Never been to an all-inclusive before in Mexico. Looking for recommendations for a safe resort that is family friendly (we will have young kids and seniors with us) in the Cancun/Mayan riviera area. Heard that the food at all-inclusives can be iffy so a place with good food and restaurants is a huge plus! TIA

Honestly they are all safe. As for a resort choice, it depends on what your looking for. There are mega resorts that have everything you could need right there on the property, smaller resorts with 500 or less rooms. And then you have the hotel zone of Cancun that is really great if you like to go out and adventure a little bit.
Barcelo and Moon Palace are amassive propertis with 5 "resorts" in one compound.
Grand serenis is an awesome place for families of all ages.

Oceans rivera is great.

Paradisius was great.

Iberostar Paraiso Maya is a great resort. Kids pool, lots of restaurant choices, regular shuttle service if needed.

Barcelo Maya

Grand Baha’i principe Tulum amazing resort great food awesome staff also Grand sunset princess was the same only smaller

Aaron I also really liked the Grand Baha’i Principe resort collection. They had a lot to offer at various price points, plus a common main space with shops, pubs, clubs, casino etc.

Aaron the only downfall is it’s so far from the airport. Wouldn’t be my first pick for children.

We stayed at Ocean Riviera Paradise last year & just loved it so much, we only went into town once. There are a ton of options for food & entertainment for any age bracket & the staff were all fantastic!

Dreams Tulum

We took our kids to Sandos Playacar and it was a great time. The food was awesome.

It depends on how much you want to spend as well. Finest was amazing on playa mujeres

We’ve been to grand palladium 3 times. Unlimited a la carts no reservations needed lots of activities for kids. There’s colonial, kantenah and white sand. They are all part of he same resort you have access to all of them. Also stayed at Grand Sirenis and liked it a lot they also have a lazy river the kids would like.

Many great options. I would suggest using a search tool like expedia (or whatever you want to book through), look for at least 4* and above, a place with A la carte dining options (restaurant-style typically in the evening to give a break from the buffet), and whichever activities are important to you (# of pools, kids club, entertainment, distance from the airport, etc). Then you can look at reviews for the places that interest you, based on what's available at a price point you want to pay. Personally, Moon Palace was amazing when I stayed several years ago, Valentine Imperial Maya (adult only), and I have family they loves Blue Bay Grand Esmerelda.

Iberostar paraiso maya and the Now Jade

Following

We love the Grand Sirenis Mayan

Grand Baha’i Principe in the Mayan riviera was good for our family !

Hard rock Cancun

If you select ANY H10 property the food is excellent. Have stayed at Oceans riviera paradise 3X and have taken 4 and 5 year olds along with 70 year olds. Everyone was happy. And we have a celiac in the group that never got sick once.

We have been numerous times and our favourite family resort is Grand Sunset Princess Riviera Maya. It was recommended by a travel agent and it was amazing, the food was to die for! https://www.princess-hotels.com/.../grand-sunset-princess

https://thegrand.moonpalace.com/en.

The BEST resort I've stayed in Mexico (been 10+ times)

Barcelo maya

Catalonia Royal Tulum or Grand Sirenis ... stayed at both and loved them. I remember the Catalonia had an AMAZING Steak Restaurant (and beef in Mexico can be 'iffy')

Grand Sirenis

Bahia Principe in Tulum area is nice , We went 3 times we loved it so much

The best food I ever had at a resort was at the Hard Rock. Couldn’t beat it.

Anything by the Karisma group. We stayed at Azul Beach and it was awesome! You definitely get your money’s worth

Second this. We stayed at Azul Sensatori which is part of Karisma, and the food was so good.

Ff

Las Brisas all inclusive in Huatolco.... big raves for it !!

Check out Karisma resorts. The Azul Beach Hotel is great for young families. They market themselves as ‘Gourmet Inclusives’ and the food is excellent. We stayed there twice when our son was younger.

Grand palladium

Moon Palace has a great water park. Good restaurants. Wine so-so.

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort

Azul Beach Resort https://www.karismahotels.com/azul-beach.../riviera-cancun. The food is amazing, lots of restaurants to choose from that are not buffets. A full week of buffet dinners can get boring.

When looking at options you may want to consider a smaller resort. It is easier on old legs. Make sure they have an elevator and separate pool for children. I went to Memories Varadero and the swim up bar was in the kiddie pool - some girl was doing body shots on the bar! I also like Karisma resorts.

Crown Paradise Club Cancun, we loved the food and the options. Also, they have a covered pool when the kids need a break from the sun.

Gran Bahia Tulum, coba... been there many times... very safe... awesome food... great for kids!

Price point is a huge determining factor. Our first all inclusive vacay was to Marina El CID. It is a smaller resort. In a jungle like setting. Spent hours walking around the paths spotting animals. Huge plus was the heated infinity pool. We ended up there on a cooler week and it was a lifesaver with the kids. I could hardly get in the regular pools. I would definitely go back.

The grand Bahia resorts are nice but literally the furthest away from the airport. Went so long without any food the last time which can make for hangry people.

The Barcelo resort is a complex of 4 hotels all along a great stretch of beach with a nice reefy snorkeling area right in front of one hotel as well as clear swim area further down in front of another one. The price points are all different so everyone can stay in their price point - and all be in one general area - there are LOTS of restaurants to chose from within those 4 hotels. Kids pools are abundant. Lots to do right on the resort. Dolphin swim etc.

ChrisWe also stayed here twice with little kiddos. Just dont go to Mexico during spring break if you are looking for family friendly

Lily I agree.

Agree.

The hotel xcaret mexico is the best.
Food is delicious and they have an all-fun-inclusive option which includes 7 theme parks! I highly recommend this hotel.

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort hands down the best family resort. They have so many things to do that you do not have to do any excursions. Waterpark, Mayan Ruins you can bike to (they have bikes for rent), Cenote to snorkel in and more ALL INCLUDED!!! My son even enjoyed going to the kids club (he was 9 and I wasnt sure he would have a good time but he asked to go on his own somedays) You also have access to thier other resort Sandos Playcar you just have to pay for your taxi and get thier all inclusive.

Ashley McGrory - I agree- awesome resort! Lots of Al a Carte! But.... bring your own drinking glass for drinks at the bar. The cups that they recycle and reuse are not always clean. We had lipstick on a “washed” cup. And some still tasted like tequila.

Ashley McGrory agreed!! Beautiful resort, actually probably the prettiest as it’s InThe jungle but we were a group of 34 ppl and 30 got very ill

Renae really? Thats awful, I know a few families that have been and no one got sick. We took Dukeral in advance as my husband was sick on a previous trio.

Ashley McGrory both my husband and I took ducoral too!! I was the mother of the bride and got very sick, my husband didn’t!
We have travelled extensively all around the world and to many all inclusive resorts and never seen anything like it! I’m not sure why it happened but it was definitely concerning! We loved the resort but I am finding it hard to recommend because of so many ppl from our group ( and others on the resort) getting sick

Cancun Is Currently Under Siege By A Stinky Seaweed
Priya ShuklaContributor
Science
I write about the ocean, climate change, and the future of our planet.

TULUM, MEXICO – JUNE 15: Sargassum, a seaweed-like algae, covers a beach on June 15, 2019 in Tulum, Mexico. Mexico’s Riviera Maya Caribbean tourist towns of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum are being inundated with tons of foul-smellingGETTY IMAGES
Situated along the Caribbean Sea, Cancun is a popular vacation spot within Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. From January through March of 2018, over 10 million people traveled to Cancun. However, Cancun’s tourism has recently declined because its beaches are under siege by a putrid mass of brown seaweed from the Atlantic Ocean known as Sargassum, but not the species that the Sargasso Sea is named for. In fact, the decrease in tourism may rival that of declines seen after hurricanes.
Vast mats of Sargassum have been washing up along the Yucatan Peninsula’s coastline since 2015 and over 650,000 tons of algae washed up on shore in the first half of 2019. Once there, the algae is considered an eyesore and releases hydrogen sulfide as it decomposes, making the seaside town smell of rotten eggs. Because such massive quantities of Sargassum are simultaneously decomposing, the hydrogen sulfide emissions have been corroding plumbing in the Caribbean and are considered to be at concentrations unsafe for beachgoers.
Although Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador does not consider the seaweed to be particularly problematic, he has contributed $2.6 million towards removal efforts. Currently, floating barriers have been put in place to divert the Sargassum from public beaches to “extraction points”, where the algae can be easily collected. Landfills are not able to keep up with the Sargassum, so much of it is being used by farmers as a fertilizer.

RIU are the best, great value, good food

F

We love the barcello maya

Cancun Is Currently Under Siege By A Stinky Seaweed
Priya ShuklaContributor
Science
I write about the ocean, climate change, and the future of our planet.

TULUM, MEXICO – JUNE 15: Sargassum, a seaweed-like algae, covers a beach on June 15, 2019 in Tulum, Mexico. Mexico’s Riviera Maya Caribbean tourist towns of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum are being inundated with tons of foul-smellingGETTY IMAGES
Situated along the Caribbean Sea, Cancun is a popular vacation spot within Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. From January through March of 2018, over 10 million people traveled to Cancun. However, Cancun’s tourism has recently declined because its beaches are under siege by a putrid mass of brown seaweed from the Atlantic Ocean known as Sargassum, but not the species that the Sargasso Sea is named for. In fact, the decrease in tourism may rival that of declines seen after hurricanes.
Vast mats of Sargassum have been washing up along the Yucatan Peninsula’s coastline since 2015 and over 650,000 tons of algae washed up on shore in the first half of 2019. Once there, the algae is considered an eyesore and releases hydrogen sulfide as it decomposes, making the seaside town smell of rotten eggs. Because such massive quantities of Sargassum are simultaneously decomposing, the hydrogen sulfide emissions have been corroding plumbing in the Caribbean and are considered to be at concentrations unsafe for beachgoers.
Although Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador does not consider the seaweed to be particularly problematic, he has contributed $2.6 million towards removal efforts. Currently, floating barriers have been put in place to divert the Sargassum from public beaches to “extraction points”, where the algae can be easily collected. Landfills are not able to keep up with the Sargassum, so much of it is being used by farmers as a fertilizer.

Costa Rica....safe clean beautiful.

Iberostar is awesome, they have a kids club, food is good, it's clean and staff are amazing

Jennifer yes, we loved this resort. Great staff and food!

We have been to Hacienda tres Rios multiple times. It has about 300 rooms on 300 acre eco resort. Studio’s have 2 queen beds and a pull out sofa so lots of room for everyone.

Melia in puerto vallarta!!!! Such a great resort for families. My little sister loved it. The food and drinks were amazing too

We stayed at the Dreams Riveria. It was great for our family

Blue bay Esmeralda is a mega NO!
As much as I loved it because that's where I got engaged, the experience of the resort was not great and getting food poisoning on the day I flew home was also not a memory I wanted to take home with me.

Been to cancun/riviera maya 5 times...each resort is different..we were in iberostar recently and we love the experience..the beach is the best we’ve been to...food is just ok though.

Moon Palace 100% so much to see and do for all ages! We go every year!
@moon palace

Iberostar in Cozumel was good and is rated 5 stars
great for kids. If you get tired of the food there’s optional restaurants that you pay for. Staff were friendly.

Sandos Caracol and Sandos Playacar.

Deborah Jean Bradford
Grand Sirenus is amazing.
Great place for beginner snorkeling

i would second this!

Here is a good overview of Sandos Caracol Eco resort. (for info only not to book. All inclusive pkg offered by several carriers) Our family, young and old, had a great time there a few years ago. It's a huge place that requires a lot of walking though.
https://www.sunwing.ca/.../riv.../sandos-caracol-eco-resort/

Marina El Cid is great. Only 20 min from the airport, down the coast in Puerto Morelos, so not near the main city. Or occidental excaret a little further south, attached to the excaret nature park, which is a must in the area. Food is great at both and lots to do.

F

https://www.palladiumhotelgroup.com/.../grand-palladium...

You should also ask on the Club bébé voyage Facebook page. This is a community focused on travelling with young kids and their advice are amazing

Grand Solmar Lands End

thanks for the great recommendations everyone!

Following

have you considered the Pacific side? Manzanillo, Huatulco, and of course Ixtapa. Ixtapa beach is close the townsite, where locals converge. Walk friendly, and of course, you can head to Zihuatenejo for 40 pesos.