среда, 25 марта 2015 г.

Compared to counselors she's encountered at other resorts, Mansfield was impressed with what she saw


Why Go : Cancún was created, literally, to be the ultimate beach destination—which is why most people love it, but also why many travelers are wary of it. Originally home to Mayans centuries ago, the area was almost entirely uninhabited until the early 1970s, when the Mexican government began developing a money-making tourism hub there. Over the past 30-plus years, the “7”-shaped island, connected to the mainland and Cancún City by two bridges, has become a bustling string of beachfront hotels, referred to as the Hotel Zone. And we mean bustling: An estimated 3 million people visit the Hotel Zone every year—so we’re not talking about an undiscovered paradise. Still, it’s hard to argue with translucent blue waters, white sands, and access to Mayan ruins. The challenge is finding a good spot to stay.
Club Med Cancún Yucatán offers a great combination: everything you’d want in terms of beach, dining and activities, but at a distance from the churning tourist machine. The resort was an early arrival in the Hotel Zone, originally opening in 1976, but it took a beating during Hurricane Wilma in October 2005. In November 2006, the resort re-opened, looking, well, distinctly younger.
The $24-million renovation made the resort’s accommodations more spacious and up-to-date. Half of the 384 rooms, country inn suites mall of america and all 18 suites, were expanded, and a Parisian design firm gave the rooms a contemporary spin on traditional Mexican décor. Accommodations are comfortable rather than luxurious, but overall the resort delivers an upscale experience. The revamp also added the Jade Villa building, where guests can get room service, a private car from the airport and niceties such as laundry service and fresh flowers. There is also a new emphasis on the Yucatan setting: country inn suites mall of america menus have been updated (including local wines) and the resort now offers culturally- country inn suites mall of america and environmentally aware excursions. Perhaps most important, the resort shifted from being couples-only to a family-friendly destination that welcomes kids, with a special emphasis on those from 4 to 10.
Like at all Club Med villages, staffers are known as GOs (short for “gentils organisateurs,” or “gracious organizers”), country inn suites mall of america guests country inn suites mall of america are called GMs (“gracious members”), and the all-inclusive, egalitarian vibe encourages easy socializing between staff and guests, as well as an active, outdoorsy country inn suites mall of america routine. (For more on Club Med’s history, see our review of Club Med Sandpiper .)
Our correspondent, Jinny Mansfield, and her family arrived with few preconceived notions, having never visited a Club Med before. (“The fact it’s a well-known, country inn suites mall of america established brand was a positive, so I was interested to see what it was like. I was looking forward to some good beach time and family time, and warm weather.”) Club Med Cancún Yucatán delivered country inn suites mall of america on just that, thanks country inn suites mall of america to a generous-sized beach and plenty of activities for her two kids, Kate, 9, and Jack, 7. That the resort was an all-inclusive was key. (“With kids it’s even more of a selling point because—at least with my kids—there’s always someone country inn suites mall of america hungry or thirsty at random times. And it’s nice to be able to take advantage of so many activities country inn suites mall of america without having to pay for each, which would add up quickly.”)
They also appreciated that the environment was laid-back and understated. (“It was not an overtly kid-centric country inn suites mall of america resort with life-size cartoon characters walking around. Kids are welcomed and included but not at the expense of making adults feel like they’re enduring a theme park.”) Best of all, between the beach and myriad grown-up activities—snorkeling, kayaking, tennis, and exercise classes—there truly is something for everyone. (“The biggest thing Club Med Cancún Yucatán has going for it is that it offers a resort vacation with plenty of things to do.”)
Getting Oriented : The 14-mile Cancún Hotel Zone stretches down the Yucatán coastline like a “7,” with the Club Med Cancún sitting near the bottom. That’s a huge plus: It feels distinctly out of the Hotel Zone’s congestion, even on the beach. (“No noise, no craziness.”)
The 22-acre, horseshoe-shaped resort is comprised of low-slung, modern-looking buildings, up to three stories high and painted alternately in white or bright colors; a picturesque lagoon sits in the compound’s center. As you round the curve upon entering the resort, you pass the eight-court tennis center and the Jade Villa. At the end of the horseshoe is the reception building and the resort’s country inn suites mall of america hub, where you’ll find two of the three restaurants, the theater, pool, beach and most of the guest rooms.
The resort is less than 5 miles, or a 15-minute ride, from Cancún International Airport. There’s no free shuttle, but you can book one for about $13 per person. Since the transportation area at Cancún’s airport can be both crowded and confusing, it’s a good idea to book your transfers (through Club Med or your travel agent) before you leave home. As an alternative, you could take a taxi—about $45 one-way—but a cab fills up fast with kids and bags.
Getting Around : A big reason families choose an all-inclusive is so that they can stay put and soak up the food and atmosphere, so a car isn’t necessary at Club Med Cancún country inn suites mall of america Yucatán. If you choose to take a day trip, the resort offers 17 excursions, many with a distinctly eco-tourism bent, such as swimming with dolphins, visiting archeological site Chichen Itza or snorkeling in Cozumel. Seven-day packages to Club Med Cancún Yucatán include a free excursion to the archaeological site El Meco. Otherwise, excursions range from $15 to $135 per person. Outings are offered on specific days, so it’s a good idea to check the excursion schedule soon after you arrive to help schedule country inn suites mall of america your time during your stay.
On Day 4 of their stay, the Mansfields went to eco-theme park Xcaret, but instead of joining an excursion group, country inn suites mall of america they rented a car for about $75 a day from the resort’s on-site Thrifty counter (“We ended up doing it on our own because of how our schedule worked out,” Jinny said “and because we had purchased Xcaret tickets before the trip.”) Even so, Jinny found the staff at the Discovery Center, country inn suites mall of america the resort’s excursion office, very helpful about explaining the details of each trip. Note: Seven excursions—including Chichen Itza, biosphere Sian Ka’an and the deep-sea fishing trip—have a minimum age of 12.
If you want to explore the immediate environs—the rest of the Hotel Zone’s shopping or restaurants on the more northern end of the “7”—you can get a cab, or even catch the bus that runs along the strip. The hitch: From Club Med, you have to walk up the beach and cut through the Westin, the next hotel north, to get that bus. (“I don’t think the bus is worth it: inexpensive but crowded, and with kids in tow I wouldn’t want to be schlepping up the beach and through the Westin!”)
For children 3 and under, Club Med Cancún doesn’t have an organized program, but it does offer services such as in-room babysitting (about $15 an hour), as well as complimentary amenities such as high chairs, bottle-warmers and baby food.
For kids 4 to 10, however, there is great program. Mini Club Med is free and runs daily from 9am to 9pm, with a break for dinner. Activities include tennis, crafts, story time, swimming, beach time, piñatas, and a trampoline and trapeze (the latter being a trademark part of Club Med’s “circus country inn suites mall of america schools” found at some of its resorts). The evening programs tend to carry themes. For example, one evening during the Mansfields’ stay, the 8- to 10-year-olds did a version of “The Amazing Race,” while the 4- to 7-year-olds had a mini-car race.
According to Club Med’s brochure and web site, kids are supposed to be broken out into tight age groups of 4 to 5, 6 to 7, and 8 to 10. If relatively few children are staying at the resort, however, the groupings might be larger. When the Mansfields were there, for example, there was just one group for ages 4 to 7. (“That country inn suites mall of america works well, unless your kids are at the north end of those groups—but even then it depends on how many other kids are in the group.”) During their stay, Mansfield estimated that there were about six to eight kids in each group on any given day.
Kate and Jack participated in Mini Club Med a total of six times and, overall, they liked it. Nine-year-old Kate—the oldest in her group—got bored at times, like when the tennis clinic featured a two-foot net and oversized balls. country inn suites mall of america (“Jack seemed to have a blast, as evidenced by his desire to go back on another day.”)
Compared to counselors she’s encountered at other resorts, Mansfield was impressed with what she saw at Club Med Cancún Yucatán. (“I thought the counselors were good—some very good. Did they have the jovial, wrap-you-up, almost instinctive kid-warmth of some resorts? country inn suites mall of america No. But they were fun with the kids, encouraging and engaging.”)
For kids 11 to 17, the offerings are pretty spotty. In theory, the teen club, “Passworld,” is open daily from 9:30am to 10pm with a dinner break. But the club only operates during school holidays such as Christmas or winter break (and, the resort spokesperson says, when more than 10 teen guests are staying at the resort). Passworld was closed during the Mansfields’ November stay. We would prefer to see this group broken down into two smaller age ranges, since it can be particularly intimidating for preteens to socialize with high-school kids. This can be especially true where a teen program is fairly unstructured, as is the case at Club Med. The group’s main hangout is an open-air area next to the pool, called the Car Wash; when open, the program also offers excursions such as an eco-tour or a day trip to a Wet ’n’ Wild waterpark. As an alternative, teens can sign up for the resort’s popular country inn suites mall of america daily events (some are 12-and-up country inn suites mall of america only) such as beach soccer or water polo. Teens can also check out the “Maya Lounge” in the hub area, which has a Ping-Pong country inn suites mall of america table and a pool table but, for better or worse, no video games.
The main pool, in the resort’s hub area, is open from 9am to 7pm. It ranges from t

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