Mexico with 2 year old
 

My husband, my 2 year old and myself are going to be traveling to Mexico in the fall. I have been searching for somewhere that will be clean, with wonderful beaches and fun things for my two year old to do. I have looked into Playa Del Carmen because of Xel-Ha. Does anyone think that this would be the best place to go? Or should we look more into Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, etc. I am open to any suggestions! Thanks for your help!

I have a 3 yr old...and we go to Mexico every summer.

It depends on what you want for your family. Do you want to totally unplug or do you want activities.

There are many clean and safe hotels ranging from small cabanas to large all-inclusives...again depending on what you want.

Our son is perfectly happy playing in the waves, digging in the sand and going for walks.
But I don't think he would like Xel-Ha. Your's might. It's a matter of him being strapped into a lifevest and being in the water all day. Honestly, I don't think it's a great experience for a 2 yr old.

I think just about anyplace on the Caribbean coast will be ideal, and while Xel-Ha *might* not be exactly what you want, I'll bet nearby Xcaret is (took my daughter there when she was two --- she LOVED it!)

IMHO, Playa del Carmen is a very good choice for a family-friendly destination. There's an excellent variety of hotels and restaurants in all price ranges, the place is lower key and less crowded than Cancun, while still having every perk and service that a tourist needs, it's pretty easy to get to via direct buses from the Cancun airport, and it's close to myriad great daytrip options (like Tulum or Coba) if you want to go exploring.

I say "Do It!"

Have fun,
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

Ditto to Playa Del Carmen over Cancun. I personally like the Gran Porto Real because I like the rooms, its very pretty and it's close to 5th avenue, but not too noisy.

If you want to do an AI with childcare, I'd double check to make sure there isn't a minimum age for the child. I think it may be 3 years old at some resorts.

I also agree that PDC is a great place. Some of the best beaches around.

d

You're right MFNYC - there are minimum ages for kid's clubs...and I think it's 3 or 4.

There's one place in Cancun that is age 2 - I think it's a Fiesta Americana (?) resort.

I'm another who thinks PDC might be a better option for your case than Cancun. However I wouldn't choose PDC just because it's closer to Xel-Ha. Even if it's a big hit with you, I can't see that justifying the choice of where you stay. OR if it did, then perhaps you should stay in Tulum or Akumal and be even closer to it.

Steve