snowrooster

I am in the early stages of planning our family vacation for next summer - kids will be 5 & 7. We like good beaches & good food! I can't handle the four of us in a standard hotel room, so would prefer a suite/condo/villa.

My biggest concern is that when I was in Cancun years ago I become very sick from the food/water and obviously this something I want to avoid. Would an all inclusive be our best option? Can you suggest destinations and/or specific resorts/rental companies? Thanks!!

suze

Hawaii ;-)

Seriously, I think any resort in Mexico you could run into getting sick from food or water. All-inclusive is no guarantee, they are using the same means on handling food, preparation, and products as anywhere else.

snowrooster

We have been to Maui prekids & loved it. I think my biggest issue w/Hawaii versus caribbean/mexico is that we have to spend 2 full days traveling (one to get there, another on the way back), plus the jet lag due to the time change.

Bill_H

My biggest concern is that when I was in Cancun years ago I become very sick from the food/water and obviously this something I want to avoid.

We always drink bottled water when traveling and we avoid buying food from vendors off the streets (even though I know most of them are safe) ... never got sick on maybe 35 trips to Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela and Panama.

We take the exact same precautions in Europe and Africa and in US cities too Maybe a bit too cautious but never been sick while traveling.

For Mexico beaches the most popular places for US tourists are probably Cabo, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun. One advantage of AI is you'll know who to blame if someone does get ill ...

Bill

snowrooster

My hesitation w/AIs are that they seem to be pretty much standard rooms (a bit cramped w/4 people) and I would prefer to eat out and experience some local culuture. I ready somewhere that in Puerto Vallarta the water is all filtered so it may not be so much of an issue? I also discovered some gorgeous condos for good prices in Playa del Carmen, but again, we don't want to be sick!

How do you avoid any local water at all - like with ice cubes?

Little_Man

hi, snowrooster!
I think the newer or better hotels in Cancun all have their own water purification systems. I've stayed at the JW Marriott 2xs and it's a beautiful 5 star hotel. The Ritz Carlton is even better. For a little less, check out the Marriott Casa Magna. All 3 of these hotels have been completely redone since Hurricane Wilma a couple of years ago. One caveat though, the beach by the JW and Casa Magna has suffered greatly because of the hurricanes. Used to be the most awesome beach. The Hilton has good suites for families also, and the Grand Ocean Front Suites at the JW would be great for your family, and they are simply awesome.
In Playa, there are some nice condos for rentals, and they'd save money. The nicest condo right on the beach in Playa is the Luna Encantada complex, and there are others good ones-- check out locogringo.com .

Little_Man

oops, posted too soon! Just wanted to say that I've never gotten sick in Cancun, but did in Playa, but as soon as I took a cipro from the local pharmacy, I was perfectly fine.
One more suggestion ... check out vrbo.com .. there is a deluxe new condo in Cancun, the Bayview Grand, which looks pretty swank.
I've never done all inclusive in the area because I like good food and not so crowded resorts.
I love this destination! Have a great time!

Pausanias

On illness -- the rules are simple, but you do have to follow the,.

Bottled water to drink and brush teeth. Keep your mouth closed in the shower, too.

I've found you can trust the ice in good hotels and restaurants. If in doubt, just ask.

Hot meals, no unpeeled fruit or salads.

No street food. Most of it is safe and it all smells good, but just say no.

Wash you hands frquently and/or use a hand sanitizer.

I think the satandards are rising in Mexico and that illness is less frequent than before, but following these rules has made it illness-free for me in several trips.If you want to avoid the high rises of Cancun and simply have a laid-back family beach vacation consider Akumal. Close to Tulum and Coba, good snorkeling.

Bill_H

I read somewhere that in Puerto Vallarta the water is all filtered so it may not be so much of an issue?

The way I heard the tale the water coming out of the main Vallarta water plant is clean, but (big BUT) there are various breaks and leaks in the pipes between the plant and the final user which can cause contamination, so it's not necessarily considered drinkable. The more expensive hotels often have a separate, second filtration system (in which case we would trust that water to brush teeth ... nothing against Mexican standards, I do the same thing in Amsterdam or Paris ... I just don't like drinking tap water).

How do you avoid any local water at all - like with ice cubes?

Resort towns have strict rules about ice, it has to be made with clean filtered water. At really cheap dining places, where I'm not certain they are spending the pesos on bagged ice, I just order something in a bottle and drink it straight from the bottle without ice.

Bill

beachbum2

Strangly enough, my friends who ended up sick in Mexico were at AI's Many friends went together to Moon Palace and came home needing hospitalized. I visited Playa del Carmen last year and had no issues. I did drink some water at restaurants and had a few frozen drinks. Looking back, I am quite surprised as my stomach is not one of iron. I fell in love with Mexico and am returning this spring with our family and again in May to Playa. We are heading to Isla Mujeres (a little island off Cancun) There are many americans on the island and I've met no one who has been sick from their many visits there. Our kids are 8,5, and 2. Many of the nicer places have purification systems for their water so brushing teeth is not a problem. I plan to take digestive enzymes, tums and pepto just in case, but I have talked to many families visiting Isla with no problems. We are staying at Ixchel Beach Condos (look on VRBO.com). AI's are ok, but like you, we enjoy good food and I don't want to be part of a factory AI and I don't want to be crammed in a small room either. I want freedom to experience local culture. Playa is a great town. If I wasn't going again for a friend trip, we would look at it for the family trip. Isla just seems to have everything I want in a family trip. For more info on Isla, check out islamujeres.info Don't let the food/water thing scare you. There are many precautions you can take and knowing where you are and it's history helps too.

suze

You could rent a condo in Puerto Vallarta and have more room for similar price to hotels and resorts (or less).

Ice cubes are delivered to restaurants & bars from the purified water plant in plastic bags, aren't making ice cubes out of tap water for commercial use.

TC

Our favorite place is Cozumel. It is quite safe both in roaming around and for eating and drinking. We've been going every winter for over a decade and never gotten sick. The small city has a nice family feel to it, the water is beautiful and there's plenty to do. If it a summer vacation, you should have no problem finding a condo at reasonable price. Cozumel has lots of very good restaurants -- from local taco stands to McDonald's. You can also find nearly anything from home in the local grocery store. I wouldn't recommend an all inclusive. The food is as likely - or more likely to make you sick. Quite often the food in AL buffets sits out for a long time. Its not usually that the food is "bad" or even the water. Its that your system can't handle the particular bacteria in the Mexican items. We have bacteria in food and water here, its just that our systems are immune to it. The water in Cozumel is purified, but we still use bottled for drinking. Ice has never been a problem. One thing that works is a product readily available in any drug store in Cozumel called Treada. It has an antibacterial that works like a charm.

Here's a good web site with general Cozumel info:
http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/index.htm

A good source of condos and villas would be At Home Cozumel. They've been around for a long time. We stay at the Coral Princess and love it.
http://www.cozumel.tc/

mexicodave

checkout La Manzanilla, Jalisco, Mexico on the west coast 4 hours south of of Puerto Vallarta on the beautiful bay of Tenacatita.

Just type in lamanzanilla on websearch and look at .info and .biz