Arriving at the stunning Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, Mexico is a unique experience: A 15-minute drive along a puzzle-piece-shaped stone road takes guests through the “wilds” of a natural reserve to the impressive La Mansion, the hotel’s main building. Along the way, clients can spot some of the reserve’s 200 species of birds and maybe even catch a glimpse of the adorable, stripy-tailed and pointy-nosed coati, a relative of the raccoon.
Described by Felix Murillo, the resort’s general manager, as “the largest property with the least development,” Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo opened in November 2022 within a 3,000-acre private natural reserve on a secluded peninsula on Mexico’s Pacific Coast.
Five renowned Mexican architects collaborated to design the contemporary resort, which hugs the natural curves of the terrain and provides expansive ocean views from the rocky cliffs to the ocean cove below. The buildings use local materials to blend into the landscape — even the concrete was tinted to match the gold-colored sand.
“The idea of conservation in this region really attracted me,” Murillo said. “That’s what makes it unique.”
He also points to the property’s focus on authenticity. In addition to the aforementioned architects, the resort tapped a team of all-Mexican designers, including one who created the employee uniforms and local craftspeople who made the stoneware cups for tea and coffee in the guestrooms.
“When [the cups] came to us, each one had a little paper handwritten with the name of the lady in Yucatan who had made it,” Murillo said. “It’s not just something that has been purchased somewhere.”
The property offers 63 suites, many with private infinity pools.
Credit: 2024 Four Seasons Hotels & ResortsOf the resort’s 157 guestrooms, 63 are suites (many with private infinity pools), including three specialty villas: the three-bedroom Pacifico Beach House, the four-bedroom Casa Piedra ocean-view hilltop residence and the five-bedroom Tamarindo Villa. Clients can choose to stay close to the water in either Nature- or Beachfront-category rooms, or enjoy unobstructed panoramic views from one-bedroom Cliffside Suites.
Impressive On-Property Dining
At Coyul, the resort partnered with celebrated Mexican chef Elena Reygadas, who was named World’s Best Female Chef in 2023 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Coyul’s menu showcases Mexican ingredients and Italian and French cooking techniques, the chef’s signature style. The oceanfront Sal also highlights local ingredients, including fresh-caught seafood from local fishermen and flor de sal, a specialty salt from the nearby town of Cuyutlan.
For clients seeking a more relaxed dining experience, Nacho serves regionally inspired tacos in made-to-order tortillas. During my lunch at the taqueria, I indulged in a curated tasting that included a lobster tempura taco inspired by Baja California Sur, a soft-shell crab taco out of Baja California Norte, a taco al pastor from Mexico City, a goat birria taco drawing on Jalisco, a beef barbacoa taco from Puebla and a Yucatan-inspired pork belly mole taco, all paired with drinks from each region.
Nacho serves regionally inspired tacos.
Credit: 2024 Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts“All of these tacos have a history and a background,” our server explained. “The tacos of Baja California have crab and lobster. Why? Because this area has the biggest seafood producers in Mexico. The taco al pastor is the most famous in Mexico City — and also in our taqueria.”
The menu also features nonalcoholic aguas frescas made with ingredients indigenous to the region and a selection of local beers.
Activity Options
Four Seasons Tamarindo offers activities on land and sea, from ethnobotanical walks and watersports to fitness and yoga classes, spa treatments and golf on the resort’s 18-hole, David Fleming-designed course. There’s even a nighttime opportunity to explore the reserve with one of the resort’s resident biologists and bug experts to learn about creatures that are active after dark.
A 3,000-acre private nature reserve surrounds the resort.
Credit: 2024 Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts“We have a very long set of activities,” said Francisco (“Paco”) Javier Leon Gonzalez, the resort’s resident biologist. “On the beach, we have paddleboards, kayaks, snorkeling, boogie boards, Schiller [water] bikes, boat tours and a sunset cruise, which is one of the highlights. We also have sportfishing, and you can take what you catch to the restaurant [where they’ll prepare it]. On land, we have hikes, bird watching, botany walks, bike tours [e-bikes or manual] and running trails.”
Leon Gonzalez also notes that there are indoor and outdoor activities just for kids and teens — “on the beach, in the forest and in the kids’ club” — including scavenger hunts and cooking classes.
“I always say, if you’re a kid, you’ll never get bored here,” he added — though the sentiment is certainly true for guests of all ages at Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo.
Getting There
Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo is 35 minutes from Manzanillo-Costalegre International Airport. Direct flights are available from Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Calgary (Canada) and Mexico City via commercial carriers. Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico will also offer a new nonstop from Atlanta in November.
Guests booking four nights or more in select room categories through Nov. 15 will receive complimentary roundtrip flights on a six-seat shared plane operated by Aerotron, offered daily from Puerto Vallarta International Airport. As part of the resort’s private air offerings, Four Seasons Airport Ambassadors escort clients directly from the tarmac to the resort after the short, 25-minute flight.
