Do you love hotels with water parks? Mexico has dozens of wonderful beach resorts for water-loving families, but none have provided a true water park experience – until now.
Luxury Resorts in Riviera Maya
In Playa del Carmen, in the sun-drenched Riviera Maya, the all-inclusive Sandos Caracol Eco Experience Resort expanded its water park to offer a total of 17 water slides and games. The waterslides include seven slides for teens and adults and five smaller waterslides for young children. There are three pools in the complex, including a playground for the children.
The complex offers 956 rooms and suites spread over 78 three-story buildings, of which approximately two-thirds are for families. There are several supervised children’s clubs: a baby club for children from 2 to 3 years old; a kids’ club for children from 4 to 12 years old; and activities for adolescents from 13 to 17 years old. The main kids ‘club features a PlayStation, a jungle gym, a trampoline, a small movie theater, and an activity program that includes swimming in the kids’ pool, games, and crafts. The teen activity center features pool, ping-pong, and foosball tables, and activities include beach soccer, volleyball, and more.
Families can also enjoy tennis and a variety of water sports, such as boogie boarding, sailing, kayaking, snorkeling, and even an introductory scuba class in the pool.
Located on the edge of a jungle, the resort takes an eco-friendly nature approach. The grounds are surrounded by cenotes, mangroves and natural lagoons. The recently expanded water park makes this complex one of the most family-oriented and activity-rich hotels in Playa del Carmen.
Essential in the Riviera Maya
The main attractions of the Riviera Maya include:
- Akumal: The name of this large protected bay means “place of the turtles.” Most people come here to snorkel in the waters where you will almost certainly see a giant sea turtle. You can rent snorkeling equipment at the Akumal Diving Center, and there are some good restaurants there too.
- Cenotes: The Yucatan Peninsula contains thousands of natural sinkholes that can be explored. In most cases, you will swim or dive underground in a magical landscape of stalactites, stalagmites, and other natural rock formations. Not sure where to start? Head to the Gran Cenote in Tulum.
- Chichén Itzá: Yucatán’s most prominent archaeological site features the iconic El Castillo Pyramid, a tremendous wonder in the middle of an ancient city full of ruins, temples, and other vestiges of the Mayan civilization.
- Tulum: This ancient walled Mayan city overlooking the Caribbean coast is one of the most attractive in the Riviera Maya. Dating from between 1200 and 1500 AD, the ruins reveal much about the Mayan culture. The most photographed ruin is the Castle perched on the precipice of a limestone cliff.
