CARIBBEAN TWEEN
The sunny Yucatán shoreline appeals to adults and kids of all ages
TAKE your family to the Yucatán Peninsula’s beautiful coast — and do so soon, before overdevelopment smothers its charms.
Kids stuck between carefree childhood and teenage angst will delight in diving off cliffs, swimming through cave-like cenotes, snorkeling with turtles and ziplining through the jungle. (Expect them to document it all on social media, too.)
Mix those outings with cultural experiences — like scrambling through the Tulum ruins, what’s left of an intact Mayan city on a cliff by the sea — and you’ve got a killer trip with an educational component to boot.
My eight-day journey with Braden, then 13, and Kaitlin, 11, started at the Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen, which was once a tiny blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fishing village. Its 214 rooms are stocked with local, organic snacks and thoughtful touches like flip-flops for the beach (from $300; Mayakoba. Andaz. Hyatt.
com). We rode free bikes and romped through three pools and a man-made lagoon with boat tours through mangroves with wildlife (including crocodiles). There’s even an interactive aromatherapy bar for parents and tweens to create custom scents — and lifeguards at the beach ensuring safe swimming.
Our next stop was Casa Malca, a stunning boutique hotel in Tulum — about an hour and 20 minutes away by cab — converted from the mansion of late drug lord Pablo Escobar (from $490; CasaMalca.com).
Once a boho-chic spot, Tulum is getting built up fast. Think yoga retreats and adults-only resorts — but plenty are kid-friendly, including Casa Malca. Hotel owner Lio Malca is an art collector with galleries in Manhattan and Ibiza who has an eye for the extraordinary. His 42-room stay is a dreamscape set directly on Tulum’s Instagram-worthy white-sand beach. The hotel features a dramatic pool with an underground part that kids love and incredible views from the roof. Try the seafood dishes at Philosophy.
Nearby, we enjoyed the restaurant at La Zebra ( LaZebraTulum.com), which had excellent ceviche. Then sample Origami’s amazing gelato in coconut, cinnamon chili or chocolate with cardamom ( Facebook.com/OrigamiTulum). In downtown Tulum, don’t miss Wayan Fish Spa, where toothless carp nibble the dead skin off your feet ( Instagram.com/WayanFishSpa). A trip to Tulum’s Mayan ruins is also a must. Buy the fresh fruit sprinkled with chili and limes sold right outside the entrance. We then rented an Airbnb home (about $375/night) hidden behind a sturdy gate with its own pool near central Tulum. This meant trips to the local grocery store (the kids couldn’t believe the piles of chiles and avocados) and repeat visits to roadside shacks with no addresses for authentic Mexican food from fish tacos to shrimp nachos. One cheap local fave is El Camello Jr. ( Facebook.com/RestauranteEl
Camello Jr)— it was just $10 to feed us all!
The house was our home base for adventures off the beach, like the all-inclusive water park Xel-Ha ( Xel Ha.
com). We did every activity imaginable, inner-tubing our way down flumes. (Do spend $30 on a waterproof clear bag to protect their precious phones.)
If your kids are like mine, they will shut this place down, swinging from ropes and jumping into cenotes over and over again.