I thought this would be a fun time to share a recap of our trip to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico from earlier this year! We went with my inlaws, so there was actually 13 of us, including 5 kids with 4 of them being under 4 years old! (Yes, it was as crazy as it sounds, but also a lot of fun!)
I guess the biggest decision was that we decided to stay in a big rental house all together instead of at a hotel (which is the pretty typical way to experience Mexico). There was positives and negatives of this; but, it made sense with 4 toddlers, we had a lot of early bedtimes and this way we could all still have the evenings together after putting the kids to bed, without someone stuck in the hotel room with the little ones!
Another great thing about having our own place was that we had our pool, and with 4 toddlers we spent a lot of time in this pool! We did have to do all of our own grocery shopping and cooking (which was kind of fun to go grocery shopping) and we divided up the cooking with families doing different nights and made it work. I mean, certainly an all inclusive would be preferable for the food and drinks. We actually stayed just outside of Playa del Carmen and the house was in a gated neighbourhood right next to resorts, so it felt safe. We had about a 3 minute walk to a beach, so we spent a lot of time there too!
One of the things we decided on right away as a group was that because we had a bunch of small kids, we wanted to get out and explore; but, we wanted to not do something big every day and just have a bunch of crazy and cranky toddlers. So, we made sure to alternate days of going out for the day and staying close to home the next day (pool and beach close by!) And, it was a really good idea - we had lots of time all together and the kids didn't get overwhelmed with huge day outings all the time!
And, the pool and home days were great - you can't go wrong with being in the water in Mexico! But, what should and shouldn't you do with a bunch of toddlers in Playa Del Carmen?!
One of the best days out with the kids was just going to downtown Playa del Carmen, near the Cruise Port area. The beach was amazing - you can actually see the island of Cozumel from the beach. The kids loved playing in the ocean and watching the big boats come and go. Also, as corny as it sounds, we absolutely loved our lunch at Senor Frogs - seriously, when is the last time four toddlers sat nicely through a long lunch?! With all the singing and dancing and activities, they were totally enthralled! We all got in to it with the funny hats and Damian learned how to make guacamole - it was really fun! Then, if the kids are up for it, it's always fun to check out the local vendors - I have to get a coconut whenever I can and it's a good way to break apart in groups and go check out a few things that everyone wants to do! Highly recommend a day in this area!
We did also consider going out to Cozumel; but, just thought with timing that it wasn't worth it. It's certainly on my bucket list if we go back to this area again!
Our next big day trip was to Xcaret, and honestly as a group we went back and forth about whether or not we should go - it is pricey, especially for a family with kids; but, I did think it was worth it. We made a full day out of it and still didn't see everything there. The kids loved all the animals - turtles, birds (there were even little babies hatching from eggs in front of us), to monkeys - they really enjoyed all of it. There is rivers to swim and float down (and we all did it, including a one year old!) There was really good food for lunch, and I finally got a fish pedicure than I have been wanting to try forever! We didn't do any of the extras at all and still had a very full day; but, I think overall, everyone enjoyed it! The only recommendation with young kids is bring a stroller - this park is massive! I never use a stroller for Elliott anymore, but am I ever glad we did - it was a ton of walking!
So, our third and final day trip was to Tulum - we really wanted to see the ancient ruins and it was not a great idea with little ones. It was a long walk in to the ruins, there were no strollers allowed, it was really busy and naturally everything was roped off (no complaints - this was all as expected, but just not ideal for toddlers) - kids see big rocks and would prefer to climb them as opposed to admire their beauty and history. It was hard to enjoy, while trying to entertain our toddler. Which was too bad, Tulum has been on my wishlist, so I do wish we were able to see more.
On a good note, we ended up getting talked to in the parking lot (totally shady, I know) about going on a cenote and cave adventure - my one thing I NEEDED to do while on this side of Mexico was to go swimming in a cenote. We ended up going to the Aktun-Chen Park and it was fantastic. We had to drive out to the cenote, but it was this amazing cave cenote that you walk down in to. They give you goggles, but it is crystal clear, you can see straight down to the bottom - it was amazing! And then, we went on their cave tour - which is on the National Geographic list of Top 10 Underground Walks and it was pretty spectacular! You go in a couple of caves and they explain things as you go (not the best pacing for little ones, but we all really enjoyed it!)
Overall, we had a really great time on this trip - lots of beach, pool and family time, plus a few unforgettable sights we were able to take in!
Of course, there were a couple of things that we were hoping to do that we weren't able to - it was quite stormy right before we landed in Cancun, so the water was fairly rough and it was windy a few days, so some of the group really wanted to go snorkelling and weren't able to get a time! Also, we were really close to this cute town, Puerto Morelos where we did all of our grocery shopping and it would have been nice to spend a day exploring the town too!
Until we can travel again, we can enjoy looking back at old trips, or planning new ones down the road!
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