My husband and I love to travel. We want to share the thrill of visiting new places and learning about different cultures with our daughters. But it’s not easy traveling with young kids. That’s why it’s common to hear that it’s not a vacation when you travel with them, it’s just a trip. Or that traveling with kids is simply parenting in a new location without your regular stuff. Kids don’t magically get less whiny or needy when you travel and will still wake you up at six am.
So when my husband and I were planning a little trip to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun earlier this year, we thought about the pros and cons of bringing our daughters with us.
We wanted an escape, which would usually mean no kids, but we also thought an all-inclusive could be an easier trip with them. There is less planning involved, and the resort we were going to, SLS Playa Mujeres, has a kids club, like many all-inclusive resorts do. I had never used a kids’ club before this trip, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I thought it could give my husband and me a break while also leaving time for family fun.
In the end, we took our 4.5-year-old and left our 2.5-year-old with the grandparents. Read on to hear how the trip went and tips for parents about using a kids’ club on a family vacation.
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Kids’ clubs may not accommodate all ages
Every resort is different, but at this specific property, there is a strict policy that all kids have to be at least four to go to the kids’ club. There was an option for kids 4-11 and one for “teens” 12 and older. I liked that the age groups were split, but I was worried about how my daughter might do with much older kids. She ended up making friends with a little girl her age, so it was fine. But if she had been the youngest one with much older kids, she may not have felt comfortable.
We ended up not bringing our youngest daughter because she wasn’t old enough for the kids’ club, which was a bummer. Had we brought her, I’m not sure that having one kid in the kids club and one kid with us all the time would have really felt any different than just having both of them with us all the time. I know hotels have to draw the line somewhere, though. Four felt fair as a cut-off, as the majority of kids are potty-trained and somewhat independent.
Make sure to check a hotel’s policy before booking if you’re banking on using a kids club for a little break.
The resort’s kids’ club felt safe
I really appreciated that we had to fill out an information sheet about our daughter at the kids’ club. In addition to filling out questions about things like allergies, we also had to indicate her swimming proficiency. Regardless of swimming ability, parents get to choose whether their kids can go to the pool or not.
I also liked that all parents exchanged phone numbers with the kids’ club. If we ever wanted to check on our daughter, we could text to see how she was. And if she wanted to leave, they could text us to come get her.
Parents could stay with kids for an hour at the beginning of the day. This felt like a nice way to ease a hesitant child into the kids’ club, and a way for parents to get a sense for how things work. Our daughter had no fears running in, but if she had, this would have been a great option.
Kids’ clubs don’t run all day
The thing that shocked me the most about the kids’ club was that it didn’t start until 11. There’s a viral TikTok about how parents live several lives before 10 a.m. and that’s how I felt about the late start.
I thought we were going to be able to have breakfast and then immediately drop her off. Instead, we had about two hours of dead time between breakfast and drop-off.
Other resorts might be different, but I really wish the kids’ club started earlier. I would have loved to have care from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The kids’ club ran until late afternoon, but wasn’t available during dinner, either. Our resort did have the option of hiring a babysitter, but we just did early dinners with our daughter. If I went back, I’d probably hire one for a night to have a date night.
My daughter did lots of fun activities at the kids’ club
The resort publishes a calendar of what’s going on at the kids’ club, and I was impressed by the range of things on offer. While she was there, my daughter did arts and crafts, was part of a LEGO building challenge, played in the pool, and went on a zipline.
It was clear to me that the team put a lot of effort into making sure that kids would have a great time and that there was something for everyone. There was always an option for kids to stay in the air-conditioned playroom if they didn’t want to do one of the special activities as well.
She had so much fun and asked us to go back the second day we were there. She still talks about Mexico and wanting to go back, and I think the kids’ club was a big part of this.
My husband and I got a break because of the kids’ club
Even with the late start, my husband and I were able to carve out several hours each day for ourselves. The resort had an adults-only pool, so while our daughter was at the kids’ club, we were there.
My husband and I got to have a full conversation without being interrupted. It felt like we had time to just relax. But we also have to have time with our daughter.
That said, we still had to put our daughter to bed, get up early with her, and parent through various tantrums during the trip. Without having a kids’ club, it definitely would have felt like a trip the whole time. But because of the kids’ club, there were pockets that felt like a true vacation.
Overall, using a kids club was a great experience and something I’d do again. I’ll probably look for kids’ clubs that have earlier hours or ones that offer care during dinner, but will definitely have a kids’ club on the “must-have” list for any future resort vacations.
Elliott Harrell, Contributing Writer
Elliott is a mom of two little girls and is based in Raleigh, NC. She spends her days running a sales team and doing laundry and her nights writing about the things that she loves. She’s passionate about all things motherhood and women’s health. When she’s not working, writing or parenting you can find her trying a new restaurant in town or working on her latest needlepoint project.
