orangepetal

We are in the process of planning a trip to Cancun during Christmas with 2 kids - 9 and 3yrs old. I know there is not much time and we are kind of clueless about what all we can do with kids. We are looking for a warm weather place and thats how Cancun came into our minds. We would appreciate any kind of feedback about where to stay, what to do, how to plan our days etc. We will be staying there for 5 days and 6 nights. We are looking into the resorts and there is so much to choose from!! Any inputs? Our boys love the sea and sand, so days by the beach is already in the itenary.
I still have not booked the tickets but as I progress in my planning, I will keep everyone posted. Please share your thoughts and help us plan a good vacation

Ryan

With two young kids, I might suggest you look into the Club Med. Great for kids, plenty for them to do. We've not done that resort but have been to the Club Med in Ixtapa multiple times. Great family vacation spot.

In terms of other places to stay, there are a ton of hotels. Really depends on your budget and how close you want to be to the more raucous parts of the island.

MonicaRichards

Akumal Beach Resort in Akumal (one hour South of Cancun) if that's an option. You can snorkel right off the beach there, there is a Monkey Sanctuary close by, you are close to Tulum and Coba if you want to see ruins.

JeanH

If you would like more of a Mexican holiday, rather than a resort holiday, consider heading over to Isla Mujeres. Easy to get to from the Cancun airport. Excellent restaurants, beautiful beaches, without the waves that many Cancun resorts will have. Very kid friendly.

MFNYC

The Playa Del Carmen area (about 1/2 south of Cancun) is loaded with many family-friendly all-inclusive resorts. When my kids were younger we stayed at the Barcelo Maya resort (a little south of the town of PDC, closer to Puerto Aventuras). We also rented a condo in PDC and we plan on doing that again this January. My kids are older now (both in college) and prefer being near the town itself. PDC is loaded with restaurants and shopping.

orangepetal

We looked around some more and are leaning (not final though) Cancun Palace. It seems to have most of the amenities we are looking for and has a kids club as well. Has anyone stayed there? The reviews on Fodors and other travel sites like Expedia seems to be good except for a few.
More than where to stay, we are more concerned about what to do. We will be going to see the Mayan ruins. Activities doesnot strictly need to be focused around kids but we are not going clubbing or dancing either.
We are not planning to get a car there ... is that okay? How are the tours conducted by the hotels? We dont want our stay to be too hectic, neither do we hope that we will be just sitting on the beach all day, everyday! I hope this makes sense!!

MFNYC

I don't know if this is still the case, but 2 tours were included with a Palace resorts stay, and you can visit any of the other nearby Palace's (Moon, Beach, etc) and use their facilities as well.

Many years ago we stayed at the Sun Palace with our kids, and would go to other Palace's for dinner or an afternoon just for a change of scenery. Sun was more geared towards adults though. Moon has a very nice pool, but sea-weedy beach. We also did a tour to Tulum, and Isla Mujeres which was included.

wittmann2020

I go to Cancun every year and stay at the Royal Carribean. Part of the Royal Resorts, you can use the facilities at all of the properties as well (Royal Sands, Royal Mayan, Royal Islander, etc.) They also have alot of activities for kids.
www.royalresorts.com The properties private but they always have the villas for rent as well. Beautiful properties.

No car is needed at all for Cancun. The bus system works great and the cabs are easy as well.

wittmann2020

Also, I agree with JeanH about Isla Mujeres. Awesome. Plan a day trip there even if you don't stay on the island.

dcorey

Staying just about any place along the ocean side in the middle to southern hotel strip is what I would do. Tours to the ruins are not too expensive but not something I would do with a 3 year old. Long bus rides with kids are not fun. Chichen Itza is a 3 -4 hour ride and takes all day. Tulum is a half day. We prefer Playa Del Carmen and just returned yesterday. Lots of restaurants and hotels along 5th ave.
Obey speed limit laws or you will get a ticket along the Cancun Tulum corridor. Lots of speed traps with unreasonable speed limit changes. We have been going there for years without a problem until this past week. We were stopped twice. Once we were going 6 miles over the limit and the second time we did nothing wrong. They just wanted our money! 40 dollars one day and 100 the next. The gas stations are a problem too. Watch them fill your tank and make sure you see see the final amount on the screen before they turn it back to zero. If you don't, you might be charged for gas you did not get. We knew about this scam but it still happend to us. They distract you with nice conversation. We took our eyes off the meter and they switched it to zero. What they did not know is that we saw what was there prior to the distracton. We nailed them but it took a fight to do so. Lots of people on the take down there. This should not deter you but just be aware! We have been going there for years and love the area.
Akumal is nice. Puerto Adventuras has a large aquarium with manatees, dolphins and seals that you can watch for free,or swim with them. Many restaurants surround the pools and you can eat and watch the shows at the same time.
Akuchen has a wonderful cenote cave and undergroud lake. You walk through the jungle and the caves with a guide. They have a small zoo and this would be kid friendly and nice for the adults too. It is down near Tulum on the right side of the road and is set back in the jungle about 2 miles. Don't let the road scare you. Last visit there we spent nearly 20 to get in. Not sure what the kids fee is. The cenotes along the road are nice to visit as well. Look up Cenote's on line and check them out. Coba is about 40 minutes from Tulum. It is in the shade. The pyramid is one of the tallest. You can take bikes to do the grounds or have the Mayan boys haul you in their bike carts. I would do that. It is a very long, long walk to the pyramid and well worth the ride. They will give you some history and show you the sites along the path. Much more to see than just the pyramid. Tulum is pretty, on the beach and in the sun. December is not too hot, use hats and screen. You can swim there if you like. There is a small beach and the water is great.
If your kids get sea sick, stay away from the islands. Save that for the adults. You see the same stuff in Cancun, Tulum and Playa Del Carmen.

hedimza

Hi We have a studio for 4 that we got as a timeshare but cannot go this time. The weeks that are not available are Xmas and New year's. Beside that we are in Playa del Carmen (better than Cancun, less crowded and more enjoyable to us) with a view on the ocean. Sand is plenty. There is pool as well. Food is right there at the resort. You can go on excursion with the kids and visit the cenote (water under ground; beautiful) visit the cities around and enjoy every single moment of the day. It is a great place to be for a family. For more get back to us. We have the time share with Sunset Group. Whatever you chose Playa del Carmen is the way to go.
Good luck!

SusieQQ

With children I definitely would not stay on the ocean side. It has dangerous surf and rip tides. Stay on the side that faces Isla Mujere. Then they can safely spend a lot of time in the water not only swimming but snorkeling.