Last week, we embarked on our family vacation to Cancun and the Riviera Maya to be exact. I have been to Cancun a couple other times and remember how beautiful it was but this time, we opted to stay about an hour outside of Cancun at the Barcelo Maya Palace Hotel in Riviera Maya. This resort is part of the entire Barcelo hotel complex so to say it is massive in size is an understatement. There were some advantages to the size such as more restaurant options but also some drawbacks, such as the distance to get anywhere, even your own room within the hotel. Getting from the main lobby to any one of our rooms was a good 10 minute walk. Needless to say, we all came back with plenty of exercise from our trip. Not sure we wanted that in the heat and humidity but we survived it. I do think I would not opt for that large of a resort in the future though. While a shuttle was provided, the pick-up times were sporadic so it made it difficult to predict when you would arrive anywhere, especially with dinner reservations.
The resort and pools were gorgeous and well maintained. The beach was also beautiful and conveniently located within yards of the pools, however, we happened to arrive in the middle of a seaweed problem that is rampant across most of the beaches in the area. According to one of the locals, it is coming from the Brazil area and is becoming difficult to manage for the resorts. The pool was large and offered access to the pool bar and plenty of shaded lounges in the water. The water itself felt like bath water which wasn’t super refreshing but when you are dripping sweat, anything felt like relief.
The food was a mixed bag for us. The dinners were available by reservation only, which is challenging for a party of 10 but we spent a good hour our first day securing all of the reservations for the week. Thank goodness we had great dinners available to us because our only other option was a buffet with lots of mediocre options. Don’t get me wrong. We knew it was an all inclusive resort which can be limiting but we had done all inclusive before and always had great experiences. Being limited to just the buffet for both breakfast and dinner, especially for my picky family, was definitely a challenge.
The highlights of our trip came from the experiences and the items we checked off our bucket lists. My kids had the chance to swim with dolphins along with my brother and niece. Seeing the pure joy on each of their faces was absolutely priceless. We ventured off the resort for a day to experience some of the local sights and culture and had an amazing day. We were able to see the Mayan Ruins and capture a family photo in front of them but I have to admit, the weather made that walk brutal and not worth it with two kiddos not feeling well. The reward was by far the cenote or “natural sinkhole” filled with beautiful water and natural limestone. It literally revived all of us and I can see why they consider it the fountain of youth because of its invigorating qualities. From there, we ventured to Paradise Beach for the afternoon where most of us got to experience the “fish bath” where the tiny fish clean your feet. After a quick stop at the Coco Tulum Hotel to check out the famous swing bar, with limited time left in the day, our guides took us for a quick driving tour of Playa Del Carmen and then suggested that we stay longer and enjoy some authentic tacos from the best place in town. So worth it!!
The rest of our time was filled with feeding sea turtles (advantage of the freedoms of Mexico), having the boys try out simulated surfing, and enjoying all the water activities and sports the resort had to offer.
All in all, we came home with some memories to treasure forever, which is always the ultimate goal of any family vacation. Being able to step outside of our daily lives was such a nice opportunity to just reconnect and focus on each other instead of our daily stress and challenges. Counting down the days until our next family adventure!