TimesTwo

Hi all,
We have a trip booked to Cancun with two will-just-have-turned 4 year olds. I imagined us just hanging out on the beach but now I'm wondering if the kids will just be bored. Having never been to Cancun, I can't get a good sense of what to expect, or if there would be anything fun for little ones to explore. Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks

expatboy

Depends...have they been to a beach before? If so did they enjoy it? Check if the hotel has a kids club and, if so, what kind of activities there are and the timings and age groups. Perhaps there's an Aquarium, that can be pretty good for kids too.

If you're prepared to put in the time playing with them and supervising them on the beach then it can be good fun. The kids club could be key depending on what you want to get out of the trip.

Erasmus

Depends on your kids. Our kids love just hanging out at the beach and/or pool at that age. I could imagine others going stir-crazy. A lot depends on the hotel you select: that area has a lot of all-inclusive resorts that encourage you not to leave the property, so things can be pretty easy and convenient if that's what you (and your kids) are looking for. OTOH, if you're looking to go out and about, there are lots of touristy destinations in the Riveria Maya.

TimesTwo

Funny you should ask, actually. It's been awhile since they've been to the beach (although they loved it when they were much younger); we had a long weekend planned at a beach that was kind of going to be our test trip before knowing if we should keep or cancel Mexico. The night before we left, my son got very sick and spent the night in the ER, so we weren't able to take him. So there went that!

We're thinking of just doing Disney World again instead. Seems like the right age to do Disney again and save Mexico for a couple of years.

TimesTwo

Thanks. I've been doing some research and it doesn't seem like there would be a lot for our guys right now. But I might check out your suggestion above before cancelling.

erik123

90% of hotels have kids clubs so no issue with kids. Much more relaxing for parents than Disney.

Lovethecabin

I haven't been to Cancun since the 90s but we took our then 4yo to Xcaret (south of Playa de Carmen) and just last year (at 8yo) to Cozumel. All inclusives are not our first choice for vacations but I will say we had very nice trips.

I preferred Cozumel to Xcaret. There was lots to do on Cozumel. Our son had lots of kids to play with on the beach and enjoyed the off-resort activities. Xcaret has a park with animals and "cultural" attractions. My husband and I were less than impressed with it but our son enjoyed it and so did his grandparents. Overall, Mexicans seems to love kids and our son was treated like a little prince.

Mexico all inclusives can be a good value if you pick the right resort and know what you are signing up for. These were relaxing trips for us and much cheaper than if we would have gone to FL. I would be happy to give more specific information if you are interested.

StevenH123

Most of our trips are amusement park, activity centered, or to far flung places (Japan, Korea, etc.) so for us Cancun was a relaxing change of pace.

My 1 & 4 year olds loved it last winter - digging in the sand & playing in the waves at the beach. The hotel had several pools & a water-slide which was great for my 4 year old. I also took him on a wave-runner with me which he loved (I don't recommenced this with a 4 year old unless the sea is unusually calm & you are trained in ocean rescue). The aquarium was nice and has dolphin & sea lion shows. It was an easy stay-in-one-place and relax trip. We'll repeat it this winter.

TimesTwo

Thanks for your thoughts, guys. I can't believe how much I'm going back and forth on this. Whatever we decide, we'll be staying in a *wood, as I'll be cutting it close in requalifying for platinum this year. I'll look into your suggestions outside of Cancun itself, too.

Lovethecabin

This is the park at Xcaret -

http://www.xcaret.com/

I am guessing it would be about an hour from Cancun and you could easily spend all day and evening there. The grandparents and my 4yo absolutely loved the show at night. We are going back this year so they can do the rivers.

StevenH123

We stayed in a 1br suite at the the Westin Lagunamar (on points) and it was great. Room had a full kitchen (inc full size fridge) and a clothes washer & dryer. All in excellent condition. The have everything for the kitchen including dish soap & paper towels. You can walk across the street to the aquarium, a bunch of restaurants & some shops. If you are planning on cooking your own meals (we didn't) you can grab the clean & safe public bus at the entrance to the hotel & take it to walmart for food. I also saw that the hotel supplies bbq grills & utensils for cooking but I don't know the details.

CCYTravel

We went to Cancun last year when our son just turned 3 yr old, and we just booked a trip for this coming Dec.

We have traveled many places with our little one, and let me say this, Cancun is the by far the most memorable one for our son. He loved mini water park with pirate ship in the resort, loved beach, loved all you can eat buffets (he helped himself with fountain drinks and ice cream with all you can sprinkle sprinkles!), and just loved the whole experience of eat, play and nothing else. Ever since we got back, he had made numerous request of want to go back to the beach hotel

We didn't use the kids club even though the hotel we stayed at has a decent one, they have daily supervised kids activities. We felt like it defeats the purpose of family travel, but that's definitely an option there if you just want some adult time, and some restaurants are adult only.