My love affair with Mexico began several years ago when my husband's company gave away a trip to Cancun and we were the lucky recipients of that trip. I fell in love with the warm climate, the soft sandy beaches, the blue-green color of the Caribbean, the kind people we met, the all-inclusive style of vacation where the most work we did was to decide which specialty drink we wanted (this was a fun game because we don't drink alcohol so we learned quickly which drinks could be made virgin and which ones couldn't!) and the chance to relax and reconnect with my husband in a place that was easy to get to. We have been back several times but we have never stayed in the same resort twice. Here is a list of the all-inclusive resorts we visited and what we loved about them. I hope this helps you begin your own love affair with the great country of Mexico!
Hyatt Ziva, Puerto Vallarta
After four trips to Cancun, this year we decided to visit a new city in Mexico. We chose Puerto Vallarta and we are so glad we did! Puerto Vallarta is smaller than the Cancun/Riviera Maya area. We love the areas where the lush vegetation covered hills come right down to the sandy beaches. There is a charming boardwalk called the Malecón. Puerto Vallarta sits on a large bay; the Bay of Banderas. There are several tour groups that will take you to different parts of the bay where you can see a traditional and exciting dance show, you can walk through tiny villages and horseback ride to secluded waterfalls, you can ride zip lines and go snorkeling. There are enough activities to keep you as busy as you'd like to be. Just from the Hyatt Ziva you can try parasailing, jet skiing, go on a fishing tour or let the kids be pulled behind a boat on a giant tube.
The Hyatt Ziva sits right on a secluded beach. The restaurants serve delicious food. I even liked the buffet restaurant and I've never said that before! The beach chairs under the shade of palapas were easy enough to get even in the late morning. The different pool areas were beautiful. The resort felt easy to navigate. It wasn't so huge that you needed shuttles to get around but it was still large enough to have plenty of food and activity options. Overall the staff was friendly and helpful. The rooms all face the water. When I go to a beach I want to be close enough to the surf to see it during the day and hear it at night from my room. That was no problem at this hotel.
We loved the spectacular sunsets, boogie boarding and the dolphins putting on a show the day we left. We have never gone to a hotel in Mexico twice, but we will, without a doubt, return here. As. Soon. As. Possible!
The Royal, Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen is south of the Cancun hotel zone. It has the feeling of being away from the commotion of Cancun while still having many options of fun things to do. In Playa del Carmen 5th Avenue is famous for shopping and restaurants.
The Royal is a block from 5th Avenue. It is in the heart of the action, but doesn't feel like it when you step into the resort. The impressive lobby area welcomes guests. The rooms are decorated in a traditional Mexican style. The grounds are impeccably maintained. This is an adult-only resort. The restaurants are some of the best we've been to in Mexico. The Royal is consistently highly rated on TripAdvisor and it's easy to see why.
El Dorado Royale, Riviera Maya
El Dorado Royale is located between the hotel zone in Cancun and Playa del Carmen. From what I've read the beach here has been nice in the past. But last year when we went (2016) they were doing something to try to restore the beach after a big storm and the beach was not very picturesque. That may be improved now.
This resort is billed as a gourmet all-inclusive. And while the food was good, it came in such small portions my husband felt he wanted more than they offered. They have a special restaurant you can sign up for where they will tell you about the food they made, what parts of Mexico the ingredients came from and what wine to pair the meal with. I'm sure my father would have loved it! But it does take a very long time so be prepared for that.
El Dorado Royale seems to be all about the upgrades. They have "casitas" that are larger and more private right in the middle of the resort. So if you want to go to the delicious Asian restaurant on one end of the resort you walk through the casitas section. But don't try to stop there on a beach bed or get a drink at one of the pool bars because that is only for the people staying in that section. That is probably very nice for those guests staying there but for us it felt a little off-putting. This is a large resort and some of the shuttle drivers are very funny.
Our room left a lot to be desired. We upgraded to a room right by the beach but the room itself was still small. The bathroom had no privacy. The balcony was too small to use.
This is an adult-only resort. Guests here can visit the Generations Resort that is located next door. The Generations Resort has an impressively huge pool! They have a fun swim-up bar with smoothies (this resort is for all ages). They also have signs on the beach beds that if you have not returned to your things they will be removed so other guests can use them. I wish all hotels followed this policy! The restaurants here serve tasty dishes.
One thing I really enjoyed was the 5k "race" around the resort. It was fun to do that with other guests. Part of the fun of a race is getting the shirt to remember the experience and they even had those! A run was a great activity to do to work off all those calories I consumed during the week there!
The Beloved, Playa Mujeres
Playa Mujeres is north of the hotel zone in Cancun. Here one will find long stretches of white soft sand. The surf is calm. The area is away from the action of the hotel zone.
The Beloved is right next to a marina. It is fun to see the expensive yachts and other boats in the marina. The white buildings of this hotel blend with the white sand of the beach and allow all your attention to be drawn to the contrast of the colors of the green palm trees and the blue water. The food here is good. The resort has a very comfortable feeling. This is not adult-only hotel but there were not many children the year we went. There are plenty of areas to lounge by the pools or on the beach. The staff were very friendly. We may not have had a room right on the water but we loved our huge balcony with large bed to lounge on. We enjoyed breakfast on the balcony one morning too. This resort has received high praise on TripAdvisor and it is well-deserved.
Hotel Marina El Cid, Puerto Morelos
Puerto Morelos is located south of the hotel zone in Cancun. Have you noticed a theme here?! We like to be in a calm relaxing place away from lots of people! This is why we have never stayed in the hotel zone. Puerto Morelos is a short ride from the airport. The beach was dreamy. The grounds were beautiful. The food was okay. The pool with the water slide and high jump was fun. The room was awesome!
This is the only trip we've taken a child on. We had a six-month old baby we didn't feel comfortable leaving at home. We booked a two bedroom suite so he would have his own space to sleep and we could be up doing things. One night I didn't even put him in his room because it felt so far away! Now, with older kids, I would love this set up. This room was bigger than our first house I think! It had a kitchen, dining room, large living area, three decks, a master suite, a children's room with two beds and another bathroom and a foyer between these two rooms to connect us. Of all the rooms I've seen for traveling with a family this one is the best.
Activities
Cancun and the Riviera Maya offer just about any kind of adventure activity you can think of! Our favorite excursion was a jungle zip line tour through the company called Selvática. The zip lining was fun, but the best part of the trip was swimming in a cenote. A cenote is a sink hole with fresh water in it. We could zip line to the middle and drop into the cool water. We could jump off the cliff. We could swim to the cave on one side. It happening to be raining that day and it was magical!
We've also done a tour where we were able to jet ski to areas where we could snorkel along the reef. The second largest barrier reef in the world runs along the Yucatan Peninsula down to Belize. This is one big draw for tourist to go to Cozumel where you can be close the reef and snorkel or scuba dive.
Cave tours, scuba diving tours, the ruins at Chichen Itza and Tulum; the list goes on and on. There are so many fun things to do in and around Cancun.
Tips
When booking a trip to Mexico there are a few things to be aware of. Remember that spring break is from March into early April. This is a good time to avoid resorts in Mexico! Of course if you stay away from the hotel zone and stay in an expensive resort you should be okay but it's something to consider. Hurricane season for Cancun is generally the worst from August to October. This could be a great time to find a deal if you're willing to risk it! If you're going to Puerto Vallarta the rainy season is roughly from mid June through September. We were there in July. When it rained it was usually at night. So that may not be an issue, but it's always best to be aware of the conditions so you can make the best choice for your travels.
