Club Med Cancun

Club Med Cancun Yucatan has arguably the best location in Cancun, with 22 acres and its own peninsula at the south end of the Hotel Zone. Club Med has a sweep of white-sand beaches (with a view of Cancun hotels all in a row), and round point (Punta Nizuc), a private stretch of seaside with snorkeling, as well as a further beach area with watersports. The resort also has a lagoon side!

A highlight for families at Club Med resorts are the kids programs. Say good-bye to kids clubs with video screens; programs are more like camps- active and geared to teaching; their trapeze is a specialty! For tweens and teens, Passworld is a cool place to hang out, with teen-friendly activities like DJ mixing and hip-hop dance. 

History of Club Med: 
Club Med is a unique brand of all inclusive resorts that started in 1950 as a tent-village on a Mediterranean beach. Since then, Club Med has worldscaled and upscaled to 80 resorts in 25 countries. 

Interestingly, some basics have remained. From the start, Club Med "villages" had "G.M.'s" and "G.O.'s": G.M.'s are the guests (Gentil membres, or "gracious members") ; and G.O.'s are the staff (gentils organisateurs, or "gracious organizers.") Both groups socialize together which makes for a friendly ambiance. Visitor reviews tend to rave about the enthusiastic and outgoing G.O.'s. 

Club Med Cancun Yucatan: Features 
After its $24M renovation following Hurricane Wilma, Club Med Cancun Yucatan has: 

• programs for families ( - it was formerly adults-only)

• chic lounge areas by the pool with canopied day beds

• "Jade Villa" concierge building with extra amenities

• seaside La Cazuela restaurant with a la carte dining; La Hacienda, with multiple dining rooms; "snack bar" that's more like an attractive lounge

Trapeze area and full-size theater remain signature features at Club Med.

• at the beach, lessons windsurfing, sailing (single hull and catamaran)

• on the lagoon side, lessons in waterskiing and wakeboarding (ages 18 and up)

• lessons in tennis, trapeze

• beach volleyball, soccer, fitness center, outdoor yoga by the beach, salsa dancing, more

• at an extra charge: scuba, golf and more

Snorkeling: just offshore is the start of the second-largest coral barrier reef in the world; not the greatest snorkeling at that particular spot, but very convenient. With kids, off-shore snorkeling is much preferred, so they can sample as little or as much as they like. (With paid snorkeling tours, it's all too easy to waste money because the weather gets cloudy or one of the kids gets water up their nose.) Snorkeling gear is available free of charge. 

Theater: performances include shows put on by the GO's; professional folklorico dancers; weekly mini-club show, where kids perform with costumes, lighting, choreography. 
Club Med Cancun Yucatan for Families

• Baby Welcome program: parents traveling with infants are provided with amenities in their room, such as crib, stroller, infant bath tub, and bottle warmer. Around the resort: restaurants have high-chairs; families with babies can visit the shallow pool in the Kids Club area. Babysitters are available for a charge.

• Mini-Club Med for ages 4 to 10, in different age groups. Kids do activities around the resort, or play games or do crafts; with laudable absence of tv/video/computer screens.

• Mini-Club Show-- see above. A highlight!

• Passworld: kids age 11 to 13, and 14 to 17, have their own cool hangout and GO's, and special activities such as sound mixing classes, video-editing for music videos, jewelry-making; hip-hop dance, preparing for the theater.* Passworld theme at Club Med Cancun Yucatan is Car Wash.

• teens will also like the outdoor movies, projected on a large white wall: grab some headphones, and settle in on a lounge-chair by the pool

Further Features:

• 426 rooms and 18 suites

• Jade Villa luxury concierge building has room service, ocean view suites, upgraded amenities packages (private car from airport, free internet, bathrobes, laundry service, stocked mini-fridge, and more.)

• Comfort Zone spa has lovely pre/post spa area for relaxing

Keep in mind: 

• rooms can only accommodate a family with one child plus a baby or toddler who can sleep in a crib. If you have two kids, you'll need to get two connecting rooms, or book a suite

• if you need a crib, confirm that it will be available

• baby amenities don't include cleaning/sterilizing supplies

• for those with strollers: units have three-storeys but no elevators

• teens aren't permitted to do water skiing or wakeboarding

• canopied day-beds get "claimed" early in the day

• Club Med has moved away from its trademark group seating, where guests sat at round tables that seated eight, usually including a friendly G.O. or two. Dedicated Club Med-ers (and single parent travelers) will miss this unique feature.