This was our first trip to Mexico, and also our first trip that we brought our 2 children ages 9 and 11. We have been to the Dominican Republic twice, Jamaica once, and Cuba twice before. Upon arrival in the cancun airport, we made it through customs, and picked up our luggage without any delays! We quickly were directed by our Sunquest representatives to the location of our bus. It is about 1 hour from the airport to the resort, but we were aware of this before the trip. When we arrived at the resort, the check in was quite painless and efficient. They gave us a map and showed us where to find our room and told us that our luggage would be following us shortly. Everything went without a hitch!
Rooms::
We were put in the 14th building 2nd floor. Our balcony overlooked the "quiet" pool. The room was just as explained in previous reviews. 2 double beds, stocked bar, bathroom with just a stand up shower(which was huge). The water pressure and temperature was amazing! Never short on HOT water no matter what time it was. The room service was outstanding. Everyday we returned to our room to find a new towel ornament layed out on our beds along with a fully retstocked fridge.
Restaurants and Bars::
We made reservation at the oriental restaurant which was good, but our children are picky eaters. We all enjoyed the steakhouse restaurant, as it was kid friendly and had a very relaxed atmosphere. The children loved eating at Paco Taco’s also. The buffet restaurants had plenty of selection with some items repetitive. As for the bars, all of them had great service and were extremely friendly. We found the "quiet" pool bar the best. The buffet restaurant found at the beach is quite nice to eat at for breakfast and watch the sun and ocean and waves. It was not as crowded as the main buffet, but did serve the same. It offered amazing pizza at lunch time.
Beach/Pools/Grounds::
As for the beach, we were aware of the small size. Which is one of the reasons we chose this resort as we wanted to keep an eye on the children. We all brought our own snorkelling equipment and enjoyed snorkelling daily. Lots of fish to see. The pellicans that swooped down were amazing to watch. At times we counted over 20 pellicans. We did go to the "fun" pool for a day where you can take out a raft to float on and take part in the activities that they offer. If you want to be in the hub of everything this is the pool for you. This was the pool with the swim up bar, so it was nice to visit. The adult only pool which is located by the beach buffet resaurant, looked beautiful as it was right beside the ocean and the waves would come crashing up along the shore. Since we had the kids with us, we could not use the pool but we did explore the grounds surrounding the pool. Lots of hermit crabs to be found. The resort itself is very large, but once you know the layout, it isnt that hard to get around. The tram that goes by every 15 minutes is handy if you are tired or just want to go on a tour. The drivers keep you amused the entire ride. The children had a blast exploring the grounds. Everywhere we turned around there were lizzards of all sizes and colours. We took some bananas from the buffet and fed them throughout the day. They have flamingos and deer located near the "fun" pool, and also some monkeys. The fish that are found in the main lobby were fun to feed with the food that the resort supplied daily. Turtles were seen swimming with them and loved to be fed also. We had brought along a couple of flashlights with us and took the kids out exploring in the dark. It was amazing looking at the different bugs and night creatures that we dont have hear in Canada.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel::
As I mentioned before, it appeared as if the most activities took place at the "fun" pool. There was ping-pong, archery, pellet gun shooting, dancing, beach volleyball and many more. Lots of things offered if you want to take part or not is up to you. We did not feel pressured by any of the staff. One night we took a cab ride into Playa del Carmen. It was 100pesos or $10 each way. It was nice to see the beach and to take in the touristy areas. All the shops were the same but it is fun to do some bartering to buy your souveniers. We did take a tour on our 4th day there. We took a snorkelling/spinaker tour out of Maroma Paradise Marina. The price was right and it only took 6 hours from beginning to end. We got to snorkel twice and if we wanted to, the captain set up a huge kite behind the boat and you could sit in a swing and fly behind the boat and then jump into the ocean. On the tour, we saw lots of colourful fish,a starfish and couple of turtles. The kids loved it and so ! did we. We chose to go to the Xcaret park the last day that we were there. As recommended at the tour desk, we did the underground rivers first. It took about 45 minutes in total. When we got out of the river, there were showers and places to change. They ship your belongings in a bag and you pick them up when you are done the snorkelling of the river. From there we explored the entire park. So much to see. Turtles, mantaray, manaties, butterflies, dolphins, crocodiles, fish, shrimp, jaguars……so much more. This park was out of this world. There were no line ups anywhere, and you could take as much time as you wanted to and enjoy the scenery. The ruins were amazing and the children found it exciting to be able to climb them. The night show which is from 6-8pm was also amazing.
Other Comments::
Overall, great resort for families travelling with children.