Looking for an AI in the Mexican Rivera
 

Mom traveling with 15 & 20 yr old daughters, in holiday season December looking for an AI. Want to be away from the hustle bustle of Cancun, closer to off campus local culture; Wildlife, Nature, Crafts, less tourists (is that possible?). Want the ease of an AI, and to leave occasionally to see and get a good feel for the locale. To see more than what the resort has to offer.

AI resorts tend to be "touristy" by nature.
The Playa del Carmen or Akumal area would be good for your criteria.
If you want to be closer to Playa, look into the resorts in the Playacar area. The Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal is a very nice all inclusive resort with a very jungle feel to it. There are all sorts of birds, monkeys,etc. It is on a beautiful stretch of beach.
You may also want to look into some of the smaller boutique style (non inclusive) hotels in Playa.
Playa Maya is very nice and includes breakfast.




















































































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A friend recommended Dreams Puerto Aventuras, do you know anything about that one?

Yes you are right, everything will be touristy, and I am a tourist. I guess I want to be able to get beyond it without traveling to far. Or not as large and concentrated as like Cancun proper. Thanks

I think around Playa del Carmen gives you the best options. Then you'd have your resort, but also a town nearby to visit. Also there are various smaller town you could day-trip (Tulum, Akumal).

If you want 'less touristy' you could consider staying non-AI right in Playa somewhere in a local-style hotel or apartment.

You might want to reconsider the AI aspect of the trip since you seem to want less tourists and more nature. Keeping in mind the high holiday season is a huge travel time and many hotels will be at high occupancy.
You might consider staying around Akumal or Tulum where you can get easy access to ruins (Tulum, Coba, Muyil). Punta Laguna Monkey Reserve. Jungle Place. A kayak tour with Cesiak in Sian Kaan. The list can go on if you are interested.
If you look into Tulum, some places your daughters will love with gorgeous beaches are: La Luna, La Zebra, Nueva Vida, OM, Las Ranitas.

Yes, I think I need to make some compromises. I was going for an AI because I felt the odds were better that each of us might come across others of our own ages to possibly spend some time with. And I was not into researching every meal and activity each day. I was thinking with 6 days there (I have already purchased the air), 3 on the property and 3 off.

I read about Jungle Palace & that sounds perfect for us. Is Punta Laguna Monkey Reserve similar? And the Kayak tour sounds good. Tell me more!

There are many tours and adventures available.
You can contact Edventure Tours. They will set up your day around what you want to do and provide a driver and guide. You can zip line, snorkel in cenotes, visit ruins, etc.
http://www.edventuretours.com.mx/
You are right...you and your daughters have a better chance of befriending people your ages at an AI and it makes eating and drinking easy.
The IB Tucan/Quetzal is what you had mentioned..rugged and some luxury. You would have a jungle right there and it is only about a five minute taxi ride from Playa del Carmen.

Punta Laguna is a place you hike around at - in the jungle and lagoon/lake. The monkeys are up in the trees. It's best to hire a guide at the front - they know where they are....plus, I don't know if we would have made it out of the jungle w/o a guide!!! Lol!!

Pepper
Punta Laguna sounds great. The guides are out front as you enter? Are they part of the park, or independent? Speak English?
Any more ideas?

Schmerl
Have you ever taken a tour with edventuretours? Sounds pretty flexible, whatever I want.

Some of the guides speak English. Our's spoke a little, but my husband speaks Spanish so he translated a lot. When you pay your admission, you can ask for a guide (about $20usd).

Just got back from a week-and-a-half in Playa Del Carmen and really liked it. I stayed at Mosquito Blue, a smaller adults-only hotel that obviously wouldn't work with a 15-year-old, but there are a few all-inclusives right in town that looked really nice.