equestriangirl

We are planning a Christmas trip with our 3 children ages 20,18, and 14. Any RECS on where to stay? Want great beach, water sports, good food a little night life. Also considering the carribean but airfare is crazy!
Any help appreciated

qwovadis

mexico.bookit.com

good prices on packages

Paradisus good teen programs for AI

For Carib

atlantis.com Paradise Island

maho.org St John

Spirit.com best prices first class for coach price for me.

Do reserve the high holiday season as early as you can

and expect to pay a premium for it.

Happy Planning,

schmerl

You are going at the most expensive time of the year so be prepared to pay high prices. Weather in Playa is great in December.
The Playa area is loaded with great resorts but we need to know if you want an all inclusive resort or a condo or a small hotel????????

equestriangirl

Yes I see the prices are high, we did expect that...we are limited by college schedules. Would love a resort (not AI) are there condos or villas within a resort preferably on the beach? Love small hotels also but would need enough sleeping room...

schmerl

Here's a link with listings of non AI accommodations in Playa. The prices listed may not be right,
http://www.tripadvisor.com/GoListDet...ue_Budget.html

Also...just go to this link. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...Peninsula.html
On the right hand side are frequently asked questions....there are a couple links there for info on non AI hotels.

MFNYC

Consider a condo rental within walking distance of PDC. With older kids that seems to work out well. We've done it with our kids. There are so many great restaurants right in town in addition to lots of shopping and nightlife. There's good public transportation to many sights (Tulum, Coba, Xel-Ha, etc). The Cozumel ferry is right there too. You can also store some food and drink in the condo for snacking and maybe breakfast and lunch.

My kids liked the freedom to go in and out of town on their own. There are also large grocery stores right in the area as well. We ate everywhere from nice restaurants to taco stands off the beaten path. We never had any problems. The condo also supplied bottle water. My kids also enjoyed having their own rooms, and the extra bathroom and washer/dryer comes in handy.

equestriangirl

MFNYC , That is great advice. How did you access the beach?

colokid

Beaches in Mexico are open to the public and there are many beach access points throughout town. The only place it becomes a problem, if you don't know the area, is in Playacar because the AI's own the property adjacent to the beachfront. There are ways to get there though but it's not what you would want to do on vacation. Most condo/home owners in Playacar offer daypasses to the Reef Club AI in Playacar. In PDC there's no problem accessing the beach.

MFNYC

We stayed at Xaman Ha condos. They are very convenient to town (about 3 blocks to 5th av) and are on the ocean. there is a pool area overlooking the beach with lots of lounge chairs, and a swim-up bar (which we never used because we kept food/drink in the condo). There are newer condos right in town and at the north end, but Xaman Ha was perfectly fine. We picked up a cheap boogie board at one of the stores and just left itin the condo when we checked out. There was water sports available nearby for parasailing and jet-skiing.