Tips for families at Vidanta Riviera Maya?

[PamMo]

Hopefully this topic will be useful to others besides me. We will be going to Riviera Maya this October for the first (and probably only) time, so I want to see/do as much as we can - hopefully without breaking the bank. We're traveling with our kids (mid-30's) and six grands (2-12). DH and I have stayed in the Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta 3BR spa and 4BR residence club units, so we're familiar with the brand, just not this location or what there is for young children.

So, to get this started...

On the Vidanta website, it says there are only 15 bars and restaurants on the whole complex vs 40 in Nuevo Vallarta!?! Does that mean reservations are an absolute must everywhere? Are there any restaurants/bars we shouldn't miss? Are there any great dining venues or bargains for kids?

Breakfast - Is the breakfast buffet similar to NV's Cafe del Lago? Do children get a discount and/or is there a late morning discount? DH and I used meal coupons in NV and enjoyed having brunch at CdL. I know RM doesn't offer meal coupons, but our grands are Energizer Bunnies and can eat a lot! They also love trying new foods, so the buffet would be fun for that.

I've downloaded the Joy Squad activities schedules from the Vidanta website. Holy smokes! There is a lot to do! Do they really keep to that schedule, even off-season in October? We've been to other resorts where most of the "planned" activities are nonexistent.

Any favorite activity or special place to explore or relax on the property?

Can someone please explain how to reserve a palapa? Especially with the kids, shade is essential for us. Are there big family cabanas on the property?

Does anyone know where I can find the resort app for real time specials and activities? I read on TripAdvisor that it provides pretty significant (up to 30%) discounts throughout the day.

Is there somewhere we'd be able to see turtles released in October? We've seen wild turtles hatch and would love the grands to see that.

Xel Ha is on our kids' wish list for a day off campus. Can anyone recommend a good way to arrange a day there? Is there anywhere we can get a discount?

Also, does the 4BR residence unit have a washer/dryer? Is the layout the exact same as the 4BR in Nuevo Vallarta? I understand they are all on the first (ground level?) floor in Riviera Maya.

Thanks in advance for any and all replies! I'm sure there will be other questions that come up. Thanks again. Pam

 

[jssquared]

We love the Riviera Maya location. I have some answers for you though not all. We have kids who are now 15, 12, and 9 but traveled to RM while they were younger as well.
1. October is not really high season yet. I doubt you NEED reservations at restaurants but I wold make them anyway, particularly for the more formal restaurants. I find it is always easier to move dates and times around then to get the initial reservation. In previous trips we have found that some restaurants are better (food wise) in NV and some in RM. The biggest difference to me is that Tramonto is MUCH better in RM. We really enjoy the food in RM. Azur in RM is NOT as good as NV for dinner. You can certainly try the cirque restaurants as well - Nektar is adjacent to, but separate from, the theater and the show. It is very nice. If you splurge, you can do the Cirque dinner/show combo although that is quite expensive. They recently opened Salum which offers a variety of dining options. We have not been to RM since this opened, but reviews online have been great. Lots of options. Quinto looks really nice at RM and was amazing in NV. Not sure there are necessarily bargains. You can certainly go to Playa del Carmen and show at the Mega (really nice) to get breakfast and lunch items for the room to save some money. There is NOT a meal booklet like in NV (no idea why and it is a shame).
2. Yes. They have the full breakfast buffet like NV and other options at some of the other restaurants. Love the Mexican hot chocolate.
3. Not sure about schedule in October for Joy Squad. They probably WILL have a turtle release during that time. Make sure to keep calling the concierge as they are notoriously terrible at letting you know which days this will happen.
4. Definitely go to the little "zoo" area on the property. They have flamingos. They have a caiman feeding time. Really nice. Also, we walked (but have also played) the golf course. There are tons of huge iguanas on the course sunning themselves and all manner of bird and other wildlife you will come across. The Mayan Palace pool is enormous and interconnected. We loved trying to "swim" the whole length of the pool. Jumping over some of the connecting walls, etc. You can also try to get the naturalist to give you a walking tour of the property describing the flora and fauna.
5. Not sure about the palapa. If you have platinum status that will be helpful in getting into the beach club where there are some areas reserved for platinum. At the main Grand Luxxe pool, which is enormous, I doubt you will have any issues with seats (and covered day beds). This is where you get the ice pops for the kids.
6. Vidanta app on App store. Would presume it is there on Google as well. If you type in Vidanta you will find it.
7. Yes to turtle release. On the property near the main Grand Luxxe pool (a bit to the north along the beach). So much fun for the kids.
8. Xel Ha is AWESOME for kids. They will love it and the kids can tube, cliff dive, snorkel in a protected (massive) cove. I would also recommend Xcaret for your age grand kids. It is a bit bigger with some additional (relative to Xel Ha) things to do. If you do go to Xcaret, be sure to stay for the evening Mexican cultural show. May get a tad long for the younger kids, but well worth it. Also, be sure to spend an evening in Playa del Carmen on 5th avenue. There are some great restaurants (we went to one with a cenote right in the restaurant - though forgot the name of the restaurant itself - probably someone on here knows). 5th avenue has also sorts of sites and sounds for the kids. Ice cream spots. art galleries. clothing stores. Great way to spend an evening. Also, go to Akumal (beach) to snorkel with the sea turtles. You can take a taxi or rent a car. If you have your own snorkel equipment you are all set. If not, there are a couple spots to rent. The shops will try to sell you a snorkel tour/guide. You do NOT need this. It is a reasonable small area. Swim to where you see some folks congregated, look down, see (sea) turtle. Xel Ha and Xcaret can be bought as tour packages from the resort travel agent or you can go directly. They are a bit far away (less than an hour) so you can easily take a taxi or rent a car (on Vidanta property). There is literally one road from the resort to Xel Ha and Xcaret. Make a left out of the property, drive on the road, turn into Xel Ha or Xcaret. Not sure what is the overall chepaest option. Also, you can see Mayan ruins in a few different spots (depending on how far you want to go - like Chichen Itza, Ek Balam) and Cenotes There are plenty of tours from the resort that are easily booked.
9.yes to washer/dryer. Pretty same layout, but yes they are on the ground floor with the loft units on floors two and three (no idea why this is not reversed).
The property is smaller than at NV but we LOVE it for the location and for all that is offered on the Yucatan Peninsula. Xel HA, Xcaret (and other parks), Mayan ruins, Cenotes (which are awesome for kids), Akumal, and Tulum (which is a bit of a "touristy" ruin site but the town is really hip and cool. Playa is a great town and Cancun has a very nice little aquarium. We have gone numerous times and still have a huge punch list of excursions. Tennis courts SUCK in RM if that is your thing. The golf course is a par 3 / executive course. While it is not a full length, it is really a nicely maintained and nice course (if you really need golf there are fantastic courses in the area).
I keep begging Vidanta to make it easier to get off the resorts (particularly in NV). We chose Vidanta and Mexico because we find there is so much more to do in Mexico (culture, heritage, food, excursions then in other locations in the Caribbean. Wish Vidanta would celebrate this a bit more and make accessing the wonderful country a priority for visitors and not a hindrance.

 

[PamMo]

Thank you SO much, jssquared! Your reply is very helpful!

 

[jssquared]

my pleasure. let us know how things are coming along. Theoretically, they are building an "Estates" development and a water park across the highway "behind" the Cirque theater. If Vidanta's ETAs are to be believed (generally they are not) then there should be lots of construction on that side of the highway (which will not have any impact on you whatsoever as you will be really far away). Also, they have been working on a lazy river near the new Jungle Luxxe units. But from recent reports, sounds like it is far from complete.

 

[PamMo]

I will definitely post an update while we're down there.

 

[Eric B]

Last time we were down there they were restricting access to the Grand Luxxe Pool, Custom Burger Restaurant and Beach Club to owners, but would let exchangers in if they did a sales presentation. Based on some recent TUG posts, they may have relaxed that for the Beach Club, though I don't have personal experience to support that. At the Beach Club, they will assign you a plasma as you enter; not sure about reserving one.

One thing I've noticed at the breakfast buffets, at least in RM, is that if you want bacon you have to ask for it and they'll bring you a plate. There isn't an extra charge for it, but they don't leave it out on the buffet.

We did a trip down to Coba last time as well. You can still climb the pyramid there as opposed to the other ruins where they've stopped that.

 

[bizaro86]

We did the breakfast buffet last October, and got a discount for going early. Maybe before 9? It was not publicized or obvious, I'd ask the concierge in the building.

The 4br residence units are all main floor, and well equipped. I took video of it, I'll try to dig it out at home this evening. Full kitchen as well as washer/dryer. They only had coffee/tea/cookies on one side of the floor, we didn't realize until about half way through.

I wouldn't worry about reserving a palapa. There were cabanas for rent by the Mayan Palace pool, but the beach palapas, pool palapas, beach club areas, and grand luxxe pool areas all had tons of shade. There was a huge grand luxxe beach area that was completely deserted the entire time we were there, always dozens of empty spots.

There were tons of activities, we couldn't do them all.

They did have a turtle tour where you could go look at the eggs etc. None were released while we there as far as I know, and I did ask a couple times.

You always seemed to need reservations (even if the restaurant was 20% full they wouldn't take walk-ins) but the concierge could always get them even last minute. Seemed like a weird system to me.

 

[PamMo]

You guys are AWESOME! Thanks for all the tips! They are very helpful.

Bizaro86, your posts are getting me psyched about going! I was feeling a little trepidacious with all the changes in Vidanta this year.

And, Eric, your post made me laugh. My guys love bacon, so it's good to know they'll have to ask for it!

 

[Tacoma]

If you find Playa del Carmen too touristy and want a quiet town with the best snorkelling (you have to take a boat) try Puerto Morelos. Depending on the type of town you like I'm sure one will work for you. I am an Akumal and Puerto Morelos girl. Playa is OK for restaurants and shopping but too crowded these days IMHO and Puerto Adventurous just seemed like a US gated community to me. No Mexican life at all.

 

[PamMo]

Thank you, Tacoma! I will definitely look into your suggestions. DH and I don't usually hang out at a resort as we much prefer exploring the local communities, but this trip we might spend the majority of our time on the Vidanta property. Family time ALL together is incredibly rare for us, so we want activities that are fun, easy and readily accessible. We are retired, but our kids live insanely busy lives. We don't want to spend a lot of time in a car/taxi if there are cool things to do at the resort. With five kids under 6-years-old, I'm just trying to find a happy medium for everyone!

 

[ilene13]

I would go to Xcaret. We like it better than Xel Ha. Same company that runs it. If you go off property for dinner try John Greys Kitchen in Puerto Morales. Puerto Morales is closer to the Vidanta property than Playa Del Carmen!

 

[rpennisi]

Xcaret to me is like the Mexican Disney. I don't mean that derisively. There is so much to see and do there. My favorites are the snorkeling in the lagoon, the underwater river (fantastic), the many Mayan artifacts, turtle pools, dolphins and manatees, and the spectacular evening show just to name a few.

 

[Hornet441]

jssquared, you mentioned you golfed the on site course. Do you remember what the green fees were? Not sure how long ago you were there, can you give an update on the fees they are charging?

 

[Flasher42]

How about the cabana rental? Is it worth it? What's included? Price?
Thanks for any information you can provide?

 

[jssquared]

hornet - we have a golf benefit on our contract so for us it was free. We were also able to "trade" some of our free rounds of golf for golf lessons with their pro, who was fantastic (able to help each person in our family from age 7 to adult and all skill levels). They will also sometimes run promotions or specials. Sorry I could not be more helpful. The Green Break restaurant doubles at the golf pro shop. It is actually a good place for a post-round taco. They also have a pen with some caiman next to the restaurant. Bring balls or buy balls at Mega or Walmart when you get to Mexico. They are quite expensive at the pro shop.

 

[Eric B]

You guys are AWESOME! Thanks for all the tips! They are very helpful.
...

And, Eric, your post made me laugh. My guys love bacon, so it's good to know they'll have to ask for it!

I do favor bacon, myself! Just learned this trip to NV that Wal-Mart has bulk bacon behind the deli counter in PV for about half the price as the store at Vidanta, and it's thick cut, too. I probably shouldn't spread that around too much, but do enjoy helping out my fellow travellers....

 

[rpennisi]

As a corollary to Seinfeld's, "Hey George, the ocean called; they're running out of shrimp."
Hey Eric, the farm called; they're running out of bacon...

 

[WatsonC2]

How about the cabana rental? Is it worth it? What's included? Price?
Thanks for any information you can provide?

Its been a couple years for us but on our last trip to RM you could reserve a palapa by the MP pool in the morning (they went quick). There was a cost but if you spent that amount on pool service (it was basically lunch and a couple drinks) they credited the palapa rental. Totally worth it if you intend to stay by the pool most of the day.

Ditto on Puerto Morales. Snorkellng was $10 including gear. Cute town with good restaurants and shopping. Really not far north of Vidanta and on the way to/from the airport.

We ate at Alux (cave restauarant) in Playa but it was not on 5th Ave. Worth doing once. Read some reviews on trip advisor or other.

 

[Eric B]

As a corollary to Seinfeld's, "Hey George, the ocean called; they're running out of shrimp."
Hey Eric, the farm called; they're running out of bacon...

No worries, Ron. I raise Berkshire hogs as a hobby and have 28 bacon seeds at home, plus 6 going down the road a piece in 3 weeks.

 

[melissy123]

Any other recommendations for restaurants in Playa Del Carmen? Don’t need fancy, just good “authentic” food.

 

[hurnik]

Any other recommendations for restaurants in Playa Del Carmen? Don’t need fancy, just good “authentic” food.

I personally like La Parilla. It's a little touristy, but the food is good and the margaritas are very potent and yummy.
We also did a food tour with Emily from Cozumel Chef. It was pretty good. I especially liked the carnitas.

 

[jssquared]

If you are into the diners, drive in and dives type of place, try El Fogon which is directly across the street from the Mega in Playa. Great tacos and Fajitas for very, very reasonable prices. No frills.

 

[musictom]

As far as palapas, you can reserve one for either 300 or 600 pesos (I can't remember, and my wife and I are arguing about the amount, haha!) Anyway, then you have that amount as a credit towards drinks, snacks, lunch, etc. We NEVER had any problem spending the amount of money.

I also definitely recommend Puerto Morelos. Unfortunately, visiting Playa del Carmen this summer was a bit disappointing, as Avenida 5 has now become super American/touristy. It still has some of its original charm down by the ferry dock.

If you want to splurge a bit, I would highly recommend John Grey's Kitchen in Puerto Morelos. It is an amazing, 5 star restaurant in this quaint little town!

 

[gleeful]

jssquared, you mentioned you golfed the on site course. Do you remember what the green fees were? Not sure how long ago you were there, can you give an update on the fees they are charging?

 

[gleeful]

This is the ad in the Happiness guide for September. Club rental is $45