Are you looking to travel to Playa Del Carmen with kids? Do you want to explore the Riviera Maya? Know about kid friendly hotels in Playa Del Carmen and more? Well here is our big guide of activities, restaurants, all inclusive resorts and hotels that all will make for a great vacation with the kids.

Note: We suggest general age ranges for certain things. This is just a general guideline and the actual size, maturity of your children and age requirements of each establishment supersede our recommendations.

Kid friendly all inclusive resorts and hotels

All inclusive resorts

• Grand Palladium Hotel is great for small children up to about age 15 because they have shows at night that are more geared toward children and the new kids pool is great for young children (see lead photo above). For mid age children they do a good job with fun pool side activities.
• Grand Sirenis Resort is good for kids 4-17 because they have large pools and a lazy river for kids to play in. There is the kids club for young children and they have a game room with Xbox to keep the kids happy. The snorkeling is great just off the beach and the shows are good for kids more ages 13-18 years old. One show is the Lion King, a popular show at many resorts.
• Hotel Xcaret Mexico. This is one of the best resorts in the Riviera Maya! It is right next to Xplor, Xenses and Xcaret. All of these parks are great for kids. With a stay at this hotel you get access to all of the Xcaret’s parks! See our video below to see more about this amazing resort.

Kid Friendly Hotels in Playa Del Carmen

• Hotel Riviera Maya Caribe is a nice kid friendly hotel in Playa Del Carmen. This hotel is on 10th Avenue near 30th Street in Playa. There are larger then normal rooms and a pool, plus the prices are more family friendly to people trying to raise children.
• Grand Hyatt Playa Del Carmen. This large hotel is right in the middle of Playa Del Carmen but feels like an all inclusive resort. This hotel is especially good for young children and mid range children because there are play rooms (see photo below) and even places to places with Xboxes. For adults there is the spa and modern rooms. This hotel can be a nice balance between an all inclusive and a hotel.

If you want to check prices at any of these hotels and others in the Rivera Maya, click the link below to get information.

These are just some good options for you and we will keep adding to this list. You can also check out our recommended hotel guide to the Riviera Maya for more options.

Activities and tours for children in the Riviera Maya

Activities for Kids in Cancun

• In the Plaza Las Americas Mall in Cancun there is not only regular movie theaters, but they have the only 4D movie theater in the Riviera Maya. This theater is like a ride complete with moving seats. This would most likely be good for children about ages 8 and up.
• Xcaret Park is always fun for kids and adults but now even more special for kids 0-12. Children’s World is a new section of Xcaret Park. Here kids can have their own place to play and discover.
• Crococun Zoo is an interactive guided tour to visit local animals. This is good for children about age 4 and up. Cococun is on the 307 Highway just north of Puerto Morelos.
• Pirate boat dinner cruise. This is fun for families and especially children about age 5-15. These boats leave from the Hotel Zone and give you dinner and a show.

Activities for Kids in Playa Del Carmen

• For some kids the glass blowing workshop would be a cool thing to see. Here you can look into the workspace and see men form glasses out of molten glass. For more about visiting Vidrio Soplado Mexicano, see our article here.
• Xenses Park is a great place to take kids. It is located just outside of Playa Del Carmen. For more about visiting Xenses Park, see our article here.
• The playground at Parque Fundadores. This park is right next to the beach and Cozumel Ferry Pier. The playground is good for ages 3-10.  But also this park has the flying papantla dancers that swing off a pole that might appeal to children of other ages. In the evening there are also Mayan dancers by the sculpture. So there is always something going on here in the park to entertain children for a little while.

• At both shopping malls in Playa Del Carmen there are game rooms. These have pool tables, video games and other things that kids about ages 5-16 would appreciate. At Centro Maya Mall there is a children’s train that goes back and forth in the mall. This is good for children about 2-11 years old.
• Going to the movie theater in Playa Del Carmen is actually a pretty nice experience. Both shopping malls have theaters and you can read more in the link.
• Kiin Ha indoor swimming. This swimming center has lessons for kids and also they have other spaces for gymnastics. This is more for people with children living here but it can be an option if you are on vacation as well.
• Park La Ceiba is a local park where there is a small playground and they often have activities for teaching children about the environment and recycling. This is not really for tourist and more for locals that live in the area but if you had the time you could visit here. We recommend this park for ages 3-10 years old.
• If your children have an interest tropical birds there is a small bird park right in Playa Del Carmen called Xaman Ha. Children under 12 are free.
• A walk on 5th Avenue in Playa Del Carmen in the evening will be very entertaining because there are many street performers like a Michael Jackson impersonator, break dancers and live statue people.
• If you want a special beach for the younger kids, there is a public beach at the north end of Playa that is actually a cenote that flows fresh water into the ocean. This creates a natural stream of crystal clear water and is only about 1-2 feet deep. For all the details on this beach, here is an article for you.

• Feed the fish with your feet! Along 5th Avenue in Playa there are “fish spas” where you can put your feet in the water and the fish nibble at the dead skin. This may sound gross but kids might like doing this. It tickles most people. At the store Wayan you can find these. One location is across from Quinta Alegria Mall near 16th Street.
• Halloween in Playa Del Carmen is a great time for kids to dress up and walk on 5th Avenue. If you are in town during this time make sure you make plans and get costumes.

Activities for children in the Riviera Maya

• Xplor is an adventure park just outside of Playa Del Carmen. There are zip lines, underground rivers to swim in, golf carts to drive in the woods and paddling in the underground rivers. This park is not good for young children because there is a height limit for the zip lines and the driving is not for younger ages but you still can bring your teens here and have a great time.
• Xel-Ha is a snorkel park where you can float around, swim and explore the natural area all day long. This can be for all ages of children. For kids about age 3-7 there is a special play area complete with a treetop crawl playground with netted tubes. There are also two waterslides that go into the lagoon nearby. For kids that are about 7 and up there is an extra feature to this park and extra fee. It is a skybike where you peddle bikes on a cable and go through the woods and a cave. you do all this by being suspended high above everything.
• Xcaret is an very full day of Mexican culture and activities. There are shows, an aquarium, animals and underground rivers to swim in. This can be for kids off all ages but we recommend age 7 and up. It does make for a long day and the grand show at the end runs for two hours so younger kids might get a little antsy.
• Cirque Du Soleil’s Joya show is a great experience for children. This is great for children 5 and older(children under 5 are not allowed in the theater). Children’s tickets are available for ages 5-12 years old.

• Cenote Azul is a good cenote to visit with small children because it is not as deep and the two that are right next to this. This is a natural area and you do need to keep an eye on your kids. For older kids there is a cliff that kids love jumping off.

• Of all the Maya ruins we recommend Coba because it is fun to bike between the ruins.  It is also closer to Playa Del Carmen, so less time in a bus and more time for the kids to have fun. These ruins are also the most shaded and that means you will deal less with hot kids and more time looking around an amazing place. If you don’t want to bike you can walk or have a tricycle taxi, take you around.

Restaurants in Playa Del Carmen for Kids

• Alux Restaurant is a fun place to take kids because the restaurant is in a cave. You can walk around a circle and see different parts. This may not be the best place to eat with kids since it is more of a fine dinning place but you can also come here for drinks.
• If you kids have been really good you might want to treat them to some bake good you can check out our Bakery and Sweet Treats Guide here.

We hope this list has helped you plan out your vacation. Playa Del Carmen with kids can be fun because there is so much to do here. We will keep adding to this list when we come across more things that families will appreciate. Happy vacationing!

Do you have some tips for traveling to Playa Del Carmen with kids? Please share with us and other readers what activities or places you have enjoyed in our comment section below.

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