Top Mexico Travel Tips for Families

The Rosewood San Miguel de Allende offers several child- and teen-friendly experiences, including the kids’ pool.
The Rosewood San Miguel de Allende offers several child- and teen-friendly experiences, including the kids’ pool.

Mexico understands the family market, its family activities are always expanding and it offers ease of access and all-inclusive value. That’s the gist of what agents told Travel Agent when we spoke to them for our Mexico Family Focus a few months ago, and in that short time there have been yet more new developments.

Karisma Hotels & Resorts has announced the start of the new family-friendly “The Greatest Escape Game by Athens Clue” at Generations Riviera Maya and Azul Sensatori Mexico by Karisma. Each property offers two unique challenges for groups, where two to five guests of all ages are tasked with solving a mystery and escaping from the locked room in only 45 minutes. Guests will work together to solve logic puzzles and use the clues they are provided to decipher numeric, word, and key locks in order to escape before time is up.

To make The Greatest Escape Game more interesting, guests can choose between two themes: The Pirate or The Archaeologist. With the former, guests are locked in the secluded hideaway of the famous pirate John “The Mack” Bourbon, who is rumored to have found the great medal of a past Chinese emperor whose spirit many believe is still present in the room. Players who choose the latter theme will find themselves stuck in the warehouse of Jack Trevis, an infamous rogue who also happens to be one of the world’s best archaeologists and is credited with finding the secret of the labyrinth. Guests will have to work quickly because if Jack comes back before they’re out of his lair, they’ll be in trouble.

The Greatest Escape Game can be played for $30 for two people, $40 for three, $45 for four and $50 for five. Guests can book it through the concierge or butler at either hotel.

This summer, Karisma will also introduce the Nickelodeon Experience exclusively at Azul Hotels by Karisma in the Riviera Maya. It will include interactions with some of Nickelodeon’s favorite characters, such as Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

Also this summer, Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Cancun Resort and Spa will open the largest kids’ club in the Caribbean. The 50,000-square-foot expanse will offer children a daily activities program designed by a specialist children’s entertainment company. Supervised entertainment and activities include beachfront sand castle building, sea shell hunting, crafts, pool and beach games, competitions, arts and sports skills as well as activities that parents and kids can do together.

Surf’s Up in Nayarit

If surfing is what families want to do together, send them to the Riviera Nayarit surfing haven of Sayulita, which last month hosted the World Standup Paddle and Paddleboard Championship. Javier Chavez, owner of Sayulita-based Wildmex Adventures, specializes in surfing excursions in Sayulita and nearby Punta de Mita.  

“Standup Paddleboarding and Surfing are ideal activities in the Punta de Mita-Sayulita area. With our mellow waves, warm water and tons of beach access, it is easy to enjoy any of these sports,” he tells Travel Agent. Chavez works with travel agents as well as specialty tour operators.

“If clients are interested in surfing, the multiple surf breaks in the area provide consistent waves for beginner and intermediate surfers. For standup paddleboarding, we have lots of beaches with no waves at all. In most cases, it’s even possible to take the entire family out to the beautiful beaches,” he says. 

Something a little more off the beaten path awaits families in San Miguel de Allende, a UNESCO World Heritage of Humanity city about one hour by air east of Riviera Nayarit or northwest of Mexico City. There, the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, a boutique hotel, just launched a new child- and teen-friendly “Ultimate Sleepover” experience, available in the hotel’s new villa accommodations. Each villa ranges from four- to five-bedrooms, and the Sleepover experience is customized to guests’ individual age, needs and interests. Activities include:

* A custom s’mores bar on the villa’s private roof, allowing guests their own private Jacuzzi, grill and fire-pit. A variety of chocolate, peanut butter, sprinkles, dessert sauces and flavored marshmallows are available.

* An in-villa interactive cooking class, where children will learn to make traditional Mexican tacos

* A make-your-own pinata activity

* Rooftop “glamping,” where kids can participate in a more “camp-like” experience by spending the night on their private roof in a carefully pitched tent. Various stargazing activities can be arranged to end the evening.

* A custom juice bar and tutorial, where the hotel’s mixologists will stop by the residence with all necessary ingredients to create a custom juice bar. Children will start their day learning about fruits and vegetables native to San Miguel de Allende, as well as how to make healthful juice drinks. 

Children under 12 stay free in the same room as their parents at the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, which also has a kids’ pool and, for much younger guests, the Rose Buds Children’s Center.

Los Cabos for Kids

In Los CabosSolmar Hotels & Resorts Managing Director Ricardo Orozco tells Travel Agent: “Our most important news for 2015 is the completion of new features at our top resort, Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa. We’re just about to finish. We’ve added a new lounge, banquet and ballroom space, a new Land’s End Spa, deli cafe and bar.” And for families, a new Grand Solmar Kid’s Club will feature themed nights to keep young ones occupied while parents dine.

Among other resort news from Cabo, the recently reopened One&Only Palmilla has a complimentary Kids Only Club offering a full program of entertainment and activities tailored to the interests of various ages and offered daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There’s also Teens Only Club for 12- to 17-year-olds.

Also fully operational, Royal Solaris Los Cabos is home to the Noah’s Ark mini water park for kids, providing safe shallow pools and water slides as well as fountains shaped like gorillas, whales, pelicans, zebras and other animals.

At the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort, which is planning to reopen July 1, kids can kick back at the Cabo Kids Oasis. The hideaway has things to do for children as young as four years old. 

When Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa reopens July 1 children ages three to 12 can visit the Explorer’s Club. In addition, there are daily supervised activities based around nature, science and exploration. There’s also a once-a-week camping adventure on the beach that lets little ones enjoy dinner and nature-oriented activities.