Hi,

My family is planning our first 'family vacation', with 12 people, ages 23 to 77. There are singles and couples, with our 'young kids' now in their 20's.

We want to go away Dec. 23-27, 2006, and have just heard about Riviera Maya. So far we are mostly looking at Iberostar Tucan (we've gathered this info from travel agents this week). I know it's late for Christmastime planning, but we are doing our best.

We are looking for nice beaches, uncrowded pools, nice rooms overlooking the beach, a nightlife for the kids, shows at night for adults. My family wants all-inclusive, to make it easier (although we know the food won't be 'excellent').

Is Iberostar Tucan a good choice for us? Will there be a lot of young children during this time? Will there be a big 'young family' atmosphere? We would like to be able to use the beach and pools hassle-free and enjoy our time without noise and over-crowding, especially now that my family's kids are older.

Any suggestions on what type of rooms to book for this hotel? We are about to book suites facing the beach, so we can all be near each other and be guaranteed a beach-view. Our other option would have been no guarantee of where in the building we'd be, even though it was $140 cheaper. We don't necessarily need suites, but we would like a nice view, and would like to be near each other.

Any suggestions on how else to book this hotel, besides using a travel agent? Are there cheaper routes to go, and be guaranteed the same?

Any suggestions on how to find cheap airfare to Cancun? We are coming from the NY , NJ , Hartford, and Ft. Lauderdale. It's hard getting non-stops at this late date, and also cheap flights (although we just landed $616 flights out of JFK).

We would love to stay an extra day, but that would be about $300/person, and since my mother is paying for all of us, we don't want to impose on her. If we cut our costs somehow, then maybe we can stay an extra day.

Any suggestions and tips gratefully welcome!

I've never stayed there...but I'm wondering a couple of things:

Is there a minimum night stay at Xmas time? Usually it's 7 days. The prices are the absolute highest at Xmas time - usually double or triple...so you are really paying a premium.

Have you checked into charter flights? Most often they are direct and usually less than commercial airlines. Sometimes you have to buy a hotel package with chater airfare. If there are seats left, then they open it for air-only fares.

We stayed at the Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar in the Riviera Maya last Christmas. The IB Paraiso complex is a LOT bigger than the IB Tucan so even though they were at full capacity, it never seemed crowded. We booked a package through Apple Vacations. You may want to check with Apple and Fun Jet. On trips like this a package is usually the best deal. Expecially at Christmas which is the most expensive time of the year to travel. Iberostars are great. The Tucan is on a great beach and there are a lot of other hotels along that beach. The IB Paraiso complex is not near much of anything else, so the beach is more secluded. They have a free shuttle into the town of Playa del Carmen throughout the day.
If you are easilty bothered by children you may want to consider an adults only all inclusive resort.

I would think that at Christmas you would find a lot of families at the Tucan and other resorts in Playacar. The prices are very high that week and availability is at a premium. If you don't want to be around small children I would suggest an adults only AI. Tucan is a very nice resort right next to Gala Sandos and RIU Yucatan. The Sandos is the last AI on the south end of Playacar. RIU Palace Mexico and RIU Palace Riviera Maya are not adults only but do tend to lean more toward adults without being classified as adults only. The IB Paraiso complex is about 20 min north of Playa Del Carmen and is on the beach next to the Mayan Palace. I walked past it last week and the beach area was very crowded. I think the beaches in Playacar are nicer as far as not having rocks in the water and plenty of swimmable beach. Aventura Spa Palace and Secrets might be good choices for you if you don't mind being out of town.

A very good friend of mine went there last summer with her very picky sister. My friend had a good time; she said it was not luxurious but it was fine. She got a great rate so sometimes that changes your view of things...if you are paying top dollar, obviously, you expect more. Her sister, on the other hand, did not like the resort at all; found it run down and just unappealing. She ended up flying back home after 2 nights! I do know they went as a "family" with teens and an elderly dad in tow (in his early 80's--he loved it). It was family oriented however she did say there was some topless sunbathing at the resort. If it were me, I'd check out the reviews on Tripadvisor.