Mexico
 

I am planning to book a trip to Mexico for my family this August and I am wondering if you guys can help me making my trip more enjoyable.
The place is Riviera Maya and the hotel is Gran Bahia Principe Copa. Have you stayed there before and how was your experience? Is there another hotel you would recommend? I am looking at 4 or 5 stars hotels only.
What is there to do in there? What are must see sites? I am bringing my kids (4 and 2 years old). I am trying to find things to do that are suitable for them as well.
That's all I can think of right now. If you can think of something else, please let me know. Mucha gracias!!!

I havent stayed at the coba, but my sister's boyfriend did, and he really like it. I went to the mayan riviera last year and really enjoyed it. We did the xel ha excursion and really liked it as well as the coba ruins/mayan village excursion. I've also heard the isla de meurjas (probably incorrect spelling, but it sort of translates to the island of women) excursion and snorkelling with turtles is good too.

August = too hot! From experience, you'll be stuck looking for shelter in the pool using a lounger for sun coverage. Visiting sites in the extreme heat is not recommended by anyone. You'll even bake in the ocean and unless the beach has shade and a decent breeze you'll find yourself avoiding that as well. Honestly take your family there in the winter or early spring and you'll find it much more enjoyable.

Sphelps,
Yeah, that's what I've heard from my friends as well that it's too hot in August. However, our anniversary is coming up and the boss wants to go somewhere nice so I can't really wait until winter or spring unless I want to sleep on the couch until then :lol:

I haven't stayed there but i have been to H10 Ocean Turquesa. it was a great resort not huge which was nice. They do have a "kids club" and entertain and keep the kids active. The food was endless and very good, lots of North American types of food also if your kids are fussy eaters. About a 20 minute bus ride from Cancun. Xel-ha (shell ha) It's a water park about an hour bus ride south and is "okay" for adults but I can't remember there being much for little kids.

You will love it there, I took the family twice to that same resort, both times, and again both times stayed at the Coba.

The food is great, the people great... We had incredible service.... The Coba pool is the BEST and the Activities people are fun. Say Hi to Chico for us!!! That isn't his real name, but that is what he calls himself. Lots of parties at the pool and they love their drinking games. Staff remembered us, from previous visit and made us feel special.

This resort also has its own dolphins pool... If you play your cards right and get to know the activities group, they do give away quite a few free passes. I took 4 of us (my whole family) to swim with the dolphins for cheap, as I won 4 passes (basic package), and upgrade each to the better package. Total cost to me was $120 instead of $600.

Also, go to the dive shop on the beach and take the boat to swim with the sea turtles and snorkel in the reef. It was $30 each, well worth it... This time of year, you will most likely catch the hatching of the baby turtles as well. Also buy the pictures, it cost us (I think) $50 for all pic's, this was sooooo cheap and included professional pic's taken by the photographer of things like turtles, fish, coral, etc.

For excursions, and for kids your age, go to XelHa... This is a natural lagoon, where you get to swim with stingrays, fish of all types, basically everything of the wild. You get to relax on huge tubes down the lazy river (well not relax, as you have to navigate) But is cool, as it is a fresh water river, flowing into salt water. There are zip lines that kids your age can go on. Tickets are best to buy at the resort, same price as taking a taxi to the location and buying there, but you get free transporation. Well worth it!!! Price of ticket includes, transportation, all inclusive food and beverages (includes alchohol). Once there they have life jackets (mandatory) and snorkels and flippers if you need, but bring your own, you will use on resort also.

Great short excursion to ruins, would be Tulum... $50 each, for half a day. Smaller ruins that Chitiniza (spelled wrong I know), but beautiful, and these ruins are on the cliffs to the water. After the tour, you get to spend some time on one of the most beautiful beaches/cliffside that you will ever see. Believe me I was impressed. Kids had great time body surfing and fighting with the waves, they are huge, and cool to play in.

Remember to see Fransico at the Coba pool, he will give you better deals if possible on all excursions.

I would most diffenately recommend the Gran Bahia Principe (Coba) to anyone, and would go back. Actually we are returning this xmas again... However to another resort, as the wife did want something different. But we will return there again.

If you want to talk, give me a call (403) 919-3442
Rick

Oh yeah... I went last summer and through xmas. As others stated it is HOT!!! But what was nice is that the resorts are NOT full, so it is nice to not fight for pool/beach loungers, etc. Also pricing on excursions were cheaper in comparison to the busier times like xmas.

Even though it is hot, of which I hate heat, that didn't bother me, and I got use to it... But prepare yourself to be wet, lots of humidity that time of year.

Oh yeah, Also take a taxi into Playa Del Carmen. Should be about $3 per person each way. Visit 5th Avenue for all your shopping needs. There you can also take a ferry to Cozumel if you want.

Yeah it'll be crazy hot. From personal experience; riu hotels are good, family friendly and the food is good

Just thought I should also post where I am going this xmas. Check out Marina El Cid Resort and Spa.

This is a much smaller resort (350 rooms), and we are trying it for something different. Haven't been there before, but reviews and comments from others, is that this place is luxurious. Resort is built on the water, so you have waterfront rooms and garden rooms (backside). The gardens are beautiful from what I can see.

The pool is huge, with cliff jumping built into it and with 2 water slides.

Check it out!

Mexico
 

Crazy hot in August. Bring lots of mosquito repellant as when the sun goes down, they come out in droves ( it's still a jungle in Mayan riviera)
The best resorts in Mexico are the "dreams resorts". If you go, you gotta check out the state park called Xcaret. There's an underground river that you can float down into the ocean. Also some of the best snorkeling I've ever experienced is there.
Why don't you consider Hawaii ? With the tropical trade winds, doesn't feel as hot, and lots of cheap airfares in August.

Actually I found no mosquitos there in the summer, but xmas time, yuppers. And boy do those small critters pack a wollup.

Xcaret is another great excursion, same company owns all three areas: XelHa, Xcaret and Xtreme... Because of the age of your kids, I would recommend XelHa.

Rui Palace Riviera Maya in Playa was absolutely a 5 Star resort. And if you stay there you can use any facility in the other Rui hotels along the beach there. Kids club was excellent when we were there.. Highly recommended but very pricey..

Thank you so much for all your feedbacks. I will definitely give you a call if I have any more questions.
David

Hawaii will be our destination next year. My wife is not a Canadian citizen yet so she can't really visit the US without applying for visa so we thought we'll save all the US destinations until after she becomes a Canadian citizen. We just put in the application a few months ago so hopefully, she will be one next year :wink:

I would not recommend Xel-Ha. $90 per person to see cloudy water and not much else.

I paid $39 for each child and $59 (I think, could've been $69) for each adult. I went to XelHa in the summer, but did notice that prices went up during the busy season, so maybe that is the case for you.

The water wasn't cloudy, but of course there are area's where the fresh water mixes with the salt (because of the lazy river which is fresh water), this causes not cloudiness but the salinity change, which you can see. Very cool actually. Overall the water was very clear for us.

We saw stingrays, lots of large and small fish, things like various species of tangs, very large parrot fish, and so much more. Even large conches moving along the bottom of the sea floor.

I guess with anything, there can be variances, time of the year and so forth. And because this is a natural lagoon, fish can easily come and go from the sea.

In regards to price, on anything, make sure you shop around, as you can find major price differences from each vendor (remember this is still Mexico, and if they can take you to the cleaners, many will). That is why I recommned Francisco at the Coba Pool, I found him to be honest, and he even got to know me and gave me pricing that no one could or was willing to match or beat.

I've stayed at the Bahia Principe Tulum and we would walk over and use the Coba facilities. Both are really nice properties! You'll have a great time there. I loved the train shuttle that goes all over the property.

If you want snorkling don't go to xel-ha. Go 15min. north to Akumal. It is a public beach with places to rent gear. You will see turtles, stingrays, a few reefs and hundreds of fish. A way better option. And other than the price for rentals it is free!

That is a great place, that is where the sea turtles are if you take the boat from the Coba beach. As Axe_man stated, you can take a taxi to it, but the boat ride was fun.

After lots of research and consultation, I've decided to stay at Grand Riviera Princess in Maya. Westjet got my money now so there's no turning back. Thank you all for the feedbacks. If you have anything more that you want to add, please feel free to do so. I am looking forward to a great trip with lots of fun and memories :mrgreen:

People who vacation in Mexico and then complain about the heat and sun get a big FAIL in my books...lol

That's human nature. It's too hot! It's too cold! It rains again! It snows too
much! For every weather condition, I think there's someone that will complain about it :razz:

There's comfortable hot: around 30 degrees. And then there's too hot: over 40

There is too hot, but when you have a swim up bar with unlimited yummy drinks, all is good.

If you have kids I definitely recommend visiting Xel Ha. Word of warning though: They ban sunscreen as too much sunscreen in the water is bad for the fish. They offer their own environmentally friendly sunscreen. It's not cheap but buy it. I took one of my diving groups there and I figured I could just get away with wearing my rashguard (which has an SPF rating) in the water and be alright for an hour. Got the the WORST sunburn of my life that day... and I don't burn very easy.

Actually when I was there last summer, their sunscreen was absolutely FREE to us. If you bring your own, it has to be eco friendly, otherwise you just showed them what you have, and if not good, they gave you some other stuff. Unless things have changed, it was free to us. Now in saying this, it wasn't a full tube, it was small cups filled, one per person.

Maybe things have changed though.

Oh, that's awesome! Ya, that's new since I've been there. Maybe when they saw Lobsterman (me with a burn) come out of the water it scared them into giving it away for free.

That is a good point you brought up though, as you should make sure you have the proper stuff, just in case, or if you need more than what is supplied.

Sunscreen will run you $30-60 per bottle, depending on SPF and brand, the better or higher SPF, the more costly.

We took approx 10 bottles with us for 2 weeks, just had enough for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children).

+1 on a trip to Akumal , we stay at the Akumal Beach Resort every winter & have travelled all over the area . Snorkelling in Akumal is amazing & i would also suggest the Yal Ku lagoon in north Akumal. It is also a wonderful place to snorkel for all ages , another favorite is Dos Ojos a cenote near the entrance to Xel Ha . A 40 minute ferry ride to Cozumel is a fun way to spend a day as well ( watch for the flying fish when you are making the crossing , pretty cool as well )

Hola everyone,
The trip was a blast. Thanks again for all the tips/suggestions that you have made. Xelha was definitely the highlight of the trip. I would go again in a heartbeat. Tulum was very interesting as well. The foods were great. The Mexican people were quite friendly. I am thinking about a trip back already :biggrin: