Mexico's Best Family Resorts

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One of the eight pool areas at Aqua Resort, Cancun

Throughout the year, Travel Agent has come across some terrific family-friendly resorts in Mexico. With rates as low as they have ever been—for obvious reasons—now’s the time to book these properties for families looking for an affordable summer holiday.

Here are few of our favorites:

Aqua Resort

We didn’t get to see many rooms at Fiesta Americana’s Aqua Resort in Cancun—(they were all booked)—but we can tell you about the room we stayed in. Room #3027 is a standard room, but it could have been a suite at most of the other properties we visited during the week. It had a balcony with an oceanfront view.

Aqua focuses on every aspect of all senses, from the tastes of the cuisines to the scents in different parts of the hotel. The resort describes itself as “barefoot luxury,” meaning it is very casual but maintains luxury standards. It offers cooking classes for children, eight pools (all with different temperatures) and theme weeks. During the popular Chocolate Week, everything from chocolate-flavored spa products to actual chocolate is offered throughout the resort.

Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Singapore-based Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts debuted in Mexico in March with a resort in the thriving Riviera Maya area. Just 40 minutes south of Cancun International Airport, Banyan Tree Mayakoba offers a nice blend of modern Asian and Mexican tropical design. The resort has villa-type accommodations to please every guest—from the private Garden Pool Villas and the Spa Pool Villas to the Terrace Residences and Beachfront Pool Villas. Each offers a pool measuring at least 323 square feet, outdoor heated jet pools or sunken baths, massage beds and steam rooms. All 132 villas are freestanding units on land, over water or by the beachfront. We are told the best is the Three-Bedroom Beach Front Pool Villa, which features Mexican-inspired furnishings, a private swimming pool and jet-pool set in a secluded garden. There is also an outdoor terrace with tables and chairs, a study pavilion with a daybed and a dining area with a kitchenette. Each of the villa’s three bedrooms has its own bathroom. Agents should contact Reservation Manager Claudia Fernandez at 011-52-984-877-3688, [email protected]

Hacienda Tres Ríos

This luxury eco-friendly resort south of Cancun, in the heart of the Riviera Maya, is home to a wonderful family attraction—the guests-only Tres Ríos Park. Hacienda Tres Rios is perfect for families wishing to snorkel in cenotes (underwater caves) and for seeing all kinds of wildlife—just a short walk from their hotels. Of the hotel’s 273 junior suites, we saw Room #1121, a Ceiba Junior Suite. These come with either two double beds or a king bed, sofa, balcony and an indoor Jacuzzi. We also saw Room #1122, a Casa Grande, the best on the property. The suite, which can accommodate six, has a king bed with a Jacuzzi right next to it and a dining area. Agents should contact Miriam Martinez, wedding and social events sales manager, at 011-52-998-891-5266, or [email protected].

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A Hacienda Junior Suite at Sandos Playacar Riviera Hotel & Spa

Barceló La Jolla de Mismaloya Hotel

Barceló Hotels & Resorts’ new Barceló La Jolla de Mismaloya Hotel in Puerto Vallarta has more than 300 one- and two-bedroom guest suites. Each suite opens onto a large balcony with a view of Mismaloya Bay and the resort’s gardens. The most popular rooms are the two-bedroom Family Suites, which easily accommodate up to five people. Agents should contact Yasmin Chavez, sales manager, at 011-52-322-226-0600, or [email protected]

Sandos Playacar Riviera Hotel & Spa

Opened in April, the Sandos Playacar Riviera Hotel & Spa has 400 junior and two-room master suites, many with large, circular in-room hot tubs and balconies. The architecture is split between three-story buildings housing a few dozen rooms each and two-story hacienda-style villas with 10 accommodations, each with its own private plunge pool. For those traveling with kids, this beach destination has two separate all-day kids’ clubs—one for children ages two to eight, the other for youngsters and teens. Every week, children take over the 600-seat theater to perform skits in Disney character costumes. The teens have the on-property disco to themselves every night until 10 p.m., after which it is for grown-ups only.

Agents should contact Jacques De Paep, director of sales and marketing, at 866-887-5601.