Cancun vs. Cozumel (spring break, hotels, restaurants)

[ira]

Planning a spring break vacation with my family (hubby and 2 young children). I can't decide between Cancun and Cozumel. I found hotels in each location that we like (Club Med in Cancun and Iberostar in Cozumel) and now I am stuck.

Any comments would be appreciated. Particularly, which beach is better? Since we are traveling with young children, I am looking for soft sand and calm, clean blue water. I heard that the water in Cozumel has "rocky" bottom, which is not ideal for us. What about Cancun?

Also, any comments (positive or negative) about those hotels would be great.

[el_inombrable]

spring break is bad time in Cancun, young americans get drunk in the hotels and streets are not nice for a family vacation, altough the north beach of cancun is the best for the kids, i would go to one zone free of students...

[Buona sera]

I don't really know why people with young kids want to bring them to Cancun. For the money I would bring them to Orlando, they love it and its safe and kid oriented. Cancun is far better when grandparents watch the kids while you go, its not a little kid destination. Now if your kids are 12 or so that would be different, they might enjoy the archaeology or something.

[Ketabcha]

I would not recommend either one for a vacation with young children.

Cancun is pretty but it's a party-goer's paradise. Cozumel is a bit more rustic but it, too, is geared more to adults. It's a scuba center because of the diving sites. It has wonderful snorkel sites. I prefer Cozulmel to Cancun any day of the week because I prefer a vacation rather than a party. But I would not take the little ones to either place.

A better place for families with kids would be Nasau in the Bahamas. Paradise Island is nice.

I agree with a prior post in that Orlando would be a better bet for the kids and the parents. However, Orlando would probably be more expensive. Disney offers some good package deals, though.

[ira]

The reason we are considering Mexico is because we want a beach vacation (Orlando has no beach and I don't want to go to Disney). Bahamas is nice but has very few all-inclusive resorts. We have no plans of doing any kind of exploring, sightseeing, etc. All we want is a relaxing vacation on the beach. My kids will spend most of the time playing in the water and building sand castles, which is why I am looking for a really nice beach. While I know that Cancun is a party town, as long as there is no party at my resort, I am OK with it. Like I said we have no plans of leaving the resort which is why we want an all-inclusive place where all the food and kids activities are right on site.

Thanks for all the replies.

[Ayana9]

cancun is not bad with kids, i went with my family, i was 19yrs old at the time and my little brother was 7 years old, my grandpa went with us also. we all had a great time.

we stayed in dos playas, it wasn't a fancy hotel at all but we didn't mind it since we only showered and slept at the hotel. we all enjoyed our stay there. we only left the tourist area twice that time we went, once to go to a local market and once to go to playa del carmen to visit family. my brother had a great time he was playing at the beach in the water and with the sand a whole lot, we took an all day boat trip one day and went to isla mujeres the island that is within sight of cancun, and they had different acitivities to do, there was an area with sea turtles, a small aquarium, place to see some sharks, the option to ride on a glass bottom boat and another option was to go to the coral reef and snorkle, food was included and also a late afternoon trip to shop in the island.

on that trip to cancun we also took a trip to go to chichen itza, but you say you are not planning on taking that kind of trip. the cancun strip has a few malls, i have been to a museum there, there are some restaurants also if you want to change up the food that you get at an all inclusive, go out for a walk and take in the sights and have some ice cream. i don't see a problem with going to cancun if you are just planning on relaxing, i went to cancun once during spring break and i didn't see much of a difference where i was at as any other time that i went. i think as long as you stay away from a resort that caters to the spring break crowd to a high degree you will be fine. it is easy to get around the cancun strip since it is just one road, you really can't get lost.

[St.Patrick]

I went to Cancun once (summer of '96), so my recollections are a little outdated, but:

-The beaches are great and you can walk out for 10-20 yards before the water reaches your chest
-The beach at the hotel I was at (sorry I can't remember the name, it's the one shaped like a Mayan temple or something like that) had a net for swimmer safety, and I would imagine all major hotels will have the same
-Hotels usually have pools which are great for kids, but can be a bit rowdy if teens/young adults are there on break
-Cancun is a great place if you like to go for walks, I walked from my hotel to downtown and enjoyed seeing all the architecture and small shops along the way
-Since there's a single main road running through Cancun you can take the bus which is very cheap to go downtown or out shopping
-There are multiple malls and plenty of restaurants

The only negative thing I would have to say is that if you have never been in hot humid weather, you are in for a memorable experience of sweat and sunburn.

[Ayana9]

what time of the year did you go? i have been there a few times now and the time i went in march it wasn't humid at all, the weather was actually kind of cool and the water cold. this last time i went was this summer and it was really hot and the water was warmer than my bath water would be! i agree with you, the waters have been very shallow for a long ways all times i have visited!

Originally Posted by St.Patrick

I went to Cancun once (summer of '96), so my recollections are a little outdated, but:

-The beaches are great and you can walk out for 10-20 yards before the water reaches your chest
-The beach at the hotel I was at (sorry I can't remember the name, it's the one shaped like a Mayan temple or something like that) had a net for swimmer safety, and I would imagine all major hotels will have the same
-Hotels usually have pools which are great for kids, but can be a bit rowdy if teens/young adults are there on break
-Cancun is a great place if you like to go for walks, I walked from my hotel to downtown and enjoyed seeing all the architecture and small shops along the way
-Since there's a single main road running through Cancun you can take the bus which is very cheap to go downtown or out shopping
-There are multiple malls and plenty of restaurants

The only negative thing I would have to say is that if you have never been in hot humid weather, you are in for a memorable experience of sweat and sunburn.

[DiverTodd62]

Cancun is a party zoo and very crowded. Beaches are nice but not very wide.

Cozumel has a rocky shore on the west side where San Miguel is but the beaches are soft and sandy on the southern end of the island. It is quieter down there but an expensive cab ride to town if you want to eat and shop locally. No public bus service on the island.

Better idea is go to Playa del Carmen (or Puerto Aventuras or Akumal for peace and quiet) and you'll have beautiful beaches without the rowdiness of Cancun. PDC is not rowdy but offers plenty of local culture. You can also take the ferry over to Coz for a day trip.

[dyerat]

Originally Posted by DiverTodd62

Cancun is a party zoo and very crowded. Beaches are nice but not very wide.

Cozumel has a rocky shore on the west side where San Miguel is but the beaches are soft and sandy on the southern end of the island. It is quieter down there but an expensive cab ride to town if you want to eat and shop locally. No public bus service on the island.

Better idea is go to Playa del Carmen (or Puerto Aventuras or Akumal for peace and quiet) and you'll have beautiful beaches without the rowdiness of Cancun. PDC is not rowdy but offers plenty of local culture. You can also take the ferry over to Coz for a day trip.

I agree....I just got back from Playa Del Carmen less than 2 weeks ago. We actually stay in Playacar. It was our 13th time there and we love it. Our kids go to, but my baby is nearly 25.