We are going to Cancun with a 1 year old and a 4 year old. I would love to hear any tips you can give me to make our trip go as smooth as possible. We will be staying at an all-inclusive resort on the Riviera Maya.
Well, we are back and it was a good time! When I posted this question I was hoping to hear from people who had been there, not from people who were scared to go. I wish I had gotten more help, because I had to learn some things the hard way, so that is why I wanted to post a "what happened" in case other people are searching for help and come upon this post.
1. Pack bug spray. I randomly killed at least 8 mosquitos, and my kids and I got a couple of bites each (despite trying to keep bug spray on at all times.) I saw one little girl at the restaurant with bug bites on her face so...bring bug repellent.
2. Pack Tylenol/Ibuprofen in bottles 3 ounces or less in case you need to bring them on the plane. Our 1 year old ended up catching a cold the last day, and he had a pretty high fever. I ran into problems, because the Tylenol and Ibuprofen I brought were larger than 3 ounces so I couldn't bring them on the plane with me. He was going to need a dose mid flight to keep the fever down, stressful! So bring your Tylenol and Ibuprofen in bottles smaller than 3 ounces in case you need them on the flight.
3. Bring one clean Sippy per day per child OR something to clean them with. There really isn’t a good way to get the Sippies clean in the room.
4. Bring plenty of snacks, it’s worth the suitcase space! The food there is delicious for adults but it is unfamiliar and the restaurants I think must be kind of overwhelming or distracting for the kids. I had a hard time getting either of my kids to eat much.
5. Bring your own buckets/ beach toys. Our resort didn’t have anything to rent for the kids to play with on the beach, so I was glad we brought our own stuff (although you could buy it at the gift store if you chose to).
6. Our airline allowed us to check a carseat and/or stroller for free, so check into that. We flew with Frontier and they were amazing!
7. I called ahead of time and talked to the transportation service that was picking us up from the airport. They arrived with a car seat already in their bus when they picked us up from the airport, which was nice. However, they had promised there would also be a carseat on the bus taking us back to the airport, and there wasn’t. We had checked one carseat (for free) with the airline just in case this happened, and I was glad we at least had a carseat for the 1-year-old.
8. I called ahead to the resort to see if they would have a crib available for us. They said they had 20, but you could not reserve one, it was first come first serve. Upon further inquiry I found out that those 20 cribs were shared by over 800 resort rooms. We brought our pack-n-play and checked it as my 4-year-old’s one free luggage item (international flyers got 1 free checked bag per ticket with our airline). Then I packed for the rest of the family in 2 huge suitcases.
9. Pack laundry detergent in case you want to rinse out anything in the sink. After being in the ocean the stuff gets pretty smelly and rinsing with just water wasn’t enough to get the stink out. There is laundry service there, but it cost $7 for just 1 shirt.
10. Stuff takes FOREVER to dry, so pack as many swimsuits, etc. as possible.
Hope this helps any future mama travelers! I have to say the only time I was nervous about our safety (and I am a worrier by nature if you couldn’t tell : ) was when we took the taxi ride back from swimming with the dolphins. My husband talked me into leaving the carseat behind, and I regretted it. The driving was way faster than the big vans/buses and in general much crazier. Ovearll, it was a beautiful place, and we had a fun time. However, I’m not gonna lie, it is a LOT of work traveling there with such young kids. We will wait to go again until they are older.
Be careful. You could not pay me to go anywhere in Mexico these days. No way I'd ever take my child there either.
It used to be very nice.
Don't drink the water.
Don't leave the hotel. If you have to, don't leave at night. Don't be alone in non-tourist areas. Don't be alone, if you don't have to.
Bottled water, do not purchase food from vendors on the street especially any type of produce. Depending on what boat you take will depend the time it is. So if your in the hotel row area and you need ask the time you can get 10 different answers. When I went we stayed in Cancun central. I was probably he only gringo there but it was worth it. So much more nicer than being surrounded by americans. I can stay home and be surrounded by americans. Nothing wrong with us but if I go away I want to actually see more. Careful taking the busses they slow down but do not necessarly stop all the way and if you have kids you need be prepared.
Please don't get freaked out by some of the replies. From what I've read, the drug gang killings are not affecting the tourist areas in the Riviera Maya. And there is no reason they would be.
We took our 1+ year old to Cancun 3 or so years ago. It was great. With the all-inclusive places, you can switch between the pool and beach. Also, most of these places have great kid activities. You don't even need to leave the resort if you don't want.
If you do decide to check things out, the buses are great and cheap. If you need a cab, ask the hotel to arrange it. I had no problems with the water, but I may have gotten lucky. I had drinks with ice in them out side of the hotel zone and had no problems. In the resorts, the tap water will be fine.
Arrange the transportation to the hotel from the airport before you go on the trip.
That's all I have. Except enjoy yourself. It sounds like a great trip!
