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-   -   Kid-friendly resort in Riviera Maya for March? (https://www.fodors.com/community/mexico-and-central-america/kid-friendly-resort-in-riviera-maya-for-march-820907/)

nyccandygirl Jan 9th, 2010 06:19 PM

Kid-friendly resort in Riviera Maya for March?
 
Looking for a good place for a family vacation with a 4.5 yo and a 14mo old. Would good food, too, be asking too much? : )
Thanks in advance.

locogringo Jan 10th, 2010 03:26 PM

I have two recommendations that come to the top of my mind. Azul Beach Resort. http://www.locogringo.com/pto-morelo...Beach%20Resort which they have babysitting bottle warmers, and stuff for little kids. Then The Barcelo which is a big complex but they have a water park for kids, and you can see photos on http://www.locogringo.com/pto-aventu...0Maya%20Palace and there are links on that page to the other sections of the resort, Colonial & Tropical, Caribe & Beach. They have some common services and vary in price.

schmerl Jan 11th, 2010 03:52 AM

It would be helpful to have more info.
Do you want all inclusive?
What is more important---beach or pool?
Do you prefer ala carte dining or buffets?

nyccandygirl Jan 11th, 2010 12:29 PM

thank you locogringo. i will check them out!
schmerl,does not need to be all inclusive. would prefer a place that has child-friendly swimming areas in the pool. and child-friendly shore areas at the beach (i don't know much about the beaches there). i think i am more interested in a reputable place, where i will feel comfortable with my kids and will feel that there are places for my kids to play that are safe. prefer ala carte dining to buffets.

schmerl Jan 11th, 2010 12:48 PM

The resorts that come to mind as family friendly would be the Iberostar resorts and the Barcelo. The Barcelo is a huge complex. There are several Iberostar resorts in the area. For great info about them go to this site:

http://www.iberostar-board.com/boards/index.php

MonicaRichards Jan 14th, 2010 11:23 AM

We loved the Akumal Beach Resort but it's certainly not fancy. The beach has snorkeling and is good for kids to play, and it's right there, though.

mom_and_jt Jan 22nd, 2010 08:06 AM

We stayed at Azul Beach last Feb and loved it. My son was 5 and daughter 1. We are foodies and really enjoyed the food but can see that it wouldn't be for everyone. We are not fans of buffet either so this was perfect for us. They had buffet only during breakfast but you could also order off the menu at this time. The kids club was great...good staff and selection of activities. This is a smaller boutique hotel which we also liked so when our son was doing kids club activities, we usually saw them close by. We would also just hang out in the kids club room with our younger one when she needed a break from the sun. This is definitely a family oriented resort so we never felt out of place with our kids being kids during meals (I'm sure you know what I mean). The staff were always friendly and accommodating. They have a kids pool that is small but we just hung out on the beautiful beach. If you are lucky enough you can snab a beach bed but people were going out before 6am to reserve them unfortunately. On the beach there is also a small playground with slide and swings. I haven't been to the other resorts listed above but have read about them and this resort is much smaller and intimate. Another wonderful thing they have is you can borrow dvds for the kids from them to watch in your room (or bring your own) and get room service popcorn...we did this almost every night! They have a great little snack bar with fresh fruit/veggie drinks made to order and excellent salsa and guacamole...sometimes very slow though. They even had jars of baby food readily available here too which is so thoughtful for parents with younger children. Beach butlers come with cold hand towels and appetizers or drinks. Bottled water is always available in the minibar and even by your washroom sink which I loved. So many thoughtful things for parents. The rooms are more rustic and likely smaller than probably what you can get at the larger chains but they were sufficient. The washroom we had had only a tight little shower stall which was sometimes a challenge. The sink was a very tall bowl that we had to use the children's food stool to reach ourselves. All-in-all I would definitely go back there again. It is on the pricey side though. I think as with most of these sun destinations, service can often be on the slow side and tipping goes a long way. Good luck!


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