72 Hours In Cancun With Kids

Our Story

Initially, we weren’t meant to head to Cancun, on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, with our kids. However, rumours online posts/research and even the local travel agent made us believe it would be a challenge to fly direct to Havana from the US.

We also discovered it would cost around $180nz each to obtain a tourist visa (around $100 + postage if we did it ourselves).

Many posts and websites suggested we could pick up a Cuba visa for around $30nz each at Cancun airport. Cue 72 hours in Cancun with kids.

Though Cancun had ever really been on my list of must-see destinations, Isla Mujeres (an island just off the coast of Cancun) has been along with Los Cabos (I was a big Van Halen fan in their day).

We did do a little research into visiting Los Cabos, 15 things to know before travelling, but sadly it was just to far out of the way. Well, there is always next time…

So with all our essentials packed we boarded an overnight flight from Santa Ana airport to Cancun via San Francisco, landing at around 6 am.

Our Airbnb host was very gracious and allowed us to drop off our bags, as check-in was after 2 pm. We then headed for the beach, Playa Langosta.

For our first beach experience, we were blown away. The water and the sand was the stuff of postcards, I’m not kidding. Lukas was in in a flash.

The water was pretty shallow which was perfect for Sawyer and after a couple of tentative minutes, he was right in too.

We spent the rest of the morning swimming and attempting to build the odd sandcastle. To be honest, this was the perfect spot to bring kids as there really were no waves and you could walk a fair bit before the water got up to your waist.

As the morning seemed to race by and the leftover snacks from the airport were devoured it wasn’t long before the hunger pains kicked in.

As we left the beach we paused for the customary ‘Cancun’ sign photo and then continued on our way for lunch.

We had done a little research into places to eat around our area and one place jumped out ‘Carnitas Michoacan’, mainly because it was local. The food here hit the spot, reasonably priced, large portions and tasty.

Little did we know that this would be the place we would eat at most during our stay.

 

After lunch, we finally checked into our accommodation and after a guided tour of the residences area from our host, we were all keen to use the pool.

Now I’ve swum in plenty of pools around the world but for a residences pool, this was pretty cool.

There were two pools, one designed for little ones and the other (main pool) for us older ones. Both pools are joined together.

From the pool, there are a set of stairs that take you up to a jacuzzi and a mini hydroslide there you end in the main pool.

The views here across to the hotel zone are pretty nice too. It didn’t take Lukas long to make friends with a Canadian family who were on holiday (They often travel to Cancun with their kids).

That’s the great thing about kids, a quick ‘Do you want to play?’ and they are off. 

As the sun began to set we were told by others that unless you have mosquito repellent its best to leave the pool area.

One of the main reasons was our accommodation backed onto the mangroves.

So with that, we headed back to Carnitas Michoacan for dinner before turning in early.

Isla Mujeres – A Day Trip

This was the day I had been looking forward to for many years, ever since I watched a travel show on Isla Mujeres. And now it was finally happening. Once we got everyone up and ready, it was time to go.

Sadly I delayed our departure from the house as I blocked the toilet, I know… anyway, this is why we have kids, I spoke to our host in Spanish and blamed Lukas (lol).

They understood and would take care of it. Did I feel guilty… not in the slightest, my conscience is clear.

After a quick 10 minute walk, we were queueing up for our ferry ‘Ultramar’. The trip itself was around 45 minutes and the music was cracked up. Mental note for the return trip, don’t sit near the speakers.

It also gave us a chance to look back towards Cancun, mainly the hotels, as we headed off the coast. The one thing that blew us away was the watercolour, rich turquoise.

Once we docked in Isla Mujeres, we made our way north on foot. With everyone feeling a little peckish we just choose a random restaurant for a late breakfast.

There are plenty of restaurants along this strip, so you really can’t go wrong. I was keen to check out the northern beaches and let’s face it when travelling with kids who love water then there is no better place to go. 

We choose the Mayan beach club, mainly because I couldn’t be bothered carrying Sawyer’s pram and it looked nice too.

For 500 pesos we rented a couple of sun lounges and an umbrella.

The beach itself was stunning, everything I had hoped it would be with its white sand and turquoise waters. While there were a few people around, it never felt crowded,

There was also a few people opting not to rent lounges instead just placing their towels on the beach and away they go.

However, when you have kids and Sawyer being only 1 he needed a place to sleep. For this, we are happy to pay.

For much of the day, we spent our time swimming, drinking and eating delicious food. 

As the afternoon moved on, Sawyer woke up and we decided it would be a great idea to check out some more of the island but as time was running out we focused on walking around the Centro area.

What we found was a very hip area, full of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. Now we were only there for a short time, wandering around, but the vibe of the place left me kicking myself.

I did look at staying on Isla Mujeres when we were in the planning stage of our trip and now I was wishing I had.

We found Aroma Isla who served organic coffee cafe and it was perfect, bang another kick!  

As night fell we boarded the ferry for our return to Cancun, I felt gutted that I hadn’t booked us to stay here (not sure if I mentioned that already).

The journey back was quiet, it was now dark and the bright lights of Cancun were now in full glow.

We returned to our restaurant ‘Carnitas Michoacan’ for a late dinner before wandering back to our accommodation and calling time for the night.

Last Day In Cancun

As we arose for our last day in Cancun with the kids we decided to catch the bus and check out the hotel zone. 

The buses here are cheap and it was well worth the ride, checking out the various hotels while gazing across the lagoon on one side and catching glimpses of the ocean of the other.

We exited the bus near the Selecto Chedraui Supermarket as we needed to top up our suncream.

This supermarket has something for everyone. On the 2nd floor there were places to eat, here fresh sandwiches, sushi and so much more are prepared.

We also purchased some fresh fruit that we thought would last the rest of the day. All in all, if you prefer to buy from a supermarket then this one is pretty good.

We found our way to Playa Caracol and as Sawyer was due a nap we rented a couple of sun lounges and an umbrella for a few hours.

This is another public beach, this time with good sized waves, here Lukas could have fun diving under them.

The beach itself perfect, once more white sand, turquoise waters and not overcrowded. Maybe we were lucky with the crowds…

We spent the last few afternoon hours swimming, even after Sawyer woke up we stayed a bit longer just to soak up a few more waves.

Catching the bus back, once more we stopped at our restaurant ‘Carnitas Michoacan’. We started to feel like locals even the waiters knew us. Now don’t get me wrong, we did look for other places to eat.

We just couldn’t find anywhere with the type of food and price we were after. They are probably here but just not where we were looking.

Our last night was quiet once more, Sawyer and Lukas were both tired and with a 4.30am start, Preparing to head to Cuba, we needed to pack and get a good nights sleep.  

Final Thoughts

Reflecting on our time in Cancun with the kids, would I return? Personally, no, however, Lukas said the beaches were the best ever!

I would have to agree, the two public beaches were perfect, especially Playa Langosta. But I just couldn’t feel a connection.

As for Isla Mujeres, definitely YES! We really enjoyed our day there and as we plan to return to Cuba again one day, then I think it’s on the cards.

There are a few other spots along the coast we would like to check out too, places like Tulum and Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.