Club Med Yucatan (Cancun)
In February of 2010, my three teenagers and I went to the Club Med in Cancun and had the greatest time. As a single mom with three teens, it was the perfect vacation. We had a room with the ocean on one
more +side and a lake on the other with crocodiles, herons and other birds, fish and who knows what else was in there! Our balcony was right over the lagoon, literally.
Traveling with just children was very comfortable here as the Club Med staff is outgoing, fun and seems to love everyone, including me. I would be making friends at the bar (most were drinking Mohitos) and my kids would be outside dancing with a lot of other people with big grins on their faces. They made friends from quite a few different countries and since it is a French club, my daughters spoke some of their French while my less language enthused son, at least heard a lot of Spanish as we were in Mexico.
This club was so fun for my kids that I was a little jealous that they were having more fun than I was! They did circus trapeze, water skiing, windsurfing, group games with the teen club, ate with the teen club, hung out in the "Carwash" with the teen club, got to use the internet in the teen club, participated in putting on a play, and basically had a blast!!! No complaints here as it was a really snowy winter in New Hampshire and I was happy just to be in the sun. I liked the exercise classes and did some windsurfing too.
We had an excursion to the Mayan ruins and that was fantastic. A bus ride then rented rinky dink bikes, and rode ruin to ruin with a guide that told fascinating history of what we were viewing. One pyramid you could climb up, and being in the jungle was different too. On the way home the tour bus stopped at a cenote (not sure of the spelling), which is an underground river. We climbed down a ladder and swam in crystal clear water with little colorful fish. The teens left with the tour group and explored (swimming) under the stalactites. I stayed alone and felt like I had some kind of spiritual experience being in that water in that cave all alone- I will never forget that!
We had been to other Club Meds before, and this one definitely had the best food at the buffet. There were restaurants that you could make reservations at too which were very good, too. I prefer casual vacations with nothing too fancy, so if you are a dressier person, this may not be for you.
Location!! Club Med Yucatan is 10 minutes from Cancun and the airport, so it is a pleasure to travel there as it is easy to get to. Club Med picks you up at the airport and handles your bags for you. This property is at the very end of the hotel strip and I heard it was the first resort built there so has the best location. The beach is beautiful with interesting double bed things with canvas tops to shade you. Great for naps!
I highly recommend this club. Andrea
Date of Stay: 02/21/2010
Children in Party: 1
My husband, son (8) and daughter (6) just returned from our first Club Med week in Cancun, Mexico for Canadian March Break. I knew we were going somewhere special, but had no idea how magnificent it really was! We had the time of our
more +lives! This may be long...
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We've never been to Cancun before, and the beaches are beautiful. The water is crystal blue and absolutely stunning. We chose Club Med because we had heard how wonderful it is for the entire family. This is why it's so great:
Mini-Club: Really allows the parents to have a true relaxing time. Our 6 year old daughter really enjoyed it and went there pretty much every day and sometimes for dinner at 7pm. I would see her walking through the resort with the kids club holding another little girl's hand. So sweet. My son is very shy and had a hard time the first day, but we insisted he stay and we are so glad we did. We spied on him later in the afternoon and saw him rehearsing a hip hop dance with the 8-10 year olds for the big show that night. It was a huge production and both kids were in it doing a dance. My son made 2 really good friends and it was so hard for him to say goodbye at the end of the week. We hung out with their parents and it was great to meet new people. This club has a huge teenage presence. They hang out at the 'Carwash' for ages 11-17 and they looked like they were having a blast. Again, the councilors are so wonderful, hugging the kids and hanging out with them.
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Food: The food at this resort was better than anywhere we've ever been! The main restaurant (La Hacienda) was consistently excellent and never boring. We couldn't believe how many choices there were and how they changed it up every night. We did go to the steak restaurant (by reservation) one night (La Pergola), but the steak was a bit tough. The salmon looked really good. The ambience there was great and we were seated outside right near the ocean. The appetizers and dessert were great and it was nice to be served instead of going to the buffet. The Mexican restaurant down by the sailing (Las Cazuelas) had a nice lunch and we saw many Iguanas on the way down. There's a HUGE orange iguana named Maximus who we would visit almost daily. The restaurant (La Pergola) by reception was great for a late breakfast and also had excellent snacks at 4pm. The kids drank so many smoothies it was crazy!
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Rooms: We were given 2 connecting rooms in the Obsidiana building with a lagoon view right near the mini-club. We heard there were alligators in the lagoon and we were lucky enough to see one right outside the kids room one day. Fantastic! The rooms were a bit damp but we just turned the AC off during the day and left the patio doors open. This helped a lot. We put all our damp clothes on the balconies and they dried fast. They do an amazing job cleaning the rooms every day. Having 2 bathrooms was a major bonus for sure. Next time I would ask to be on the second or third floor as there is quite a bit of noise from people passing through the buildings at night. Our kids were exhausted from their activities so we would all be in bed between 9-10 pm which is early for most.
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Activities/Staff: By far the best thing about Club Med is the activities. I wasn't sure how my family would be with all of this as my husband and I just like to chill on the beach when we go away, but no, here we were doing everything. The staff really make the place special. We had lunch and dinner with many of them and you get really close to them. My husband went waterskiing every day. He hadn't been since he was a kid, and was able to work his way up to the wakeboard. I went waterskiing for the first time in my life and did it 4 times. What an amazing experience. My husband and I also took a scuba diving initiation lesson which was fantastic. We learned how to windsurf and windsail too which was super fun. My son also learned the windsurf and did great. Unfortunately it was too windy to snorkel for the kids but they played tennis and did the trapeze every day. My husband tried the trapeze too. FUN! I went to the gym and did the body conditioning and step class. I also did Zumba at 4:30 almost every day at the bar looking at the ocean.
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Another thing about this resort is that everything is included so there is no tipping, and there are no timeshare selling which we felt was a breathe of fresh air! There's nothing like going on vacation and feeling like you have to hand money to people or listen to a sales pitch at every corner. It was very freeing! Even though the resort was full, it truly did not feel like it at all. It's so huge that it almost feels half empty. No waiting for anything and always a beach chair to be had in the shade. We walked down the beach for 1 hour and soon realized Club Med has the best spot at the end. Always yellow flags on our windy week, when everywhere else had red flags. PRIME beach for sure! We also took a bus into Cancun to go to the huge flea market... The town is worth visiting and there are lots to do in Cancun including swimming with the dolphins.
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I would recommend Club Med for Families in Cancun to anyone with children. The service is A++ and you can tell that everyone loves their jobs and just wants to help you. We are hooked on Club Med now and are already talking about when we will go back.
Date of Stay: 03/15/2011
Children in Party: 1
WOW that was the most fun we have had on a vacation! My kids LOVED it. We went for two weeks and not once did the kids get bored. We only saw our 13 year old daughter for breakfast, otherwise she was with the Car Wash (11-17yr program) She met so
more +many great kids from all over the world, and continues to have relationships with them thanks to Facebook!
My husband was shocked at how much we actually were able to do the water sports. My 14 year old son never had an issue having to wait long to water ski. All four of my boys (husband and sons 14, 10 and 8) took sailing lessons, and enjoyed taking the boats out. My 8 year old loved that he could kayak all on his own. Snorkeling was a little rough, but that could just be the time of year we went (January). Would have been nice to enjoy that more, but Club Med can't control the ocean!
My two younger sons did not attend the mini club, it seemed too 'young' for them. They almost need a 'mini car wash' because seeing their older brother and sister having access to the Internet (facebook) and video games, while they were expected to sing songs, and play silly games didn't do it for them. That may just be because they have an older brother and sister and are use to being included in their activities. My 14 year old son, only went to the car wash to check his email and facebook, the rest of the time he hung out with his parents. I think the reason he didn't like to spend the day with the car wash was because it was too structured for him. He enjoyed being able to do what he wanted when he wanted. Once in a while he would meet them to water ski, but mostly he and his dad did the activities together, and that made the trip that much better!
We did have an issue with some tennis lessons, the program said kids 8-10 had lessons at a certain time of day, and when we went there we were told that kids only get lessons when in the 'mini club'. The program clearly showed a time for 'mini club' lessons and a time for 'kids' lessons. My husband ended up talking to Oliver (Chief of the village) Oliver said there was definitely a mistake in the program as there were no kids lessons out side the mini club, and offered us a private family lesson. The private family lesson was a nice treat, and it was great to see how willing they were to fix any issues.
I was amazed at how safe this resort felt. There were always security guards on the paths. If fact, call my crazy, but my two older kids were allowed to stay at the disco until 1:30 am on their own (as long as they walked back together)
We will be back next year! We are sold on Club Med Yucatan!
Date of Stay: 01/23/2010
Children in Party: 4
Kids (7-9) Tweens (10-12) Tweens (13+) Accommodations Dining Kids Play Area Money Value Pool & Water Fun Staff
We visited Cub Med Yucatan during the rainy season, and needless to say it rained. The resort and staff were wonderful and very accommodating, and there were not many people here this time of the year. They were very friendly to our children, and
more +always greeted them with a smile...even when they were causing trouble!
The boys looked forward to going to the morning trapeze lessons...it was amazing to watch your child get up the nerve to jump off of the platform. The staff at the kids club were very nice and always talked to the boys even though they only went there for an hour or two a couple of days.
They were able to go sailing with the kids club, as well as kayaking. There are two separate beaches....the watersports beach and the normal beach, as well as a separate snorkeling area at the reef. They have life vests and snorkel equipment for the kids and adults...so you don't need to pack it.
The food was delicious...way above average for an AI resort. Homemade ice cream...mmm. There were always favorites for the children, and they enjoyed ordering their virgin pina coladas from our friendly bartender at the watersports beach. When it rained, the children retreated under the deck of the bar/restaurant to dig in the sand for hours, making rivers, dams, etc.
The rooms were 2 room suites with 2 bathrooms...wow-it was nice to have that extra space. The only drawback would be that the resort is very spread out, and you do a lot of walking (which we enjoyed and it helped work off the food calories). Also a few topless ladies on the beach, but they were fairly discreet.
If you can get a good deal on the rooms....I would give it a try.
Date of Stay: 10/17/2008
Children in Party: 4
Accommodations Dining Kids Play Area Money Value Pool & Water Fun Staff
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Club Med Cancun Yucatan
