(21 reports)

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AKUMAL: GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE AKUMAL
March 2007
Jouni & family

Chose Bahia Principe Akumal based on nolitours website search where it was listed under "great for families" and a co-worker recommendation.

Stayed from March 5 to 12.

Booked via Nolitours and flew Air Transat from Toronto via Montreal (was rerouted one week prior). Add a few hours to the flight, but the crew was great and it went pretty well.

Travelled with two girls (6, 7) and boy (1) and we were nervous about how things would work out, and we were pleasantly surprised how great it turned out.

• Two rooms on ground floor with door between was provided as requested
• Good quality baby crib was provided in room with fresh linens
• Kid's club open all day was great, and evening program
• Lot of kids to play with (one kid was from same class as daughter)
• Lots of food choices for kids (kid's corner in buffet, ice cream machine, hamburgers, vegetables, fruit, nutella-like spread)
• Staff was very helpful and warm (picking their toys for ex) One night a guy brought in a helium balloon to keep Max amused

To keep this short and readable, I'll say that just about every good thing I have read about this place in the reviews is TRUE, and to add you really just have to visit to appreciate the beauty of the place (architecture, food, nature, layout, service, etc.).

Beds are firm (how we like them), beach is semi-rocky (but there are non-rocky sections), and the place is huge (the way we like it - for walking and exploring). Who's afraid of speedos and breasts?

Here's a list of tips based on my experiences and talking to others and staff:

• If bringing toddler, bring stoller with good sunshade/windscreen. Larger wheels if you want to get near the beach.
• Reserve chairs early (6-8 AM) even though the sign says not to do it - seems to be an ingrained practice
• Bring lots of US 1 dollar and 5 dollar bills for tips
• If sitting with kids, take the dining room on the north end (less likely to disturb others with more remote tables, and a mariachi-free zone for sleeping baby)
• Put tip in min-bar fridge as well as on table for cleaning staff (there's a separate person for the fridge)
• Use porter at airport and tip them (they won't scam you)
• Stroller will not appear on conveyer belt - it will be with an airline person in the area (there's a desk)
• Get rental car at hotel if using for day trips. Very convenient and cheaper than booking online from Canada.
• Make sure you understand which restaurants you can go to and when: it's not always clear and sometimes even the staff are confused. Went to Tequila for lunch buffet and were turned away - for Diamond Club only but this is NOT mentioned in the "guide" book
• Go in Sept-Oct or May and save $, get more sun, and avoid crowds
• Bring swimming shoes like crocs, and walking shoes for exploring
• Save some $ by shopping outside the hotel, but the hacienda prices are not crazy by Canadian standards - just not market price and no bargaining
• Bring cooler mug for beach
• Don't miss the "Swing Bar" on the beach
• If no time to drive/take bus to Playa del C, there are some stores in Akumal
• Coba seems calmer (not as windy) and quieter than Akumal. Seems good for couples looking for deep R&R.
• Tulum is kind of like a hotel/golf course on the beach. It may appeal to seniors. Great lobby bar with open air.
• Akumal seems good for families and all round for those who want to be near the beach, and the "hub"
• Mix seems to be Canadians (English and French), then Italians, some Brits and other Europeans and then a few USA.
• Safe key is 4.50 USD per day
• Dry cleaning is 55 USD for pants and shirt
• Quiet at night since live music and disco are spaced away from villas and in general there are very few of the 20ish partiers who'd normally be walking around at night yelling
• On fourth stay you get the VIP wristband and resulting treatment
• Send email to them before you go if you want anything specific
• Kids on a plane: bring many dollar store amusements for toddlers, gameboys and portable dvd were also very useful, and snacks and activity books

In summary, I would fully recommend this resort to families and couples looking for a relaxing getaway. My only peeve is that I wish there was one website or brochure that clearly explained the system for what are allowed to go into for all meals with what access levels.

PS: I went to Yucatan last time as backpacker 15 years ago and Playa 5th ave was single dirt road, and there was ONE place to change money near the pier. Was kind of sad to see the old place gone, but it is still definitely your Cancun alternative.

AKUMAL: GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE AKUMAL
April 2007
Joe & Family (Children 3 & 10mos.)

What a wonderful experience!

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for posting their respective travel tips as this made our experience that much better. This is a bit of a lengthy review, but I wanted to cater it to the people who are thinking of traveling to BPA with young kids in tow.

My wife and two children (ages 3 and 10mths) traveled to BPA from April 14-28. We were lucky to have traveled with good friends of ours who also had two kids of their own (ages 4 and 2).

Booking: Our trip was with Transat Holidays. Although we were apprehensive to bring our young kids, we have nothing but good things to say about our experience with Transat. It is better to spend the minimal fee $30/person (return) to pre-book your airplane seat. We chose seats 4ABC (bulk head at the front of the plane). Transat flies either the A330 or A310, so you won't go wrong with seats in row 4. You might as well get the extra legroom while avoiding the additional Club Class fee. When at the airport, do not line up at the main line. Proceed to the club class section as Transat employees will fast track all travelers with young kids. My family checked in within 10 minutes, while the other people lined up for at least 50minutes. This is true for both Toronto and Cancun.

Airport Transfer: We took some advice and booked with Cancun Valet. Since our kids would have been in the airport and on the plane for the better part of 7 hours, we wanted to expedite our transfer to BPA. It is definitely worth the ($140/return) money. Cancun Valet even had the two baby seats we had requested. We were on the road within 5 minutes of retrieving our luggage.

Villa: Take the time to email the resort two weeks prior to leaving so you can book the Villa of your choice. We were in the Golden section and requested ocean view. They did not have any problem accommodating our request; however, please keep in mind that on occasion they are unable to fulfill this request. We stayed in Villa 66. Spectacular! We were only a few feet from the sea - so, if you're interested in prime views you will not go wrong with Villas 65-67. The Villas do not have elevators, so keep this in mind when traveling with kids and strollers.

Pools: The pools were very clean and only a stone's throw from the sea. After reading the reviews about people "laying claim" to pool side palapas, I was prepared. The readers were right. BPA staff did not enforce the practice of placing your towel to lay claim to a chair. Why fight it? You might as well play the game and enjoy your vacation! I was fortunate that my kids woke up early, so I casually walked to the main pool at 6:30am and placed my towel at the palapa of my choice. Since I was already at the main lobby, I was able to get an English newspaper and then walked back to Villa 66. There's no rush so you might as well enjoy yourself and stop at the 24hours snack bar for a nice coffee, fresh fruit and a ham and cheese croissant.

Buffet: We were two families traveling with 4 kids under the age of 5. I don't think we would have lasted 10 minutes in an a-la-carte restaurant!! The buffet food was good and it catered to many different tastes, I have to say I was a "little" turned off on it by day 14. Don't get me wrong - the food was good, but there was little variation to the theme and menu. I used the Barcelу Maya Beach complex as a point of reference in this area as my wife and I also stayed there in 2000 and 2004. They had theme nights throughout the week. In order to change things a bit we ate at the Coba. This was a nice change of pace for us and the kids.

Beach: The beach was nice. Make sure you stay in the area just beside the pier where the fish are. It is a great area for the kids as the water is much calmer. As with the pool palapas, you have to "play the game", get up early and lay claim to your spot otherwise all prime spots will be gone by 8am.

Evening Entertainment: With young kids, we didn't expect to stay up late to watch any of the shows; however, we had a blast watching my 3yr old son at the kid's disco. It helped us to drain the last remaining ounce of energy in his body, so that he had a great sleep at night. We found Coba's evening entertainment much more energetic so if you're eating your evening buffet at Coba, take the time to stay a while to watch the show in the courtyard.

Resort size: Yes, this is a big resort, but it is not so big that you can't enjoy the walk from Akumal to Tulum. We only took the trolley twice to visit the Hacienda (we told my son it was Thomas the train, so that was his highlight) and walk the rest of the time. When traveling with two stroller sized kids, spend the additional money to buy a double jogging stroller with large wheels. It was much easier to push especially when lugging kids, towels and toys to the beach. The grounds are immaculate, so we took advantage of the pedestrian paths that meander between the three resorts. There is also a path between Akumal and Tulum where you can walk to the Hacienda in 25 minutes. We took advantage of this nice walk to get the kids to take their afternoon nap.

Staff: The staff was all superb! Although tipping is not mandatory, we chose to give a little each day.

Misc: Take the time to pack all the medicines, sunscreens, baby foods, wipes and diapers that you need for the duration of your stay. The Hacienda may have them, but the prices (even with the favourable exchange rate) are very expensive. The Hacienda has wipes should you run out, but hey do not carry any formula or food, so please plan accordingly in this area. On a final note, my wife had a terrible sinus infection when we arrived, but she was able to visit the doctor, and he prescribed antibiotics that quickly made her feel much better.

This is a great resort for kids as there are many activities that would keep them entertained from morning to night. Remember you are traveling in Mexico, so it is not fair to compare everything to what you are used to at home. You won't go wrong if you do your homework, travel with an open mind and enjoy yourself. Happy traveling!!

AKUMAL: GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE COBA
April 2007
Stan& Family (Baby 9mos.)

My family and I (wife and 9 month old daughter) stayed at the Coba from April 20-27th. We just got back last night and this is my first experience at an all-inclusive. We flew with AirTransat in the "1st class" section and I can definitely say the extra $160 for Club is well worth it, with the extra legroom as well as excellent meals.

BUS TRIP TO COBA

Our Transat reps we're easy to spot and we had no trouble finding our bus. Our flight came in late (10:00pm) and unfortunately we were the 4th stop on the route. They served beer and water on the way, for a price of course, its Mexico! The buses are NOT COMFORTABLE and have minimal legroom so be prepared for that. It is an issue for me and my wife, as we are both tall (6, and 6 ft 3). The ride to Coba was long (1:30 hours) due to the stops we had to make. One was ridiculous as we dropped someone off at the Moon Palace (AWESOME RESORT), the road is winding and quite long, the problem was to turn around we had to go back to an overpass just before the airport and make a U turn!!! Not well thought out by Transat at all. We finally arrived at the Coba by 11:30pm.

CHECK-IN

Once we were dropped off the bus, we were whisked away in golf carts to the Club Golden check-in while our luggage was brought to our rooms. Check-in was ok, it was fast but the person we had was new and did not know much. It happens can't really fault the resort for this. There was no welcome drink, which was disappointing but again not the end of the world. It just seemed to me they were not prepared for our late arrival.

ROOM

The room we had (Junior Suite) was slightly disappointing in size but what is expected in Mexico. It was all marble floors and the bathroom was nice with a jacuzzi tub. It was very clean.

POOLS

Both pools at the Coba were great - we were out the door by 7:30am every morning and had no trouble at all finding shade (with our baby it was a necessity), we simply found the spot we liked, put down our towels and came back after we had breakfast (20-30 minutes later). We never had to get up at the crack of dawn to play the towel game.

BEACH

If you are expecting to be on the beach you will be disappointed. The beach is far away and you will need to take the resort golf cart transportation, which comes around quite frequently to get there. Once on the beach we were very pleased, again plenty of palapas and a wonderful view of the Ocean. One problem we had with the beach was how shallow it was (3-4 feet). It was somewhat rocky but the water shoes we bought for this trip were not required.

FOOD

Considering it is buffet we were very pleased with the selection and quality. However, we found that the service at Tulum and Akumal was not even nearly as good as the Coba. The a-la-cartes or what they should really be called, table d'autes were decent. We loved Le Gourmet and the size of the portions was typical French so it was as expected. The meal was phenomenal and service impeccable. We can't say enough about this restaurant. Grand Turtuga, service great, meal... very average. The onion soup I had was probably made from a can of Campbell's! It was NOT a real onion soup. The steak can be best described as Ponderosa. It was not the rare I had requested and did not seem to be a porterhouse as advertised. Disappointing. Mikado, we had high expectations but it came up short. The best part was the appetizers. I had one of the best salmon sashimi I have ever had, problem was the portion was laughable. When I go for Japanese I expect Sushi and lots of it, if you go here expecting this you will be, as we were VERY DISAPPOINTED. The main course which was part of a "show" was not very good. The show itself was great but the meal that resulted from it was average at best. It was basically stir fry cooked right in front of you. The dessert was fantastic though but the main course was so disappointing it brought the whole experience down with it. Mediterranean is just plain awful!! Do not go there! The appetizers come from a buffet and there is not much selection. Once again as in all restaurants the service is great, I never had any issue with the service just the quality. We both ordered the cream of garlic soup, it once again we found it was probably right out of a can of Campbell's (very very salty). The main course I ordered was the lamb it was good but the portion, once again laughable. If it was a French restaurant it would be decent but this is not French and I expect larger portions. My wife found her meal disgusting and could not eat much of it. The cous-cous was bland and dry and the fish was overcooked. We didn't bother with dessert (more buffet) or after dinner drinks and left immediately.

BARS

Plenty of them - both wet and dry and very good service. One thing that REALLY bothered me was the poor margaritas. We are in Mexico and the one thing I expect them to nail is a great margarita. No such luck. I love margaritas and know a good one from a bad one and these were beyond bad. They make it with this sparking orange mineral water and horrible lime juice and the taste is beyond awful. If you get it frozen it is slightly better but not much. The other drinks are great but can be a tad on the sweet side. Some good ones are: Atedercel Tropical (like a sangria), Blue Lagoon, Bahia Principe, Miami Vice, Colibry as well as your typical Daiquiris etc... The beer is all Dos Equis (in some areas Corona) and very cold and refreshing!

AKUMAL, TULUM, and HACIENDA

What attracted us to this resort is the ability to visit other resorts and this was the best part of the trip as they all offer something the other does not. We found Akumal to have the best beach but poor service in the buffet. Tulum had the best pools and activities and the best was good but in our opinion not as good as at Akumal. The buffet as for variety is the best at Tulum. The Hacienda in our opinion was pretty pathetic. It was a nice gesture to try and create a small Mexican town in the resort but having been to a real small Mexican town (Valladolid) before this was not even close. The merchants' prices were all much higher than pretty much anywhere and the whole experience left us wanting to leave ASAP.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As others have said the cheapest way to get to Playa Del Carmen is to take the collectivo for $2 US/person. However, and this is to all the parents of young children out there, be forewarned they pack these vans to the max. Typically, these vans can safely transport 7 passengers. I counted 16 people in ours at one point! What this means is FORGET THE STROLLER, there is absolutely no room for it anywhere. They will not leave until it is full so you might have to wait 15 - 35 minutes before it actually leaves. Along the way it will pick up even more people and the ride is not pleasant. Luckily the AC worked in our van on the way there but we heard from others many of them to not have functioning AC.

TIP: When shopping for Tequila, do not buy anything from the shops in PDC or the resort, go to the Wal-Mart as the tequila is MUCH cheaper and they carry the same brands. I got a Don Julio Blanco that cost $44.60 at the resort, and $32.00 in PDC for $23.00 at Wal-Mart!

The ride back from PDC was the ride from hell! The vans AC barely worked and it was so full, the weather was extremely hot and humid. Our daughter was very unhappy and cried for most of the time, very unusual for her. When we didn't think it could get worse, the van stopped and MORE PEOPLE came on!! all of us in the van (tourists) looked at each other in disbelief as there were no seats left!! They people had to stand while splitting their legs. It was unbelievable. I was in the back and had to get out to let the people beside me out. Believe me when I tell you getting off in such a confined space is not fun!!! All in all we will NEVER take a collectivo again on this side of the Mayan Riviera (On the PDC to Cancun side it is much better).

Now the ultimate question.... Would we go back? No, for the simple reason we never ever go back to the same place but if we did it would be to Gran Bahia Principe Tulum as the rooms are MUCH closer to the beach and the food variety better. Regardless, whether you stay in any of the three you will have access to all of them so it doesn't really matter.

CABO SAN LUCAS: PLAYA DEL SOL LOS CABOS
April 2008
R.T.& family

After reading all the experiences that people have had at PDS, I was a bit weary of checking in. Upon arrival, I like many others on this site was told that they were putting us in the old building with no view of the ocean. I had called prior to our arrival and was told (although not guaranteed) they would do their best to put us in the new building. If you have read the reviews online, this is obviously the difference in having a terrific time, or having a horrible time. With this information in mind, I wouldn't allow the front desk people to put us in the old building. I was very firm, and even when they told us there were no rooms in the new building available for our week long stay, I continued to be firm and refused to be taken to the old building. The manager (Tanya) was located and she quickly got on a computer and found us a room in the new building. This made all the difference in the world! We had a wonderful time.

Our room was spectacular, with fresh towels and a thorough cleaning daily. It had 2 double beds in one bedroom, and a king in a locked off bedroom. It had 3 large bathrooms, and 1.5 kitchens. The ample main kitchen allowed for wonderful meals when we didn't feel like going out, and what a view! The grounds were immaculate and the pool was not only beautiful, but warm. I was surprised at this due to all the people complaining about its temperature. The weather was in the mid-90's so we found the pool was perfect for refreshing dips. I will add that the Hot tubs were heated and terrific too, as was the swim up bar. The restaurant, which had a beautiful view of the pool, and ocean, was a bit overpriced, and the food was just so-so. It could have been so much better, with the right chef. My fish was over cooked. The margaritas were very good . . . (no mixers). The message therapists were strong and only $45 for an hour!

All in all what a great way to take a family, including a 20-month-old, and a 70-year-old grandmother, on vacation. As far as some reviews disliking San Jose Del Cabo, I smelled the plant only when walking near it, not in the plaza itself, it must have been the way the wind was blowing. And we found Cabo San Lucas to be a tourist hell hole. Kind of like being in a outdoor Mexican themed shopping mall. We had been there 10 years ago and it was just as horrible. We only went to take our toddler out on a glass bottom boat, which was a great experience. San Jose is much more chill, and relaxing. The Panga Antigua Restaurant in San Jose was outstanding. We found Zippers to be overrated, the atmosphere was great, but we must of ordered the wrong thing . . . fish. The Tropicana was surprisingly decent and we really liked breakfast at Herradera, both in San Jose.

CABO SAN LUCAS: PUEBLO BONITO ROSE
November 2004
Shannon & family (baby 6mos.)

It was our first trip with our new baby, who was 6 months old at the time…

Wow, we had such a great time there! While we found Cabo too expensive to go back to, the people at PB were fantastic. I find places like Mexico and Italy to be much more child-tolerant in general than the US and the PB staff just doted on our son. Many of the young women who worked there wanted to hold him and play with him and he flirted with them shamelessly.

We had a junior suite and we requested a crib. While the crib was a little too rickety for me to feel comfortable with him sleeping in it, he often sat in it, bolstered up by pillows, and played with his toys. The maid would always set his toys up in little scenes and designs when she cleaned. I wish I had taken a picture of that! We brought our big Graco stroller, where the seat lays flat, so he slept in that instead of the crib, which was fine. We also used it as a high chair. Don't be afraid to bring your full-size stroller! People never failed to be helpful through security, etc.

The pool was quite warm, even for the baby and he enjoyed lounging on the poolside chairs.

We went to the local big box store (I think it's Sams Club) and bought a big tray of shredded beef, a bunch of tortillas, eggs, cheese, watermelon, and bags of avocados, kiwis, and limes. We had delicious Mexican roll-ups every morning. That saved a lot of money.

The little grocery store on the grounds is great for last-minute things, but a bit expensive, especially if you feel you must have imported American foods. But the deli there is fabulous and so are the pastries. We had coffee and pastries most days.

We only had one bad experience there and that was at a restaurant recommended by the PB staff. They were quite rude to us and I think they weren't happy to have a baby in the restaurant. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but we let the PB staff know at the time how we were treated. Other restaurants we ate at were fine.

I was a little worried about traveling with a baby, but it turned out to be a wonderfully relaxing week, which we both really needed after 6 months of adjusting to being parents! I highly recommend it!

CANCUN: DREAMS CANCUN RESORT & SPA
February 2006
Kristal & family (baby 1yr.)

We got to Dreams Resort for a six day stay and it was worth the wait. We used Brant's service to get to and from the resort and they were on time and very courteous...we would definitely use them again! When we arrived at Dreams, we were greeted with chocolate chip cookies, champagne, and the cool, wet towels which were a very nice touch and a great way to start our vacation.

They did not have a king bed available upon check-in but we were offered one the next day if we didn't mind changing rooms but once we got into our room, the double beds were okay with us. We took our 1 year old and they provided a Graco Pack-n-Play which we felt was much safer than an old crib which is what most hotels offer.

The restaurants are nice with good food and great service....we enjoyed the Seaside grill for lunch....great seafood tacos, and the waiter gave me a drink that he called the "Sexy Luis", it was awesome but after two, I was a little tipsy, so beware if you order it. They only offer this restaurant to adults for dinner so we only didn't try dinner there but the Oceana was open to us and the food was excellent. The only drawback for these restaurants is that they do not offer a kids menu which isn't good considering they say this is a family resort, but we did encounter waiters that would try to modify any of their entrees to please our daughter. Himitsu has a nice ambiance but the sushi wasn't as fresh as we are used to. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best we ever ate. The Philadelphia Roll was pretty good but then again it is made with cream cheese so we figured that it can't be screwed up. We loved the free room service and used it every day. The kid's menu through room service is great but we ordered macaroni and cheese three times and got something different each time. The taco meal on the room service menu is excellent and I highly recommend trying it, plus they are so quick in getting the food to you. I think they told us 35 minutes each time and we usually got it within 20 minutes. They always brought in a fresh flower for the table and the presentation of each meal was so nice and it made it feel like you weren't in your room eating each time. The World Cafe was where we ate every morning, and they had a huge selection, although it was the same selection every morning, you won't go away from breakfast hungry....there was so much to choose from, and the one evening that we ate there, we really didn't feel like we were at a buffet. They set it up really nice in the restaurant with wine and nice linens, it made us feel like we were at one of the nicer restaurants. Overall, the food is great in this resort. Even the Snack Shack next to the pool had a variety and the cook made our daughter her own American cheese burritos since she doesn't eat hamburgers or hot dogs yet. We can't say we left hungry ever, we always found something to eat and didn't really have anything to complain about after each meal.

We never had a problem finding a lounge chair and I noticed that at 7am, there was NOT a single chair saved. I don't know if this is because we went at a less busy time of year, but we found somewhere to sit every time we went to the pool and beach. We usually got to the pool about 10am after our child's nap and always were able to sit down or get in the pool. The pool is a little small but there was plenty of room to swim and everyone seemed to be having a good time. The entertainment staff always kept the guests involved and my husband played basketball and we played bingo which was a lot of fun. Every day, they offered salsa lessons and they played good music during the day in the pool area. The bartender at the Snack Shack and the waiter at the pool were very attentive and a dollar tip goes a long way. After tipping them, I noticed that my glass was never empty and I always got the big glass with the fruit in it, whereas when I didn't have money, I always received the small glass and no fruit...so all I have to say is tips are appreciated and they show it!!!! By the end of the trip, we were tipping everyone and even though the service was good before we tipped, it was even better after we tipped. They have a way of remembering who tips and who doesn't. They really deserve it and appreciate it. Oh, and speaking of good service, the guys who fill the in-room refrigerator, all it took was for me to ask them to put more Diet Coke in it, and the rest of the week, that is what they filled it with.

One last thing, I celebrated my birthday while I was there and what a surprise I received when Room Service brought me a cheesecake with a birthday message on it. The dessert was wonderful and it was a nice touch on my big day.

A few more things about Dreams that are worth mentioning: no wristbands!, as many towels as you need for the pool and beach, somewhat secluded location so that you don't have just anyone walking on the beach, comfy beds and pillows, highchairs in every restaurant, ice cream machine by the pool, explorer's club for kids 3-12

CANCUN: GR SOLARIS CANCUN
September 2007
Lola & Family (baby 16mos)

We stayed at the GR Solaris from September 19-24th. They were fantastic! The hotel is in great shape, every single last staff person that we came in to contact with was absolutely wonderful! They were fantastic to us, to our son, and to other guests. And honestly, the time share people were really not that bad. Truly, the staff is the key reason we would continue to come back to this hotel! I can't say enough good things about the entertainment staff (who are always working!), the bartenders, the waiters and waitresses (who were fantastic to our 16 month old son), the front desk, the bellmen, the room attendants, etc.

Food wise, the breakfast was the highlight of the day, everything from omelettes, to tacos, to Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Lunch was fine, but dinner was just O.K. (the dinner shows were nice too). Tea time, however, was very nice. The drinks were good too (bartenders are great). The deli looked good, but we really didn't take advantage of it. For an all-inclusive place, the food was just what we expected, with a couple of pleasant surprises.

The pool at the hotel is nice; large, with a separate children's pool and separate "relax" pool for adults only, as well as a nice swim up bar. The only negative at the hotel is the beach. Certainly not the Cancun beaches I remembered. It was very narrow, only enough room for maybe 6 loungers, very rough (we were only able to go in to our ankles twice, and the flags were up most days), although it was stormy for a couple of days, and very rocky and uneven. They did say they were working on bringing in sand after hurricane season. The other hotels in the area seemed to be in the same boat. However, I was told that the beaches that were sheltered by Isla Mujeres still had decent beaches.

If you get to the GR, check out the Mayan Ruins half a mile down the street. Also check out La Isla Mall and Lorito Joe's for dinner.

For all you honeymooners, or people going for a romantic get- away, consider upgrading to the jacuzzi room (which you can do for a cost, or listen to the time share speech), you can also have strawberries and a cheese plate, or flowers and cake delivered to your room. You can also have a surf and turf dinner on your balcony or in a semi-private beach side gazebo.

Despite the condition of the beach, I would absolutely go back to GR Solaris!! They did a great job of keeping everybody happy and entertained even on rainy miserable days, and were the friendliest people I've encountered in a long time.

CANCUN: RIU PALACE LAS AMERICAS
April 2006
J. Yang & family (baby 15mos)

This was our 4th time Cancun in 5 years. We usually stay at Le Meridian or JW Marriott but JW is closed and Le Meridian didn't have availability. Riu was available and great.

The property is nice and well maintained. They have lots of open sitting areas which are very nice for people to just hang out. The food isn't bad (the buffet is better than an average Vegas buffet) and the specialty restaurants are just ok but trust me, you won't go hungry and you won't feel like there's nothing to eat.

The beach is small and the pool areas are crowded for a property this size. However, there are lots of nice chairs away from the pool.

I loved the mini-bar (and they fill with whatever you want within reason- we only drink diet soda and they filled it with that instead of regular and we had a baby so they always put a fresh container of milk every morning). The staff is attentive and the rooms are nice. There is a cross section of people but less singles. Mostly couples, groups and families.

I still think there are nicer properties in Cancun but I would go back to Riu in a heartbeat. The value is good, the people are great and you will have a great time. Not sure if you're like us, but we don't leave the property. We have done all the tours in the past, we're not into partying so we place a very high premium on the property itself. That being said, we had a great time.

IXTAPA – ZIHUATANEJO: CLUB MED IXTAPA PACIFIC
February 2008
Jen & Family (baby 10mos)

My family of 4 (4-year-old and 10-month-old) stayed in one of the newly renovated family suites. They did an amazing job. Two years ago we stayed there and our room was a cottage cheese box. This time, we splurged and it was well worth it. I upgraded my room after booking it when I found out that the family rooms don't have bathtubs. The suites include send-out laundry service, Internet, additional turn-down services and probably a million other amenities that we didn't use.

The week we went was part of their soft-opening so it felt like an intimate week as the property was only at 50% capacity.

The GOs are like camp counselors shuffling you from one amazing activity to the next. By the end of our 8 days, we knew the majority of the GOs names and they knew ours.

Mini Club: Once kids are 4, their world opens up to many more fun activities including trapeze.

While all the GOs were warm and playful, Noel (aka Christmas), Jeff, Brian, Chris, Ingrid, Nurse Sophie, and the adorable and hard to decipher sisters, Pascale and Camille went above and beyond. And of course Chef Anthony aka Mini-chef, who brought out my munchkin's inner chef.

Baby Club: My babe wasn't a huge fan of leaving mama, but the baby club facility was top notch and Sarah, and Marilou did a great job of comforting ME when I left her. Heather also made a huge effort.

Activities: The Circus area was really fun. Water polo and beach volleyball are my two new favorite sports. There's something for everyone and never enough time to explore it all.

Food: I was terrified of getting sick since we all got sick on our last trip there. I'm happy to say that we ate and drank everything and were totally fine! And we ate a lot of everything. We drank the free bottled water in our rooms and the poured water from the bars and restaurants. Even the baby. The food was crazy delicious. Seriously.

Jean-Marc, the chief of the village, and his second in command Eduardo, are incredibly attentive and constantly checking in with everyone. And the staff was consistently saying what a great camaraderie everyone had which is a testament to their leadership skills and presence. You can tell that everyone likes each other and enjoys the lifestyle.

If you're looking for a camp-like experience where you feel like you're walking into Cheers every time you go for a meal, Club Med Ixtapa is for you. It's really kid-oriented so I wouldn't recommend it to people without children. Good tip: Bring a set of Walkie Talkies to stay connected to your family. We didn't bring our cell phones so being able to find each other on the grounds was very cool.

Downside? It's definitely on the pricey side. The bed frame is black with sharp corners that stick out against the black floor and my entire family kept stubbing our toes. The mosquitoes are insane at night so wear bug spray! The paparazzi guys are constantly taking photos, but they cost an arm and a leg. The ocean water is a bit colder than expected.

We're already trying to figure out when we can go back and hope to see many of the same faces.

IXTAPA – ZIHUATANEJO: CLUB MED IXTAPA PACIFIC
February 2008
Darcy & Family (baby 2yrs)

My wife, 2-year-old daughter and I stayed at Club Med Ixtapa Pacific for the last week of February 2008. The resort has been newly renovated, and only just re-opened in December. We were very impressed by everything the resort had to offer, and would definitely return to a Club Med in the future.

As we arrived at the resort after a 30min transfer by Suburban (take your car seat), we were greeted by a boisterous team of GOs with cold towels and trays of lemonade and water. I will admit that it was a little unnerving to have our bags whisked away and be checked in by a GO while sitting in the lounge, but all our stuff made it to our room. We were escorted there by GO Emily, who explained where everything was on the way. This was a nice touch, as we didn’t feel lost when we ventured out to the large resort for the first time.

We had a Family Club Room. It was clean and modern with tons of space and storage. The three of us had more than enough room and a family of five could be easily accommodated. The only drawback for us was the lack of a balcony or terrace, but such rooms are available as an upgrade. Our daughter could easily open the locked door, but it was explained to us that the deadbolts they had on order were held up at customs, so that issue will be rectified soon. Housekeeping was excellent, and the room was always made up by mid-morning. Our daughter’s bed was a sturdy and clean playpen that had a mattress for extra comfort and was made up with fresh linens. Large shower only – no tub. The towels are lovely and fluffy and in ample supply. A thoughtful touch was the addition of extra towels the day before we left, so we didn’t have to dry off with used towels on the morning of our departure.

Club Med Ixtapa Pacific’s grounds and facilities are immaculate. Everything faces beautiful Playa Quieta. Although my wife is partial to the Caribbean’s turquoise warmth and white sands, she soon embraced the clear Pacific and golden sands. The lounges at both the pool and beach are cushioned, and both areas have cabanas that are lovely for a bit of shade. We saw many a baby or toddler snoozing on one with their families throughout the day. The cabanas, however, tended to be snapped up before breakfast by bags or towels. Most were well used but sometimes one or two would remain annoyingly empty for most of the day. The main pool is actually two pools divided by a walkway. They are tended by lifeguards during the day and never seemed too busy.

There was always something to do if you wanted to, and no pressure if you wanted to do nothing. Although the resort was only half-full during our stay, I can’t imagine things being crowded while they are at capacity. Most areas, especially at night, were practically empty.

The Mini Club, Petit Club, and Baby Club were the stand-out facilities for us. Everything was spotless, the GOs were caring and attentive, and most children really seemed to be enjoying themselves. A lot of the older kids seemed reluctant to return to their parents! All guests with a baby or young child have access to a 24hr. baby room that was stocked with milk, baby food (Mexican Gerber – some sweetened and some not), yogurt, crackers, fresh fruit and dry cereals. The room also had a fridge, microwave, and facilities to warm, wash and sterilize bottles. They also offer the use of strollers, high chairs and bottle warmers for your stay.

The Petit Club staff were very patient with our initial constant hovering, and we felt comfortable leaving our daughter there. You are allowed to use the facilities without signing your children in so long as you are there to supervise. The Baby Club is for infants from 4-23 months and costs roughly $70 per day. Petit Club is for toddlers from 2-3yrs and costs roughly $65 per day. Children 4 and up go to the Mini Club and is included. Not all Club Meds offer a Petit or Baby Club. It is just Ixtapa Pacific, Sandpiper in Florida and Punta Cana in The Dominican Republic. Club Med Ixtapa Pacific also offers babysitting services at roughly $17 per hour for up to 3 children and a Pajama Club where you can drop off your children that costs an additional $22 for the evening.

The main dining room also has a fridge stocked with baby food and other essentials, and there are loads of options for older babies starting on table foods as well. For grown-ups, the food is amazing. We were incredibly impressed by the selection, quality and freshness of the food at the main buffet. I normally dislike resort food where everything tastes the same and is swimming in some kind of oil. I also liked that there was a Mexican station at every meal that offered authentic dishes. The fresh fruits and salads are beautiful and safe to eat. They have their own filtration system and test the water and food every two weeks. At the entrance to every eating area are hand sanitizer and wet naps, which most people seemed to use. As a parent, I also appreciated that the eating areas were non-smoking. In spite of the large amount of babies and toddlers, there was never an issue with finding a high chair or booster seat and any dropped (thrown) food was quickly cleaned up, either by the conscientious parent or the quick busperson.

One day we walked about 15min down the road to Playa Linda. It made for a nice change of scenery and had we been more prepared we would have hopped a skip to Isla Ixtapa. Right before Playa Linda is a Cocodrilario – where a bunch of big scary crocodiles live in a protected reserve. One other morning we went into Zihuatanejo. We negotiated with one of the cab drivers to drive us in, store our car seat and meet us 2 hours later. It worked really well for us and, although the price tag seemed a little steep at $50, it was worth it for us to know our daughter would be safe in her car seat and we wouldn’t have to worry about finding a cab back (although there were plenty in town. Zihuatanejo is a cute little town, and you actually feel like you are in Mexico. Although we felt happy and relaxed at Club Med, it felt good to venture out for a bit of a change.

We really enjoyed our stay at Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, and the Club Med experience is very different from previous stays we’ve had at All-Inclusive hotels and resorts. The only drawbacks for us were the aforementioned lack of balcony and the lack of child-proof locks. One evening we hired a babysitter and she was late - we were credited for an hour, which was appreciated.

In spite of the excellent quality of the food and facilities, what really stood out to us was the quality of service – namely the GOs. Some stand-outs include Eler at the front desk, Janine at the Petit Club, Jeff – the manager of the Mini Club, John the head chef and, of course, Jean Marc – the Chief du Village. Jean Marc clearly takes pride in his resort and the great team he has assembled to work there.

Club Med Ixtapa Pacific is not just a family-friendly resort, it’s family-embracing.

NUEVO VALLARTA: MARIVAL GRAND & CLUB SUITES
January 2007
Jasmine & Family

Our group consisted of three boys aged 2, 4, 6, my husband, myself, my mother and her boyfriend, my brother and his friend who are in their mid twenties. We stayed from the 5th of January till the 12th.

We had rooms on both the Grand and Club side. The rooms are basic on both sides. The Club side has been renovated, but keep in mind that there is not an elevator. This means lugging your stuff up numerous flights on stairs. Not a big deal for us, but certainly a problem for some. I had read a lot of reviews about the beds. They are not plush but it didn't bother us. I have spent my share of time trying to get kids to sleep on toddler mattresses so maybe I am not the best to ask.

The cleaning and maintenance staff do an excellent job keeping the rooms and grounds in great shape.

The pools are wonderful. The kids’ pool on the Grand side has excellent waterslides. The kids’ pool on the Club is nice and warm. The main two pools are great. Since I had the kids I didn't visit the adult-only pool...maybe next time!

The bars are great. The drinks are not watered-down, on the contrary they were very generous with the alcohol. I would definitely avoid the wine at all costs. I am not an expert, but the red reminded me of cough syrup mixed with vinegar. The thing you have to keep in mind is that you are in Mexico. Things are more laid back. The occasional bee that gets mixed in with the colada and daiquiri mix doesn't seem to cause much concern. I did not like the fact that the cups are reused instead of disposable. I am not confident that they are "sanitized" between uses. The martini bar is incredible and the service is excellent. You are able to get bottled beer at any of the bars inside which I would recommend over the draught.

The food is very good overall. Breakfast has an excellent variety. Lunch for us consisted of visiting the grill, which had the usual fries, burgers, pizza, etc. Dinner at the buffet is alright. I would definitely recommend the a la carte restaurants. We were able to try all four and thought they were excellent. The service can be quite slow at times, but usually the result is well worth the wait! My only disappointment with the food is that you have to go to the Mexican restaurant to have Mexican food. It would be nice to have more authentic food for the other meals. A fajita station at lunch would be perfect!

The beach is excellent. The sand is incredible and the waves are perfect for boogie boarding. My 4 and 6 year olds had a blast. You are able to use life jackets and boards already there. There isn't any need for water shoes as the ocean floor is really sandy. The water is nice and warm.

I did not approve of the fact that the room keys have the numbers on them. It worried me that if I misplaced the key anyone would be able to access our room.

My 4 & 6 year old did the dolphin kids program with Vallarta Adventures. It is well worth the $60 US per kid. I would recommend booking it online next time to receive a discount. The pictures of the kids start at $15 US or you can buy the dvd for $45.

Three of the adult men went on the zip line trip though the rain forest. They all thought it was amazing. It was approximately $100 per adult.

I would say that if you are young and single this is not the place for you. My brother and his friend were a bit disappointed at the lack of available ladies. The resort seems more for couples and families.

The entertainment staff does their best. They do the typical games and shows.

The kids’ club is great. The ladies who staff it are excellent. My sons only spent about three hours there total, but had a great time. I didn't think that I would feel comfortable leaving them, but after I watched for a while I wasn't concerned. I did inquire the rate for evening babysitting, as the girls were so great. It was an amazing $6 for the first child and an additional $4 for each additional. This would have been $14 per hour. I though that this was excessive.

For anyone leaving from Toronto keep in mind that the flight down is around 5 hours. It is well worth the trip, but did really seem to take forever.

My 6 year old and I took the bus into Wal Mart one day. It was a neat experience. If you are hoping for Wal Mart prices think again. You are much better to save the time and buy whatever you forgot at the hotel.

We bought beautiful jewelry on the beach. Ask for Fernado...he was great!

Overall, I can’t wait to return. Nuevo Vallarta is full of beauty and fun. The Marival was paradise

PLAYA LA BOQUILLA: BAHIA DE LA LUNA & HUATULCO: CAMINO REAL ZAASHILA
July 2007
Lisa & Family (baby 12mos.)

BAHIA DE LA LUNA, PLAYA LA BOQUILLA We had booked a 2 week stay at Bahia de la Luna at the end of July, but left after a few days. Playa La Boquilla is by far the most beautiful and cleanest beach in the area; we checked out Pt. Escondido and Pt. Angel, as well as a few other local beaches in Huatulco and confirmed this. Unfortunately, it was still too rough for our 1 year old to swim in or even play on the beach. Typical of most beaches on the Pacific, the beach had a drop off and the surf, which was often rough, would crash right at the base of the beach. Our daughter loves to swim, and it was torture for her to see water and not be able to go in. Although there is a nice breeze, it was still pretty warm out and the only way to cool our daughter was to take her in the shower in our room.

The management and staff at de la Luna were very friendly. Paula, the manager's wife, cooked a great meal every evening and Pablo, the manager, made a mean margarita. But, you are limited on getting food or drink to when someone is around or food is available. Our daughter, being only 1, needs to eat all the time. I remember asking for a snack around 3pm and they said they only had fruit salad (since my daughter's tummy wasn't that great as it was, fruit was out of the question). One morning we woke up at 7am, but no one was around until 9am for coffee or breakfast. VERY difficult when traveling with a toddler.

We also had the feeling of being stuck at the hotel. The road down to the hotel is a dirt road and very rough and takes about 20 minutes off the main road to get there. So, it's about 30 minutes from Puerto Angel or Pochutla (the nearest towns). We enjoy checking out the local areas when we travel, so this felt limiting to us.

All in all, we would stay at Bahia de la Luna again, but only for a few days as a break from other traveling. It is VERY rustic, but that is its charm. I found it difficult being there with a toddler, but would go back when our daughter is a few years older and can enjoy the beach. The staff is excellent and it does have a very relaxing feel.

CAMINO REAL ZAASHILA, HUATULCO We originally booked a 2 week stay at Bahia de la Luna (only 12 rooms) near Puerto Angel; however, as noted above, it was too rustic for our 1 year old daughter and the surf too rough for her to swim. We intended to divide our stay at the CRZ and Quinta Real, but canceled Quinta and stayed the entire trip at CRZ. We had a great time. The pools were perfect. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. It is pricey at the restaurants (equivalent to California prices), but it's very easy to catch a cab into Crucecita (cost from the hotel is $40 pesos, but you can walk down the hill to a cab stand and get there for $25 pesos). The cab drivers from the hotel were also able to suggest local restaurants. Highly recommend El Grillo Marinaro just 2 blocks off the main square in Crucecita. Also recommend La Boheme, a french restaurant a few streets off the main square. The food was excellent (the chef/owner was the chef at Quinta Real). We had a great time at CRZ and will stay there again.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN: HOTEL SANDOS PLAYACAR BEACH RESORT
April 2005
Robin & Family (babies 1 & 3yrs)

ARRIVAL - Traveled with Signature vacations from Toronto via Skyservice. Our kids (ages 1 1/2 and 3 1/2) were both fantastic on the plane both there and back, which we were VERY happy about. Moved through Cancun customs and immigration fairly fast (we arrived on a Friday morning at 9:30am), about 20 minutes. A monster Mercedes bus was waiting for us outside the terminal, fully air-conditioned with a bathroom and bar service which was extra money (beer $3, pop $2 and water $1). We arrived one hour later at the Gala Resort, we were the first passengers to be dropped off and then the bus was heading to the Grand Xcaret resort.

I was in contact with the hotel directly and had confirmed that our Hacienda room reservations were in order, I was told before coming to the hotel that we were in a Royal Club Hacienda room and would receive all the perks associated with that (I even printed off all the emails that had been exchanging back and forth between me and the hotel and brought them with me just in case), but on arrival I was quickly informed that we only had a junior suite in the hacienda section, they would not compensate us at all and just said "sorry, there was a mistake in reservations, you have to pay an extra $35 per person per day to have the royal gala service". I didn't make a stink, just went with the flow.......checked in and our room was already ready (11:30am), room 6304

HACIENDA ROOM - Room was nice with two double beds and a pull out sofa bed, I also had a crib brought to the room for our little boy (free of charge) and quickly ordered room service, as we were starving and very thirsty. We ordered BLT with potato chips, Subs, pastrami sandwiches, salads and chocolate cake, all were great and it usually takes between 30 - 45 minutes for room service to arrive. The bar was stocked with orange pop, two bottles of carbonated mineral water, diet coke (light), coke, sprite and three bottles of beer (called XX). Bathroom was a nice size with lots of towels, one large shower and a hairdryer that worked great. There was a dresser with six small drawers and more shelves in the closet, we really needed more space with 3 adults and 2 children in one room, but we managed ok. The TV had a Disney channel, Fox news channel and a few other channels in Spanish, but the kids didn't care what language Bear in the big blue house was in or Rolie Polie Olie. Our room was always cleaned early in the morning and was turned down each night as well. Two nights we received Kaluha chocolates (pure alcohol in the middle, so don't let the kids have any). The sheets were changed daily, we know because the kid's washable markers got on the bed sheets a few times and there were always lots of crumbs from having breakfast in bed each day. We left our maid $2 or $3 each day on the pillow. Word of caution......we locked ourselves out the very first day because the patio door automatically locks when it's closed, so either keep your room card on you at all times or leave your patio door open a crack when you are using the pool outside. The safe in the room is computerized and you get to choose your own combination. We could hear people coughing next door but it wasn't that loud, I'm sure they heard our little guy crying at night. He got sick with pinkeye and a cold on Thursday before we departed, probably because his big brother had it the day we left home. Better to have a cold in Mexico than here in the cold. Our clothes all smelt musty by the end of the week, nothing really dries out completely and I was thankful that I brought an air freshener.

HACIENDA POOL - The Hacienda pool was fantastic. It was kept clean and I saw the staff adding chemicals to it one day. There was always a staff member skimming the water and filling the pool up. There are steps going down into one side and a ledge that the children can walk around on two sides. Beware that the tiles surrounding the pool are VERY slippery and both of my kids went down hard twice and they weren't running. I almost went down myself. The pool was used by others in the building but it was always empty when we wanted to use it. It was very warm and refreshing, we were lucky that ours had a big tree that shaded it somewhat.

BEACH - The sand is incredible, very deep and soft. The water is crystal clear and I could still see my toes and ankle bracelet when I was standing with water up to my neck. Most days there were pretty big waves but on two days the water was very calm and you could see small silver fish swimming around you. One of the best beaches I've been to but, not the all-time best. I've also been to:

• Club Oasis Akumal in (Jan 1995) - Fantastic beach with crystal clear water and no surf
• Breezes Bahamas (March 2000)- clear water but sea weed close to shore, gentle surf
• Sandals Antigua (Jan 99)- stirred up water but beautiful colour, I wouldn't go into the water because I couldn't see the bottom where I was walking.
• St. Martin (August 2000) - the entire island has incredible water, completely clear and very calm.....except orient beach which was rough but still very clear.
• Anguilla (2000) - Best water we've seen yet and very secluded beaches. We were the only people on several beaches. We rented a car and drove to many of the beaches to check them out.
• Allegro Aruba (Dec 1999) - Stirred up water, I did take out a kayak with my husband one day and the water in front of the holiday inn looked more clear than ours a few doors down. Baby beach had incredibly clear and calm water, perfect for kids.

I've also been to Cuba and Dominican but they aren't worth mentioning here.

My kids are young so they just sat by the surf and played in the sand. They were scared of the waves crashing but they really enjoyed our day trip to Xcaret where the water was clear and calm like a pool. Also the beach has a little drop to get down to the water, no big deal, but my little one needed help. It's about 3 foot drop closer to the north end right at the volleyball courts. There was also two days of seaweed that washed up on shore but the staff quickly removed it each day. Never got a chance to walk the beach, I had every intention to do it but there was never a good opportunity.

We usually got to the beach between 8 and 9am, the palapas were always taken with towels or shoes, we still did get shade and chairs though. We liked the beach area to the far south, the best was right beside the hammock section. My 3 1/2 year old would lay in a hammock and swing for most of the day, he really enjoyed them. The beach bar wasn't far from us and there is also a little stone wall that the kids enjoyed walking on each day. It's also easier to get to the bathroom at the Oh la la restaurant and we also discovered another bathroom in the sports building on the left hand side. Never had a problem getting our towels, they were still warm when we picked them up, must have just came out of the dryer. We never used them to dry off but just to lay on the chairs. We brought our stroller to the beach each day loaded with sand toys. You can purchase toys at the hotel store but they are very expensive. I priced suntan lotion ($17 US) and Pantene Pro V Shampoo ($7 US), so that gives you an idea of the prices. T-shirts in the store were reasonable ($10-$15 US) and I bought a fridge magnet for $5. We also took out the bikes from the hotel one day and went to the shopping market in front of the Riu complex (5-10 min). There are lots of souvenirs there and Xcaret had t-shirts for $5 US. Many of the bikes have child seats, but not all have safety straps. We were able to find two with safety straps and they also provided bike helmets. My 3 1/2 was a bit too big for the child seat but still enjoyed the ride a lot. The bike path is on the far side of the road after you leave the Gala property. It's a great bike path.

RESTAURANTS - There are two buffets to choose from, I enjoyed both equally. Breakfast included omelet stations, French toast, waffles, pancakes, fruit, fruit juices, pastries, eggs, bacon, hash browns and so much more. Lunch included pizza, pasta, fries, cheese sticks, nachos and cheese, fried chicken, fried fish, rice, seafood salads, fruit, fresh fruit juices, lots of desserts, ice cream bar (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, lemon, and cappuccino), milkshakes (made from ice cream mentioned), hamburgers, hotdogs and more. Dinner had a larger selection of meats like beef, veal, pork, chicken but still had rice, veggies, pasta's (you get to add your own ingredients to the sauce ie/ ham, onions etc). I saw lots of shrimps, octopus and crab meat, I don't like it but my Father-in-law loved all the seafood.

ITALIAN - our favorite dinner restaurant. The antipasto bar was nice, we ordered cheese cannelloni, ravioli, Hawaiian pizza and a seafood dish (fried fish with capers). Dessert we had ice cream, tiramisu, and praline ice cream cake. The only thing we wish we could change at any of the a la cartes is the speed of service. We always booked dinner for 6pm and were not out until 8pm, with two small kids it would have been much easier to eat buffet and be done in 1/2 hour or less. We only ate once here and tried again but was booked up two days because of two weddings. Wish they would have told me earlier in the week because I would have eaten here on the days there was no wedding. I always booked by 9am for the a la cartes at the concierge desk beside the check in, only had a problem with people budding in line to make the reservations! I also looked at all the menus before going to get an idea of what I wanted to have before I got in. HINT: book as soon as you get in the hotel because you can only book once per day and I waited till the next day to start booking. You can book for any day you'd like, it doesn't have to be the day that you are actually doing the booking.

MEXICAN - I also enjoyed this place. They have great chicken fajitas, quesadillas and chicken stuffed with jalapeno peppers. For dessert we had crepes with caramel and vanilla ice cream and creme caramel. They have an appetizer area that you can help yourself to before your meal arrives. The kids enjoyed the cheese quesadillas, fruit and there was plenty of other tasty treats too. I noticed a large group of guest ordering margaritas, their specialty. Remember to bring a camera here, they have huge sombreros that make funny pics.

MEDITERRANIAN - this is the Oh la la buffet restaurant that turns into a sit down meal for dinner. HINT: this is a seafood restaurant, the only thing we ate was the chicken skewers and flank steak - both of them were yummy and served with rice and baked potato. My father in law had fish (the head and tail was still attached) and he loved it. I was so happy with the bread and spread they left on the table, it was awesome (feta cheese, onions, peppers), the best I've ever had. Service was very slow here, I had to leave with the youngest and take the dessert back to our room. It's hard for young children to sit still for over 2 hours, this place opens at 7pm, the others open at 6pm.

The Dinner buffet actually opens at 6:30pm, our room information said 7pm, so go at 6:30pm when it's not busy.

DRINKS - my kids woke up saying "pop"? They loved the drinks here. Coke, sprite, ice tea, pina colada's, bahama mama, beer (on tap at the beach), strawberry smoothies (daiquiris), you name it and they'll make it. We always ordered the drinks "without" alcohol, that is the way I liked them. HINT: The Oh la la buffet at breakfast has health shakes that I didn't know of till day 3. They have about 12 different varieties, I tried the Cancun that has strawberries, banana and other fruit. There is a bar at the main pool which always had a line up (5-10 minute wait) and the beach bar (another 5-10 minute wait). I LOVED that they serve you right on your beach lounge. Our attendant asked us about 3 times a day and if you tipped they'd be back even more often but we never needed to drink that much. I did notice A LOT of people with huge insulated mugs getting refills, that is a great idea, I'll remember next time. The beach bar doesn't give out straws with drinks so we'd always bring some with us in our beach bag because the kids would actually wear the drink by the time they were done and the strawberry smoothies stained their little faces like goatees. It made for some cute photos.

TOUR TO XCARET - The park opens at 8:30 am, we arrived a few minutes after it opened which is a fantastic idea. Bought the tickets at the hotel for $49 US per adult and both of my kids were free. Took a taxi from the lobby (just ask the bell boy to get you one) and it cost us $10 US each way. It was cheaper for us to buy our tickets and take a taxi because the tour package price was $65 US. We liked the idea of just leaving whenever we wanted from Xcaret, and the taxis are just waiting to take guests back to their hotel in the parking lot. I took one stroller but my 3 1/2 year old still likes to be pushed around so I rented a large stroller for him, it cost $12 US and you need to leave a $30 US deposit. The strollers were awesome with 3 huge rubber tires that would run over anything. My kids did love to walk around too, but be very very careful, there are some spots that they could fall into water (ie/ the turtle area and manatee lagoon), I was surprised not to see someone fall down in there, it's easy to get bumped. The beach area was deserted early in the morning and we had any choice of spot to pick, we chose some chairs in the shade and played in the water. This is the perfect place for young children to play in the water. It's really like a large swimming pool with little fish the kids can chase. My kids didn't want to leave after hours of playing. My husband and father in law put on the life vests and floated/swam down the underground river......they had a great time. There is also a boat that you can take down a river for those of you who don't want to get wet or for young kids. I would recommend this excursion to anyone, they even had wheel chairs to rent, the pathways are easy to get around and early in the morning wasn't busy. We left the park around 3pm. I also packed up our drinks from the mini bar and made the kids jelly sandwiches at the buffet before we left, Xcaret charges $2.50 US per pop and hotdogs were $4.90 US, so I was glad to have packed up lots of water, pop and food. We left around 3pm after doing some t-shirt shopping (only $5 US), it's less than 10 minutes from the resort. I've been to Mexico before and had already done Xelha and Tulum, I knew the kids would enjoy Xcaret and we also enjoyed going for a second time. My father in law said it was "awesome".

Here's just a few more points that I would like to say:

1. I loved having 24 hour room service and bar service at the beach
2. I only saw one beach vendor the entire time I was there and he stayed down by the first row of beach chairs.
3. There are many massage attendants asking if you'd like a massage on the beach, it was $39 for 25 minutes, but they have lots of packages that included manicures and pedicures.
4. I personally didn't care for the long walk to the room in the hacienda section each day, I was usually carrying the 1 1/2 year old so we used the golf cart service A LOT, plus the kids really enjoyed the ride. The walk isn't so bad if you don't forget something in the room and have to go back. I'd say it took me just over 7 minutes to get to the beach, but nothing like 15 minutes.......not unless I let the kids walk then it would take me closer to an hour after they investigated everything.
5. Our hacienda was at the front gate (6304) and we heard a lot of traffic, even at 2am, it really was no big deal, but if you are a light sleeper you may ask to have a room in a building away from the main entrance.
6. I hate cigarette smoke and there are smokers everywhere, my father in law smokes, but never did around us. It was nice to have a ground floor hacienda so he could have his coffee and cigarettes outside on the patio - with the door closed of course. You can smell smoke all day on the beach, yuk! Two of the restaurants (Italian and Mexican) are non-smoking, so if you are like me and hate smoke, try and eat there. There is nothing worse than trying to have a meal with your family and smelling that stuff.
7. Room service menu consists of salads (5 different kinds), soup, sub, pastrami sandwich, tuna croissant, BLT, lasagna, chicken wrap with mushrooms and white sauce, chocolate cake and drinks. You can fill out a card at night and place it on your door by 3am for breakfast service. It's nice to have a fruit plate, assorted pastries and fresh juice (watermelon, orange, pineapple) to start the day. The service begins at 7am.

I could go on and on. My family had a very nice vacation. Next time I will try and get a beach that is calmer, I know that the beach at Club Oasis Akumal is calm, been there before but it's only a 3 star. I wouldn't rate this hotel a 5 star in my opinion, but it's worth 4 to 4 1/2. The highlight of my entire holiday was seeing how much my children enjoyed themselves.

KIDS CLUB - never used it because I wasn't allowed to stay with them. My kids are always with me (Stay at home mom) and I really enjoyed having them with me all the time. It did have a nice playground area and two pools. I liked the teen area with ping-pong, pool, and air hockey tables, they also had juice fountains for the kids there too.

LAST DAY - on our last day our flight didn't leave Cancun until 9:20pm so we were at the resort till 5:15pm. I'd like to thank the staff for letting us use the air conditioned Royal club room, located behind guest services, so my kids could watch a movie to pass the time away while we waited. It's a very nice room with a DVD player, newspapers, fully stocked bar, premium liquor, food and a personal attendant to get you whatever you want. My kids thought it was great.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN: OCCIDENTAL GRAND XCARET
March 2008
Natasha & Family

Five of us including a 3.5 year old traveled to the Xcaret from March 18-25, 2008 over Easter Weekend so this resort was at capacity, actually over-booked as I heard from one couple who stayed at another resort and then was able to move back to the Xcaret.

We had an excellent time. I would recommend highly and I would return though we tend to like to visit new places so it won't be anytime soon.

Prior to choosing this location I read almost a years worth of reviews online and I can honestly see why some people have reviewed the resort the way they have.

The six negatives I noticed reading the reviews were:

1) Food

2) Smell through the resort

3) Hard beds

4) Musty/moudly rooms

5) Beach

6) Timeshare hawking

I'll address these each from our viewpoint.

1) Food - the food was good. We didn't do any a la cartes as a result. There was PLENTY of selection every night on the buffet. And it was honestly typical AI buffet fare - it's not meant to be 5 star dining when it's on a buffet. My only complaint is with how "bland" the food tasted. That being said, the had the most amazing homemade salsa on the buffet every night - just add it to your feed along with some salsa verda to kick it up a notch ;)

Breakfast and lunch are the best meals of the day. Make sure you have breakfast and lunch at the restaurant by the man-made beach - gorgeous setting.

The a la carte lunch restaurant above the swim-up bar is EXCELLENT - have lunch there. Try the chicken Milanese which is breaded parmesan chicken cutlet. Really good.

Paco Tacos and the Pizza joint - above the buffet are also a la carte and require no reservations - also good.

Hence, we did not worry about the hassle of booking a la cartes. We heard VERY mixed reviews of the a la cartes from other vacationers though the steak and Italian seemed to have more people liking them.

2) Smell through the resort - First the resort is in the forest/jungle and it's humid. Second it has a river running through it. This is all easy information to find out prior to booking and should make it obvious to some people that a jungle/river smell might accompany it.

BUT we never noticed a smell anywhere on resort. The only time we caught a stenchy whiff was the twice while we were they were "dredging" the algae out of the river and the act of moving that stuff out of the water creates a bit of smell but nothing unbearable - I would recommend asking for a room that is NOT in the river.

3) Hard beds - Yes, the bed was hard, some of us loved it, some of us hated it. Management has egg foam tops available if you ask. Our pillows were very soft and seemed to be new. But it was not so hard you couldn't sleep. Hard like any other AI we have been to.

4) Musty/moudly rooms - We had two rooms, this was a slight issue in one, a major issue in the other. We packed knowing this. We brought frebreeze and bounce sheets with us to freshen to the rooms. 24 hours later, no longer a problem. Again, the resort is in a really HUMID setting - this is somewhat unavoidable.

BTW the air conditioning in this resort is the best I have experienced yet - strong and cold! It was awesome.

5) Beach - If you do your research prior to going you will know there is NO beach. It's a man-made lagoon. Which BTW is terrific for little kids and snorkeling. We saw jellyfish and moray eels in it. And the sand was nice. It was amusing to watch the staff use this huge vacuum thing to move sand around the beach.

Please beware of feeding the fish. If you do, do it controlled. A five year old girl was bitten by a moray eel we saw at the beach because way too many people were putting way too much food into the water.

There are so many fish in the lagoon you really don't need to be feeding them to see them.

We never had a problem finding chairs at the beach or the pools at any time of day - note again the resort was at capacity while were there. We loved not having to play the towel game!

6) Timeshare hawking - We were approached once and said NO thank you. And we made sure we did not accept the "free gift" card invitation left on our bed.

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On to other areas.

Check in and out were the simplest I have ever been through. Really easy.

This resort caters to families well - no shortage of highchairs and stuff to check out of the fun club. Kids club is gated in and staffed by almost 5-6 people puts on a great program. Mini-disco at night for 30 minutes from 8pm. Special kids area on the buffet. Kids buffet in the Kid's club also. Cribs are also available.

Room:

Was more than large enough, lots of hangers, closet space and drawers to put things away. Good countertop room.

TV - not many english channels but we don't go on vacation to watch TV - there is one children's english channel.

Only a shower but it was large enough for our family three to fit in and there was a neat bench in it which was handy for things like shaving legs.

We were in building 12, room 12169 and 12133, which is connected to main lobby but located near the spa, gym. Also a short walk to the pool and a towel hut. It was a very quiet building which is what we requested.

Mosquitos and Bugs:

Mosquitos, yes but with a huge caveat. I am prone to being bitten by them. Doesn't matter where I am a mosquito will bite me. If there is a single mosquito in the area - I swear it finds me. We had 5 people in our party traveling. I was the only one that got bitten.

I probably got bitten 5 times on the resort only at night while watching shows. Where I got eaten alive was Aktun Chen - caving and in Xcaret Park on some of the ecowalk paths.

We had a ground floor room - I was expecting bugs, ants, etc and we had none - we saw the grounds keepers out spraying regularly.

Pools:

This resort has a lot of pools and they are quite large which was nice. A lot of chairs also - as I mentioned early no need to play the towel game. The main pool is in three distinct sections:

1) top section - fun club - busiest and nosiest area

2) middle section - swim up bar - above the swim up bar a la carte lunch restaurant (no reservation required and a GREAT spot for lunch)

3) lower section had these neats bubble/whirlpool set into them and lot of loungers in the water

There is a second quiet pool - meaning the fun club is not allowed near it that is almost 2/3rds the size of the main people.

There are some adult only salt-water fed pools down in front of the beach restaurant (great place for brekkie and lunch looking onto the ocean).

Drinks and Minibar:

No restrictions. Yes, coffee makers in the rooms. And a mini-fridge with Modelo beer (only 2 cans but you could leave a note with tip for more), water and some assorted flavours of pop.

You might read in other reviews on drinks being "weak" this is the case in certain bars but not others.

For instance the bartenders at the swim-up bar try to get you drunk - they'll mix you double, triple anything and were constantly doing rounds of shots for the whole bar - sometimes 5 shots in the span of 15 minutes. And you did NOT have to tip for this service (though we did usually at the end of the day).

But at dinner when the waiter goes to the bar and orders your drink - it'll be weak.

If you ask for double/strong etc they will provide. You can also ask for a different rum to be used etc. quite accommodating.

Tipping:

We always tip but you did NOT have to tip to get good service here. On occasion we ran out of small change the service was the same nonetheless.

SUNSCREEN!!!!

One thing that took us by surprise was how damn strong the sun was in Mexico. I am fairly tanned in general. I was born in South America. When in Cuba and DR, I never needed more than 15SPF and would not burn.

I wore 30 SPF after seeing the sunburns around the pool my first day. And I got burned - slightly not too bad but burned nonetheless.

There were a lot of miserable sunburnt people around.

We bought something called Ozono 70 SPF (silver container) made by Hawaiian Tropic in Walmart, this is not biodegradable. And I used it for the rest of the week. I still came home with one of my darkest tans ever and did not burn.

So you might want to consider depending a higher SPF in the event anyone traveling is prone to sunburn.

Cost for sunscreen in PDC's walmart was from $5usd - $10usd depending on the brand you bought. At the resort it will be closer to $25usd.

Excursions:

We did Xcaret Park, heck it was free, the entrance is REALLY close to the buffet restaurant so come back and forth for food. Choose a somewhat overcast, breezy day to go on. We went on a blue, not a cloud in the sky day, with zero breeze and it was about 40c with the humidity. There is A LOT of walking to get from point A to B with not always a lot to see in between. The underground river and indoor aquarium is a MUST - they were the highlights for me. It was a lot of fun. You need the FULL DAY to get through the park. We only managed half of it because it was too darn hot and my daughter was not enjoying it.

We also rented a car and drove out to Tulum and did Aktun Chen on the way back. This was a full day trip also as we swam at the beach in Tulum for about 3 hours. That beach is gorgeous and should not be missed. So romantic with the rock face and ruins overhead.

Aktun Chen was also worth it. Walking through massive underground caves for close to 70 minutes was incredible. Bring water and some mosquito repellent.

I have to say if you are comfortable driving, it's much cheaper to make your own tours and travel on your own timetable.

We've been in Cuba and DR and the tours I saw advertised in the resort were REALLY expensive in comparison. Several tours companies have reps within the resort so make sure you shop them.

The resort does not offer a shuttle but cabs are a plenty. It's $10USD flat rate into Playa Del Carmen which has plenty of places to drink, eat at and shop.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN: OCCIDENTAL GRAND XCARET
February 2007
Miranda & family (baby 13mos.)

My husband and 13-month old son and were joined by my husband's parents who flew in from another city. We chose this resort based on reviews we read a few years ago, the great deal, and current reviews that we read. Let me say that from about a month before our trip when I communicated with the resort with questions about traveling there with our young son, I was very impressed. All of our questions via email were answered quickly and professionally by the concierge of guest services, Luca Labate.

Points about taking a baby to this resort:

• WOW! Every single staff person we came across went out of their way to interact with the baby. I can't think of a single person we saw that didn't at least smile and say hola! Most stopped to talk right to the baby or even asked to pick him up! Wonderful!
• There was no shortage of high chairs anywhere. They even let us borrow one from the Paco's Tacos area before it opened one night so we could give him a quiet early dinner upstairs. They were sometimes sanitized (you could tell because it was covered in saran wrap afterwards) but always cleaned. We carried wipes with us so we could wipe them down. They were sturdy and safe with lap belts.
• They had baby bath tubs but we just used the shower.
• A crib was ready for us in the room (we let guest services know ahead of time but otherwise you just pop over there as soon as you get there to get one). It was safe, sturdy and had a good mattress. It was on castors so we pushed it against a wall and put the two outer legs in my husband's shoes so our little one couldn't move it across the floor when he jumped in it! We brought our own mattress cover and sheet. There is a big waffle-weave white blanket in the closet. We folded it longways and wove it in and out of the rungs to act like a crib bumper and it covered the two short sides and one long side. He slept very well in it.
• We stayed in building 16. 15 or 16 are great with little ones as it is a quieter area but right at the "quiet" pool which is the one with lots of palapas for shade and a nice shallow area. This location is also within about 3 min of the beach area and 1 min of the lobby area.
• It is a bit noisy through the day with people talking and shutting doors (it's just the way it is with open corridors and marble floors) and at night until 10pm or so when things start to settle. We brought a sound machine and that helped baby sleep uninterrupted.
• There were enough outlets handy that we could plug in the bottle warmer in the bathroom, the monitor on one side of the tv cabinet (had to unplug a table lamp) and the sound machine on the floor by the crib near the sliding door.
• Baby drank the milk and bottled water and was absolutely fine. Any bar or restaurant we asked was more than happy to fill up our bottle with milk (we kept a water bottle filled with it in the fridge) and we brought a bottle warmer from home.
• Baby ate lots of the resort food and was absolutely fine. He ate bread, cream cheese, jam, yogurt and fruit for breakfasts, and lots of grilled fish, chicken and veggies at other meals. The a la carte restaurants have a children's menu and we were thrilled with their intelligence of bringing the baby's plate out first (usually by the time we had our appetizers). What a great idea! Our dr. warned us against giving raw fruit or veggies to him so I only gave bananas and oranges that I could peel myself, strawberries and grapes that I rewashed in bottled water and canned peaches and pineapple from the buffet in the mornings. I brought little applesauces, fruit cups and dehydrated fruits from home for him as well as other little snacks like cheese strings, cheerios, crackers, etc. I brought little containers to take away food for him and usually brought things like bananas, yogurt, cottage cheese, rolls, and other fruit back to our fridge for snacks or an early dinner. They will also give you a tray or plastic plate to take food out for your little one at the buffets.

Other resort comments: Arrival - we arrived in Cancun via Westjet with Nolitours and had a great flight. It was quite a long trip to the resort with the bus - we were the second stop and it still took us 1.5 hours to get there. The resort is really only about 45 min from the airport but for some reason we drove all of the way across Playa del Carmen to do one stop and then had to drive all of the way back.

Arrival to resort - We were greeted with a drink and a smile at the front desk. We arrived at 1pm and our room was ready. Our email request for a specific building and area was granted. We immediately went to guest services to book our a la cartes and was greeted by Luca Labate whom we had communicated with via email. He knew exactly who we were and we thanked him for taking such good care of us. It was absolutely no problem to make our reservations but apparently it was a slower few days that we had arrived within.

Room - we requested a room in building 15-16. We stayed on the second floor of building 16. For us, this was a fantastic location. The "quiet" pool is right at your door step and you are very close to the beach area (about a 3 min walk) and the lobby area (about a 2 min walk) yet far enough away that it is nice and quiet. We wanted this for our little one's night sleeps and naps. Our room was large with a king sized bed. The room has a huge double closet, large bathroom with a great shower, a very well stocked fridge (we didn't even ask, maybe they noticed we had a baby, but it was always full of water and there was lots of room to tuck extra snacks for the baby). The beds were hard but they always seem to be. The pillows were firm but there are two large soft pillows in the closet you can use. Our room didn't smell musty but our clothes did when we got home - that's just how it is! Rooms were cleaned by the baby's naptime at 9:45 each morning. Beware the sliding patio door - if you shut it tight when you are outside it's pretty tricky to open up again as there is no handle outside!

Restaurants - we loved eating breakfast and lunch at the beach buffet each day. We hit the main buffet for one or two of these meals but the atmosphere just isn't the same when you can be looking out at the ocean. Ate once at the pool snack bar and found it too busy and crowded with a little one. The food was good in the buffets, not the best we'd ever had but enough variety. The theme nights weren't that spectacular but interestingly enough the oriental seemed to be the most authentic one. We were a little disappointed that there wasn't a Mexican station every night in the buffet but the kid's buffet was a nice touch. We noticed the food didn't seem as oily and greasy as it usually does at AI resorts. We ate at Paco's Tacos (good but nothing spectacular), the Mexican (very good), the Seafood (great) and the Steakhouse (my favourite - remember steak is different in Mexico!). We all noticed that the food did not have that general heavy oily taste to it typical at AI resorts. No one in our party had any stomach problems AT ALL. Not even a tums was needed!

Drinks - great. None of ours even seemed watered down! If you wanted a drink toned down or a specific brand they were more than happy to accommodate you. At all of the bars we visited, there were both alcoholic and virgin drink menus handy. The dirty monkey was my favourite!

Pools - excellent. They are on the cooler side in the morning but definitely warm up in the afternoon, even on a cloudy day. We spent most of our time at the "quiet" pool which was not very busy and had lots of palapas (even ones with sheer drapes). It is very large and has it's own bar, washroom and towel stand. It was very clean. We only spent a short time at the fun club pool but it is HUGE! It winds through one half of the resort. It stopped at some points when there was a bridge over it. It was nice because there were busier, noisier areas but also quieter nooks. At all of the pools there were staff bringing you drinks and we could almost always get a palapa at the quiet pool after breakfast.

Beach – It’s a man made beach and says so in all of the resort literature. We knew this coming in and were happy with what we saw. There are three levels of chairs but it never seemed too crowded, the only place that seemed tough to get were the 8-10 beds on the upper two levels. The water was cold but clear and you could see tons of fish.

Grounds - gorgeous! It is manicured to perfection. There were so many people working it all of the time, planting new things and picking up even the tiniest speck off of the putting greens! It is lush and tropical. Loved it! The little animal pens and "ecological" trails were a nice little diversion when you wanted to take a different way somewhere.

Navigating the resort - We were expecting this crazy, huge place with 10 min walks to get ANYWHERE. Not so! From our building, we were within a few minutes of the beach and the lobby/restaurant area. I walked from our building with the baby in the stroller all of the way around the "big" pool and was all of the way around to the lobby in 8 min. My father in law has one lung and only needed to take the cart once and that was because he had walked the whole day at Xcaret. The carts are very frequent (I know because I heard them every 7-10 min outside while the little one napped). There are maps EVERYWHERE that are very clear and even show "you are here".

Time shares - If you stay in one of the quiet buildings, you will not be bugged in your building as there is no concierge desk. If you stay in one of the buildings near the big pool there are huge foyers with some of the travel company reps (ie. Apple Vacations) and a concierge will bug you. From our quiet building we passed a cart with someone selling tours every time we went to the lobby/restaurant area and came back. They said hola every time and only asked us how long we were staying on our last day. If you don't want them to bug you lie and say it's your last day.

Xcaret - Great! It is wonderful that you can come and go as you please. You pick up your passes at the resort and it is a two min walk past the resort shops to a little stand where you get your wrist band. I took the little one for an hour in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon while the rest of the family spent the whole morning and rejoined us later in the afternoon. We missed the show with the little one but my in-laws enjoyed it. They went at 5:30 and had their pick of seats. The underground river system is unreal. It is a beautiful park and really all we needed as a side trip with a baby in tow.

Other diversions - we went to Playa and the main strip seemed the same as 3 years ago but the whole city has gotten huge. We couldn't believe how busy the highway was, the traffic lights and all of the American box stores and car dealerships. We didn't negotiate our cab fares and even when traffic caused the 10 min ride back to be a half hour our driver still only asked for $10US.

Sorry this is a long review but I really wanted to share our experience with the baby and share what we thought about everything else. We were so impressed and would go back to this property for sure. There is a lot to do through the day (though the nights are quiet) and you could easily stay for 2 weeks and not repeat a meal between the restaurants and buffet theme nights.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN: OCCIDENTAL GRAND XCARET
May 2006
McKenna & Family

This review may come in handy for those traveling with infants.

We were at the hotel from the 14th to the 18th (too short), but let me begin with the flight. We traveled with Funjet and had no problems at all. We are parents in our 40s traveling with our baby who is 11 months. We bought a Baby B'air vest (a vest with a strap that goes around mom's seatbelt to keep a lap child from flying off her lap in case of turbulence) because our daughter was a lap child and this vest made me feel better about not having her buckled into a seat. We bought a used one on Ebay for less than $20. It worked quite well.

The ride to the hotel is about an hour depending on how many stops you make along the way. We made one stop. If you don't want such a long ride, stay in Cancun - much closer.

Check in was easy. Beautiful hotel. We loved the trails throughout and all of the walking. A light stroller is a must if you are traveling with small children. Your life will be much easier, even if lugging it there is a pain.

There were many, many babies at this hotel to our surprise. We never had a problem getting a highchair. The first day, we got a fresh highchair that was wrapped in plastic wrap, so we thought, great, we won't need the highchair cover we brought. As time went by, we were no longer getting the freshly cleaned chairs and would recommend taking one of these covers. There were people from all over the world at the hotel and when you think of all of the foreign germs that your baby may never have come into contact with before - well, I like the idea of the cover. You can get them at Target for about $20 – light and easily transported.

We bathed our daughter in the sink – perfect size for her as she sits up well. Another woman with a baby was loaned a baby tub for her child, so they are available. Cribs are available as well, but we took along a travel play yard/crib and it worked very well for us. It is quite a pain to take down (we checked it), but I thought it was worth having. We let our daughter crawl about the room, but we had to keep an eye on her so that she didn’t go near uncovered outlets, nor try to pull herself up and fall on the hard tile floor. Other times, we just put her in the crib and didn’t have to worry about her.

We booked a simple deluxe room. It had a coffee pot and mini bar/fridge. We used the coffee pot to make hot water (bottled water from the mini bar) for formula. We asked the maid for extra water everyday and she left about 5 extra everyday (we tipped her about a buck everyday).

We put baby food into a divided dish that has a lid. We would then take this to dinner with us. The waiters never had a problem heating this for us for our daughter. Of course, we tipped them for the extra effort. Whatever leftovers were in the baby food jars, we stored in the mini bar. We brought along dish soap and washed her dishes and bottles in the sink. Perfect.

The sun is so strong this close to the equator. We foolishly thought, well, we’re not going to the beach now, nor the pool, we don’t need sunblock to get from here to there. Well, our baby got slightly sun burned the first day just walking around. Felt horrible. I wished we had an umbrella for the sun – I even tried to buy one. On the last day, I discovered there is an Occidental umbrella in the closet, so you should get one too. Be careful with little ones’ skin.

The little man-made beach is perfect for babies and little kids. There are no sudden big waves to come along and suck your little one out to sea. The little beach is pretty to look at and gives non-beach people enough of a thrill to foot the bill. If you want miles of beach to walk on, you will be disappointed at this hotel, but for us it was perfect. The pool has lots of very shallow places where your baby can sit and play - of course never alone!

Well, I hate to admit it because we love this hotel, but we got sick. It could have been a bug we took with us or maybe it was food poisoning. Nobody else seemed to have suffered, so I think it was something we took down with us. At any rate, we were astonished at the variety and the daily changes of the buffet meals. Lunch: At one end, there was a pasta bar, the other, sandwiches and wraps, down one long end of the area, there were burgers, dogs, grilled fish, etc. In the center, there was a dessert bar, appetizer bar, salad bar, and then the main dishes for lunch in the very center. We were quite pleased with the variety. Some friends we met, didn’t even use their reservations, because they were so happy with the buffet. I don’t believe the desserts were not made in the hotel. They were beautiful, but I believe they were not boxed and purchased desserts. One thing people should know is that things taste differently in Mexico. I used to live in Veracruz and I would make my same recipes there and they would taste different because the cheese is different, the spices, etc. We found the food to be pretty good. We were quite pleased with it.

We did go to the Sonora grill steak house. I had the shrimp and scallops with a grilled tomato and spinach (they switched out the veggies for me – very nice). I thought they were delicious. My husband had the rib eye steak and he liked it very much. We also dined at the seafood restaurant by the water. Wonderful. We had ceviche, salad, and Caribbean shrimp. They also brought us a “surprise” dish, which consisted of shrimp, muscles, clams, and scallops in a lovely sauce. Very nice. We thought this meal would have cost $150 in the states. And we even enjoyed this meal with sour stomachs. I drank margaritas and my husband drank straight tequila to help with the stomach problems. I think it helped. The drinks were delicious. It never occurred to me that they may have been watered down. They were sufficiently strong without being so strong you would get blotto. Delicious!

I recommend Xcaret Park which one day is included with your stay. I thought the show at night was very enjoyable although we didn’t stay the entire time (baby). I think it is a great place for kids.

All in all, we liked the Xcaret very much.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN: RIU LUPITA HOTEL
March 2006
Laurie & Family (baby 18mos.)

My wife and I stayed here for three nights beginning 16 March 2006. We have an 18 month old son. We were so dissatisfied with the Lupita that we decided to move to the Riu Tequila, which was a great improvement at a small additional cost. Note that our particular circumstances bore heavily on our opinion.

I agree with other reviews that the Riu Lupita provides good value for the low price. The food is sometimes poor but typically average, the staff and management are excellent, the grounds are clean, and the pool is nice. That said, potential guests should be aware of two serious caveats:

The Lupita is less than ideal for small children. This despite this site's rating the Lupita "above average" on this very point. There are three reasons why I say this.

First, there are simply too few children. Their parents were obviously more prescient than we were, and decided to book elsewhere. My wife and I found the lack of small children (and their parents) isolating, and we felt sorry for our son who rarely had anyone to play with.

Second, the "mini club", advertised to be a supervised play area for children, was never open during our stay (due--you guessed it--to the lack of children). The pool and waterslide were nice and well shaded, but the wooden play structure, one of the centrepeices of the mini club, was literally about to collapse. Rusted nails were sticking out of the bottom, there was a missing floor board inviting a leg to slip through (and come into contact with those nails), and the part of the structure to which the rope bridge attached was only a few splinters away from breaking off completely. We actually took some photos of this if anyone has any doubt.

Third, the bus that is supposed to be a simple 5 minute ride to the Beach Club and the other resorts (Playacar and Yucutan) stops only at the Beach Club, and guests must walk the extra 10-15 minutes to other resorts. Some may say the walk is shorter, but it takes at least this long with a small child and all of your beach gear in the blistering sun. Aggravating this was the fact that it was ENTIRELY possible for the bus to go the extra kilometre down the road to the other resorts--but instead one is forced to walk, likely to encourage people to use the terrible Beach Club, thus keeping the numbers down at the other hotels. Despite the inconvenience, we opted for the bus-hike each morning, mainly because staying at the Lupita all day was undesirable for the above reasons.

PUERTO AVENTURAS: GRAND PALLADIUM COLONIAL RESORT & SPA
February 2007
Splish & family (baby 12mos.)

My family and I just spent a week at the Palladium. I traveled there with a kid of 12 months, my husband and my parents (babysitters) I do believe this is a good resort to visit with a baby. There were lots of families there with young kids and babies. I RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!!

ROOM: The hotel provided a crib. A regular one, nothing fancy but it was solid. Because they can’t bring the crib upstairs they give us a room on the 1st floor. Usually we prefer to be at a higher level to avoid insects in the room, but don’t worry, the door has a sealer at the bottom and the balcony is closed. Also all balconies have a view of the jungle, so even if you are on the second floor the view would be almost the same. Balcony floor was marble and clean, our kid played there without any problems. Our room was a regular one, there was not bathtub but a very large shower with a hand shower, so it was easy to clean our son. Anyways he spent the rest of the day playing in the pools, so he does not really need to play into the bathtub.

HOTEL: The hotel is huge and there is a lot of walking to do. With the stroller we were fine, but if you have very young kids they may get tired of all this walking. Our location “Colonial” is the most central one. There are nice walking trails. Most of the paths are fine if you have a stroller, just 1 area has stairs, once you know where you can always find another path that does not have stairs. You just have to remember to bring everything before you leave the room because you may have couple minutes of walking to get back. There is a train that goes around the hotel, it passes every 15 minutes. It can be long to wait. But the size of the hotel can be fun because you can actually take walks around with the stroller and enjoy a new part of the hotel every time.

Kids Mini Club: Kids club is available for kids more then 4 years old. But you can go on the site with a younger one as long as you stay there with him. So we went there and they had big kids houses and others games outside, really beautiful!

BEACH AND POOLS: The beach was beautiful at the left end of the hotel. You can go into the water and there are no rocks. Near the center of the hotel there was a strip of rocks large about 1 ft to pass before being into the sand. On the right side of the hotel it’s more to do snorkel because there are rocks and fish. On the left side of the hotel where the beach is really beautiful there was lot of palm trees, so not problem to get shade for our baby. Also chairs were always available. They had 2 kids pools and 1 area of the main pool that has a built in slope (like the ocean) so kids can play there.

FOOD: We followed the advice of our doctor regarding what kind of food are safest for a baby, and ours did not get sick at all. We also didn’t get sick. There was enough selection of food to always be able to feed our baby and ourselves. We were always able to get a highchair at in the buffets - just some of them don’t have a tray. We did not bring our son to the a la carte restaurant, but they also had highchairs there.

It’s more complicated to go in vacation with a baby but this hotel did not complicate anything and lots of people were there with their baby and enjoyed their week. Definitely I would recommend this hotel for a family with baby - just don’t forget your stroller!

PUERTO JUAREZ: BARCELO MAYA COLONIAL BEACH
January 2007
Julie & Family (baby 3 mos)

Well, first let me say that we have stayed at the Barcelo Casino in Punta Cana, DR and because the service was wonderful and the resort awesome, we decided to stay with the Barcelo chain and try out another one of their resorts...Barcelo Maya Colonial in Mexico. Upon arrival at the resort we ( Fiance, 3 month old daughter, Mother, Father and Myself) were told that our rooms could not be close together, that a ground floor was not available( for baby and stroller) and that they would not be ready for us until 3pm...well it was 11am...so first impression was bad from the beginning. We changed in the lobby bathrooms and left our luggage in the lobby with all of the other vacationers who were told the same thing as us and they too would have to wait. We decided to go for a drink and walk around a bit, not to let the disappointment get to us...the grounds are impeccable!! The Resort is HUGE with lots of really nice pathway through the many buildings in the resort. The main pool is very nice with many shaded areas and lots of lounge chairs.

At 3pm we received our keys and off to the room we go with our 2 of our 5 luggage bags, we would need to make another trip for the rest.( because the bell boy was not able to take our bags for us as he was busy with everyone else’s.....and we would have to wait again another 1-1.5hrs for our bags. So still trying to smile we arrive at our room, what do you know but the keys do not work...did I mention that the lobby was a good 7min walk away so back I go to get the rest of my luggage and to have the keys reset...back to the room, the keys still do not work. by this time there was a line forming in the lobby for people whose keys were not working.. all this just within the first 5 hours....by this time I was very ticked to say the least. The keys were finally fixed, the bags to the room and us off to stroll along the beach. The beach is nice with the sand being a little coarser than that of DR. There are many families at this resort with lots for the kids to do. Most of the staff are very friendly but do not know very much English. The wait ( 2hrs) to book our ala carte dinners was not really worth the time, the steak house was nice but to be honest the food is virtually the same at the buffets. The buffets were GREAT, lots of selection and plenty to go around. The shows were mediocre, only could handle 2 out of 7, but you be the judge.

If I could suggest anything it would be to go to X-caret, but be prepared to spend the entire day, go into Playa for a morning or an evening to shop and for sure see the Mayan ruins! We rented a car and went to Tulum and Coba, YOU HAVE TO SEE THESE SIGHTS!! They were wonderful and were definitely the highlight of the trip. Everything said and done, I do not know that I would return to this resort simply because it is so big and problems will continue to arise if they remain as busy as they were during our stay, i will however return to the area because there is so many great things to do and to see that we just barely touched on.

PUERTO MORELOS: PARADISUS RIVIERA CANCUN
April 2007
Kay & Family (baby 15mos)

We just returned from 6 nights at the Paradisus, with our 15-month-old son.

Room: The rooms are nice, clean, and large. The beds are pretty hard but aren’t really isn't that bad. Every room has a balcony with table and chairs. We got a garden view, which put us pretty far from the beach. Of course, you really don't spend much time in the room anyway. The bathroom is big and quite nice.

We requested a crib, it was old but fine, I would recommend bringing your own sheets though. Also, our little guy moves around when he sleeps and there is no crib bumper, so he would cry in the middle of the night. :(

The TV in the room offers Internet chat and web browsing, which I used to keep up with clients. For our entire stay it only cost $15. If this is a necessity for you, I say open a Hotmail or Yahoo email account and use that during your trip. Otherwise, you'll pay $10 an hour in the business center.

There are no elevators, so if you have young kids, ask for a first floor room. (Email them in advance.)

Restaurants: The food here is great. By far the best at any all-inclusive resort we've stayed at. The restaurants are good but service takes a while. Kids are NOT allowed in the French restaurant, so if you want to go, you'll need to hire a babysitter. The cost through the hotel is a minimum $55. The other restaurants allow kids and are very good, but there aren't many choices for young children. The good thing is, every restaurant is near the buffet, so you can run over there and make a plate for your youngsters while waiting for your food to arrive. The service is incredible in all the restaurants and the buffet. They will do anything to make you happy.

Childcare: We selected this resort because it was the only one around that offered childcare for under 2 years old. I am a nervous mom, so I was very afraid that the nursery would be dirty or unsafe. It was AWESOME. They were always staffed well, the play area was safe (even the walls were padded), the toys were always clean and there were windows to check on the kids. There was a different room for sleeping, with pack-n-plays and twin beds for older kids. Parents are given a 2-way radio for communication and the staff does a good job of letting you know how your kids are doing. The staff also serves lunch (pizza, chicken nuggets...) and they do a good job of managing that as well. Outside the nursery is a small kids pool and a nice playground for everyone to use.

Beach: The beach does have seaweed, but it is not a very big deal at all. It certainly didn't stop our baby from loving the sand and the ocean. It is really very beautiful and calmer than in the hotel zone.

Pools: The pools are great, one kid pool, one activity pool and a huge main pool. There are some Jacuzzis, but they weren't working when we were there. The water is a little cold (even in the middle of April) but they do try to heat it.

Activities: Because of the baby we were limited in excursions. We did take the free Cancun bus tour, which takes you to a few different shopping areas around Cancun. It was actually nice, even with the baby. Plus, the tour guide tells you a lot about Cancun and the history.

We also took advantage of the free snorkeling tours that the resort offers. Just off the beach there is a huge reef, second largest in the world. The boat takes you to the reef area and you snorkel for about 40 minutes. It is AWESOME! You can go for free everyday if you want. They also offer diving, if you are certified, and your first dive is free as well.

TIPPING: When you book your room, I believe it says tipping is included. However, the waiters, maids, and bellhops do not receive any tip money unless you tip them. For example, the waiters only make about $4 PER DAY. Please, please take some extra money for the staff. Just tipping a $ or two will make a big difference. You will get great service, whether you tip or not, but they deserve it. We brought $100 for tipping and I wish we brought more. We tipped the nursery $5 a day, $2 at the buffet and $3 at the sit-down restaurants, and $2 for the maid. We also tipped the tour guides and the bellhops. I feel that this is VERY important.

LASTLY: On the day we were supposed to return, our airline was overbooked. They asked us to stay another night and put us up in the Omni in the Hotel Zone. The food was not nearly as good and the buffet was tiny... and they charge $75 for 2 adults to eat the buffet for dinner. A lot of the hotels in the hotel zone are older and more expensive. The beach is a little nicer, but the undertow is BAD and usually there is a "red" flag. No swimming! When you are laying on the beach, people constantly pass by trying to sell things. I am SO glad we spent our time away from the hotel zone - Paradisus is newer, cleaner, bigger, less expensive, and much better.

PUERTO VALLARTA: VELAS VALLARTA
April 2007
Andrea & family (baby 22 months)

We loved this place!!! We spent a week from April 8-15th here and wished we stayed longer. We rented a private condo directly from an owner online, so we did not do the all inclusive and therefore can't really comment on the restaurants. But the waiters/service at poolside were great! How else can you explain 4 people downing 19 margaritas in about 2 hours? Even though we were not on the all inclusive plan, we were still welcome to the numerous sample appetizers that were brought out hourly at the pool - chicken wings, fruit cups, mini-pizzas, etc., and were able to charge food/alcohol to our room (rates were reasonable).

The grounds are absolutely beautiful. Lush gardens with winding lit pathways, meandering goldfish ponds, peacocks, iguanas, flowering everything, and birds everywhere. The two main swimming pools (one with a waterfall and the other with a swim up palapas bar) are connected by a winding "river" you can swim down amidst the lush vegetation. The third kiddie pool was the perfect toddler sanctuary. Only about 2 feet deep and warm, our 22 month old was able to stand and bounce around on her own (with the help of a lifejacket, numerous pool toys provided by the kids club and an ever present Grandma). A kiddie playground is located right next to the pool, allowing her to run back and forth from the pool to the playground (about 20 feet away). The whole kiddie pool area is surrounded by lush vegetation (with the occasional iguana and peacock passing through to add to the excitement) and the meandering "river" with a bridge crossing. Goldfish food was available at the resort store, so after a long day of swimming, our daughter ran from pond to pond feeding the fish. After the first day, our little one repeatedly exclaimed "I love it here, I love it here!".

I highly recommend this resort for people with small children. The security was very tight and the U-shaped design of the complex felt very secluded. I felt very comfortable having my little girl there and we always felt very welcome. The kid's club looked great (our girl was too young) and there was a constant flow of activities going on for them - treasure hunts, water-balloon fights, etc. The peacocks, iguanas, goldfish and hundreds of birds everywhere were a constant source of wonder and excitement for our toddler.

The beach was ok, but there was a strong undertow when we were there, so lifeguards were asking us to get out of the water. The beach was clean, and they have chairs and shade structures, but the venders are very pesky. To be honest, the pools were so fabulous that I preferred them to the beach anyway.

We were never approached by any time share people at all. Maybe we got lucky?