ppetrows

I am considering a five night stay at either Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos or the Four Seasons in Punta Mita, Mexico. I am looking for a place with great service and a beautiful beach. Good food is also a bonus. Has anyone been to both? Which would you recommend?

ExpertTripPlanner

I've only been to Parrot Cay; recommend it without reservation. See my review on TripAdvisor.com.

Travcarib

Parrot cay is a really great place! We were there in July 2006 in an Ocean Facing Room. The service was outstanding, the views were beautiful, beach was stunning! Rooms are a little dated but were still comfortable. If you can- stay in one of the beach houses, they are a bit more pricey, but look really great.

Food was really great at Parrot Cay. They have some packages which include dinner. We really enjoyed all the restaurants. They also have a spa menu option which you can have at any meal (you have to ask to see the spa menu.)

Haven't been to Punta Mita but we were at the FS Peninsula Papagayo a few years ago and a few couples we met had been to Punta Mita and thought it was fantastic too.

ppetrows

Thank you both for you quick responses. I have a few admittedly high-maintenance follow-up questions. First, is there beach service, i.e. can I get drinks and lunch on the beach? Second, did your room have a good view of of the ocean? Was there a terrace or balcony where you could relax in the sun? I stayed at Cap Juluca a few years ago and that was one of the things I liked most about the rooms.

doug_stallings

The only thing I'd add here is that in Punta Mita, you don't get the same powdery white sand that you get in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. The beach in Punta Mita is beautiful but not powdery soft.

eileen

Haven't been to Parrot Cay -- only been to Provo but FS Punta Mita is our favorite warm weather resort of all time. The views and service were spectacular, the design of the property is special, the food was good and although the beach is not that pure white sand and turquoise water of the Turks & Caicos it was still very nice with the waves breaking on large rocks out in the water etc. Yes, there is beach service, there is sorbet service, clean your sunglasses service, cool towel/evian mist service, fruit kabobs service -- you get the picture. We had a premium ocean view room on the 3rd floor of the Tortuga building (a nice central location) with a spectacular view of the beach, ocean, cliffs and coastline -- it was so much more an incredible view than only seeing water if you know what I mean. And yes all the rooms either have a patio or a balcony. Personally I think the premium ocean view was better than the more expensive oceanfront rooms as they are closer to the beach and water but lower so there is much less of a view. And the town of Punta Mita is right outside the resort's gates with some cute restaurants. It's about one hour to Puerta Vallarta but there are more options at the FS than Parrot Cay which is completely isolated.

Travcarib

Check out my review on tripadvisor if you get a chance under Parrot Cay titled "Loved it! Very relaxing place!"
on July 14, 2006. There are some pics on there too.

We had a really pretty view- it was kind of a sweeping view to the ocean- very beautiful. We did have a balcony and I am pretty sure most of the rooms did. If you get a beach house there are really nice patios and some have plunge pools too. I can't remember if we got a lot of sun on our balcony- I want to say we didn't- for the most part we were down at the beach or pool during the day and came up to the room late in the afternoon and enjoyed the patio then. One our porch we had a small loveseat type couch and a table with 2 chairs. The balcony was pretty large like the CJ ones (we went to Cap Juluca a few years ago too!)

There was pool and beach service. We had a red flag that we put out on the beach when we needed drink refills (kind of similar to the Cap Juluca flag.) I can't wait to see Parrot Cay again- the beach was stunning.

Not sure which one you will decide on... but if you choose Parrot Cay have a great time! It is really a fantastic place. We were debating going back to either Parrot Cay or Cap Juluca this year but decided to try a new place all together...so many beautiful places to see!!!