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CLUB MED CANCUN YUCATAN has recently undergone an extensive renovation, and changed from an adults only village
to a family village. It is only 10 minutes from the airport, and is located at the southern end of the beach strip.
The emphasis here is on sports, with good equipment and instruction in waterskiing, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking and
tennis. There are organized tennis and volleyball tournaments, and fun sailboat races. There is also a protected
reef area for snorkeling right off the beach.
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| Club Med Cancun (waterskiing done in lagoon area on the right) |
The MOON PALACE is a huge resort with beautiful pool areas and lovely rooms , but the beach is not nice at all (lots
of seaweed). I found the resort a little too big for my taste (over 2000 rooms!), it reminded me of a Las Vegas mega-resort,
but some people prefer it for the variety of dining options and entertainment.
The IBEROSTAR PARAISO is located just north of Playa del Carmen and 25 minutes from Cancun airport. Everyone
I have sent there has loved it! It is great for both couples and families. Its only downfall is that it is
very spread out and requires lots of walking. There are 2 sides to this resort - the Paraiso Beach and the Del Mar, each
with their own lobby and different architecture. The Beach side of the resort I would describe as Mexican Colonial. The
Del Mar side is more of a Mediterrean look; but the rooms are the same. From the lobby straight back to the beach is
about 1/4 of a mile. There are golf carts and the IberoExpress (tram) to offer rides on the perimeter of the resort if you
need them. Be sure to bring your walking shoes! The landscaping is beautiful. There is a pathway from the
rooms to the beach through a jungle area. And what a gorgeous stretch of beach, with no problem finding lounge chairs
and a shady palapa. In the very center of the beach are rocks; however, to either side there is plenty of area to enjoy the
water and wave action. If the flag is green they do not allow you to use the kayaks or canoes (too rough). If you
are more of a pool person, you found the right place. This is the pool that never ends...starts out at a waterfall by the
buffet and meanders down to the beach. Plenty of shallow areas for children and an activity pool for water games.
There is a kids club, but it mostly attracts the 4-6yr old age group. There are 2 buffet restaurants, 2 snack huts, an ice
cream bar, and 5 specialty restaurants (including Japanese, Brazilian, & Mediterranean). You are given 3 vouchers per
week stay for the specialty restuarants, and you make reservations in the lobby from 9-11am. In the evening there is
a kids shown at 8pm, then the regular show at 9:30. There is also a games room with 2 pool tables. The resort offers
a free shuttle bus to Playa del Carmen (ask for a bus schedule at reception). The first bus leaves at 9am, and the last bus
returns from Playa at 9:30pm. It's about a 30 minute drive.
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| Iberostar Paraiso |
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| Part of the pool at Iberostar Paraiso |
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| Paraiso beach |
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| Paraiso Beach |
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| Paraiso Beach Building and Kids Pool |
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| Room |
GRAND COCO BAY RESORT (formerly called the REEF COCO BEACH) opened in November 2003. It has a great location just
north of the town of Playa del Carmen (about a 20 minute walk). I visited this resort in December 2003 and loved the location
and compact size. Very friendly and energetic staff, beautiful pools and beach area. Click here to see my photos and review. This resort is great value!
Next we come to the resort area of PLAYACAR. This development is located just south of the town of Playa del Carmen (walking
distance or a short cab ride away). There is a string of all-inclusive resorts here, one after the other, and the beach can
be pretty crowded in some areas. The resorts that I recommend here are: for adults wanting luxury and excellent service,
the Royal Hideaway. For families wanting a great kids club, the Gala Resort.
The ROYAL HIDEAWAY is for adults only, very quiet and upscale, and most of the guests are couples and honeymooners. The
price to stay here is comparable to Sandals and Couples (about $200pp/nt). All the rooms have a jacuzzi tub, mini
bar, coffee maker, VCR, CD player, and 24hr room service. There is a library with a large selection of books and videos to
borrow. The food and service here are exceptional. There is an Italian, Oriental, and Mexican restaurant (formal dress required).
All the meals are served a la carte except breakfast in the Mexican restaurant. There is a piano bar, cigar bar, sports
bar and dinner theatre (with professional shows on Wednesday and Saturday evenings). There is a snack bar and 2 pools by the
beach, but no swim up bar. There is a full exercise room and spa (extra cost for spa services). Activities include 9am
bicycle tour, 11am water aerobics, and 3pm volleyball.
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| Royal Hideaway Resort |
The SANDOS PLAYACAR (formerly called the Gala Resort Playacar) is the last resort on Playacar beach, and the beach
here is wide and beautiful. It is a compact resort, easy to get around, and the staff is very friendly. It is a
great resort for families and has a wonderful kids club, with an enclosed playground area and small pools.
There is a kids snack bar right in the kids club room for lunch and dinner. The counsellors will feed the kids
and take them to the show, allowing parents the option of a nice quiet dinner alone. For the older kids
there is a separate outdoor palapa area with pool table, foozball, and a soda bar. They can play basketball, ping pong, air
hockey, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo. There are special sports activities for teens (beach volleyball, water polo, pool basketball). Great
rates for families - first child stays for free!!
The only complaints I've heard are from those who have stayed during busy weeks like Christmas and Spring break.
At those times, there can be a shortage of lounge chairs at the pool and beach, and often waits at the bar for drinks
or for waiter service. The quality and selection of the food at the buffets are average. The food is very
good at both the Mexican and Italian a la carte restaurants.
Daytime activities include: 9am bicycle tour, 9:30 stretching, 12:15 water aerobics, 4:30 aerobics class on beach.
There is a small gym , 4 tennis courts with daily tennis clinics , windsurfing, kayaking, and sailing. The
pool area is lively in the afternoon with Mexican music, and there is a separate small adult pool by the beach (no swim up
bar). Evening entertainment includes 4 dance shows in the small theatre, a Mexican Fiesta, and a Casino night.
There are about 300 rooms (garden, pool or ocean view), and 160 junior suites in the Hacienda section (garden
views only). All the rooms have a king bed or 2 doubles, mini bar stocked daily with mineral water, sodas
& beer, and they offer 24 hr room service. The junior suites also have a sitting area with double sofa bed (max. 2 adults
and 2 children). The Hacienda section is located in front of the resort and is more secluded and quiet, with a private plunge
pool for each 10 unit building. They are about a 7 to 10 minute walk to the beach. These suites are newer and nicer
than the standard rooms but much further away from the pool and beach area. The majority of the ocean front rooms
have king beds only, and do not offer connecting rooms for larger families, so are most suitable for couples. To see my photos
and more extensive review click here.
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| Gala Resort Playacar Beach |
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| The beach |
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| The Pool |
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| Gala Hacienda Junior Suites |
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| Hacienda Junior Suite |
The RIU RESORTS are a German-owned chain, known for their quality food and excellent service. Guests here are mostly
European (lots of topless sunbathing). Most of the staff here cannot speak English. There are 4 Riu resorts, all within
a 5-10 minute walk. The RIU PALACE is the most luxurious, competing with the Royal Hideaway (although it does allow
children), but at a much lower rate (half the price!). The rooms are large and beautiful, much nicer than the rooms
at the other lower priced Riu resorts. One downfall is that it does not offer any guaranteed ocean view rooms.
If you stay here, ask for an "inside" room (facing the courtyard) upon check in. The "outside" rooms face the sides of the
neighboring hotels. None of the rooms have queen or king beds. They all have 2 double beds, pushed together (see photo link).
The Riu Palace rooms have a sitting area with a couch and table. Room service is only available for breakfast. Most of the
meals are buffet style. There are 2 dinner seatings; you select your preference the day you arrive (6:30 or 8:30pm). You are
assigned a table and will have the same waitstaff every evening. There is a nightclub with live bands and a marble dance floor.
There is no disco, but you can go to the discos at the Riu Yucatan or Tequila which are open 10pm-2am. There is a great fitness
center with modern equipment, a beautiful clean beach, and watersports include hobie cats, kayaks, boogie boards, and windsurfers.
Children are allowed here; there is no on-site childrens club but there is a childrens pool and playground area. The main
pool is quiet with no music playing. The Riu Palace is much larger and less crowded than the other Rius, with plenty of lounge
chairs and no lineups at the bars.
The RIU PLAYACAR opened in November 2000. The grounds here are not as nice as the other Riu resorts. The
RIU YUCATAN is their oldest resort, and shares its beach (which is nice and wide but can get busy) and rather small pool with
the RIU TEQUILA which is across the street. The Tequila gets a younger crowd (20-40ish) than the others, and is
more lively with a great disco and good entertainment. From the Tequila, the beach is about a 7-10 minute
walk down a nice, private pathway that runs between the Palace and Yucatan. There's a 10 person golf cart that runs all
day to the beach if you don't want to walk. The food, service, drinks, staff, etc at all the Riu resorts are fantastic. If
you stay at one, you have exchange privileges at the others (except for dinner at the Palace), which gives you a lot of options.
The Riu resorts are very reasonably priced. For more info and pictures, click here.
The IBEROSTAR TUCAN/QUETZAL is another wonderful resort for families, with great staff and service.
I love the jungle area you walk through to get from the lobby to the pool/beach area. There are even monkeys! The beach
here is very crowded however. I also noticed that the buildings are looking somewhat worn and could use some new
paint and refurbishment.
Leaving Playa del Carmen and travelling about 20 minutes south is the AVENTURA PALACE. I toured this resort just
after it was built in 1999. It is an adults-only luxury resort for couples and honemooners. The average age seemed to be 35-50.
The rooms are beautiful, located in 3 storey buildings, most with ocean view. They have a king size bed or 2 doubles, in-room
double jacuzzi, mini bar with purified water, juices, soda & beer, cofee maker,safety box, hairdryer, and private balcony
with a hammock. Room service only once a day. The big drawback to this resort is its beach. The natural coastline
here is rocky. The resort built a lagoon with a breaker wall, and brought in sand to make a very beautiful and calm area for
watersports such as snorkelling, kayaking, paddleboats and swimming (see the photo below). But you cannot go for long
walks down the beach as it is all rocky and unsafe for swimming. The location is quite isolated; there is no town within walking
distance. The resort does provide daily transportation to Playa del Carmen and Cancun. Another bonus is that they include
2 tours if you stay a minimum of 5 nights. You have a choice of Chichen Itza, Coba, Tulum, or Isla Mujeres. There is
a large beachfront pool with jacuzzis and swim up bar. Other sports include tennis, beach volleyball, basketball, roller skating,
bicycles, and a full gym. There are 3 restaurants including Mexican & Italian (no reservations required). The food is
great; fresh squeezed juices, excellent dinner choices like rack of lamb, duck breast, and beef tenderloin (at the Hacienda
restaurant). There are 4 bars & lounges and nightly theme parties. You can also use the spa facilities at the Spa
Palace next door - steam and sauna room, jacuzzi, reflexology foot tub, etc.
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| Aventura Palace |
The BARCELO MAYA is about 70 minutes from Cancun airport, on 2 miles of beautiful, private beach. This is
a great resort for families with older children and teenagers, with lots of activities going on. There are 2 huge
pools with fountains, bridge, and swim up bars. Water sports include windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, catamartans, boogie
boards and pedal boats. There is a reef a few feet off shore next to the pier, just jump off the end of the pier and snorkel.
There is also tennis, mini golf, ping pong, darts, shuffleboard and bicycles. The food is great, there is so much
variety. You can choose from four buffet resturants open all day. The night life is good, with a show every night in
the theater and afterwards there is a disco on the beach. There is a mini club for kids aged 4-12 located
between the 2 pools with activities from 9-5, but there is no sign in, sign out policy and it is not well supervised. There
is a large playground with swings, slide, and jungle gym. The closest town is Puerto Aventuras.
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| Barcelo Maya Resort |
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| Barcelo Maya Beach |
DREAMS TULUM (formerly called the SUNSCAPE TULUM) is a small, elegant resort located on a quiet beach
near Tulum.  I stayed here with my family in December 2004 and absolutely loved it! The food and service are excellent! The
resort is a 75 minute drive from Cancun airport, and a 30-minute drive from Playa Del Carmen. It sits on 2
miles of white sand beach, and has 238 guest rooms, 4 restaurants, 24 hour room service, fitness center, and a spa with natural
spring cenote and pre-colombian stone steam bath. There is a daily activities program by the pool and beach,
non-motorized water sports such as catamarans, paddleboats, kayaks, boogie boards, and sailboats. On land, there's a
bicycle center; a free tour will take you to the beautiful Tulum ruins early in the morning before the tourist buses crowd
the place. (You may have to pay a small admission charge.)
For more info and lots of photos, click here!
The AKUMAL BEACH RESORT is about 75 minutes from Cancun airport on beautiful Akumal Bay. A coral reef protects the beach
from large waves and provides a calm area for swimming and snorkelling. The only other watersport included is kayaking.
There is beach volleyball and aerobics by the pool. No gym, no spa, no room service. The pool is rather small and the
service was sometimes lacking, but the food was always good and the beach is gorgeous. It is the perfect resort
for someone looking for a casual beachfront holiday at a moderate price. I stayed here with my family in November 2001.
Click here for a detailed report and more photos.
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| Akumal Beach Resort |
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