It was such a great experience working with Nikki on our first trip to Riviera Maya Mexico for Spring Break in 2017. Our direct flight on Miami Air out of Lansing, Michigan to Cancun, Mexico was extremely convenient and 3 1/2 hours later we were in 80-degree weather for a week! Filling out the customs forms on the plane made it easy to get through the lines and to our luggage.
Knowing how easily we could find our van driver to the hotel (thank you, Nikki) allowed us to arrive at our hotel in less than an hour from the time we landed, went through customs, gathered our checked luggage, and were sitting in an air conditioned van. The ride to the Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa from The Cancun Airport was about 15-20 minutes.
Traveling as a family of five, with two teenagers and a tween, safety is of utmost importance. I never once felt concerned about their safety, or mine. There were two gates to go through to get the resort, nearly 1 .5-2 miles in from the main road. Once there, there was so much for the teens to do from activities nightly at the teen club, swimming, beach volleyball, pool games, Zumba, Aqua Kickboxing, non-motorized water sports, nightly shows, etc. My 12-year old daughter was able to join her teenage brothers in the Teen Room (ages 13-17) by me making a copy of her passport and signing a permission form. The kids (ages 12, 14, 16) were able to roam around the entire resort with ease and again, with a parental feeling of safety and security.
The rooms, grounds, pools, and beach were well maintained. The view of the Caribbean Sea and multiple pools each day along with the 80+ degree tropical breeze was breathtaking and so welcomed after a long, Michigan winter.
One day we took an excursion, an hour and twenty-minute was drive by van, to Xel-Ha. There, we all swam and snorkeled with dolphins, went tubing, cliff jumping, hiking, and zip lining into the water. There were beautiful walkways with bars and a restaurant and other places to sit and rest by the beautiful blue-green water. Our kids loved this day! It was a full 12 hour day (7 am to 7 pm) from the time we left our hotel to the time we returned, but it was well worth the extra excursion cost to go, at least with our ages of children.
My daughter and I had a beach massage one day. If you show up to the spa early, you can sit in the steam room, sauna, and hot tub, which we did. The most incredible massage ever was listening to the sounds of the waves crashing while the tropical breeze engulfed our cabana. I would definitely recommend this for anyone that really wants to relax.
We loved hanging out by the various pools for all ages and moved to a different one each day. The wait staff was great and very accommodating and we would recommend tipping $1.00 minimum for each visit they make with drinks. Bring lots of $1s. We had to get $1s at the front desk daily.
Overall, vacation far exceeded our expectations for this family of five! We will be returning to Mexico in future years for our spring break adventures.
Thank you Nikki!
~The Flynn Family
