Occidental Grand Xcaret Family Activities

Pools
Two types of families like the water activities at the Occidental Grand Xcaret: those preferring pools and those preferring their oceans to be like pools. For the first group, the resort has five pools tucked throughout the property. Flamingos, the large activity pool named for the flock of pink birds that inhabit a nearby enclosure, is the hub of activities. Star Friends organize pool volleyball, water aerobics and other activities here. At "Crabs," the quiet pool, punctuate your reading and snoozing with dips in the water.

Beach
For those who like perfectly calm seas, the Occidental Grand Xcaret delivers. Since the site's rocky coast lacks a natural beach, the hotel cut a narrow channel in the rocks, allowing the sea to pool into a man-made lagoon. Young children especially love the perfectly calm water plus the fish swim in it. The beach is a man-made strip of sand with lounge chairs that surrounds one edge of the lagoon. As always arrive early to claim a spot. On our visit, most chairs were taken by 9:15 a.m.

If your family likes waves, expansive beaches or strolls in the sand, then the Occidental Grand Xcaret is not for you. However, the expansive grounds are great for walkers. We never took the complimentary resort shuttle, which operates from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., preferring instead to stroll the prettily landscaped grounds, pausing to explore the site's two Maya ruins and admire the white-tailed deer, flamingos and scarlet macaws.

Kids Clubs
The Kids Club operates for ages 4 to 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Generally, counselors divide the children into two groups, ages 4 to 6 and 7 to 12. The indoor activities take place in a large room with a palapa roof and ceiling fans, located near the activity pool. The room is nicely equipped with colorful tables for crafts, bean bag chairs, Foosball, mini-billiards and a stage. Outside, kids can splash in the children's pool, climb ropes and use the swings.

Kids also learn Spanish, play pool volleyball, do face painting and go on ecological tours of the property to see the animals. In the evening children regroup at 8:30 p.m. for mini-disco sessions of musical chairs, freeze dancing and other fun. On Wednesdays, the children break pinatas. The Kids Club also hosts a lunch for children from noon to 3 p.m.

Teen Club
It's a shame the resort doesn't do a better job of hosting its teen club, as so many properties don't offer special places for the finicky age group. Although located across from the theater (look for the green monster sign) and open from 6 p.m. to midnight, the teen club takes place on a little used, open-air patio. Still, it exists and we are told there are plans to expand it.

In the evenings, the resort tries to concentrate the guests around the theater, drawing families out with PG movies such as "Mamma Mia," "Grease," and "Kung Fu Panda" shown from about 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., followed by the children's disco. The adult oriented, live entertainment starts at 9:30 p.m.

During the day, when you and your kids are not lounging at the pool or the beach, play tennis, shuffleboard and mini-golf and also try archery at sessions guided by the Star Friends, Occidental's recreation and entertainment staff.

Eco Theme Parks
Take advantage of the Occidental Grand Xcaret's proximity to Xcaret to visit the park, a prime attraction Riviera Maya attraction. The hotel has its own entrance to the park which is a five-minute walk away. Often the hotel offers special, discounted park admission.

At the eco-adventure park, you can swim with dolphins (reserve ahead), swim in a natural pool or get a diver's eye view of a reef with Sea Trek or Snuba (neither requires any diving certification). The Caribbean collection of animals includes flamingos, scarlet macaws, sea turtles, jaguars and spider monkeys. Staying at the Occidental Grand Xcaret makes it convenient to come back to the park for the evening shows, an entertaining folkloric show and a demonstration of Pok-Ta-Pok, the ancient Mesoamerican ball game, with players adorned in traditional body paints and regalia.

At Xplor, another eco-theme park, you glide along zip lines, drive an amphibious vehicle through mud and creeks (the driver must be at least 18), and swim or raft through an underground river. Lunch is included with your fee.

Take older teens looking for adventure to Rio Secreto, a cenote , or underground river, that you enter by walking. As you go further through the cave, dappled with stalagmites and stalactites, the water rises. At one point, you must swim to enter another chamber. Although the tour company allows children 6 and older who can swim to visit, we suggest this outing for adventurous kids ages 9 and older.