Riviera Maya with four teens -- help!!
 

Hello to all. We are trying to plan a five-day trip to the Riviera Maya for June 2005. Our kids range from 14 - 17, and I'm looking for the best place to stay.

My travel agent recommended either the Grand Xcaret and the Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar (Beach), and from my research so far, I also think these look good: Xpu-Ha Palace and Gala Beach Resort Playacar.

We don't need the most expensive place (remember, I have to pay for six trips!), but we'd like an AI. This is their first trip out of the US. We'd like to visit one of the nature parks, go to Playa Del Carmen, and possibly visit some of the ruins. A day trip to Cozumel could work, too.

Any suggestions for us as to where to stay? Are we on the right track with the above choices? My big thing is the beach and clear water, and the kids all love a great pool.

Thanks. Happy Labor Day weekend!

I'd go for Xpu-Ha Palace. It is a nature park that used to be open to the public. It's close to Playa Del Carmen if you want to walk around and do some shopping. The beach is awesome and there is snorkling. Look at the aerial views on locogringo.com and you'll see.

I've heard Cozumel is a waste of time as a day trip from my dad and other friends. Chichen Itza is amazing - just make sure you plan enough time time to spend there. Recently went, but stopped in Valladolid, as a result we saw only half of Chichen. You can do Coba and Tulum ruins in a day if you rent a car -which I would suggest since putting all of you on a tour at $60-80pp is really going to add up. You can get a Suburban for around $125/day.

Don't plan too much, if you stay at Xpu-Ha Palace, you will really want to enjoy the place that you are paying for; there is alot for everyone to do.

BTW - a lot of bad publicity on Grand Xcaret - a boy died as a result of the hotel's negligence.

You might also consider the Iberostar Tucan/Quetzel. It's a bit smaller than the Pariaso and much closer to Playa del Carmen (20 min walk or 5 min cab ride). They have a sort of jungle in between the buildings with great birds and animals, including monkeys. Yhe grounds are just awesome. We have stayed there and most recently stayed at the Iberostar Lindo, which we loved but it is more expensive. The one nice thing about the Lindo is that they have restaurants for every night, but we also found the buffets to be great. We have rented a car on both trips and driven to Tulum, Chicha Niza and Xel Ha, and also down to Akumal to snorkel on our last trip. We took the ferry to Cozumel but have to agree that unless you have the time to rent a car and drive around the island, it's really not worth it just for shopping as the town of Playa del Carmen has fine shopping.Our girls are 12 and 19 and loved it, as did we.

Thank you both for your help! I've been on the internet all day, reading reviews and trying to check some prices, which is hard to do for next June.

I think my front runner right now is the Iberostar Tucan. I'm going to have my travel agent check prices tomorrow. I'd love to get booked by the end of the week just to ensure good prices.

I can't really find a bad review of the Tucan, so that is certainly impressing me...

Thanks again for your help. Anyone else, feel free to chime in! :-)

If you are interested in an all-inclusive, I have heard nothing but good things about the Royal Hideaway.

I'd avoid Xpu Ha. I have seen Xpu Ha, and the whole complex is very large, garish and the beach is a very long walk from many of the buildings there.

It was built on a turtle nesting grounds, so there are also sometimes environmental demonstrators and signs, but I don't know how frequent that is.

So many much nicer places to stay...

Try this site. IT's been VERY helpful to me.

http://www.debbiescaribbeanresortrev...mexrevind.html

If you want good beach and good pools for the kids, stick with Iberostar Paraiso or Lindo. Although 20 minutes north of Playa, they provide a free shuttle every hour on the hour I believe.
Iberostar Quetzal/Tucan would also be my choice - see reply under Your Favourite All Inclusive in Mayan Riveria. I loved it for same reasons listed by skigirl.

If you are planning your trip for June 2005, my advice is not to book now. You will get a better deal and pay less if you wait until Spring. We are frequent travelers to Cancun area and go around the end of June to 4th of July holiday and again in October or January. I've never had any trouble getting a reservation by waiting. I usually book only 2-3 months in advance.

Somebody mentioned Royal Hideaway. I would not recommend this for teens. For two reasons. They are not geared up for kids or teens. The target clientele is couples looking for a low key, memorable, romantic experience. I think teens would be bored. Plus, I think having bored teens around makes it less enjoyable for those couples looking for an adults only resort. I loved Royal Hideaway and I love my kids, but I wouldn't bring the two together because I don't think either would benefit from it.