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Best RCI resorts in Mexico for baby & toddler

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Hi all,
We are thinking of going to Mexico this winter with our children, who will be approximately 6 mo and 3 yrs at that time. Would like to stay at a toddler/baby friendly resort, ideally with two rooms or a separate area in room for them to nap and sleep. Thinking Cancun or Playa, not PV. But open to ideas. Thx for your help!
 

hurnik

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Unless you want to also pay the AI fees, there's not many (IMO).
Vidanta resort in Riviera Maya is about 7 km north of Playa del Carmen and like 20-30 minutes south of Cancun airport.
Very toddler/baby friendly, IMO.

Don't know about the other non-AI resorts (there are some) in Cancun itself.
I think the Vidanta resort is as close as you can get to Playa del Carmen and not be AI.
 
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Sorry what is AI?

We are OK paying the resort fees. Thanks
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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Sorry what is AI?

We are OK paying the resort fees. Thanks

All inclusive .:

Vidanta has many on resort restaurants - but you only pay for what you order / and bill is settled at the end of the week at check out .

:Your chip room key number is used for signing purposes each time you order
whether it be room service , pool side , or in one of their sit down restaurants.
 

Passepartout

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Hi all,
We are thinking of going to Mexico this winter with our children, who will be approximately 6 mo and 3 yrs at that time. Would like to stay at a toddler/baby friendly resort, ideally with two rooms or a separate area in room for them to nap and sleep. Thinking Cancun or Playa, not PV. But open to ideas. Thx for your help!
AI can be VERY expensive- it isn't jut 'resort fees'. It's unlikely that the resorts will have much in the line of babysitting- especially for a 6-month-old. At that age the kids won't know or care or ever remember that their parents took them to Mexico. As long as you spend time with them, they'll have a great time. Also bear in mind that even at 6-months, they will have to have passports. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but just giving you a little reality check of things to consider for international travel with small children.

Jim
 
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Ah thanks. That sounds good actually.

We are good with all inclusive also.
 

hurnik

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Ah thanks. That sounds good actually.

We are good with all inclusive also.

Just keep in mind that since you're using RCI not only do you pay for the week, plus the exchange, you will also pay the $150-200/pp/day AI fee (RCI will list the fees).

In that case, you're almost always better off getting the resort stay directly from the resort or via some online booking agency.

I'd say probably 80% of RCI resorts in Mexico are mandatory All-Inclusive.

Just wanted you to be aware that it can be VERY expensive (IMO).
 

hurnik

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AI can be VERY expensive- it isn't jut 'resort fees'. It's unlikely that the resorts will have much in the line of babysitting- especially for a 6-month-old. At that age the kids won't know or care or ever remember that their parents took them to Mexico. As long as you spend time with them, they'll have a great time. Also bear in mind that even at 6-months, they will have to have passports. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but just giving you a little reality check of things to consider for international travel with small children.

Jim

Oh yeah, forgot that RCI/II for Vidanta charges a "resort" fee (well technically it's Vidanta charging it) based upon ROOM SIZE for the Riviera Maya location. I think a 1 BR is $480 extra (payable at the resort, not to RCI) on top of whatever the exchange fee/points/week is. If you want to punish yourself and attend a 4+ hour ("90 minute") sales presentation they'll usually give some sort of discount to that fee among other things. But no way would I recommend that. They're very grueling presentations and can get quite nasty to you if you don't buy.
 
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Yes I’m aware the 6 mo won’t remember and we all need passports. I know the kids clubs won’t take the baby and may not take the toddler. Such is life with young kids.

Good to know fees might be high, any sense of how much?

QUOTE="Passepartout, post: 2333119, member: 16864"]AI can be VERY expensive- it isn't jut 'resort fees'. It's unlikely that the resorts will have much in the line of babysitting- especially for a 6-month-old. At that age the kids won't know or care or ever remember that their parents took them to Mexico. As long as you spend time with them, they'll have a great time. Also bear in mind that even at 6-months, they will have to have passports. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but just giving you a little reality check of things to consider for international travel with small children.

Jim[/QUOTE]
 
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Oh yeah, forgot that RCI/II for Vidanta charges a "resort" fee (well technically it's Vidanta charging it) based upon ROOM SIZE for the Riviera Maya location. I think a 1 BR is $480 extra (payable at the resort, not to RCI) on top of whatever the exchange fee/points/week is. If you want to punish yourself and attend a 4+ hour ("90 minute") sales presentation they'll usually give some sort of discount to that fee among other things. But no way would I recommend that. They're very grueling presentations and can get quite nasty to you if you don't buy.

Wow those fees are crazy, thanks for the heads up
 

Passepartout

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Wow those fees are crazy, thanks for the heads up
Someone posted that at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay in Mazatlan, the AI was $80something for adults and $55ish for each kid (they had 3) PER DAY, so a little math showed almost $250 per day for AI charges- almost $1500 USD for a week!

Jim
 

pittle

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Someone posted that at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay in Mazatlan, the AI was $80something for adults and $55ish for each kid (they had 3) PER DAY, so a little math showed almost $250 per day for AI charges- almost $1500 USD for a week!

Jim
PBEB All-Inclusive is Optional. You can do 3 days in a row of A/I and 4 not. I think the Pueblo Bonitos in Cabo have the same option.
 

Passepartout

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PBEB All-Inclusive is Optional. You can do 3 days in a row of A/I and 4 not. I think the Pueblo Bonitos in Cabo have the same option.
Thanks Phyllis. I was just using this cost as an example for the newbie OP. I wanted her to be aware that AI is not just a 'resort fee'. And my take is that they are more interested in Yucatan Mexico than West Coast.

AI has exactly ZERO interest to me. We like supporting the local economies- and in fact are more inclined to the BnB model.

Jim
 

Karen G

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Hi all,
We are thinking of going to Mexico this winter with our children, who will be approximately 6 mo and 3 yrs at that time. Would like to stay at a toddler/baby friendly resort, ideally with two rooms or a separate area in room for them to nap and sleep. Thinking Cancun or Playa, not PV. But open to ideas. Thx for your help!
If you want to consider Cabo, there are 3 Pueblo Bonito resorts that trade w/RCI and the all-inclusive is optional. Our grandkids were the ages of your kids & it worked out fine having them there.
 

geist1223

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Royal Solaris in San Jose del Cabo is very family friendly. We always see lots of family staying there when we go. It is an All Inclusive. Many times there are good Package Deals on Costco - Airfare, AI Fees, and transportation to and from airport. They also have a special kid area. The down side is that you would all be in one room with 2 King Beds.
 

belor

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Seeing that you have family, the Royal Haciendas in Playa del Carmen is a great option - if you trade in there via II or RCI you will have to pay fees exchange fees + A/I fees, but you can always either rent from another owner or call the Royal Reservations booking center. RH has a great kids club (which may work for your 3 year old - the 6 mo old would be a little young...). They do T-shirt making, facepainting, pinatas party, etc. We started going there when my son was 5 and daughter was 3 and kids loved it. Unlike Vidanta mentioned above, RH is a short cab ride/drive from downtown Playa (10 minutes), so you can enjoy 5th avenue without a big hassle (great for little ones)

For renting from another owner, you can check on sites like TUG Marketplace, Redweek, OMCancun. You would want either a 1 bedroom Suite or a 2 bedroom Villa - when our kids were that young, the 1 bedroom worked perfectly - we had the master bedroom and the kids slept on pull-down trundles in the Living Room (or have a crib delivered). Based on the week, you should be able to get close to what the maintenance fee cost ($800 for 1 bedroom, $1200 for 2 bedroom) + $100-200 at the most (based on the renter and your willingness to bargain). Choosing Christmas, New Years, MLK or other higher demand weeks will be more, naturally. The big benefit of renting from an owner is then A/I is optional - you can do a none, a full week or # of days, so this can make a very affordable vacation, especially if you like to cook in your room.

If you don't want the hassle, you can call the Royal Reservation center (1-888-721-4469 - Stefano is great, if you ask for him). Many times based on the promotions they have going, you can get prices close to what renting costs. When going through the reservation center, since you aren't an owner you will have to purchase A/I, but they have a great deal when booking directly that kids are free, so you are only paying for the adults, so if you were planning on doing A/I anyway, it can be a wash. Also, if you go via making a reservation through a rep at the call center instead of online, they can sometimes guarantee you location (walkout, penthouse, phase, etc), so we always checked the various options.
 

bizaro86

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We did Vidanta in Riviera Maya on an exchange when our kids were 3 years, and just over 1 year. We really liked having the plunge pools on the balconey- good size for little ones without having to go anywhere.

We aren't into kids clubs, but there had one, and there was also a number of activities you could go (arts and crafts, games, etc). They also had flamingos in an enclosure which my kids liked.
 

pianodinosaur

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The Royal Islander is one of the best managed resorts we have ever stayed. It is not all inclusive but you have that option at The Royal Sands. The beach and the food are the best. The rooms and the pools are immaculate. The concierge is ready to help you with arranging tours and making any off site dinner reservations and the concierge service is excellent. There are grocery stores at both the Royal Islander and The Roysl Sands if you want to cook. I personally prefer The Royals to the Vidante resorts in Playa del Carmen. If you are a golfer, you would prefer the Vidante resorts.
 

hurnik

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I will say that Vidanta has a nice kids club. They even have a baby sitter service for the room if you so desire. I'm trying to remember how old the kids were at the time.
 
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