Cancun Family Hotels

The JW Marriott is great so I doubt you’d regret staying there. Another idea if you’re interested in getting out and exploring some of the great activities in the area is to stay a little south of Cancun. It makes the cenotes, activity parks, and some of the historical sights quicker and easier to get to. Moon Palace is well located for this and very kid-friendly.

Places to look with 1 and 2 bedroom suites (and kitchens): The Royal Cancun, The Royal Sands All Inclusive, The Royal Islander, and The Royal Caribbean.

Teens generally like the vibe here. It can be a little loud and crazy so this would not be my choice for a relaxing vacation. But if you’re looking for something that can keep teens entertained then it’s a good choice – though the atmosphere here can vary a lot depending on your fellow guests, so you can visit once and it’s fun and lots going on, and visit again and it’s uninspired and a little boring (so be prepared for anything).

If you want to enjoy Playa del Carmen (great town with lots of good restaurants) then it’s best to stay within walking distance to the central area. And my favorite hotel in the area is the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort – great location, nice beach, beautiful pool. Trendy but still friendly.

The Grand Fiesta Americana is wonderful and has pretty much everything you’re looking for. Close to the mall and aquarium you mention too.

Azul Sensatori Karisma has great options for kids pools & activity centers. When you are ready to leave the hotel, check out Crococun Zoo – an interactive zoo right in Puerto Morelos. Guides walk you through the grounds and you can get up close to the animals and even touch and feed some of them. It is also fun to take a walk along the Puerto Morelos Pier. There is a lot of activity as the fishing boats come and go and lots of fish to see in the crystal blue water. Keep an eye out for the stingrays! And if you want to venture farther there are loads of cenotes in the general area.

If I could only pick one it would be the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach – beautiful resort and beach is more protected than most hotels.

The Royal Islander, Royal Cancun, and Royal Caribbean all have large two-bedroom suites (with kitchens) that will sleep a family of 5.

For something even larger the Omni Cancun has a 3-bedroom villa that is huge.

The Kids Club at Club Med Cancun is very good (one of the best in the area) and there are loads of activities for kids and adults. The food is good (not great) but not a lot of choice and very little nearby if you wanted to venture off to find different cuisine. The best shopping is a 20 minute taxi ride away – and central Cancun (where the best food is) is even farther. Many rooms are in dire need of a refurbishment so if you do book here ask about being in the new building.

These are different listings on different websites but still the same property.

The surf can definitely be rough along this stretch. It’s common to visit and have red flags (the flag for the roughest water) for your entire visit. If you want calm then stay at hotels along the “top of the 7” (the Cancun beach is shaped like a 7 and the north facing beaches have calmer surf) or go farther south to Playa del Carmen or Tulum.

Moon Palace has a better kids club and more nightlife options at the resort (nothing crazy or too trendy but good fun). Paradisus is a better choice only if you want to be close to Cancun nightlife (off the resort).

The kids amenities at the Royalton Riviera are great. They will especially love the waterpark and slides. The resort is very kid friendly and the staff makes sure to cater to the entire family and make sure they are having a great time along with the adults. There are other activities for the kids that they will enjoy but the water park will definitely be the highlight.

The Westin Lagunamar is great and a wonderful choice for families. Full kitchen (in the one-bedroom villas) and Kids Club too.

The Royal Cancun and the Grand Fiesta Americana both offer baby sitting services. Babysitters charge between $12 and $15/hour and there’s usually a transportation fee (about $10 or $15). Be sure to contact the hotel in advance – if it’s important to you (which it sounds like) don’t just show up expecting to book a sitter for the next day. Also, policies change often at Mexico resorts so don’t be shocked if something has changed with their babysitting.

Awesome. Glad I could be of help. The beach on Isla is one of the most kid-friendly we’ve ever visited.

The Omni Cancun Hotel has a huge Villa Family Room that sleeps a family of 5 or 6 comfortably. Beach, pools, kids activities are all great. Food is ok to good (but that’s the norm in Cancun).

Try the Park Royal Cancun-All Inclusive (presidential suite) or the Grand Park Royal Cancun Caribe (one of the villas).

Yes, very family friendly.

Pros:
-great beach
-nice pools (but none are huge)
-kids club, kids pool with slides, mini golf
-many families

Cons:
-food is mediocre (like most all-inclusives)
-timeshare salespeople

Sorry, I don’t have specific recommendations but I will say the better (more luxury-oriented) the resort the more likely they’ll have an idea of how to deal with restrictive diets.

If you’re not on a tight budget, then your best bet is The Grand at Moon Palace. This is the brand new luxury hotel that just opened in the Moon Palace complex. This is a dream resort for active tweens and teens, with two huge pools, a lazy river, water park and a flow rider. Their kids’ club has bumper cars and blacklight mini golf; the teens’ club has an arcade and console games. There’s also a bowling alley and a game room for all ages. For your own chill time, they offer a few adults-only spots, including the Le Chateau for French fine dining, several bars, an enormous full-service spa, a nightclub, and a day club (adults’ pool, cocktails, light bites, and a DJ). The original Moon Palace is more affordable and also a great option for balancing out relaxation time with busy kids. They have two sets of interconnected pools, 18-hole mini-golf, and stellar kids’ and teens’ clubs with lots of activities. Guests here can also purchase day passes for the water park next door at The Grand. Both Moon Palace and The Grand offer a resort credits program, where guests receive credits to use at onsite amenities, like the water park or spa, or they can be used for excursions outside the resorts.

A couple of great options in Cancun are the Ritz-Carlton and the InterContinental Presidente, both of which are European plan hotels, rather than all-inclusive. Euro plan hotels are generally more eco-friendly, since there’s less food and beverage waste. Both of these properties also have other green policies in place. The InterContinental has a working falcon to scare off the gulls and pesky birds (super cool to watch the falcon and its handler at work; kids get a kick out of this!), among other green policies company wide, while the Ritz has been awarded for two years in a row by the Alliance for Water Sustainability in Tourism for their conservation efforts.

Both resorts are average sized, about 300-350 rooms. Both have excellent spas offering Maya-inspired treatments. Both have suites and rooms with connecting options 1K to 2D. Both have kids clubs; the Ritz adds a game room and a teen club. Both have excellent food with lots of vegetarian options. Both have active and quiet pools, with the InterContinental offering an adults-only pool area that’s even quieter. Both have concierge services that can help plan a day to the ruins on Tulum or Chichen Itza, or you can take the bus toward the end of the Hotel Zone to visit the El Rey Ruins or the Museo Maya Ruins just a few minutes from your hotel.

The main differences are that the InterContinental has a better location. It sits at the beginning of the Hotel Zone, at the top of the 7-shape, which means that its beach has softer sand and gentler waves. It’s walking distance to Cancun’s Uptown area with all the nightclubs, malls, and shops, plus it’s only 15 minutes or so by bus to get into downtown for the more authentic markets and restaurants. The Ritz, though, has the best food, including their new Culinary Center with cooking classes, an inter-active chef experience, and a chef’s table dining experience. Their restaurants are truly top notch, especially Las Casitas and The Club Grill; absolutely impeccable. The location is in the middle of the hotel zone, with an excellent beach. But this part of the hotel zone (on the back of the 7 in the upper half) has coarser sand and sometimes has sargasso; waves are gentle but not quite as soft as the waves near the InterContinental. The Ritz is accessible by bus to Cancun’s Uptown nightlife and shopping, but it’s closer to a half an hour by bus into downtown.

You’ve got it narrowed down to some excellent options! Barceló offers the most variety of activities onsite, with a great little waterpark with slides, a flowrider, haunted house, bowling alley, mini golf, and dolphinarium. However, most of these amenities are not part of the all-inclusive. It’s $20USD for a day pass per person just for the water park, which will really add up if your sons go every day.

You are right about the wait times at The Grand. Though it has an amazing water park, kids club, and activities, there have been a few complaints about restaurant wait times, usually at the a la cartes. They are still a new hotel, though, so I imagine the kinks will be worked out soon, as the Palace properties overall have absolutely stellar restaurant service. But they’ve also got a less than amazing beach at this time; they’re still doing work to improve that area.

So, between the Grand Palladium and the Hyatt, I’d say that the Grand Palladium has more water activities and a better selection of restaurants, as it’s actually a complex of 5 hotels. White Sand is the hotel closest to the water park. You’ll have access to all of the restaurants from 4 of these hotels (1 is adults-only), so 5 buffets and 9 a la carte restaurant, plus about 25 bars scattered throughout the complex. This resort is way south, though, almost in Tulum. It’s not as convenient to get around here as it is in Cancún. However, Tulum is a gorgeous spot with lots to explore: Maya ruins, cenotes, a boho downtown area, and some gorgeous beaches.

The Hyatt Ziva is amazing, with a beautiful beach, awesome water slides and pools, a dolphinarium (with dolphin view rooms!), fantastic restaurants, and the convenience of being close to all of the Cancún attractions. But between the two, I think Palladium is a better fit for your trip.

I’m not much help on the allergies but as to the resorts, The Grand Palladium is made up of a few separate hotels that all share the same property and amenities. Right now The Royal Suites Yucatan is closed for renovations, but that should not affect your stay at all, since that is their adults-only area on a little island there. The White Sand, Colonial, and Kantenah Resorts are all open, including all of their restaurants and amenities, such as their 9 pools, water park, kids club, and spa. I would recommend staying at the White Sand Resort there, since it’s closest to the water park.

The Moon Palace is also an excellent resort, though they are currently doing renovations to the beach area which may not be completely finished yet. The water park next door at their sister property The Grand can be accessed using the resort credits included in the room rate, which helps make up for the less than perfect beach.

The Grand Palladium and the Moon Palace are two of the best resorts in the area, very family-oriented and committed to safety.

For your preferences and kids’ ages, Crown Paradise should suit you best. The layout is easily walkable; nothing feels too spread out. They’ve also got good food with a wide selection of cuisines, a small waterpark, family rooms with bunk beds, and kids’ clubs with activities targeted toward different ages. Your youngest will most likely be in the Baby Club, while the older one will be in the Kids’ Club. They have a total of five pools onsite, one is a quiet, adults-only pool and another is indoors, so even if you get some rain, there is still a spot for the kids to swim. This is on the south end of the hotel zone, removed from the nightclubs but still easily accessible to dining and attractions. Moon Palace has great restaurants and absolutely the best waterpark and kids’ club amenities, but it is only available for ages four and up, unless accompanied by a parent. I’d save this for another year, when both kids can experience it fully. JW Marriott is also a fantastic spot, but it’s geared more toward adults and older kids. They have an awesome scuba pool with a built in reef, for example. Very cool, but the kids need to be just a little older to dive there. Also, there is no kids’ club directly onsite; it’s at their sister property, the Marriott Cancun next door.

Honestly, these are all great options, and no matter which you choose, you’ll have an amazing time! For your particular trip, though, I would recommend the Hyatt Ziva as my top choice or Paradisus La Esmeralda as a very close second. The Hyatt Ziva has everything you’re looking for: upscale ambiance, 14 restaurants and bars with a range of choices, an amazing kids’ club with different activities daily, and their own dolphinarium (with dolphin-view rooms, super popular with families). Add to that: great pools, a stunning beach, and a climbing pyramid floating in the ocean. This really hits all the marks!

Paradisus La Esmeralda is another fantastic option. They offer a unique Family Concierge program with awesome perks for families, including private Jacuzzi terrace rooms, an exclusive restaurant, club lounge access, plus great amenities specifically for kids, including a gift at check in, special minibar items, and video game consoles on request. Their kids’ club is very active and open late, until 10 p.m., plus they offer onsite activities like rock climbing. Another perk for the grown ups is access to the adults-only restaurants, bars, and pools at their sister property Paradisus La Perla right next door. The only thing they don’t have here are dolphins, but the resort is only half an hour away from the dolphin excursions at Xcaret.

Hard Rock and Grand Fiesta are both amazing, but they are quite a bit larger with over 600 rooms each; Moon Palace is huge with over 2000 rooms. These may be less appealing to the MILs. JW Marriott is also wonderful, but their only kids’ activity onsite is the scuba pool; the kids’ club is next door at their sister property, the Marriott Cancun Resort.

For your family size and preferences, Azul the Fives is your best bet. It’s a little further south of Cancun on the north side of Playa del Carmen. This luxury, all-inclusive is fantastic for big families with huge three-bedroom suites, all with full kitchens. The beach is gorgeous and clean with gentle waves; snorkel gear, kayaks, and paddleboards are all available onsite. The beach and grounds are surrounded by tropical jungle. If your kids love animals, they’ll get a kick out of the monkeys, coati, and iguanas roaming free here. They also have six pools, a lazy river, and an amazing kids’ club for ages 4 to 12 (they also have an awesome teen club, if your oldest daughter happens to have a birthday before your trip). The hotel is outside of downtown, so it doesn’t see any spring breakers. There is an adults-only section of the resort with a couple of bars, but the festivities are pretty well contained within that area.

If you prefer to stay in the immediate Cancun area, then the Hyatt Ziva is another great option. This is an all-inclusive resort with good-sized rooms and suites. Individual units have a max occupancy of two adults and three children, though, so you’ll need to book connecting rooms for your family size. The hotel sits on the best beach in Cancun with powdery soft sand, calm surf, and clear blue water. The beach stays pretty busy with guests, as it is a large hotel in the main hotel strip, but it’s generally not a party beach. The hotel has an amazing kids club with its own pool, family-friendly activities and water sports equipment, and dolphin swims on site.

At two years old, your child will be too young to be allowed into most kids’ clubs. That said, there are two all-inclusive resorts that come to mind that have baby clubs: Crown Paradise Club, a mid-range/luxury hotel in the Cancun Hotel Zone, and Paradisus La Esmeralda, a luxury resort in Playa del Carmen, about 45 minutes south of Cancun. The Paradisus’ baby club is open all day from 9am-10pm with a playroom, activities, and a very caring staff that’s super popular with the kids (the same staff members are also available for babysitting). This is more of a daycare and is pretty low-key, not quite as active as the kids’ club for the older set. The Crown Paradise’s baby club is open in two shifts, from 9:00am-4:45pm and from 6:00-9:30pm. This one has both indoor and outdoor play areas, with toys, story times, and activities. This is probably more along the lines of what you described you’re looking for, though there will be more time in the sun versus the Baby Club at Paradisus. If your little one has a birthday by then, there will be a few more options available. The kids’ clubs at the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach, Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun, and Now Jade Riviera Cancun allow children as young as three years to participate in the kids’ club activities. The Paradisus in Playa del Carmen is about one hour to the Tulum Ruins or an hour and a half to the Cobá ruins. Crown Paradise Club is a short four-minute drive to the San Miguelito ruins at the Museo Maya, though this is a pretty small site. Both the Paradisus and Crown Paradise are a little over three hours to the mack daddy of ruins at Chichén Itzá.

Crown Paradise and Moon Palace are both amazing, but they are very different styles. Moon Palace is a five-star luxury resort, maybe the largest one in Cancun, with more than 2000 rooms. This kind of space means you’ll have a ton of options for dining and drinks (18 restaurants and bars, plus the pool bars) and a huge array of things to do, with two sets of three interconnected pools with water slides, an amazing kids club, plus you can use your resort credits or cash to access the huge water park at their sister property The Grand right next door. The rooms are spacious, well-appointed, and include whirlpool tubs. The only three downsides are the size (it’s too large to walk easily around the property; you’ll be taking golf carts everywhere), the beach (lots of sea grass and coral, plus it’s just not the pretty turquoise that you’ll find at other Cancun beaches; though guests can visit the beaches at their sister properties further north), and the location (south of Cancun, not really near any of the city’s attractions or the main attractions in the Riviera Maya).

Crown Paradise definitely has a better beach, with a long, wide stretch of sand, though surf sometimes gets a little rough for beginning swimmers. It’s kids’ club and water park is fantastic for kids from 4 up to 9 (it might be a little baby-ish for older kids). They even have a covered pool, so the kids can swim and play even on rainy days. The location is excellent at the south end of the Hotel Zone, near the dining and attractions in Cancun, but not too close to hear any noise from the bars and clubs late at night. As a four-star resort, the rooms, service, and amenities are not quite as polished as what you’ll find at Moon Palace. You’ll also find less variety in dining and entertainment, since they are about three times smaller than Moon Palace. Service tends to be slower, since they have a smaller staff-to-guest ratio than Moon Palace. That said, this is still an excellent choice for families.

If you future visits to Cancun are in the plans, I’d say do Crown Paradise this year, while your kids are still young enough to enjoy their amenities, and visit Moon Palace next time, when your kids will be too old to be entertained by the kids’ options at Crown Paradise. If this is the only trip you have planned for Cancun, splurge on Moon Palace and just shuttle up to their sister properties for a few beach days.

The Hard Rock Cancun is amazing, and as long as you like any kind of music, you won’t feel out of place at all. This is a very family-friendly resort, so about half the guests will have young kids in tow. Their kid and family amenities are outstanding, including the kids’ club with a pool and live performances, family rooms with kids’ minibars and Xbox, music lessons, and babysitting services. They also have three larger pools, an amazing beach that’s shallow for a long way out and gentle waves, live music every day, and thirteen bars and restaurants with a wide range of cuisines and a stellar mixology program. I’m confident you’ll have a great stay here!

But if you prefer to try a different resort, check out Dreams Riviera Cancun. Their kids club includes a playground, activities, climbing pyramid, splash pad, and weekly campouts, plus they allow children as young as three to participate without a parent staying behind with them. They offer 10 restaurants and 7 bars (including a nightclub), plus three pools, a spa, and family activities, such as dancing and cooking lessons. Their beach is a wonderful white sand beach with mild waves and great snorkeling.

Between the two resorts you’re already considering, Ocean Riviera Paradise has better kids’ facilities and a better beach, though it is narrow, a little rocky, and sometimes seaweedy. The beach at Hotel Marina/El Cid has a lot of sharp coral.

For your group and needs, though, I would recommend either the Hard Rock Cancun or the new Hotel Xcaret. The Hard Rock Cancun has an outstanding beach: long and wide with white sand, very well maintained, and great waves, big enough to be entertaining, but not too strong for beginning swimmers. Both the kids’ and teens’ facilities are outstanding. They include the usual kids’ club activities, like arts and crafts, dancing, and movie nights, plus tons of unique, music-themed events like karaoke, percussion parties, and a battle of the bands. Also, a kids’ pool with slides, though it’s not a full blown water park. Older kids can check out the music lab, where they can make their own music video, record their own tracks, and learn an instrument or how to DJ, with the option of performing with a live audience (there are also options for adults to do these things, too). Activities for kids and teens are available in the day or evening, and they offer packages that include babysitting services. The in-room amenities are also really cool, and include on request loaner guitars and amps, mixing stations, and record players with a small stack of vinyl LPs.

Another great choice is the brand new Hotel Xcaret. Its main beach is great for swimming and is mostly sandy, with some rocky portions just in the middle. But the resort also has a river winding through the property with beaches on both shores and a series of coves, all with sandy, shallow, gentle beaches. The rooms and grounds are stellar, and their facilities include an active kids’ club, kids’ pool, jungle trails, and a family club for all ages with a pool table, foosball, and more. The biggest perk to staying here is their All-Fun Inclusive package, which includes unlimited access and free shuttle service to all of the Xcaret Adventure Parks (Xcaret, Xplor, Xenses, Xel Ha, and more) with zip lines, waterslides, snorkeling, rappelling, and tons more activities.

There are surprisingly few hotels that hit all of these marks. But there are some. The three that come to mind are Hyatt Ziva and Beach Palace in Cancun and Paradisus La Esmeralda in Playa del Carmen. All of these are all-inclusive, family-friendly, with kids’ clubs and babysitting, and near shopping and dining.
Hyatt Ziva is the newest, built in 2015, and has the best beach of the three. The beach sits in a protected cove at the northeastern corner of the Hotel Zone with powdery, white sand, clear water, and virtually no waves- perfect for beginning swimmers. There’s also a huge floating pyramid for climbing in the ocean. This location is right on the main bus line, making it a snap to reach the best shopping and dining in Cancun, whether in the Hotel Zone or in Downtown. Hyatt Ziva offers several spacious room types with balconies, many with ocean views, 3 pools, and a dolphinarium where kids can swim with dolphins. Their active kids club offers a playroom and a pool with a slide for ages 4 to 12. If your 3-year-old has a birthday before then, then they can go along with all the other kids there. If not, they still have access to the kids’ pool and play area, but they will need to be accompanied by a parent.
Beach Palace is another fantastic resort with a great location walking distance to the new La Isla Mall and right on the bus line. The beach is wide, white, and with gentle waves, though the sand is not as powdery fine as at Hyatt Ziva. What this beach has that the Hyatt doesn’t are sea turtles, which come ashore at night to bury their eggs in the summer nights. Beach Paradise has 3 interconnected pools, 1 of which is a kids’ pool with a fantastic waterslide, plus nightly entertainment, great restaurants, and an ice cream shop. Like the Hyatt, their kids’ club is open for ages 4 to 12; younger children can gain access with a parent. Family Deluxe Suites here are made of 2 connecting rooms with a private balcony and a 2-person indoor jacuzzi, plus great kids’ amenities (Xbox, kids’ minibar with milk and juice, kids’ beach gear, and tiny robes and slippers).
Paradisus La Esmeralda is another phenomenal spot, designed for families with kids of all ages. This resort is located south of Cancun in Playa del Carmen, which has notably better malls, shopping, and dining than Cancun. Paradisus offers a Baby Club for ages 1 to 4 and a kids’ club for ages 5 – 12, so neither kids gets left out, though they will be in different groups. All guests have access to the main pool and the kids’ pirate pool with slides. Upgrading to the Family Concierge package adds access to a 3rd pool, plus the room itself will add a private terrace with an outdoor Jacuzzi, lounge access with snacks and drinks all day, a private restaurant, kids check in gift, kids’ activities, and a PlayStation or Xbox on request. The beach here features calm, clear water, though there are a few rocks in parts. A heads up: as with all of the southern beaches in the Riviera Maya all the way down to Tulum, Paradisus’ beach got hit with an unusual amount of seaweed last spring and summer. It was completely clear in summer the year before, so hopefully it was just a one-time thing.

Two great spots for active families with teens are Hotel Xcaret Mexico and Hard Rock Hotel Cancun. Both all-inclusive hotels include excellent pool and beach service, along with plenty of things to do all day to keep everyone entertained. Hotel Xcaret Mexico has 6 pools, a lazy river, a teens club, and a sandy beach onsite, plus a stay here includes unlimited access (transportation included) to all 10 Xcaret adventure parks with ziplining, ATVs, snorkeling, and more. Hard Rock Hotel Cancun is a rock ‘n’ roll-themed resort with cascading infinity pools, a lively and sandy beach, plus their signature Sound of Your Stay package, which includes loaner guitars, mixing stations and record players, free instrument, vocal, or DJing lessons (with the chance to perform live on stage), access to a recording studio, and live music daily.