can't decide between these three resorts.

sunshinequeen · 07-01-2006

Ok, narrowed it down to these three. RIU Tequila, Occidental flemenco X Caret, and Sandos Gala. Looking for an afordable moderate all inclusive resort. We are bringing our two and a half year old toddler with us. Our priority mostly is great food. We like exploring new tastes and liking seafood. Looking for shallow calm waters ( for the baby's safty). The rooms aren't a big deal for us, but like having nice paths to walk around with beautiful flowers ect... And one last thing, we don't want to drive more than an hour from the airport. Any suggestions would be great !!

Thanks

**Shammy** · 07-01-2006

Sandos Playacar would be ideal with a 2 1/2 year old as this resort will take children into the kids club at ages 2 and up. All the other resorts have a minimum age of 4.
But the ocean in along the Playacar beaches is not what I'd call "shallow" and it's not always calm - just depends on the weather, tides, storms, etc. And there is a children's pool which would be shallow. But Sandos Playacar is a decent family friendly property so I'd say this might be your best bet..

The Tequila isn't ON the beach, it's across the street and you would be using the same beach area (at the Riu Yucatan) as you would if you stayed at Sandos Playacar so the same ocean conditions apply to the resort as well. You can use the facilities of the Riu Playacar and Riu Yucatan though.

The Grand Xcaret would be good as far as the ocean - basically because there IS no ocean here. The hotel has a manmade beach that fronts a lagoon with no true access to the ocean, so this would be the resort where the ocean is calmest. But again, you can't use the facilities of the kids club if you would want to.

My vote would be for the Sandos Playacar - if it were my decision that is.

sanger · 07-02-2006

Not being aware of the minimum ages of the kidsclus my first idea was Riu Tequila.
We will be visiting Riu Tequila in September. The reason to choose the Tequila was all the great stories we heared and read about the facilities and the restaurants.
But perhaps the minimumage of the kidsclub will be the meanreason to choose the resort.

sunshinequeen · 07-02-2006

Thanks everyone for your advise. This site seems to be very friendly !

maestranba · 07-02-2006

We didn't like the food too much at the Gala. But that was before Sandos took over. Maybe it's better now. There's a great kiddie pool there too that is very shallow. Tons of kids!!

summer05 · 07-02-2006

If you're leaning toward the Tequila, I'd pay the little bit extra and book the Yucatan. It's very nice and right on the beach. We stayed next door at the Riu Palace Mexico last year and it was great!
Summer

actran · 07-02-2006

The OGFX would fill the requirement of calm shallow waters and nice walking paths (you do a LOT of walking there). The food was pretty variable and was one of the factors of why we wouldn't return. I may just have unreasonable expectations because my only other AI experience was the Royal Hideaway.

sunshinequeen · 07-02-2006

I noticed that ( on the funjet site) that the difference between the Yucatan and the Tequila is approx .$ 575.00 !! That's for two adults and my two year old toddler. This is a pretty sugnifigant difference. Is it really worth it to be on the beach ? are there any other advantages to going to the Yucatan ? Thanks

**Shammy** · 07-02-2006

The $575 difference is because at the Tequila, your little one is free - at the Yucatan - not so.

fuzzlekins · 07-02-2006

My vote goes to OGFX but I have not been to the other two so I can't vote "against" them. OGFX does have probably the calmest water anywhere (no waves at all) b/c it's a man-made beach. Here is a picture of their beach ...

We thought it was gorgeous and great for kids (as well as us). We also enjoyed the food. I wouldn't say that it was gourmet (although some of the a la carte dishes bordered on it), but we had no complaints. I am not a McDonald's person and I dabble in gourmet cooking so I'm reasonably picky. We found the grounds to be the most gorgeous we've seen yet, the service everywhere was excellent, the rooms were spacious and spotless, the shower pressure was the best I've experienced, and the pools are amazing. They do also have a Kids' Club but as with most I think it's for children 4-12. They also offer babysitting services for an add'l fee. If you have any add'l questions about this resort, feel free to email me at fuzzlekins [at] yahoo [dot] com. I could gush for hours about it!

sanger · 07-03-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshinequeen

I noticed that ( on the funjet site) that the difference between the Yucatan and the Tequila is approx .$ 575.00 !! That's for two adults and my two year old toddler. This is a pretty sugnifigant difference. Is it really worth it to be on the beach ? are there any other advantages to going to the Yucatan ? Thanks

According to the info we could find on the Internet the Tequila has more animation, and a better animation team. Besides, you can use all the facilities (e.g. pool, bars and restaurant) except for dinner(restaurant) from the the Riu Playacar AND Riu Yucatan.

I think you have to discuss if being directly at the beach is worth the $ 575,=

We decided we would save us the euros/dollars and walk to the beach every day. Also helpfull to stay fit a bit.

Tarris · 07-03-2006

I went to Sandos Gala recently and I just wanted to mention that they now (don't think they used to) charge for children under 4 at the kids club. If your child is between the ages of 2 and 4, your kiddie can still go, but you have to pay for a private babysitter to watch your child while at the kids club OR you have to stay with them at the kids club. If your child is 4 and older, he/she may be watched at the kids club for free and you don't have to stay.
I have 3.5 year old twin boys and we did use the babysitting services while there but we opted to have it in our room instead of the kids club. I felt PERFECTLY safe with the sitters and loved the staff overall. Also, you will NEVER feel like your child is infringing on someone elses fun at this resort...kids rule here...made it very relaxing for parents of young children!

07-01-2006	#1 (permalink)
sunshinequeen lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 17	can't decide between these three resorts. Ok, narrowed it down to these three. RIU Tequila, Occidental flemenco X Caret, and Sandos Gala. Looking for an afordable moderate all inclusive resort. We are bringing our two and a half year old toddler with us. Our priority mostly is great food. We like exploring new tastes and liking seafood. Looking for shallow calm waters ( for the baby's safty). The rooms aren't a big deal for us, but like having nice paths to walk around with beautiful flowers ect... And one last thing, we don't want to drive more than an hour from the airport. Any suggestions would be great !! Thanks

07-02-2006	#4 (permalink)
sunshinequeen lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 17	Reply Thanks everyone for your advise. This site seems to be very friendly !

07-02-2006	#8 (permalink)
sunshinequeen lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 17	RIU comparisons I noticed that ( on the funjet site) that the difference between the Yucatan and the Tequila is approx .$ 575.00 !! That's for two adults and my two year old toddler. This is a pretty sugnifigant difference. Is it really worth it to be on the beach ? are there any other advantages to going to the Yucatan ? Thanks

07-02-2006	#10 (permalink)
fuzzlekins lost on fifth Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 20	Ogfx!:) My vote goes to OGFX but I have not been to the other two so I can't vote "against" them. OGFX does have probably the calmest water anywhere (no waves at all) b/c it's a man-made beach. Here is a picture of their beach ... We thought it was gorgeous and great for kids (as well as us). We also enjoyed the food. I wouldn't say that it was gourmet (although some of the a la carte dishes bordered on it), but we had no complaints. I am not a McDonald's person and I dabble in gourmet cooking so I'm reasonably picky. We found the grounds to be the most gorgeous we've seen yet, the service everywhere was excellent, the rooms were spacious and spotless, the shower pressure was the best I've experienced, and the pools are amazing. They do also have a Kids' Club but as with most I think it's for children 4-12. They also offer babysitting services for an add'l fee. If you have any add'l questions about this resort, feel free to email me at fuzzlekins [at] yahoo [dot] com. I could gush for hours about it! Last edited by Shammy; 07-03-2006 at 05:19 PM.

07-01-2006	#2 (permalink)
Shammy Travel Insurance Tester Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Joisey Shore Posts: 10,522	Sandos Playacar would be ideal with a 2 1/2 year old as this resort will take children into the kids club at ages 2 and up. All the other resorts have a minimum age of 4. But the ocean in along the Playacar beaches is not what I'd call "shallow" and it's not always calm - just depends on the weather, tides, storms, etc. And there is a children's pool which would be shallow. But Sandos Playacar is a decent family friendly property so I'd say this might be your best bet.. The Tequila isn't ON the beach, it's across the street and you would be using the same beach area (at the Riu Yucatan) as you would if you stayed at Sandos Playacar so the same ocean conditions apply to the resort as well. You can use the facilities of the Riu Playacar and Riu Yucatan though. The Grand Xcaret would be good as far as the ocean - basically because there IS no ocean here. The hotel has a manmade beach that fronts a lagoon with no true access to the ocean, so this would be the resort where the ocean is calmest. But again, you can't use the facilities of the kids club if you would want to. My vote would be for the Sandos Playacar - if it were my decision that is.

07-02-2006	#3 (permalink)
sanger lost on fifth Join Date: May 2006 Location: Heemskerk, the Netherlands Posts: 24	Not being aware of the minimum ages of the kidsclus my first idea was Riu Tequila. We will be visiting Riu Tequila in September. The reason to choose the Tequila was all the great stories we heared and read about the facilities and the restaurants. But perhaps the minimumage of the kidsclub will be the meanreason to choose the resort.

07-02-2006	#5 (permalink)
maestranba añejo Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,794	We didn't like the food too much at the Gala. But that was before Sandos took over. Maybe it's better now. There's a great kiddie pool there too that is very shallow. Tons of kids!!

07-02-2006	#6 (permalink)
summer05 beachaholic Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 289	If you're leaning toward the Tequila, I'd pay the little bit extra and book the Yucatan. It's very nice and right on the beach. We stayed next door at the Riu Palace Mexico last year and it was great! Summer

07-02-2006	#7 (permalink)
actran life=playa Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 876	The OGFX would fill the requirement of calm shallow waters and nice walking paths (you do a LOT of walking there). The food was pretty variable and was one of the factors of why we wouldn't return. I may just have unreasonable expectations because my only other AI experience was the Royal Hideaway.

07-02-2006	#9 (permalink)
Shammy Travel Insurance Tester Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Joisey Shore Posts: 10,522	The $575 difference is because at the Tequila, your little one is free - at the Yucatan - not so.

07-03-2006	#12 (permalink)
Tarris toe in water Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 42	I went to Sandos Gala recently and I just wanted to mention that they now (don't think they used to) charge for children under 4 at the kids club. If your child is between the ages of 2 and 4, your kiddie can still go, but you have to pay for a private babysitter to watch your child while at the kids club OR you have to stay with them at the kids club. If your child is 4 and older, he/she may be watched at the kids club for free and you don't have to stay. I have 3.5 year old twin boys and we did use the babysitting services while there but we opted to have it in our room instead of the kids club. I felt PERFECTLY safe with the sitters and loved the staff overall. Also, you will NEVER feel like your child is infringing on someone elses fun at this resort...kids rule here...made it very relaxing for parents of young children!

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