Cousin Jake chose the best kid orientated resort I have ever stayed at in our many trips to Mexico. I’m not generally a fan of the connecting mega resorts, but in this case, I will tip my sombrero.
When travelling with young children and a super early flight I like to book one of the park, stay and fly hotels near the Vancouver Airport. The cost of this is not that much more than paying for a week of parking using Park’N Fly. The Holiday Inn Express was the best price, so we booked it in advance. The hotel has a buffet breakfast included and shuttles you to and from the airport.
Located south of Cancun in the Riveria Maya, the Iberostar Selection Paraiso Lindo had countless amenities and dining options. The buffet food was pretty decent, which is often the make or break to an all inclusive. This was our first all encompassing trip with the kids so they reveled in mean mom relaxing the nutrition rules and their carte blanche approach to dinner selections. One obstacle I frequently come across when travelling with large groups (this one was 11 adults, 6 kids if memory serves me..) is trying to book the a la carte restaurants. Here we did surprisingly well. We all sat together at Under the Sea (seafood), Trattoria Olivetti (Italian) and El Rancho (steakhouse). Another obstacle with the a la cartes is the seating times but here we also did surprisingly well. Who is sober enough to go to dinner at 8pm in Mexico?! The service and sustenance was good. At least I think it was after downing half a dozen Miami Vice’s.
The water activities were unparalleled. There was a massive spray and splash waterpark that was open all day. The huge Aztec themed pools had floaties to sign out or bring your own. You will want these to float down the lazy river. There was also 7 other waterslides. These were open intermittently, but the kids got lots of opportunity. Loungers were easy to get and several bars were in a short walking distance. Staff came by regularly to top up blended cocktails while I “supervised” the children playing.
There was a shopping center across the road that was included with our wrist bands. Here you could visit an ice cream shop, coffee shop and taco place for no extra cost. There were a few slightly overpriced gift shops, a tattoo parlor and a kids playground to poke around.
The resort had a kids club but we didn’t take advantage. The drop off times for supervised play never seemed to work with our schedule. The kids had lots of playmates travelling with us anyways so we didn’t really need it.
The beach was spectacular but a bit of a walk. The enormous connecting resorts mean you always get your daily steps in. A recent tropical storm had effected the seaweed and it was found in clumps all along the sand and in the water. The kids didn’t mind and had fun splashing in the crashing waves. The beach snack shack was great. Auntie Shirl participated in the oceanside Zumba classes a few times after a few cold ones.
The real reason for this trip was Jake marrying the love of his life, Chantel. We were picked up in golf carts and after our driver got lost a few times we managed to meet up on one of the complex’s beachfront pavilions. Following a picturesque ceremony we went to a private reception hall that was adorned with flowers and elegant finishings. The children and drunken fools all made use of the dance floor. Dinner was eaten. Kind words were shared. The cousins left the kiddos with our spouses and went out to the after hours disco (also included) across the road. The bride had to be assisted home in a wheel chair due to her inability to walk. Must have been the heat. I am positive I had nothing to do with her incapacity that evening. And I am proud of my cousin Jake whose vows were tested that first blissful evening when he took care of his gorgeous new wife in sickness and in health.
APRIL 2022
KIDS AGES: 6 and 8 years old
paRty of 4 