Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita Review

Service

The staff are the heart of this one. They know your name within a day and they'll wade into the sea to bring you a drink, and I can't think of a resort in Mexico where families are looked after better.

When unrest around Puerto Vallarta in February 2026 cancelled flights and kept guests in for a few days, the team kept everyone calm and informed, and inside the gates you'd hardly have known. Things were back to normal within days.

It's not perfect every week. Service at the pool can be slow and staffing feels thin at the busiest times, so I'd keep expectations sensible over the holidays.

Rooms

The rooms are the weak part. The resort opened in 1999, and even after a 2019 redo in warm wood, copper and local craft, the bathrooms and showers show it, so if you want everything brand new, I'd look elsewhere. The casitas are generous, though, about 645 square feet with a terrace, and from the oceanfront ones the views are wonderful.

Which casita you book matters. I'd go for a ground-floor Oceanfront casita or one with its own plunge pool, because the category called Ocean can mean a partial or angled view. Families should ask about the two-bedroom family casita with bunk beds.

Food and drink

You can eat really well here without leaving. Aramara, the Asian restaurant, is the best on the property, and I'd order the five-spice duck. For sunset I'd book Bahía, right on the beach, for grilled fish and seafood, including zarandeado, the local way of grilling a whole fish over wood.

Dos Catrinas does Mexican cooking all day, and I'd go for the breakfast buffet's chilaquiles and banana bread. There's also a mezcal bar with more than seventy bottles, and a swim-up bar on the lazy river.

Prices are US resort level, though, and the wine list is steep. I'd go out for tacos in the village of Punta de Mita at least once.

Setting

The setting is a big part of why this resort works. It sits on a gated peninsula at the tip of Banderas Bay, 45 minutes to an hour from Puerto Vallarta airport, and you can swim from both of its beaches, which is not a given on this coast. The water is warm, though not as clear as the Caribbean, and the sand has rocky patches, so pack water shoes. From December to March I'd watch for whales from the shore.

There's a family infinity pool looking out to sea, an adults-only pool area and a lazy river the children won't want to leave. Golfers get two Jack Nicklaus courses, including a famous extra hole played out to a little island in the ocean.

It's a big property on a slope, so expect some walking or a buggy ride. In school holidays the main pool is lively, and if I wanted quiet I'd head for the adult pool or pick my dates carefully.

Value

No, not unless you're a family who'll use everything that's included. Casitas start at around $1,000 a night, oceanfront ones a good deal more, and food and wine push the bill up quickly. The kids' and teen clubs, snorkel gear, yoga and the laundry rooms are free, with no resort fee, so a family gets far more from it than a couple who mainly use the room and the restaurants.

As a couple paying this much, I'd look at the St. Regis next door for more seclusion or newer design. July to September is the cheapest time to come, though it's hot and humid.