Kids Clubs and Suites: Our Secret to a Relaxing All-Inclusive Family Vacation

We enjoyed Villa del Palmar after the Spring Break crowd in April.

Before the twins started kindergarten, it was easy to travel when it was convenient -- while also avoiding more expensive travel times like Spring Break or Fall Break. 

One spring -- when the twins were 5 -- we decided to take the twins to Cancun. They had been to Mexico previously for Thanksgiving and after Christmas, and they always enjoyed the pools and food. 

When traveling to the Caribbean with the twins, we have always gone the all-inclusive route. It is more convenient when their little desires can be met without worrying about the additional costs that a cookie or a smoothie might cost. 

For this trip, we booked a 2 bedroom garden view suite at Villa del Palmar near Punta Sam -- about 40 minutes from the Cancun airport directly across from Isla Mujeres. There is a ferry walkable from the resort if you want to take a day trip across to Isla Mujeres. 

When we have traveled to the Caribbean, we typically look for two bedroom suites. That allows us to have more private spaces and also doesn’t run our night when the twins go down early. 

We went in late April -- after the spring break crowd -- and were able to get a really solid deal for around $4500 for 7 nights in a 2 bedroom suite. The suite had two full sized bedrooms. One with a king bed and full bath and the other with two queens and a full bath. In the middle was a spacious living area with full kitchen -- the kitchen was stocked daily with snacks (think peanuts, candy bars and beers for mom and dad). There were great balconies that had ocean views, despite the room being categorized as “garden view”. I think the room was considered “garden view” because the room was on a lower floor. Room service was also included and we tried it one night after an excursion and it was fine. 

The twins love the various food options that an all inclusive provides. It lets them try familiar things as well as new things. The breakfast buffet is always a crowd pleaser for the twins and it was no different at Villa del Palmar. There were eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes and fruit and cereal and pastries available for the twins to choose from. Plus omelet stations and Belgian waffle stations for the adults to choose from.

The hotel had a variety of a la carte options as well. We used those for dinner and lunches. We prefer a la carte to buffets at an all inclusive as they tend to be higher quality. At Villa del Palmar, there was a sports bar restaurant, Italian restaurant, Mexican restaurant and steak house restaurant. The food was some of the best we have had at an all inclusive before -- from our experience Mexico tends to have the best food options for AIs, with Dominican Republic typically struggling in that category. Jamaica is usually okay, but not great. Same with the Bahamas or Barbados. 

A nice thing about Villa del Palmar is they let you book reservations at the restaurants before you arrive -- making for a stress free time once you arrive. 

What we really liked about this resort was that the pool was relatively shallow, giving the twins a great place to wade and play. And the resort also had a thriving kids club, with scheduled activities on the hour. They had arts and crafts, hair braiding, pinata, limbo, beach and pool activities, movie time and even had a mocktail making class that the twins love -- and still insist on making back home. The twins even order a “perry punch” while out at restaurants with us at home. 

We would drop the kids off after breakfast, and check in occasionally throughout the day to see if the twins needed lunch or wanted a break from the kids club. Most days they would stay for at least four hours. Giving us time to relax on the beach or by the pool. 

The kids club also provided babysitting services at night -- but we did not use those services this time as the twins were better at eating at the a la carte restaurants with us as they get older. 

A fun part of this resort was it had a carousel as well -- which was included. We would grab a drink and watch the twins use it for 30 minutes. They loved it. And there was never a line. 

We loved Villa del Palmar, and will keep an eye out for deals in the future so we can take the twins back. The resort also has other properties across Mexico.