NO NEED TO BRUSH UP ON YOUR SPANISH AT THIS TROPICAL RETREAT - EVERYTHING FROM THE SPA TO THE SCENERY WILL LEAVE YOU SPEECHLESS.

Even if your bilingual lingo is limited to a few Spanish phrases spoken with a mangled American accent, fear not – there really are only six sayings you need to know when visiting the Four Seasons resort in Punta Mita, Mexico, a picturesque tropical paradise 40 minutes outside of Puerto Vallarta whose name fittingly means “resting place.”

They are as follows:
• Buenos días –?“Good morning.”
• Buenas tardes –?“Good afternoon.”
• Buenas noches –?“Good evening.”
• Excelente – “Excellent.”
• Por favor – “Please.”
• Gracias – “Thank you.”

Simple, right? In fact, these may be the only words you’ll speak during your entire stay at the Four Seasons,  which sits on the northern tip of the Bahía de Banderas, one of the largest natural bays on the Pacific Coast. If it weren’t for the occasional greeting offered by the Four Seasons’ attentive staff, you’d be content to make this getaway a mute one, spending most of your time lounging poolside with a mojito, dozing away on a beachfront hammock, eating fresh seafood at sunset, indulging in a luxurious massage and otherwise letting your cares dissipate into the warm, subtly damp air.

Luckily, there’s even more to this tropical retreat than R&R. Whether you’re seeking leisure or adventure, a quick weekend jaunt or a weeklong escape, Punta Mita is the place to be.

Here’s what you need to know about this lavish getaway.

Accommodations
As one would come to expect from the Four Seasons chain, the Punta Mita destination is all about luxury, privacy, class and comfort. (Even celebrities find respite here –?just ask Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who visited the resort with baby Violet in late April.)

The resort offers 165 guest rooms and 30 Mexican style casitas, most of which overlook white, sandy beaches and pristine blue Pacific water. Rates run from around $375 for a standard guest room to nearly $3,500 for a five-bedroom, private hillside villa, but there are plenty of year-round specials that sweeten the deal (visit fourseasons.com/puntamita for more information).

And although the rooms, which are decked out in contemporary furniture, modern Mexican artwork and plenty of amenities (down-pillows and duvets, CD and DVD players, thick terry bathrobes, refrigerated private bars), are examples of beauty in and of themselves, they obviously play second fiddle to the main attraction of the resort: the beach.

If you arrive late in the afternoon, you’ll want immediately to plunk down your belongings, stroll down to the beach (a five-minute trek at most) and pick out one of the shaded, swinging hammocks to idle away the rest of the afternoon on. The hypnotic ebb and flow of the tide will no doubt lull you into one of the best naps you’ll ever have, but if you manage to stay awake, an attentive server will accommodate your every drink/snack/sunscreen need.
If you’d rather bask in the sun poolside, the resort has you covered there as well. The Nuna pool, which means “new water” in the Huichol language, still offers guests a panoramic view of the aqua-tinted Pacific and Mexico’s mountain ranges, while the Tamai pool features the resort’s garden views.

As an adult-only pool, Tamai allows for a bit more privacy. Rent a cabana here for the day, which includes a stocked refrigerator, an array of sunscreen and tanning oils, a DVD player and flat-screen TV, and your own personal attendant. Book a poolside spa treatment and keep the mojitos and margaritas flowing; you won’t be sorry. Well, your bank account might, but you’ll be muy contento.

Dining
All of this lounging around can stir up some serious munchies, and the Four Seasons resort at Punta Mita has serious options to stave off hunger. Choose from four onsite restaurants, each with a unique atmosphere and each boasting a menu that brims with fresh seafood and local produce.

Aramara, meaning “a sacred place by the ocean,” specializes in “Chino Latino” cuisine, fusing Latin American and Asian flavors. Take a seat on the terrace, which overlooks the pool area and the Pacific, or cozy up in the Metzeri, a small private dining room that seats 14. Pop in Saturday nights for the Aramara bar’s weekly tequila-pairing menu, or enjoy a Cuban or Mexican cigar alfresco.

Bahia, the Spanish word for “bay,” puts you a little closer to the ocean, as it’s tucked among giant manzanilla trees on the resort’s Las Cuevas beach. The focuses here are fresh fish – the chef greets a local fishing boat on the beach three times a week to select the best catches – and an open mesquite-burning grill on which guests can watch their food being cooked.

Ketsi, or “fish,” is a charming, thatch-roofed offshoot of the Nuna pool and is best known for its casual breakfast buffets, à la carte menu and live music offered nightly.

Finally, Tail of the Whale, located on the upper level of the golf clubhouse, is best for a cocktail or a hearty Mexican lunch after a day on the links.

The Spa
As if the healing hum of ocean waves weren’t enough, the Apuane Spa at Four Seasons offers an extensive menu of body treatments designed to detoxify and rejuvenate your mind and body. Try any one of these treatments, which can be done at the spa, poolside, in-room or in your cabana, and you’ll make a point to make it back to Punta Mita:

Punta Mita margarita scrub – An invigorating exfoliation of the body using tequila, salt and fresh lime juice, which are said to enhance your mood, boost morale and relieve anxiety (25 minutes).

Temaztac wrap – A Mayan body treatment that softens and moisturizes the skin using an elixir of roses, almond oil and a protein-rich milk of vanilla, corn, wheat and orange (50 minutes).

Café mocha bath –?A true treat for chocoholics, this café au lait bubble bath is infused with hot chocolate bath salts, coffee soap and, the best part, a selection of chocolate truffles to enjoy with your bath.

Hakali massage – A warm meringue of cactus, cactus blossom and pulque (an ancient alcoholic beverage similar to tequila) is massaged into your body using cactus pads, helping to detoxify and rehydrate your skin (50 or 80 minutes).

Seascape pedicure – This treatment starts by caking those tired toes in foamy sea mud and ends with a relaxing foot massage (80 minutes).

Activities
True, you could easily spend your entire Mexican vacation worshipping the sun, taking in the tropical surroundings and being pampered head to toe, but where’s the fun in that? If the get-up-and-go side of you just can’t be contained, there are plenty of high-octane activities available at the Four Seasons Punta Mita resort

Not sure where to start? Pay a visit to the beach services center, which provides equipment for kayaking, sailing, snorkeling and deep-sea fishing. In fact, the Bay of Banderas, with depths of nearly 2 miles and rich stocks of marlin, tuna, dorado and sailfish, makes for some of the best deep-sea fishing in the world, according to the resort.

Your best bet this month through the fall season, however, is scuba diving. Warm water (80 degrees on the bottom, 84 on top), excellent visibility and calm tides make for the perfect setup to see lobsters, mantas, dolphins, turtles and schooling fish in their natural habitat. Boat rides are available to plenty of dive sites –?Las Marietas, Las Caletas, El Morro, Los Arcos and Corbeteña, to name a few – so ask the concierge to help you build the perfect day of diving.

Land lovers should stick to walks on the beach, ruin hikes and historical tours, all of which can be arranged through the resort, or you can catch a cab to nearby Puerto Vallarta for an afternoon of shopping and a cool drink at Puerto Vallarta’s waterfront promenade.

If you can stand a short boat ride, however (50 minutes), it’s worth jetting to the Marietas Islands Wildlife Reserve, located just off the tip of Punta Mita. This sanctuary houses dolphins, sea turtles and giant manta rays, among other species, and offers stunning examples of our precious marine ecosystem.

If you’ve brought some friends (or made some new ones over margaritas the night before), convince them to hop aboard the 47-foot Benetau performance sailing yacht, which can accommodate up to 14 people and comes with a personal crew for the day. What you do with your day on the yacht, whether it’s diving or drinking (hopefully not at the same time), is completely up to you.

Finally, during key months of the year (December to March), Banderas Bay is prime for whale watching. Arrangements can be made through the concierge to catch a glimpse of magnificent humpbacks as local ecologists and biologists explain their importance to the ecosystem.

Whatever you choose to do at the Four Seasons resort in Punta Mita, whether it’s dozing off in a beachfront hammock (cocktail in hand, of course), indulging in a mind-altering massage or hitting the water for a first-hand view of the local marine life, you’ll understand why very few words are needed to communicate – this “place of rest” will leave you quite speechless. The only word you won’t want in your vocabulary here is “adios.”
PM
— Ashlea Deahl can be reached
at adeahl@citieswestpub.com.