Kid-friendly tropical resort w/ amazing food?
I'm looking for an ideal vacation destination to celebrate my mom's 70th in January. We'll have 4 families with 4 kids total (14 months, 4, 5, and 9 years), likely over MLK or President's Day weekend. We'll want warm weather (no to snow/mountain vacations — not enough skiers/snowboarders), ideally with a walking-distance beach and/or pool for kids. We'll all be coming from different metro centers (3 families on West Coast, 1 family in Texas), so Mexico and Hawaii make sense for flights. We're not big adventurers/sight-seers, and I want to keep it simple, so I'm thinking a resort is probably ideal (no one has to cook, everyone gets their own space, easy to get together during the day and play with kids) but have no idea where to start. The food has to be good, if not delicious; we are big eaters. Budget is flexible (we don't typically stay in 4- and 5-star places but are willing to indulge a bit for this special milestone).
BPN, what are your ideas?!
Parent Replies
Fairmont Mayakoba in the Riviera Maya. Lovely all-inclusive hotel, friendly people, amazing food, multiple pools (one with a small waterslide), very kid-friendly. The only potential downside (other than the price!) is the beach is not great, as there is a ton of seaweed. Nevertheless, I would go back with my family in a heartbeat!
Club Med Cancun met all those needs for our family when we went with two boys and my husband's parents. The best thing about it was the kid's program. My boys, who were 11 and 14 at the time, were engaged with kid programming from 9am - 9pm, stopping to eat meals with us. They even have programs for babies! My kids said it was their best vacation ever. The food was good and met everyone's needs. There were wonderful fitness opportunities for adults; my favorite was the daily yoga and daily salsa lesson. The evening shows were fabulous. The water was beautiful and warm. We went on a wonderful day-long excursion as well.
If I was to travel on my own I would choose something more natural, less of a resort. But with kids, this was the perfect vacation because I finally got a break from parenting and got to take care of my own health and rejuvenation.
We went to Club Med Punta Cana in 2023 and I really liked it. We had young teens so didn't do the kids club, but there is included childcare for ages 2 or so on up, and you can pay for a babysitter for babies. I can guarantee the 4,5, and 9 year olds would love it, and any of you that like resort style activities - as I do - will also like it. Water aerobics, water sports, tennis, pickleball, etc etc. It was not cheap but not crazy expensive. Nice beach, nice pool. There is a separate kiddie pool in the childcare area that looked nice from afar. There is a Club Med Reddit you might want to poke around on. The caveats I'll add based on your wish list is that the food was plentiful, a wide variety, and plenty of kid-friendly options at every meal, but did not blow our socks off. Some items were in fact totally bizarre and not in a good way. But you quickly learn what to avoid, lol. The other point is that the rest of my family is not quite the activity lover that I am so didn't pass their days as enjoyably as I did - some griping about how it was boring to sit by the pool all day. YMMV. Oh, and there is more smoking than the typical American family might want. Vive la France.
Hi! I just booked a 5-night stay at Velas Vallarta in Puerta Vallarta for this Christmas after doing a ton of research. It's all-inclusive, which we've never done, but people seem to love the food and the amenities. They offer 1, 2, and 3 bedroom villas which is great for large families. Several pools and a private beach. Good luck!
We've been coming to fiesta americana properties in cozumel and cancun for over 10 years with 2 kids starting from age 4 & 6 through now 14 and 16. All inclusive is the way to go because it truly feels like a vacation with nothing else to worry to spend (just bring tip money). I prefer this side of mexico as the water is much warmer - Caribbean side, we are divers and enjoy the sea. In Cancun the condessa is great and a quiet location but the food is slightly better at the Coral beach. We bought our time share in cozumel but we've used it to take friends and family (the kids grand parents) every other year to experience all inclusive and theyve all enjoyed it. --- Im currently responding to you from my Birthday weekend at the condessa and will be here all week. Feel free to to DM me if you have questions!
Have you thought about Club Med? Many years ago (probably 18-20 yrs), I went to Club Med Ixtapa with extended family. Kids have their own daily camp, and the adults can do their activities. There were trips available into Zihuatanejo, which was filled with artisan crafts and shops. The food was outstanding. The guacamole and especially the chicken tortilla soup was the best I ever had, and still think about to this day.
Hi,
My advice is to find a resort in Mexico since you have people coming from Texas -- the time difference and travel time will be much better than for Hawaii. Two areas that have resorts (that I can recommend) are Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. I would poke around the Internet to find resorts with exceptional food. Many all-inclusive resorts have mediocre food, so definitely read reviews or look at sites like The Points Guy (https://thepointsguy.com/guide/best-los-cabos-all-inclusives/) or TripAdvisor.
Cabo: We prefer the San Jose del Cabo area over Cabo San Lucas. It's closer to the airport and to the historic town, and Cabo San Lucas attracts more of the party crowd. The beaches in this area aren't great for swimming, but if you're at a resort, you'll have multiple pools. If you go here, I highly recommend a visit to Acre (https://acreresort.com/restaurant). You'll have to take a taxi there, but the food is amazing and it's on some beautiful grounds.
PV and area: Puerto Vallarta is a lovely city, though most of the resorts aren't in the main old town area. Definitely make a day trip in. You could also look for all inclusive resorts in the Sayulita area. It is a longer drive from the airport, but is a smaller town with a calm beach for swimming.
Have a great trip!
My friends and I just celebrated a 40th birthday at Villa Del Palmar (https://www.villapalmarcancun.com/) in Cancun last week, and it was lovely! We did the all-inclusive package.The food was great, and the suites were spaceous! It is touted as one of the most family friendly resorts in the area. It had several pools, and a nice beach that accomodated swimming and snorkling. Even though we did not take kids this time, all 5 moms on our trip thought that this would be a perfect place for the whole family.
We just returned from a week on Kauai, we splurged on the Grand Hyatt at Poipu and it was great for a 6 year old and parents. There are more shallow and deep pools, and an adults only pool as well. The ocean at the resort is too rough for kids, but you can drive a few minutes to the main Poipu beach to swim/snorkel/see turtles. We got the sunshine on sale deal (I think Hyatt does a similar deal at other hawaii locations as well), where the buffet breakfast was included and one night was free. I can candidly state that the buffet was one of the best I've been to at a hotel. We only ate at the terrace cafe and poolside at the hotel, and it was generally good but not 'foodie' level. We went out to dinner in the evenings, and one night we did the sugar plantation luau (with a fun train ride beforehand and fed the animals), which is great and pretty fun for kids and olders. Have fun as you look for great spots!