Club Med Cancun Yucatan

All inclusive, seven-night packages cover rooms, meals, alcoholic beverages and all activities. Jade Villa, the concierge building at Club Med Cancun, offers extra amenities to guests, including a private car service that transfers you to and from the airport and room service meals. 384 guest rooms and 18 suites were expanded in the latest renovation, bring the average guest room to 416 square feet. All offer private terraces or balconies, coffee makers and safes.

While the colorful decor was refreshing in outdoor areas, the deep pink parts of the guest rooms were painted was a bit hard to take. Some rooms, mine included, were quite a long walk from the main areas, making it difficult to get to breakfast one rainy morning, and necessitating packing a bag each day.

Delicious buffets (the chef is a master of seafood salads) in a central building with several diversely decorated dining rooms made daily dining a pleasure. The main restaurant, La Hacienda, serves a variety of fresh seafood and local specialties, buffet-style. Dining rooms, decorated by a French design firm, are in varied, contemporary styles, overlooking the swimming pool and the lagoon. Alternatively, Las Cazuelas serves Mexican cuisine with a French accent a la carte in a beachside structure with a dramatic ceiling. La Pergola has light grilled items, and transforms into a Mediterranean tapas bar at night.

Not many things can usually persuade me out of a beach chair, but here, activities were a highlight. Kids and adults alike flocked to the trapeze to learn swings, flips and catches. Other activities included a trampoline, water ski lessons, snorkeling on a large private coral reef, sailing and windsurfing lessons, and vollyball. At the Discovery Center, you can schedule excursions like the included trip to El Meco, or explore more of the area's cultural and natural attractions.

Formerly a singles Mecca, Club Med has evolved into a family destination. Mini Club Med has organized, supervised activities for ages 4-10. Club Med Passworld, for 11-17 year olds, includes a kids-only space with computers, video games and a juice bar. Babysitting services can also be arranged, and dinner programs are available to give parents an evening break. For infants, a welcome program provides in-room essentials; the main restaurant has bottle warmers and baby food.