It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the abundance of choices on vacation. There can be a self-inflicted pressure to hit up every recommended restaurant, every cute store you passed en route to the hotel, etc., etc. Sometimes there are simply too many places to explore and sights to see, which makes the Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo such a balm for seclusion-seeking travelers. Located in Jalisco, within the 3,000-acre peninsula that drapes between La Manzanilla and Barra de Navidad—just a few hours south of Puerto Vallarta—Tamarindo is a self-contained paradise.
The newly-opened resort marks the Four Seasons’ first dip into Mexico’s Pacific Coastline. The nearby Manzanillo airport has several direct flights on Aeromexico (from Mexico City), Alaska (from Los Angeles), and American (from Dallas and Phoenix), among others. From there it’s a roughly 45-minute drive to Tamarindo, the final 15 of which takes you through the sprawling nature reserve that surrounds the resort. Driving along palm tree-lined roads that cut through fields of agave plants, your reward for the commute is the first of many breathtaking sights that will greet you during your stay.
La Mansión is the centerpiece of Tamarindo, featuring an open-air reception area with a panoramic view of the Pacific. Members of the staff go above and beyond to make sure any potential need is met, offering warm towels and fermented beverages made from local fruits while you take in your new (temporary) home. The team dons various matching uniforms that rotate each day, all designed by local artisans in various shades of Tamarindo Orange, the resort’s trademark hue developed in partnership with the Pantone Color Institute. Inspired by Jalisco’s idyllic sunsets, as well as the native papelillo trees, this vibrant shade of orange appears throughout every corner of the resort. It’s just one of the many ways Tamarindo pays tribute to its location—a rare corner of Mexico completely untouched by tourism up to this point.
Take the accommodations, which come in three styles: nature, beach, and cliffside. The rooms certainly aren’t short on luxuriant amenities, from the generous amounts of Le Labo toiletries in the outdoor shower to the display of artisanal tequilas above the mini-bar. Brought to life by a team of some of the most revered creatives across Mexico—including interior designers Estudio Esterlina and Uribe Krayer—the rooms evoke the outdoor world around it with floor-to-ceiling windows and a color palette of warm earth tones, primarily—you guessed it—Tamarindo orange.
Most of what you see in your room and around the resort is sourced from local materials and textiles, a collaboration with philanthropic alliances such as Ensamble Artesano and Taller Maya that work to protect pre-Hispanic culture and support local artisans. The layout is so tasteful that it can be easy to overlook just how intentional every single item in the space is: the bathroom accessories were hand-made by local artisans using Mayan cream stone, the laundry hampers were made of stitched henequén sourced from Xcanchakán and Santa Rosa, and the cotton hammocks were hand-made by a group of women in neighboring communities.
Tamarindo’s dining options offer three uniquely savory experiences curated by culinary director Nicolas Piatti. If you’re celebrating a special occasion or just want an excuse to wear that special outfit you packed, consider dinner at Coyul. Fusing locally sourced Mexican ingredients with French and Italian cooking styles, Coyul was developed by Piatti in partnership with renowned chef Elena Reygadas. The restaurant is also conveniently located right next to Caramelo, an activity center where kids can have their own night out filled with nature explorations and art workshops while their parents enjoy a candlelit dinner.
For a more easygoing vibe, hit up Nacho for some mouth-watering tacos and house-made aguas frescas. Open for lunch and dinner, some of the taqueria’s highlights include a decadent sea scallop tostada, a tempura lobster tail taco served with wasabi and avocado sour cream, and a curated menu of local beers. Steps away from one of Tamarindo’s pools, Nacho was the most bustling area of the resort during my stay, with disparate guests—mostly older couples in resort wear—mingling over margaritas and goat birria tacos.
Although you’d be hard-pressed to find a dish at Tamarindo that tastes anything less than revelatory, my personal culinary highlight came at Sal. Named after the flor de sal that the restaurant sources from neighboring Cuyutlán and utilizes in every dish, Sal also boasts perhaps the best view at the resort; perched right above Majahua Beach, a walkable area of the Pacific that most of Tamarindo overlooks, there’s no better spot during golden hour. Sal’s menu consists primarily of whatever seafood the local fisherman catches that day, including their most popular dish: a tender red snapper grilled in red and green adobo sauces and served with house-made tortillas and tatemada sauce. The “barefoot luxury” lifestyle encouraged by the setting means it’s perfect for either a romantic evening or a rowdy dinner with friends. At lunchtime, the restaurant hosts guacamole-making classes, with students invited to add pomegranate seeds and roasted crickets to the iconic dish.
Whatever Piatti doesn’t source from local farms and fishermen, he grows himself. Many ingredients for all three restaurants are sourced from Rancho Ortega, a low-impact, 19-acre farm in the heart of the reserve filled with pigs, chickens, goats, ducks, pineapple trees, sugarcane, vegetable gardens, and so much more. You can take a composting class at the ranch and tour the facility to learn more about their approach to responsible animal breeding and cultivation practices. Piatti works closely with the farmers to curate his restaurant menus around the two main harvesting seasons, and they produce everything from the mango in your breakfast fruit bowl to the limes in your margarita. The aforementioned agave plants will one day produce Tamarindo’s house-made tequila, when the crop is ready in five to seven years.
Despite the genuine sense of seclusion, you’d still be hard-pressed to run out of things to do. Less than five minutes away by buggy is Tamarindo Beach, where guests can swim and partake in water activities like kayaking, freediving, spearfishing, and even macro-photography scuba classes. A morning boat ride on a locally-made lancha sometimes culminates with a school of dolphins jumping out of the water next to you.
Ninety-eight percent of the reserve is untouched and protected from any future developments, leaving more than twenty-six miles of hiking trails for guests to explore. There are also guided nature tours with an on-site biologist if you want a more in-depth education about the various birds and (non-lethal) scorpions endemic to the region. But if your ideal vacation doesn’t include hiking—or being outdoors much at all—then don’t hesitate to hit up the spa. Featuring eight treatment rooms, a variety of plunge pools, and nail and hair salons, the spa was a highlight of my stay for all the obvious reasons. Guests can choose between a Swedish or deep tissue-style massage, with many treatments incorporating a smoky, citrus-tinged Copal oil that’s local to the region. It’s the perfect way to unwind after a long day hiking, or an even longer day soaking in your infinity pool.
Many resorts love to boast about the privacy their quarters offer, but Tamarindo truly feels like its own ecosystem. The resort opened a little over a year ago, in November 2022, so it still feels like a true hidden gem among resorts in Mexico. It so happened that my trip fell during off-season, when many of the suites were unoccupied, but even when Tamarindo is at its busiest, the way the resort is set up makes encounters with other guests rare, apart from sunrise yoga classes or restaurant meals. But Tamarindo never feels like a ghost town, which is a testament to the friendliness of the staff. Whether you’re solo traveling or looking for a romantic getaway, the Four Seasons Tamarindo is a one-of-a-kind paradise waiting to be discovered.