Cancun, Mexico means white sand beaches, tropical vistas, luxury resorts, and some of Mexico’s most historic sights, making it one of the hottest spots for a family vacation by the sea. And while Mexico’s Mayan ruins are an essential stop, the top-of-the-line resorts along Cancun’s Zona Hotelera (the Hotel Zone) are almost destinations in themselves. We’ve been to most of them and we’ve come up with a list of the very best Cancun resorts and Cancun all-inclusives for families.
To help you make the most out of your family vacation planning, keep in mind that pristine beaches, sun-filled pool decks, bounteous food, and a relaxing spa come standard at almost every Cancun hotel or all-inclusive resort. You’ll find that pricing varies according to the quality of the food and liquor (lobster nightly or premium brands), size of rooms, and proximity to the waterfront. You’ll also find that many resorts have “sister” properties whose facilities you can use at no extra charge. So please read on. We’ve tried to highlight what we find are the unique features that push these Cancun hotels and resorts to the top of the pack.
Our Top 10 Cancun Family Resorts
1) Club Med Cancun Yucatan – If you’re planning a family reunion where all ages (and all budgets) have a comfy room, limitless healthy food, and enriching recreation programs, at an all-inclusive resort that provides every comfort while promoting the region’s many cultural attractions, look no farther than the newly refreshed and expanded Club Med.
2) CasaMagna and J.W. Marriott Cancun Resorts – Among these two lush Marriott resorts in Cancun, the CasaMagna is a great choice for family fun on a budget. It offers all the same vacation packages, business amenities and services as the more upscale J.W. Marriott — which is certainly more luxurious. The big difference for families who are out all day will be the price.
3) Crown Paradise Club Cancun – With an award-winning nursery program for babies, lots of activities and a club for kids, a private teens lounge and five swimming pools with waterslides, there is guaranteed fun for families at this all-inclusive resort. It may not be the fanciest and its buffets won’t wow the foodies, but CPC delivers a great beach vacation at a great price.
4) Gran Caribe Real Cancun – Living up to their promise to “exceed your expectations,” this all inclusive resort has some really amazing family of five rooms. Another great reason to stay: There’s an onsite water park.
5) Mia Resorts of Cancun – If you’re looking for a hacienda-style a la carte apartment, or a total getaway to the white sand beaches of Isla Mujeres, the small Mia Resorts group has two value priced options for you and the family.
6) Iberostar Cancun Hotel – With a bigger is better attitude, the all-inclusive Iberostar (formerly Cancun’s Hilton Hotel) offers families the longest stretch of private white sand beach in Cancun. Attention dads! This is also the only resort with a full-sized, on-site golf course.
7) Moon Palace – This classy all-inclusive resort about a half hour from Zone Hotelera offers families the best of both worlds: tranquil Riviera Maya beaches and easy access to terrific golf courses, Cancun shopping and nightlife. In the special Family Connection suites available only to guests with kids, multi-generational groups of up to six can relax together in luxury.
8) The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun – If you’re looking for the best in food, opulent accommodations, and a kid’s program that’s pretty impossible to beat, look no further than the Ritz. Here, luxury a la carte is above standard.
9) Riu Cancun Hotels – With four great hotels in different price ranges, all in the heart of Cancun, the Riu Cancun Hotels offer families an all-inclusive stay that includes a kids club, as well as great activities for parents and teens with just the right amount of luxury for your budget.
10) The Royal Cancun – Sheltered from the winds by Isla Mujeres, this cozy, bayfront all-inclusive resort offers some of the most family-friendly gentle surf on Cancun. And while the resort might be smaller than most, it still offers some pretty spacious villas where families can stay.
Check out more choices for all inclusive family resorts.
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hope you all like it!
The Paramount Hotel- http://www.nycparamount.com
BDC- Broadway Dance Center- http://www.broadwaydancecenter.com
Ellen's Stardust Diner- http://www.ellensstardustdiner.com
Capezio store- http://www.capeziodance.com
Amy's Bakery- http://www.amysbread.com
Junior's in Times Square- http://www.juniorscheesecake.com
The Ambassador Theater (Chicago)- http://www.ambassadortheater.com
Al Hirschfeld Theater- http://www.hirschfeldtheater.org
I was the same way. I had my Bat Mitzvah on top of Masadah and was complaining of the heat. I didn't truly recognize what an amazing place I was in. I was fortunate enough to return last summer and had the time of my life. I look forward to seeing your post for when you get to return. I wish you all the best!
one of my all time favorite vacations.
This was one of the best trips I have ever been on.
I am ecstatic that I was able to participate in learning my heritage, history, and my parents past.
My trip to Africa was really an extraordinary experience, and I fell in love with the country Nigeria. I am so happy that my father allowed me to see my heritage and my family.
Truly humbling
I hope you enjoy learning about my experiences in Paris, France!
Thank you so much for this information. Multi-generational travel is an area that I am interested in, but it is not easy to navigate various ages, levels of mobility and interests. These tips are super useful!
This was seriously such a life-changing trip for me. I got to see a whole other way that people live life. It really opened my eyes and made me EVEN MORE eager to learn German and to adopt a more frugal lifestyle.
My experience with traveling to a foreign nation, in the form of a blog.
Going on that trip was the best thing I have done in my life. I learned so much, and experienced many different things, such as food, culture, and people. It was a great opportunity for me, and I highly advise others to travel as well. You will not be disappointed.
I recommend this or a similar trip for any future paleontologists. I have since been to the Field Museum in Chicago and the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and am pleased to have visited all the major paleontological museums in North America.
I hope you have fun on your trips, too!
This is my submission to the young travel writer scholarship
My trip to South Africa transformed my life. I grew closer to my best friend, as well as experience a culture very different from my own. As a result, my knowledge of the world has grown.
I quite enjoy I can feel the passion.
I hope you enjoy the lessons i learned over seas in Spain! I know I will take them with me as I move forward in life. Thank you for reading!
-Rebecca Krivitsky
enjoy my story, i pray it will reveal a new cultural avenue while still providing a humorous tale
This trip was truly life changing. It was the first time I realized that there is a whole other world outside the United States!
Thank you very much for your post! I love it very much! I will bring my family to Florida soon!
Thanks and support
Here is the website documenting my trip: http://madisongoestonewyork.blog.com/
My time in El Salvador changed my life. It is my dream that one day I will be able to return there. I can honestly tell you that my love for the people in El Salvador has remained with me. And I hope the best for that nation.
The summer of my sophmore year in high school I spent a week in El Salvador. This one week changed my life. As I volunteered in El Salvador I gained an amazing view of different cultures and life styles. I developed a love for El Salvador and its people. And my memories there will remain with me through out my life. It is my dream that one day I will be able to return their and give more of my time to those amazing people.
My freshman year of high school I spent a week of my summer in El Salvador. It was a remarkable week that literally changed my outlook on life. I have a huge heart for the people of El Salvador and the country itself. It is my dream that one day I will be able to go back.
My amazing trip
It was definitely a trip to remember that I'd do any day! 🙂
A trip to remember that I'd do again any day
It was a trip to remember. Every spect of it was interesting and something I would do again!
I enjoy traviling with my family and creating new memories.
I enjoy traviling and spending time with my family.
– By Ciara Bri'd Frisbie
Thank you for reading my essay.
-Nathan Shaw
Thank you for taking the time to read my essay I really appreciate it.
-Nathan Shaw.
This trip was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. From the Great Wall to the hospitals of Beijing, I learned so much about myself and other cultures.
I just love traveling. Disney World is my favourite destination. Above all 10 sposts are my favourite. I would love to visit all that destination.
Reading this story has been a stroll down memory lane. I stayed at the Diplomat as a little girl in the 1970's, and still remember how impressed I was with it. So glad to hear that the resort has bounced back to its original glory.
I am very glad to know that Disney Cruise Line is taking health so seriously, yet making cleanliness palatable for kids. These suggestions are also great for air travel, another germy breeding ground. Thanks for the info!
My family loves Cancun, and we have had good stays at the Oasis and the Sol Melia and the Sheraton too. Nice to see a new list of recommendations from you. Thanks
This is a really fun outing, but if you can't get out to the countryside, just visit one of those urban tree sellers. A lot of them in the northeast are staffed by college kids from Canada, who take a break, get into a rental trailer and drive it south, then re-sell trees they have bought on consignment to pay for the next semester.
I always ask (nicely) and I always get (with a smile), the extra boughs that they take off to make the trees look even all around. With some ribbon, maybe the wire from a coat hanger and lots of creativity, it's easy to get the kids helping you turn old boughts into beautiful wreaths for around the house.
Love the photos in this article!
Thanks for having this contest; my family loves Snowmass and it would be great to go back there. We took our son when he was about 7 and it was a great learning adventure for all of us. The instructors are terrific and we had fun, but it's not something we could afford to do right now.
Thanks for giving us another chance to go back!
When Jean Carlisle of Menomonie, Wisconsin heard she won a family of four Galapagos Adventure Cruise, she wrote us:
"YES YES YES!!!!!!!! THIS IS MY DREAM DREAM DREAM VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CAN you tell I’m excited??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"A Galapagos vacation has always been on my DREAM list!!…add it to a cruise vacation makes it even more special. I accept!!!"
Jean explained that she'd enjoyed playing along the scavenger hunt but was anxious about the random drawing for a winner.
"I didn’t sleep well last night because I was so excited!! LOL I entered the contest because I had seen many publications and shows on national geographic on the Galapagos Islands and always thought that would be a place I’d like to visit. I was first drawn to the beautiful pictures on the website and when I saw the contest, I knew that I just had to enter and would love to win!
"I’d like to thank TakingtheKids.com, TravelingMom.com and Family Travel Forum for this once in a life opportunity!! We are excited to make arrangements and show off photos when we return!"
So glad it's helpful to you with your teens, I've already given the Primland brochure to my own mom and her girlfriend who want to tour the Blue Ridge Parkway and look at the Appalachian handcrafts. This is a great base for lots of exploration. If you go, I know you'll enjoy it!
This sounds like a real find and perfect for my own family. I ma always looking for resorts that will work as destinations with lots to do for my two teens, and Primland sounds excellent. Thanks for spreading the word!
Thanks so much for sharing your dreams about the Galapagos; that's the way we all felt when we learned that the terrific Lindblad team wanted to work on this project. so excited to know that someone's dream will reallyl come true! And a 6th grader is the perfect travel companion.
Don't forget to post your a link to your comment here :
http://www.travelingmom.com/freebies/contests/3917-galapagos-giveaway-contest-entries.html
so you're sure to be recorded as an entry into the grand prize drawing. Hope to see you on Twitter too @familytravel4um @travelingmoms @takingthekids @LindbladEXP
If there are no comments on our blog, does this mean that our blog has been rejected, or that it has not been reviewed yet? thanks!
As noted, thanks to your enthusiasm, there are several thousand posts to read, so the judges will be done by mid October. Check back after that to see your status!
I tried following the steps above for finding out about the scholarship judging, but I'm still lost. Does it show up at the bottom of your blog? Or is it just off to the side when you have the option of clicking on your blog? Like, is it next to the name of your blog, the date it was published and then the word scholarship with either a yes or no? Thanks!
Crystal – you get an email