Simply 2 1/2 hours from Phoenix to Puerto Vallarta and a 40 minute drive North. The Four Seasons property here is over 10 years old and the hard product shows no signs of its age. It is a fantastic getaway with individual rooms, casitas, and homes for your needs. With Amex we were upgraded to an Ocean Front room. The views were breathtaking, except for the hammock in the way (but I eventually discovered I could lounge and enjoy the breathtaking views). In early February the temperatures were in the low 70's at night and mid 80's during the day (could get a few chilly breezes and the ocean temp is swimmable but not for long). Also during this time were the plentiful whales. They could easily be seen from your room, the pool, the restaurants, etc and while I manically (and successfully) attempted to photograph them with a 200mm lens you really need a 400 or bigger. Or, more realistically take a whale watching tour. I just thought it was great to see these massive creatures breaching while I'm sucking down a banana colada in the infinity pool. Speaking of pools there are 3 pools areas. The very large infinity pool serves as the family pool. It seemed to keep everyone else's kids at bay while not bothering my relaxing too much. If the kiddies got a little loud I simply headed over to the adult pool (which I recall a sign saying 15 and older). While the adult pool has no view of the ocean it is very tranquil and exudes a quiet ambiance. The pool itself is actually a collection of 4 pools; the main one being a large, roughly 50m lap pool, a small infinity runoff pool, a warm plunge, another large pool area with a very toasty hot tub. This is also were the private cabanas are located that have fridges, flat screen TV's, lounges, etc. A very swanky place to be. Lastly for pools there is the lazy river. As an adult I went over to check it out and did a full lazy-lap and quickly got out. I felt like an adult in a McDonalds Play Land.... definitely designed for kids/ families.

Restaurants are typical top notch. There is a classy Mexican, an oceanside bar/grill, an Asian/ Sushi place which I highly recommend "The Rock"..... which is a scorching hot rock served to you on a plate where you cook your own thinly sliced sirloin. Despite have several restaurants you could still head over to the neighboring St Regis for a little more variety. Speaking of the St. Regis (which I did not go to but it appears to be a fine property as well) it shares the "Punta Mita Complex" with the Four Seasons and another private enclave. It was casually mentioned to us that the drug wars are having an effect on all of Mexico, including Punta Mita. This is a shame because I felt the security to get in and out of is top notch, though not as onerous as the bomb sniffing dogs, mirrors, and metal detectors as FS Cairo. Nonetheless I never once had concerns over my personal safety. In fact, we slept with the (full wall) sliding glass doors open every night simply to enjoy the crashing waves.

If I were to nitpick anything it could be the distance to Puerto Vallarta (could easily push 1 hour if you get stuck behind a slow vehicle on the very winding road) but frankly PV is becoming a oversold gringo border-town which I try to avoid. The place to go is Sayulita, about 20 min north of Punta Mita, a cool small getaway. Another thing people could easily nitpick is the price, however if you're even considering a FS property then you know the get what you pay for. My biggest complaint that I will not apologize for is the Four Seasons internet policy. They have wifi that I easily accessed from my rooms and pools (and was told the beach is spotty) but they charge roughly $20/ day and I just discovered when I got my bill, also per device!! I complained, they removed it, but common' FS, the cheapest of cheap hotels does not charge for this anymore. Granted wifi on the beach, but it's time to do away with this.

I am not a golfer however there are 2 golf courses shared between the FS and St Regis and that really cool hole that requires of modicum of skill with the golf cart as is requires low-tide to access.

Lastly the beaches. Great sand, non-surfable waves but definitely not for unsupervised kids. There are watersports on the FS beach like kayaking and paddle boarding and I swam along the shore without difficulty.

One recommendation. Call ahead and have FS arrange your ground transportation to and from the resort. You will get mauled inside security from the taxi drivers which will likely take you to another hotel for a timeshare presentation. FS charges like $80 and a taxi will charge you $50-60. With FS you're met with cold water and colder towels and that extra touch of not having to deal aggressive taxi/tour guides once you land.

Another great Four Seasons property.