As soon as we arrive at the lobby to check-in, a staff member welcomes us with ice tea served in Margarita glasses or bottles of water, plus cold washcloths for kids and adults. The cool down welcome is part of the upmarket services and amenities that Club Med Cancun Yucatan, like other Club Meds, has added. After Hurricane Wilma devastated Cancun in 2005, Club Med closed for a year of renovations that cost more than $20 million. The formerly adults-only resort re-opened in November 2006 with upgraded rooms and a new, family-friendly attitude. Now, the resort features a Mini-Club for ages 4 to 10, a Junior Club Med for ages 11 to 13 and a Passworld Teen Club for ages 14 to 17.

What remains from the old Club Med is worthy too: the beach and the friendly staff. When Club Med Cancun opened in 1976, it was the first resort in the now populous Hotel Zone. As a pioneer, Club Med grabbed a prime location and a large lot, one with a wide, mile-long, sandy beach. In Cancun, that's especially significant because most other resorts are high-rise buildings that line up in close proximity to each other on small patches of sand.

Club Med stretches out on, arguably, the best beach in Cancun. In addition, you can also find quiet, adult-oriented oases at two of its other "beaches" -- really small swaths of sand big enough for just a few lounge chairs. Such solitude, however, is rare and wonderful, especially in what's becoming beach-poor Cancun. In addition, the breakwater at one end of the beach tames the sometimes rough Cancun waters, creating a reasonably calm sea fine for family splashing and swimming.

The other side of Club Med edges Laguna Nichupte (Nichupte Lagoon), an inland waterway. With water on both sides, the resort has a sense of openness. The resort makes good use of the shallow lagoon by staging waterskiing there. Since the resort occupies the tip of the Hotel Zone, the property also offers a great view of the Hotel Zone's skyline.

The GOs, Club Med shorthand for "gracious organizer," the brand's moniker for staff are another plus. They not only head up activities from trapeze to tennis, but they act like friendly camp counselors, interacting with guests, encouraging them to participate or simply chatting. At meals GOs are required to dine with guests, one GO to a table. This is another way Club Med makes you feel welcome.

Long gone are the days of bare-bones accommodations. Club Med's 384 rooms and 18 suites stretch throughout the property in low-rise three or four story buildings. When we reach our room, we find a swan fashioned out of towels resting on our bed, another welcoming touch.

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