mamaneedsavacation

Hi everyone,
My husband and I have found some awesome air + land deals to stay at various Rivera Maya AIs. We prefer AI, because our kids are 20 months & 4.5. We want to stay somewhere with a fantastic kids club, great pool/beach, good food (as good as it can be at an AI), and relative proximity to family-friendly sites.

Thanks in advance. The ones we keep getting quoted are:

Iberostar (which one, there are so many)
Riu Palace Riviera Maya
Occidental Grand Xcaret
Paradisus Riviera Cancun
Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort
Gran Bahia Principe Akumal

MFNYC

Moon Palace has a seaweedy Beach. The PLayacar and Akumal hotels should have very ncie beaches.

MFNYC

From what I've read on tripadvisor, Paradisus Riviera also has a seaweedy beach but I haven't been. I have been to the moon palace beach (while staying at another palace hotel). We (family of 4) found the beach unappealing.

mamaneedsavacation

Thank you MFNYC. I will definitely take that into consideration. Which hotel did your family stay at?

MFNYC

Over the past several years, we've stayed at the Sun Palace (not that great for families), Barcelo Maya and what used to be called the Royal Meava (I think it's called something like the Gala now). This year we're renting a condo on the beach in Playacar very close to town (so we can walk to restaurants). My kids are older (teens) and we wanted to try non-AI for a change. I really like the beaches in the playacar area, although I haven't been since last year's big hurricane.

colokid

Don't worry, the beaches in Playacar are still beautiful. I was there last month and am going back in a few weeks. The beaches at the north end of town are really nice too!

Brookside

MFNYC - would you mind sharing the details of your condo rental in Playacar? My fam and I would like something similar for December, but I'm unfamiliar with the area.

thanks!

MFNYC

I haven't stayed there yet, but in doing research I narrowed it down to the Xaman Ha condos. I was specifically looking for something family friendly, on the beach, with a pool and a very short walk into town (I wanted my kids to be able to go to lunch on their own, etc.). I also wanted to be in a complex hoping for other families, possibily with similarly aged kids. All that being said, Xaman Ha seemed to be the only place that actually met my requirements.

There are variuos palces where you can rent these condo. They are all individually owned, but, from what I've gatered, are run my 3 different management agencies. I was told that Playa Inn (which comes up a lot if you goodly Xaman ha condos), isn't so good. The other 2 supposedly are better.

I searched for a 2 bedroom, but would have settled fior a 3 bedroom. I actually had a hard time finding one that was available for the 7 days we wanted. Apparently many of the owners hold on to them for themselves, and at the last minue may release them for rent. I wanted to get something booked to be safe. The prices seemed to be pretty much the same regardless of the agency or individual you book through.

I booked through Tom at Travel 360. At the time he was the only source that found an available condo. He was very pleasant to deal with and seems to be an expert on the PDC area. The website is http://travel360.com/xaman-ha_condominiums.htm

MFNYC

Sorry for all my types, I still waking up this morning!

Brookside

LOL, MFNYC -- me needs a morning latte or two (or three...) meself!

I've been searching VRBO. It's just so hard to tell what the beaches are like based on the "owner" photos. I'll bet these are mostly agency listings too - that would explain the vague details.

Our criteria are much like yours, except my kids are older. One loves nothing more than hanging out at the beach all day and shopping, while the other wants to kayak, snorkle and jet ski.

I'm off to surf Travel360's site -- thanks so much for the info and the link!

schmerl

We stayed at the Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar and loved it. As far as there being so many Iberostars, there are really two complexes. The Tucan/Queztel is in Playacar and is close to Playa Del Carmen. It is smaller than the IB Paraiso complex and has a great beach, but the beach is more crowded than the other Iberstars and the pool is much smaller.
The Iberostar Paraiso Lindo/Maya and Beach/Del Mar are all part of the same complex. It is HUGE and has wonderful pools, but the ocean has some rocks in it and can get a little rough.
All the Iberostars have great "kids programs".

mamaneedsavacation

Thanks schmerl! We found a great deal for the Marina El Cid, and after agonizing over the Tripadvisor reviews, decided to go for it! It's a new resort, so we'll see how it goes.

binx

Before you make a decision I would encourage you to view and share www.brentmidlock.com and Google Brent Midlock. The site is related to a senseless tragedy that was caused by the Occidental Grand Xcaret.

NancyinMichigan

Just an FYI--read recently that Xaman Ha condos have NO beach since Hurricane Wilma.

comebackdamon18

I'm not sure how much help I'll be here, but we were just recently in a similar situation, choosing an AI in the Riviera Maya. We're a family of four, but with older kids (17), but I prefer the AI option.

We narrowed it down to the Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal and the Playacar Palace and went with the second because of its smaller size. However, from what I've read, the Iberostar has a much better beach...the Playacar one is now much smaller due to the hurricane? We liked its proximity to town, really.

I read great things about both! It didn't seem to me that there was a kids' program at the Playacar Palace, but I didn't check, honestly. Look into the Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal...it looked great!

Jeff

We just stayed at the Iberostar Paraiso Beach/Del Mar and it was the worst vacation of our lives. The food and drinks were terrible, the resort staff was non-responsive, and 27 of the 30 guests in our party fell ill at some point during the week for 2-3 days each. That is 90% of the guests in our party and includes 3 of the 4 members of my immediate family.

Hope this helps.