. Slowly we continued towards the Four Seasons sign and main gate of the hotel. As the car stopped, I have opened the doors and was greeted in the most friendly way. One of the bellmen showed me to the front desk where I was offered a seat on the terrace. They do not do standard check-ins at the counter, which is amazing. A welcome drink along a hot towel arrived while I was doing the paperwork and being introduced to the resort with a map (big plus so I have a proper orientation). I have to say that I appreciated the tour of the property in the golf cart before we drove to the room.
My full sea view room was located in the building Tortula, which is the one closest to the main building and restaurants. I entered the room and was blown away by the views. There is nothing better for me than the sound of breaking waves while watching over the ocean - so the room was a match from the first moment. They apologized for not having a king bedded room with such a beautiful view, but as stated before views over beds, therefore I was fine with two twin beds. I mean they are the same comfy Four Seasons Bed anyways, and as long as they have the signature logo pillow, I am all happy. While the beds and views would have been an excellent basis for a good room rating, the Four Seasons Punta Mita topped this with a sumptuous welcome arrangement of Tequila with salt and lemon, tortilla with salsa and fresh guacamole as well as a handwritten welcome letter. I mean being a resort of such a scale, I wouldn‘t have expected such a dedication. Next, to the beds, there was a nightstand, a cosy lounge chair with a few magazines in the rack, a table with two chairs (serving as an in-room dining set-up or as a working space) and a sideboard with television. Obviously, the room was opening to the private terrace. Latter one came with two chairs and a table for in-room breakfast with ocean view and breeze. The housekeeping did an incredible job every day and always made the room right after I left. So I had a clean room upon returning from breakfast and one after I had dinner. No clue how they manage to do so perfectly.
There is a generation of Four Seasons who all share the same bathroom layout, a handy plus during night as you always remember the way to the toilet even at dark. Even though I am a fan of complicated room layouts, the Mexican inspired interior of the bathroom, and beautiful tiles were what made this bathroom stand out from other Four Seasons properties. My bathroom came with a bathtub, separated walk-in shower, double vanities and a separated toilet. Even though the Four Seasons Mexico City had L‘Occitane toiletries too, they had the orange ones while the resort in Punta Mita had the blue ones with the ocean theme. A lovely touch. For my kind of taste, there were always plenty of bath towels in the room, and the Four Seasons App worked flawlessly with toothbrushes and shaving kit arriving after a few minutes. One day I had in-room breakfast, and although I am not a big fan of such, I had the best experience here. I felt that the offer was even better than at the hotel‘s main breakfast buffet haha. The fact that one can order anything to his or her liking plus not having to get dressed up and hopping in the plush bathrobes makes in-room breakfast so unique, and I would definitely do it again. Especially since they are super quick with picking up the trays.
The main highlight of my stay, however, was the public spaces such as the infinity family pool, the sandy beach with its turquoise waters or the amazing gastronomic offerings which I probably should write about in a separated article. At this Four Seasons property guests always have the choice between family and adults-only areas. This starts at the two beaches where one comes with cosy daybeds, coconut bar, ice shop and watersport activities serving as an adults-only area, while the other one has more massive sunbed sets, a coconut bar and a smaller selection of watersports activities. I only spent one afternoon at the adults' beach as the tides were too strong to swim, so I stayed at the family side beach where you could swim without any issue. I really am a fan of this split up areas as it does not cause any target group to feel disturbed (me included as I sometimes prefer a calm environment while sometimes I need the noise). Of course, this comes with a size requirement, but the size is not a problem here at Four Seasons. I feel that even with so many rooms, the service is very personal and staff also remembers you after a few days. No need to worry about getting around as golf carts are driving around 24/7, and while you never hear them, they are at every corner and can help make the walk for you. I have to say that I used them mostly for fun to get to the main areas as they were then driving all over the resort (it‘s a one-way street).
Again I have to highlight the staff who is always on-site and actively approaching guests to ask if everything is to their liking. You do have a do not disturb sign to block off this service. I found it incredibly attentive to get drinks coming non-stop - never ever at this resort did I have to actively made signs for a waiter to come. Once my bottles were close to empty, a staff member arrived or when I finished my Margarita at the pool while watching sunset they came and suggested one of their local beers rounding off the day. I really do like this kind of service, especially since I hesitate to order more drinks as I start to feel guilty at one point. No need to feel guilty at the Four Seasons Punta Mita - you are on vacation they said. So what else is there to see? For families there is the main infinity pool overlooking both beaches with a lovely bar and plenty of sunbeds (I always managed to get one at every hour and still had a right choice) as well as a lazy river around one of the hotel‘s buildings - I found this to be a lovely touch especially since it gives a bit of variation towards the pool activities for children. As far as the adult side concerns, there is the secluded Tamai pool with a lovely pool bar serving a selection of light Mexican and Japanese dishes, a jacuzzi as well as private cabanas that can be rented on a daily basis. Again, service here was attentive, and I had excellent sushi the other day while enjoying the sun and the calm pool. Right behind the Tamai pool, there is the top-notch spa area. My 80-Minutes treatment felt so relaxing that I thought I slept for two hours straight. Make sure to arrive ahead of time for your treatment so you can enjoy the gender-separated sauna, jacuzzi and steam room.
Talking about the activities at Four Seasons Punta Mita, I couldn‘t miss out their fabulous Tequila Tasting & Blending Experience (they are actually famous for it). This unique tasting is held by the Cultural Concierge (what an excellent service at a luxury hotel) Enrique who has an incredibly profound experience and knowledge about Tequila. He has many stories to tell and loves introducing hotel guests to a bit of Mexican culture. We were served some finger food along with a few different Tequila blends. After the one-hour tasting, we were finally able to blend our own tequila that came in a super-exclusive bottle plus box that even had our names on it. You basically have the choice between four different Tequilas and based on the percentage you choose, you get your very own tequila: „Your favourite tequila“, as Enrique used to say. As part of the Soulcation programme at the Four Seasons, I had the pleasure to join a very new activity: Sea Foraging. A chef from the Dos Caterinas restaurant is meeting you at the beach and will introduce you to this culinary ocean adventure. Followed by a hands-on cooking class, I was sea-foraging for kelp, sea vegetables, mollusks and edible seaweed. I absolutely loved the idea of being served products we were getting in the sea in front of the hotel. Spoiler-Alert: It was not only healthy and environmentally friendly, but also super delicious!
Mentioning the food and beverage offer slightly, I decided to do a separate article on this one as it would be too much information in one piece. For now, I am summing up my four days at one of the best resort properties I have ever stayed at. Four Seasons Punta Mita has an incredible value for money, with rooms being sold for around 350 USD per night (plus taxes). A steal compared to what you get and the amount of facilities and activities offered in Punta Mita. There are two world-class golf courses which I definitely need to play in the future, there are pretty beaches, fantastic staff members, incredible food and beverage offer as well as spacious accommodations (soon to be even more stylish) plus stunning pools! Basically, Four Seasons Punta Mita has everything you need for the perfect family holidays or even romantic honeymoon getaway. I absolutely loved this resort and will be coming back should I have the chance to travel to Mexico again. Highly recommended Four Seasons Resort property!
