We took a quick family trip to Mexico at the end of October and had the perfect weather during our 4 day stay. While having been to Cancun several times, this was my first time to Playa Del Carmen. Due to some scary travel advisories, we didn’t leave the resort the gated resort and shopping areas. Since we were traveling with our toddler, it seemed best to be on the safe side. And I have to say our beautiful resort, the Iberostar Quetzal, had plenty of activities for us to enjoy during our stay!
I just have to talk about this hotel for a second because it is hands down the most beautiful place that I have ever stayed at. We were lucky enough to stay in one of the ocean front junior suites which have a terrace that takes you right out to the beach. Not to mention that there a a jungle in the middle of the property with monkeys, flamingos, peacocks, nutrias… it actually blew my mind!
Our daughter was almost 3 at the time of our trip and even though she was too young for the kids club, she had a blast! Swimming in the ocean, chasing the peacocks around and sneaking treats to the nutrias that liked to hang out in front of our balcony it was a toddlers dream.
I will admit that we were a little nervous about going to Mexico with all the travel advisories that are in place, especially bringing our daughter… BUT for this particular area of Playa del Carmen, we felt very safe. Before you even get to the hotel, you enter in through this gated area that’s essentially all vacation homes, shops and hotels. So you are definitely isolated from the actual town of Playa del Carmen. So while you may not be getting the cultural experience you might in other places, you definitely feel safe.
And the little shopping area was only about a 10 minute walk from the resort. The perfect place to pick up some souvenirs, grab some Starbucks and talk to some locals!
Another thing I have to note about this hotel is the customer service: Our daughter actually got an extremely high fever in the middle of the night and the people at the front desk were so helpful at taking us to the onsite physician and then having a courier pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. They really went above and beyond and as parents in a foreign country with a sick child, we really appreciated the extra effort.
I put together a quick little video of our stay, hope you enjoy <3
