It was one of those perfect trips! Four nights at the Four seasons: basically Paradise. Mexico is just a short plane trip away and totally worth it! Many of you asked about where we were so I wanted to share! I’m working on adding more of my favorite spots to the travel section!
LOCATION
On the beautiful beach and bluff of the peninsula of Banderas Bay sits the 4 Seasons Punta de Mita (if you go on their website, it literally looks JUST like that when you are there. I hate when you show up at a hotel and it looks nothing like the photos or videos!) Just a short (45 min) drive from Puerta Vallarta airport and located in Punta De Mita. We booked a personal driver through hotel transportation just because with kids, they supplied the car seats and it just felt safer. It was such a culture shock on the way over.
HOSPITALITY THE SECOND YOU WALK IN
When we arrived at the hotel, we were welcomed with fresh cinnamon and apple-infused water, and a cool mint wet wash cloth to wipe away the grit from traveling. An art easel overlooked the beautiful ocean view for the kids to paint while we checked in. Our room was not ready yet, so they treated us to a complimentary lunch and drinks on the beach. The kids were sooooo happy, I feel like when you have winter, sun is just that much better!
MODERN DIGS
I have to be honest, my ENTIRE family is kind of hotel snobs. We didn’t love our first room because it was super dated, so we politely asked to be changed to one of the renovated rooms. So just an FYI if you go here, they will switch you if you are not happy.
ACTIVITIES FOR ALL
CATRINA DOLL CRAFT
The director of the activities headed up the class for the Mexican doll kit. He was so perfect for the role, just a super nice guy and you could tell he loved his job! He played a short video explaining why they make the dolls and a little background. The kids then got busy! It could have been a drop off but for 4 years old and up, and Windsor didn’t meet that criteria yet so I stayed with the girls. They had so much fun, although Windsor did fall asleep while I was holding her! It was about that time for her.
TURTLE RELEASE
This was by far the cutest thing I have ever done with our family. It was beyond amazing and one of those experiences I will never forget. I’m so grateful that the director let us in because it was already sold out. I was telling him how much the kids would love it during our doll kit and he said he could make a spot for us. Before we headed over to the beach, we watched a short video all about the process. It was great to get a little background and we all felt that much more connected to our turtles. I HIGHLY recommend doing this! If not in Mexico I know there are other places that do it.
Every day they had so many options: surfing lessons, yoga on the bluff, snorkeling, other kids classes. We did a lot of pool and beach! DAY DRINKING ON LA PLAYA was one of my favorite activists! They served up fresh coconuts and added your choice of spirits and a squeeze of lime. My new go-to drink, even at home! It just feels healthier version of drinking and I’m getting my electrolytes!
BEAUTIFUL BEACHES
There were a few beaches on the property our favorite was the lower beach for various reasons. The swinging day beds were everything, and they were FREE if you got there first! Anywhere you go, (anywhere I go anyways) we always have to pay more for that kind of stuff so we never do because we are cheap! Haha! They also had cute little raised huts but the beds were our favorite. The service was exceptional and you could have lunch or whatever meal whatever hour it was delivered to you! But the donut and ice cream shop....
THE SWEET SHOP
Nestled a little ways away from the water and back in the sand was the CUTEST donut shop ever with the most amazing ice cream man! He was seriously one of those people that seemed happy to wait on you, maybe because his job was on the beach! He gave the kids free gummies more than once and we visited daily for ice cream and donuts! Because, when in “Mexico”!
POOLS AND FLOATS
Our kids are true sand junkies, so we spent less time at the pool. I actually prefer the beach as well! We did make a daily trip to the pool. It was on the edge of the bluff and had the most amazing views. The pool was loaded with floating tubes and had an infinity edge. The pools were rather large and there were a few.
LAZY RIVER
I think maybe when I turned 10 I finally understood the beauty of floating in a lazy river. We didn’t use it because our kids would rather run around than be stuck on a river, but it was beyond large and looked like something I would do sans kids!
GORGEOUS GROUNDS
Perfectly manicured grounds every step of the way. The place was just beautiful. It doesn’t get much prettier!
SHORT DISTANCE TO CUTE TOWNS
We chose to have the hotel take us to Sayulita, a super quaint beach town about 25 mins away. It was so fun to shop with the locals. When you go on vacation and stay in a resort it isn’t reality to the rest of your immediate surroundings. I love getting off-grounds and seeing what the locals do and what life is like. We found some things to take home and I found an amazing handmade swimsuit. The kids found some things as well. Greg just wanted to get back to the resort!
FOOD
I DIE for vacation spread breakfasts. You know the kind with all the green juices, coconuts, and all things that make you feel good and healthy. Don’t get me wrong I also eat the bacon and omelets, but I just love a good fresh green juice. Breakfast is always my favorite on vacation probably because they serve up these huge buffets. Lunches we mostly had while we were out at the beach or at the pool, and it was really good. We did the beach buffet a few nights because they had a festival going on and apparently there were some celebs there too! We also had dinner at the Chinese restaurant at the hotel. Although I just wanted a taco it was really good!
GOING HOME
It’s always hard to go home but also nice to get back. We did lose our passports after we got back through customs! Major buzz kill coming from such a beautiful trip. Now that the government is back in business I need to follow up with customs to see if they showed up! Fingers crossed and until next time!
Yes, I recommend it!
