We love traveling. Traveling with kids can be an exciting and enriching experience for the whole family. Exploring new cultures, trying different cuisines, and creating lasting memories together can be a wonderful way to bond.
We had a family gathering in Cancun, Mexico, in August 2024! We spent 4 nights in Cancun, and due to the presence of 4 children and a two-day evening thunder storm, we stayed at a hotel for the duration of our trip. We were still able to enjoy the stay.
We stayed at a hotel, Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun, for 4 nights. The hotel was an “all-inclusive resort hotel,” meaning you have unlimited foods and drinks with access to all the restaurants (there might be an extra fee for some restaurants), bars, cafes, beaches, pools, entertainment options, and so on. It was the first time for us to experience an “all-inclusive resort hotel, so I would like to share my experiences!
The website says that there is free transportation if you make a reservation on their website for at least 4 nights per room. We did not get free transportation, probably because we reserved everything on Expedia to get some discount. I decided to reserve a transportation service beforehand to make sure we have safe and reliable transportation. I contacted the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun, and they introduced us to the transportation company, “Tropical Incentives.” The price was the below:
Price Information (Price for One-Way): Actual price in USD will be based on hotel exchange rate of your arrival day.
Up to 6 passengers (VAN)
Airport – Hotel $1,160.00 MXN.
Hotel – Airport $1,160.00 MXN.
Up to 4 passengers (Luxury suburban)
Airport – Hotel $1,985.00 MXN.
Hotel – Airport $1,985.00 MXN.
Up to 12 passengers (Sprinter)
Airport – Hotel $ 2,070.00 MXN.
Hotel – Airport $ 2,070.00 MXN.
Our flight was delayed, and our luggage did not come out for a long time at the airport in Cancun. The people from the transportation company waited for us for an hour and a half with a big sign of our name. At the airport, MANY people tried to ask us if we needed transportation, and it was kind of overwhelming. Therefore, I was glad we made a reservation beforehand, and they were a very safe, reliable, and responsible transportation company. It was about a 30-minute drive to the hotel. (Side story: my brother reserved another transportation company, and my brother had to wait for them for an hour and a half. Therefore, I give high reviews on “Tropical Incentives”).
Overall the hotel was amazing! Everything was pretty. One of the highlights is that all the rooms face the beach so you can enjoy the great view of ocean from any room you reserve.
When we checked in, we got wristbands to get access to unlimited food and drinks and their services. Their customer service was very good, explaining all about their hotel. With “all-inclusive resort” at their hotel, we were able to get the following:
All meals at restaurants (expect for a few with extra charge)
There were 9 restaurants and a few bars/cafés. For the restaurants, you have to make reservations for half of them, and the rest is “first come, first served.” The quality of the foods at the restaurants you have to make reservations at was much better. I highly recommend you make reservations for the restaurants when you check in. Since we checked in late at night, we did not make reservations until the second day, and many restaurants were fully booked. Let me introduce the restaurants:
- Chianti – IL Consorzio
This was a new Italian restaurant. There are two sections; one section you need to make a reservation, and the other is the first come, first served section. For the first come, first served section, you can enjoy casual Italian foods such as pizza, pasta, etc., but I highly recommend you make a reservation for this restaurant because all of their foods were really delicious. The only available time for the day was only 9:30pm, so all the kids were super tired, but it was so worth it!
All the appetizers, main dishes, and desserts were very good. As you can see, all the dishes were very pretty, and every bite was so enjoyable with a delicate yet flavorful taste.
My favorite was ravioli. The sauce for the ravioli was super creamy and flavorful. It was actually one of the best ravioli I have ever had. All the desserts were super delicious. There was a basil mousse cake, which did have a perfect balance of basil flavor, and it was very interesting yet enjoyable.
I highly recommend this restaurant!
- TORII – The Pacific Rim
It was a new Japanese restaurant. There are two sections; one section you need to make a reservation, and the other is the first come, first served section. For the reservation section, it is Teppanyaki style, and children must be older than 5 years old for safety; we were not able to make a reservation. Instead, we went to the first come, first served section to enjoy sushi.
All the sushi were pretty good. They had ice cream for desserts. Since my boys are rice lovers, we were glad that they had Japanese food options.
- HAVANNA CLUB – Steak & Latin Lounge
This is a steakhouse serving Argentinean Angus quality grilled cuts with perfection on a Basque-style grill. We could not try this restaurant. The website does not state that reservations are required, but the restaurant was full when we went there. It seems like the quality of the meat is highly reviewed; meat lovers might want to try this place!
- Nah K´aax
It is a casual Mexican restaurant which requires reservation. This restaurant was fully booked. Their highlight is definitely the ocean view. They have a thrilled fire show on Tuesday and Saturday at 9pm. They also offer nightly entertainment with DJ, fresh seafoods from sushi bar and artistic beautiful desserts.
- Le Basilic
This is a French and Mediterranean restaurant, for which a reservation is required and there is a surcharge. This restaurant was also fully booked. If you want to make a romantic unforgettable memory, this restaurant might be the one.
- La Joya
This is a formal Mexican restaurant which require reservation. Fortunately we were able to get reservation for this restaurant. While there are tacos, you can definitely enjoy authentic Mexican restaurant such as mole, a rich, thick sauce traditionally made with a combination of chili peppers, spices, fruits and so on.
Overall all the foods were very thick and flavorful. Some of them were a little too thick and strong for me but my favorite dish was “pork ribs confit with plum mole”. Slow braised pork ribs confit was so tender and plum mole sauce was sweet and very flavorful. All the desserts were very good.
- The Table
This is a casual Mexican restaurant which offers 9 course tasting menu in times of rich Mayan history. There is a surcharge of $150 per person. If you are looking for gourmet Mexican restaurant, you might want to try this restaurant!
- Isla Contoy
This is a seafood restaurant. You can enjoy the best seafood and Caribbean Sea views under an extraordinary palapa. You can start your day with breakfast buffet style and relax with your family at sunset, enjoying their octopus, the fish of the day, cocktails, and so on.
- Viña del Mar
This is a first-come, first-serve restaurant offering buffet-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We went to have dinner here for the first night right after we checked in, and we went to have breakfast on the second day. They had great selections of foods for both breakfast and dinner. There was indoor and outdoor seating, but I recommend you stay inside since there were lots of birds staring at your dishes and try to eat them whenever possible. Just for your safety and hygiene, I recommend indoor seating. For breakfast, there was a long line starting around 9am, so if you want to skip the line, I recommend you go there before 9am.
For breakfast, we just did room service to avoid the line for the rest of our stay, which turned out to be very relaxing and a great time with my family. It took for about 45 minutes after placing an order on the phone.
Pool and beach side beverages and full lunch menu service directly to your lounge chair
When you are at the beach or pool, it could be hard to go back to your room, change and then go to a restaurant for lunch especially with your children. Therefore you would appreciate to get your drinks and foods served directly to your chairs.
My boys tried piña colada (no alcohol) for the first time, and they loved it!
We had some tacos (shrimp, chicken, beef), hamburgers, and pizza for lunch.
There were also ceviche station; you can get many different kinds of ceviche. It was really fresh and good.
Unlimited access to the beach and huge outdoor pool
Swimming at a beach and pool was pretty much everything we did on this trip. Neither less to say, the ocean was beautiful. While my boys truly enjoyed the beach, my younger son was saying he preferred the pool because the water in the ocean was salty. Yet we still went to the beach every day to enjoy it as much as possible.
I actually had to go to both the pool and beach to keep the chairs; otherwise, there were no spots available after 10 a.m. It turned out to be a fun morning activity for myself because I just woke up before everyone woke up, went out, grabbed a cup of coffee, and walked the beach—a very relaxing time.
There were thunderstorms in two afternoons, so we stayed at the pool/beach until 3pm, and we stayed inside the hotel for the rest of the days. We were still able to enjoy ourselves thanks to all the entertainment they had!
Unlimited non-motorized water sports
This was so much fun! They were renting out kayaks (single or double), paddle boards, and snorkeling masks with no time limit. I did single kayaking with my brother (my kids were not interested since they were pretty occupied with making a sand mountain with their cousins), and then I did paddle boarding for the first time with my husband.
It was beautiful with breathtaking ocean view. With the waves, I fell a few times but it was such a relaxing and fun experience.
Daily entertainment experiences and activities throughout the resort
So many activities and events are going on every day for adults, kids, and families! It is hard to catch up on everything, so you can check daily for the ones in which you are interested. For the night we got to the hotel, there was an aquatic show at the pool. You can check all their activities on their website.
There was also a sport lounge with arcade games, football tables, ping pong table, pool table and a huge screen of sports playing.
My boys were saying, “Mom! You do not have to put coins and can play the games as many times as we want!” They were just so excited to play arcade games.
Meanwhile, I went to a café by myself to get gelato. I literally went there to get gelato at least twice a day.
Access to the fitness center overlooking the Caribbean Sea
Their gym was THE BEST hotel gym ever. All the equipment was good. They had everything you need. Fortunately, the gym was right next to our room, so there was no choice not to go there.
Who does not want to work out with this stunning, beautiful view!?
Complimentary access to the interactive 20,000 sq ft Coral KidZ Club for children ages 3 to 12 years old
It is open from 10am to 6pm on Mondays and it is open from 10am to 10pm Tuesdays through Sunday (For 7om to 10pm, children only over 6 years old can use their night activities). Parents can stay with your children in the morning but only kids stay for the afternoon activities.
They had a shallow kids’ pool with a slide. It was definitely fun for the kids. Its downside was that it was actually cold. As you can see, the pool is under the shade since it is right behind the hotel. Because of that, the water was cold, and our kids could not stay there for a long time.
We did not try any of their afternoon activities since we wanted to be with our kids all the time, but they seem very fun, so check them out if you are interested!
Our family trip went wonderful in Cancun. We definitely want to go back when my kids are bigger to explore more, such as Chichen Itza, Cenotes, Islas Mujeres, and so much more!
Our boys want to go back already, and they still talk about it all the time. It was definitely one of the memorable trips we took for the boys.
See you soon Cancun!
