Best Family Vacation in Mexico
A family guide to Mexico
If any of you have been following my IG feed, you'll see that we just got back from the best family vacation to Cozumel, Mexico. We have been to Cozumel a couple of times before, but both times we visited we were on a cruise so we only stayed for the day, so this was a trip I was totally excited for. Not only were we staying for several days, we were staying at the Occidental Cozumel, which is an inclusive Barcelo resort! If you have checked out their resorts, you will know they are the BEST!
Traveling to Cozumel was super easy and there were direct flights from several major cities so it was easy to get there. That was a big plus for us. Once we landed in Cozumel we were met by the Occidental staff and wisked away by private car to the resort. One of the nicest things about Cozumel is everything is so close and we were at the resort in about half an hour. We couldn't believe how beautiful the resort was! The surrounding areas were so lush and green you could barely see any of the buildings through the dense jungle, and it made it feel like it was the only resort for miles.
This resort is amazing! We stayed in the Royal Level and our room was honestly probably the biggest room I've ever stayed in. We were in a two-room suite with a kitchen and living area, plus the we had fresh fruit waiting for us whenever our room was cleaned for the day.
The resort has three pools which made finding a place to relax really easy. The Royal Level had its own private pool, there was a separate adults only pool, and a large pool out on the beach. We found ourselves out in the large pool most of the time.
The food at the Occidental was just as amazing as the resort. When you take your family on vacation, you know buffets are so easy and please everyone! The food at their buffets was fresh and good, we all loved it! In addition to the two buffet restaurants, the resort has two specialty restaurants. The first night we were at the resort we had the best meal right on the beach. It was magical to be there eating amazing food while watching a beautiful sunset over the water. This dinner will be a memory I will never forget!
The resort offers entertainment throughout of stay. On one of the evenings there was a Mariachi band with traditional Mexican dancing. The second night, they had fire dancers for the entertainment. Both shows were super fun and for families on a budget a great free thing for the family to do at night!
We had the opportunity to go on a couple of amazing adventures while we were there. The Occidental Resort's staff can make arrangements for you for any type of excursion you'd like to go on. Our first adventure was a Jeep tour of the island through Best Buy tours. We had an awesome guide (Carlos) in one vehicle, and our family driving our own Jeep. Wind in your hair driving around the island. Paradise! Carlos knew so much information about the island and took us wherever we wanted to go. We spent time at the beach, went to some ruins, and we went to the Cozumel Mayan Experience. This was a great tour that showed us the history and cultural of the Mayan people, and it was still fun for my kids!
The second excursion we went on was a day long snorkel tour on the Aqua Dream II. We boarded the Aqua Dream II at the main ferry terminal. We got to snorkle at two different locations. The first site had tons of fish and the water was crystal clear, while the second site was a sandbar that you could stand on. After the snorkeling we traveled to a beach club called Playa Mia and had an awesome buffet lunch. Playa Mia had tons of things to do with multiple pools, water slides, paddle boats, and water toys. We absolutely loved this excursion and would definitiely reccomend for anybody, not just families.
We had an amazing couple of days at the Occidental Cozumel and my kids didn't want to leave. We could have easily stayed for several more nights and everyone would've loved it. The resort staff (especially the entertainment team) made sure our family felt welcome and included us in everything that was going on.
I have to admit, I've never stayed at an all inclusive resort before, but after staying at the Occidental Cozumel I'm sold!!!! We will definitely be staying there again. Final verdict, take your kids on vacation to an the Occidental. It is easy and takes away most of the dificulties you experience when traveling with kids!