The Best Family-Friendly Resorts in Mexico for Fun in the Sun

For a family vacation on the Caribbean coast, the Marriott Cancún Resort
is right in the heart of Cancún’s hotel zone. Many rooms and all suites have king beds, and you can request one with a sofa bed if your brood is on the larger side.

Ease into vacation mode with a swim and a splash, whether in the main pool or the children’s pool. Steps away is the beach, where you can book a private cabana while the kids fan out with buckets and spades. Take your little ones to the Kids Club to give yourself a break—in no time, they’ll be making new friends and getting creative with craft activities. You can have your own fun with para-sailing, cooking classes or a decadent couple’s massage.

Stop by Mikado restaurant to watch highly trained Japanese teppanyaki chefs entertain with mesmerizing knife skills. After dinner, take a stroll on the beach for a dose of sea air that’s bound to put the kids to sleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

Along the tip of the Cancún peninsula, Club Med Cancún Yucatán
is ideal for families who love to play in the water. On land, you can try your hand at archery or a flying trapeze, not to mention the more traditional tennis and beach soccer. There’s plenty of opportunity to merge kids’ and grown-up fun: you can get bubbled-up at a foam party, cool off with a family slip ‘n slide or embark on a scavenger hunt.

Book into an interconnecting family suite bright with splashes of Caribbean colour. When hunger hits, the three on-site restaurants serve local Mexican dishes and international cuisine. Head to the buffet-style Hacienda when the kids need an early dinner, or make time for date night by arranging with the resort’s babysitting service. You can catch a stage show or book a table at La Estancia for a romantic sea-view meal with prime-cut steaks char-grilled to order.

For a private beach experience on the Baja peninsula, head to Esperanza – An Auberge Resort & Spa. You’ll choose from charming suites and casitas, or even a four-bedroom villa if you’ve come with the whole tribe. If you don’t feel like cooking in your full kitchen, you can savour grilled lobster tails at Cocina del Mar or check out the child-friendly menu at Las Estrellas. Chase dinner with sunset on the sand at the resort’s family beach bonfire.

Make sure to wake in time for the Mermaid and Pirate Breakfast, where little ones can munch while watching a live mermaid show and water gun battle aboard an inflatable pirate ship. Meanwhile parents can investigate the tennis courts, yoga spots and the award-winning spa. After a day of catching rays, you can refresh and revive your skin with a sun-baked stone massage paired with a cucumber and lime soothing facial.

The all-inclusive Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos packs a punch with its four outdoor pools, nightly entertainment and dawn-to-dusk activities. For starters, you’ll be hard pressed to tear the kids away from KidZ Zone, where they’ll delight in a mini water park, a toddlers’ splash pool and sandy jungle gym playground with trikes and motorized mini cars.

Tour the culinary world at mealtimes, with seven on-site international restaurants and several casual eateries to choose from. Share Spanish tapas at El Cortijo, or head to Zaffiro for traditional Italian fare against the sound of lapping waves. After the sun goes down, you can enjoy family-friendly performances like magic shows and captivating dance acts.  A plush mattress and a raindance shower will be waiting in your modern room or suite to help recharge your batteries for another day of fun on the beachfront.

Barceló Maya Palace on the Riviera Maya is more than just a luxury all-inclusive resort; it’s a community. Explore the huge Barceló Maya Grand Resort complex, with verdant landscaped grounds and a Maya Mall for grown-ups to browse designer boutiques and unique gifts. Shopping finished, take the family to cool off at the Pirates Island Water Park and the Surf Rider wave pool (both subject to charge).

If you’ve come straight from the plane, you’ll likely be hungry for the daily buffet. Alternatively, swing by one of six on-site restaurants to try Brazilian or Caribbean goodies. Then for the ultimate show-stopper, there’s the resort’s own dolphinarium. Watch from a shallow water platform or take your curiosity a step further with a dolphin dive, where you can receive wave and a hug from your new-found friends.

At the Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa, the creators of the Family Selection services have thought of everything. Here you can tailor your own schedule with convenient 24-hour check-in and check-out. An on-call personal assistant makes life easy, and endless available sunblock means there’s one less item to pack in your beach bag.

With a variety of kids’ clubs for ages 1–19, you can strike that balance between family fun and grown-up time. While you grab a tennis racket or relax in the spa, younger munchkins might be doing arts and crafts. As for teens, you’ll likely find them in one of the resort’s Xbox corners. Reunite in the reserved family zone on the beach for a snorkel session and a snack, staying on to watch the sunset.

Come dinner, fire up a barbecue or choose from six on-site restaurants. Younger kids will enjoy the Raggs entertainment program, featuring five musical pup characters. At bedtime, the milk and cookies and turn-down service in a Family Selection room is bound to be a hit!

Step into the Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit Hotel and you’ll be met with a hibiscus tea infusion, a scented towel and even a massage—the vacation has begun! This resort is all about luxury, even for the youngest of guests (check out the baby concierge service).

Enjoy ocean views from a family suite, where an oversized bathroom will help ease the chaos of bath time. For families looking to truly switch off, sign up for the Digital Detox and let the concierge “cleanse” your room of all electronic devices. Rejuvenate with kayaking and scuba diving, or take the kids on a snorkelling adventure. You might even treat them to a massage—you know you’re at a family resort when even the spa caters to kids!

On-site restaurants plate up international creations. For a succulent twist on Mexican classics, tuck into roasted salmon al pastor and duck breast in a charred chile sauce. En-suite dining is also an option if the family needs some downtime.

If you’re looking for a family vacation beyond the beach, head to Hotel Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. This spot on the Playa del Carmen coast meanders into a backdrop of lush Caribbean jungle and mangrove forest. You can even cycle your way through the jungle! Take the cenote route past natural limestone pools, keeping your eyes peeled for white-tailed deer, iguanas and brightly coloured birds. Get the kids involved in daily eco activities, such as taking care of the resort’s rescue animals and learning about the natural ecosystems.

Keep strolling through the mangrove forest en-route to one of the resort’s restaurants. Stop by La Laguna for a casual buffet of international dishes, or Las Mascaras for authentic Mexican fare. Accommodation in the resort’s family section is in the midst of jungle too, so be prepared to wake to the sound of local wildlife.

The Friendly Vallarta resort, located in Puerto Vallarta’s hotel zone, is just 10 minutes’ drive from the airport. It’s an even quicker trip from the resort to the historic downtown and boardwalk. You might prefer to just stay put though, with all-inclusive activities at your fingertips. Spend a day on the beach with boogie boards and volleyball, improve your backstroke with a swimming lesson or salute the sun in a yoga class.

The Kids’ Club lets children learn dance, make crafts and sandcastles or wind down in a mini cinema while parents escape to the beach. For a casual dinner, head to Fiesta Restaurant for spicy tacos, or browse the international buffet at El Palmar before taking in some family entertainment. The kids will beg to stay up for local music, magic acts and even a Star Wars theme show.

Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa is a luxurious all-inclusive resort where landscaped gardens and jungle rainforest meet the glistening white sands of the Caribbean Sea. Breeze into your luxury room and take in views of the gardens or sea from your private terrace. For privacy while keeping the kids close, opt for a suite with connecting rooms or extra beds.

Make the most of the tropical sun with games of beach and water volleyball, ping pong and beach soccer. You can snorkel in the pristine sea or simply cool off in the surf. Central Tulum is just 10 minutes away when you want to wander the beachy shops and open-air drinks spots. Make sure to inquire about transport services to the world-famous Mayan ruins, where you can wander carved stone temples against a dramatic backdrop of the swelling turquoise sea.