The Four Seasons Punta Mita, on Mexico's Pacific coast north of Puerto Vallarta, is a multi-generational paradise. Family friendly; it is a destination that was planned and developed for the young and the young at heart. What makes it an especially fun getaway for children and grandparents are the luxurious offerings found at many Four Seasons resort properties.
The Punta Mita resort’s 173 rooms and suites are spread out in 11 buildings, and the serenity and simplicity of the hotel’s décor is a perfect backdrop for the dramatic lush landscaping of the property.
It is a place where whimsical Chihuly green glass beans that light up at night sprout from the gardens. Where oversized animal and people sculptures grace the lobby and the grounds.
Attention to Detail is how Four Seasons Understands Family
The Four Seasons understands and caters to the needs of families traveling with children, and ‘attention to detail”is the prime focus of management.
Golf carts on call 24/7, zip around the property shuttling guests (who choose not to walk) to the Kids for all Seasons Club, one of several pools, restaurants, beaches, golf courses, tennis courts, the spa, and other activities. A call to the front desk brings one in a matter of minutes.
The Four Seasons Punta Mita is also a destination resort with a full schedule of creative, engaging and well planned activities for kids, parents and grandparents. Here everyday is to be treasured. It is a playful peaceful paradise where, as in all Four Seasons properties, the service is impeccable.
Four Seasons Organized Kids for all Seasons Programs
On a recent visit I spent time in the Kids for all Seasons Club, a magical, colorful and nurturing toy and game filled world for ages 5 to 12. I followed kids in residence from one creative arts and crafts activity to the next: finger painting, paper cutting, gluing, coloring, Play Doh, drawing and Lego construction.
Kids receive a personalized card welcoming them to the Kid’s Club, and the activities program, which changes weekly at Four Seasons Resorts, is filled with fun games, treasure hunts and star gazing; sometimes there’s a carnival and kids dress up as cats.
Children under 5 have to be accompanied by a parent or a nanny which the hotel provides for a fee. Open from 9 to 5, kids can join the fun for all or part of the day. Lunch is offered.
Here, kids are more than welcomed; they are groomed to be future Four Seasons guests. Every Thursday at Punta Mita there’s a piñata party on the beach, and today it is a birthday celebration. It is all about making new friends, cooperation and learning to be a good sport as everyone lines up to take their turn at whacking the flying piñata in the hopes of breaking it open to release the candies wrapped tightly inside.
Four Seasons Goes All Out for Guests of All Ages
During special holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s even more activities are added. There is an annual New Years show on December 31st with rehearsals starting a week before the performance. Costumes are provided and this year’s production of Chicago, choreographed with the music, promises to be a highlight of the holiday schedule.
I speak with Luca and a few other children. No doubt being here was filling their life with wonderful memories they would carry into adulthood; perhaps they will return with their children to relive their early childhood.
The Four Seasons is all about attention to the needs and interests of guests of all ages, and caring for them in a way they will remember and appreciate.
Special Teen & Adult Programs at Four Seasons
Adult and teen activities are as well thought out as the Kid’s Program… to mention but a few, they range from Latin dance and Spanish language classes to learning how to sculpt traditional Mexican figures and an introduction to Mexican architecture.
I was intrigued with the Xocolatl Lecture where I learned about this delicious seed, and there’s a 5:00pm cooking class every Tuesday. It includes an adult tequila tasting, and a wine pairing, and you learn to make two or three dishes including mole and fresh catch of the day.
In addition, there are aqua aerobics, yoga on the rock, golf and tennis clinics and nature walks. There are two 18-hole Jack Nicklaus championship golf courses and 10 championship tennis courts.
If you are here to relax while the kids play, the Apuane Spa offers a full menu of renewal treatments that reflect the rich plants and minerals indigenous to the area.
But then again, if you want to swim in the sea (the water is calm, warm and reassuring), float in the infinity pool, or laze away the day on a Bali beach bed, under the shade of a thatched palapa, a beach attendant will be around just about every hour, from 10 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, with a tray of iced drinks and frozen popsicles. At 3 o'clock the ice cream cart, with a choice of three flavors, arrives to the main pool.
Local Cuisine & Food Appreciation at Four Seasons
On Thursdays at noon in Punta Mita, everyone is invited to join the Executive and restaurant chefs down on the beach to greet the fishing boat as it delivers the fresh catch of the day straight from the sea.
There is a ritual where the whole fish are removed from the fishermen’s cooler and beautifully arranged on ice that lines a model wooden boat. Today’s catch includes red snapper, flounder, Dorado and striped bass… and we receive a lesson in the differences in tastes and textures of each.
Chef Jose Ramon Bramasco has been working at this Four Seasons for nine years; he started as a cook in the employee’s cafeteria; was promoted to a line cook at Ketsi and now supervises 11 people in his Ketsi kitchen. He tells me: “All that I cook is made with love and I try to translate this to the guys in the kitchen”.
There are three restaurants to choose from. Sunsets looking out to the sea from Ketsi and Bahia are spectacular, and both restaurants excel in the preparation of their succulent signature dishes and grilled fresh catch-of-the-day. Aramara (sacred place by the ocean in Hulchol), serves contemporary Asian Cuisine blended with Mexican flavors combined with the produce and seafood of the Pacific.
On the return ride to the airport, we pass an open pickup truck filled with kids; they are laughing and having fun which is what The Four Seasons, Punta Mita and Mexico are all about.
This is a flavorful, colorful and happy resort. It is every color and hue of the rainbow and every texture, taste and sound ….but most of all, The Four Seasons is all about caring, sharing and love.
For more info and reservations visit www.fourseasons.com
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