Tess

We're planning a Thanksgiving trip with two kids (ages 14 and 11) and have never been to Mexico. Time is getting short and I really need to make a decision. The first two resorts are all-inclusive, which is really what we want but threw in the Omni for consideration since we're frequent guests at Omni's and are often upgraded. Anyhow, good pools, great beaches and total relaxation are what we're after. Kids clubs aren't important but nice rooms are. Do any of these places stand out above the rest or is there someplace else that I'm missing entirely? We've also thought about Atlantis in the Bahamas or someplace in Jamaica or Aruba. We've stayed at Beaches Negril before and loved it but it's really too pricey for this trip--I've set a budget of about $4000.

MFNYC

I prefer the PDC area over cancun in general. I've never stayed at the Iberostar but it does get good reviews here. It is very close to the town of PDC. We did stay at Barcelo Maya. My kids were the same ages. They loved it, and we also enjoyed ourselves. It is not as closed to PDC as the Iberstar (probably a 20 minute cab ride). The beach at Barcelo is very nice. That's one of the reasons we chose it. I would say the food is comparable to other AI we've been to. Not great but acceptable and none of us had trouble finding something to eat (and my son is very picky). I prefer the items freshly cooked (grilled foods, fresh baked croissants, omelets, etc), as opposed to the steam table type choices. There is a snorkelling area right at the resort off a dock. If you bring bread, the fish surround you. This resort also had some nice tennis courts and a basketball court that seemed never to be in use. My son (the 11 yr old) was the only one of us to participate in any organized activities. He did ping pong, basketball and soccer games and contests (mostly teens and some adults participated in these). He really enjoyed those activities. The pool was a large freeform pool. There was never a problem finding a shaded spot at either the beach or pool. The resort is quite large and there is a decent amount of walking involved. It is beautifully landscaped. The rooms were average in size. There was not a lot of drawer or shelf space but we managed. The biggest problem we had was when the cleaned the room, they never gave us enough towels for a family of 4. Everyday we had to ask for extra towels. We were on the ground level which has sliding doors with alittle patio area. The upper floor have terraces.

Tess

Were you happy with your room location and where was it? Hearing nightclub noise in our room drives me crazy (no one else in the family cares)--I don't mind walking if it's quiet.

I now have another resort to throw into the mix. After posting this morning I talked with a travel agent who ranted about the Iberostar in Cozumel. Don't know anything about this resort and haven't had time to do Internet searches yet.

Thanks for your post, MFNYC.

MFNYC

We were no were near the night club, but probably in one of the furthest locations from the pool and dining areas. The nice part was room was on the far end of the resort so our patio just faced open space (no buildings) and few people. It is a BIG resort. There are many building that would not be close to noise (nightclub noise would also drive me crazy). The buildings run perpendicular to the beach. We were in the end nearest the entrance to the resort, the end nearer to the pool/beach would have been a shorter walk.

Another resort I've come across that is near Barcelo is Fiesta Grand (also called the Grand Pallidium, I don't know which is the current name). It looked intesting.

Kayc

We stayed at the Iberostar Tucan in February of this year and absolutely loved it...Very friendly staff...beautiful grounds and beach...Playa Del Carmen is only a 5 minute taxi ride...and they have taxis parked at the Resort...You just have to ask for them to call one for you...Playa Del Carmen was great...My two older children loved it...the whole area you feel very safe even outside the Resort walking down the street to the shopping mall. We are already planning on going back next year...They do have activities for the kids daily...

1Mandy1

Cannot comment on Iberostar, but have stayed at the Omni in Cancun and it is a wonderful resort. It is located on the southern end of the hotel zone and has a beautiful beach area. They have an optional all-inclusive which is one of the better all inclusives in Cancun. The service, food & grounds are great!

1Mandy1

Forgot to mention that right now the Omni is running a special where you book 7 nights with the all inclusive package and you only pay for 5. We are booked to go there in October. Not sure if the special would apply during the holiday time, but would be worth looking into.

deirdres

Hi Tess! My family and I (myself, husband, 16-yr old son and 12-yr old daughter) spent seven nights at the Omni Cancun in early July. I had never been to Cancun before and I had never stayed at an all-inclusive. The grounds are pretty; the pools are nice with lots of lounge chairs. Good beach with plenty of palapas and lounge chairs (I thought the Omni beach was a lot nicer than the surrounding hotels). Food was a bit of a problem, I found the buffet restaurant for dinner lacking--my husband and kids were more adventurous than I--they tried a lot of the foods, but didn't really enjoy any of it. They have a snack bar by the pool which was good for "kid" friendly food: sandwiches, nachos, pizza, etc. They have a casual restaurant right on the beach--that was a good choice for both breakfast and lunch. Their "fancy" restaurant is an Italian restaurant-- Da Vainci's--it's all right, again, nothing special (although I've heard some people rave about it). You'll need reservations to go there. Service was good, everyone was very friendly--room service was speedy! We did a junior suite which provided us with ample room--but maintenance was a problem. The wall paper was stained, sinks had cracks and on our last day the ac leaked all over the dressing area onto our luggage--yuck! The room had a musty smell which really got to me by the 7th day. We traveled from So. Calif and to do everything--all inclusive,air fare and insurance cost around 4700. We spent an additional few hundred dollars to do some extra excursions--jungle tour, snorkeling and para-sailing. We found to do an AI in Mexico was much cheaper than the other locations you mentioned because we were traveling from Calif. All in all, it was a nice vacation--but it didn't knock my socks off! Whereever you go--I hope you have fun!

Tess

Thanks to everyone for their replies. NOW my husband thinks a cruise would be fun since the kids have never been on one. What's your opinion on cruises vs. AI for families? I loved the two cruises we were on (without kids) but remember the HUGE 'extras' bill at the end. You can drink a lot of Red Stripe and Dos Equis for what we were charged on the ship. Dunno--what do you all think?