Visiting Playa del Carmen

Posada del Capitan Lafitte Resort

Feb 2005

Re: Playa del Carmen: Kid-frendly hotel

If you are willing to drive 15 minutes into Playa del Carmen, consider La Posida del Capitan LaFitte resort. It's located on a quiet beach, caters to families, and is moderately priced. The rooms have two double beds plus a private bath and open out onto a little patio with a hammock. Two meals a day are included in the price, and they have a nice pool w/a bar, plus a play area for little kids and a gathering spot for teens with pool, table tennis, and foosball. They also have an onsite dive shop for going out on snorkeling tours. You will need a car to get there from the airport and to get into Playa del Carmen, but it is SO much nicer than being in PC--unless you enjoy crowds and a party atmosphere. You can find La Posida del Capitan LaFitte at www.mexicoholiday.com. Maria

About 10 kilometors north of Playa del Carmen there is a wonderful kid friendly resort right on the beach - La Posada del Capitain Lafitte. In fact someone recently raved about it on a posting here (maybe a month ago?) It includes breakfast and dinner, so if you didn't want an all inclusive this could be a problem. But the rates are competitive enough that it might make sense even if you weren't going to eat dinner there every night. Our room had two double beds and connected to another room with two double beds. We stayed in one and our two kids in the other. They each had a porch with hammock and were right on the sand. You could walk straight out and directly into the ocean. Lovely! Very nice staff too and we met lots of other interesting and like-minded families (didn't attract the middle America types - go Blue states!) Amy

June 2003

We're planning a trip to Mexico south of Cancun next spring break and wonder if anyone has had a personal experience with the Capitan LaFitte family resort run by the Turquoise Reef group. It is described as low-key and family oriented. We wonder about the quality of the accomodations and the food (it is an all-inclusive) as well as the snorkeling right at the resort or nearby. We're also interested in any other recommendations for similar resorts on that coast of Mexico that are family friendly, all-inclusive, and moderately priced and where we can get by with very little Spanish. Maria

We've been to Capitan Lafitte twice, both before we had a child. First time was about ten years ago, then about two years ago. It has grown a lot in that time, but it is still a wonderful place. The food is very good, there are lots of families, a beautiful beach. I recommend renting a car, there is lots to do in the area but you do need to drive. The snorkeling is fair, but the water often seems to be choppy and difficult (that was our experience.) Also, be sure to check on the weather for the time of year you would like to go, avoid hurricane season. I don't remember there being organized activities for kids but there is a pool, game room, playground, and other things to do. I would not hesitate to go back with my son. Enjoy!

Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen: Kid-frendly hotel

Feb 2005

Check out El Tukan Condotel. Their website is at: http://www.eltukancondotel.com We stayed there last year with our two kids and were very comfortable. We had a two bedroom suite with a queenbed in each bedroom and a fold out couch in the living room. The prices are very reasonable and it's very comfortable and child friendly. There are a couple of downsides: their beach club is a ten minute walk away and their swimming pool is not heated. But we had a good stay there, with plenty of swimming and sightseeing. ad

Two people also recommended LaFitte>Posada del Capitan Lafitte Resort (click for reviews)

We took our two kids (then 3 1/2 & almost one) to The Blue Parrot Inn in Playa del Carmen a year ago and had a great time. It worked out beautifully with the kids and was warm and relaxing. Sarah

I cannot rave enough about the Yucatan Peninsula. However, I would stay away from the resort area of Cancun simply because that's all it has to offer (i.e., one giant resort backed up to another). Instead, I would rent a car and drive south along the coast exploring on your own. Playa del Carmen is a GREAT town about 1 hour from Cancun and has fabulous beaches, food, etc., and is within driving distance to several ruins. The Yucatan is very tourist friendly.

I just returned from Playacar (about one hr south of Cancun) yesterday with my two daughters (4.5 and 27 months). I went knowing little of our destination (our original plan was to go elsewhere). I don't know the specifics about the particular condo but i do know prices around cancun are generally very expensive. don't expect to find many, if any, bargains; the goods and services are for those with lots of cash. however, Playacar and Playa de Carmen have individual houses for rent that are much bigger than your 2 room cottage. if you can afford it the cancun area is a great area for kids (clean and safe enough for the littliest tot if you can survive the flight). mexicans are wonderful people, and the beaches beautiful. you can easily get by without knowing any Spanish. The mexicans were extremely patient with tourists (except while driving) and used to interpreting broken spanish and know some german, french, etc. Must sees with children are: Tulum (Mayan walled city), Xel-Ha (a natural aquarium for snorkeling, swim with dolphins [i didn't], playground and kiddie pool) and if you need the name of a beach with no waves for little tots let me know, the name escapes me right now. there are drawbacks. coming from berkeley i wasn't used to the cigarette smoking from mostly europeans, and this is a tourist area so you can't go expecting to get a real mexican experience. also you might find that the private little excluded spot you discovered can be inundated by a big tour bus at any moment. Carrie

My spouse and I visited Playa del Carmen about three years ago. We, however, did not have children at the time and were not concerned with family entertainment. You will find that Playa del Carmen is definitely removed from the hustle and bustle of larger resort areas. You will find tourists, but not nearly as many as, say, Cancun. If you are looking for an authentic Mexican village (as described by our taxi driver) Playa del Carmen may be your answer. The beach was beautiful, and it was far from crowded. Unfortunately, I do not recall organized activities geared towards children. Please contact the resorts and find out exactly what they offer. Stacey

We had a fabulous vacation at Iberostar (Playa del Carmen) last June. All non-motorized watersports were included. I also really loved the Kids Club. the three year old is a little young for the Kids Club if she is shy, but the staff is very friendly.. Every night they have kid activities and a show suitable for all ages. Many all-inclusives have mediocre food, but this is not the case with the Iberostar. For an even more secluded spot, they opened a new resort called Iberostar Paraiso. The vegetation isn't complete though. Oh, the pool is not to be believed. The beach is okay, but the pool is the most wonderful I have ever seen. Lots of activities, sunshine, etc. Bennett