I had been to this village twice in the 90's as a single. Now, I am delighted to bring my family to clearly the best location on all of Cancun. We had a great week and although the village was fully booked, it never seemed crowded. The old slogan, "the antidote for civilization" still rings true as this was a perfect "escape" for our very busy and stressed family of four (two girls ages 8 and 12)!

It is only 15 minutes from the airport so the fun begins right-away. We had booked the Jade buiding (the premium concierge rooms) and honestly I'm not sure the upgrade is worth it. We had two connecting rooms (always a given at Club Med since the rooms are small) with two bathrooms, two showers and two TVs. Since we were on the ground-floor and not ocean-front, we had no balcony, not even a patio, but just one chair to sit out and look at the bushes. If you are booked in this building, and there's still time, try and request not to be on the ground-floor. We checked in early and not at the main reception but in a little room at the Jade building. They have a bar set-up there with either pastries in the morning or an assortment of cheeses in the afternoon. There were three different GOs (International Club Med employees responsible for keeping you happy) that acted as concierge that week and they were always very pleasant. We were able to book dinner reservations with them for the specialty restaurants. If you need to be up early one morning for an excursion or an early flight, try and figure out how to use the alarm in the room. On two mornings we asked for wake-up calls. The first time, the call went inot the kids' room and not ours and the second time-- it never even came.

The rooms are newly-renovated and the air-conditioning always worked and we always had hot water in the showers. Having been to this area of Mexico several times before at other resorts, we know this is not always a given. Maid service was excellent including the afternoon cleaning and the turn-down service (even though it's said tipping is not expected, we did so).When you take a shower, you pretty much get all the tiles wet in your bathroom (well, actually it's not your full bathroom because your toilet is in another room). The kids loved the toiletries, although I'm not sure if there was a difference between the shampoo and the shower gel. There was no conditioner, but my daughter accidently used the hand cream-- her hair looked great all week!

We vacation often and we sometimes choose cruises or other all-inclusives. Having been to both Punta Cana and Ixtapa Club Med villages as a family, our daughters wanted to return to another Club Med because of the great shows they can participate in. They also love the humor and international attitude of GOs. My 8-year-old spent maybe only a third of her vacation with the mini club but loved Emmanuel and Malory. My 12-year-old, however, was never seen by us the whole week and loved the pre-teen/teen group called Passworld that met everyday at a cool location called the Car Wash. We gave her a lot of new-found freedom and it worked out fine. However, I was not pleased at this group on our last evening. Now, I'm not too conservative of a person, but can you believe the GOs gave out awards to two age groups, 11-13-year-olds and 14-17-year-olds of who was the most "sexiest?" Why not just have a wet T-shirt night for these pre-pubesent, self-conciouss girls??? The two girls who won were also asked to flirt with one of the male GOs as she accepted her award, while some pre-teen boys shouted lewd remarks at these girls. Earlier in the week, with the help of the GOs, the kids in this group voted on a few categories including things as harmless as "most funniest," etc. But, I think at Club Med there should be no popularity contest period unless you want to get creative enough with the categories to give everyone recognition. My very-sociable, very pretty 12-year-old gets enough grief in middle school because of all the mean-girl dynamics. I was hoping Club Med would be a place she felt safe enough to be herself and gain some confidence for the new sports she tried-- instead she may be thinking for our next vacation ways to win points with the other pre-teens and GOs.

Anyway, on to a VERY positive topic-- THE FOOD! All our meals were great. The main buffet, Hacienda always had fresh selections and great varieties. There was always something a little exotic like ostrich steaks, rabbit stew, frog legs, crocodile (not from the lagoon outside our rooms, I'm sure... I hope). La Pergola served late breakfasts and a special Tapas dinner (just order the chef's selection if you make a reservation there), and we loved the Mexican restaurant on the beach for a late lunch. One night we went there for dinner to celebrate our 8-year-olds birthday and the food was just okay, but the service was excellent. They brought out a cake and sang to her. They had these little wierd cold hot dog appetizers wrapped in a tortia and mayonaise or something. One afternoon, after water arobics in the ocean, we were treated to a beach cook-out that was fabulous! The best steak we ever had served with bruchetta on grilled bread-- oh I would go back just for that! All the cocktails were great too and we did bring lots of dollar bills with us to tip the bar staff.

My husband booked a few dives with the discovery center, but I like the old days of Club Med Cancun where the divemaster was a GO always present at the village and dives were not done as an excursion. Speaking of excursions, I think when they opened this village as a family village, they were supposed to throw in a free excursion to one of the ruins, but it was never offered to us.

I loved the boutique! The fashion is great and what we all expect from a French-owned company. We never really got into too many of the photos from the roaming photographers. However, at other Club Med villages, we have bought many photos of the kids from them. The village is spead out and you do a lot of walking. However, I needed to burn off all that chocolate bread, goat cheese medalions and mojitos! The classic "Crazy Sign" dances each night helped with that too.

A couple of our meals were enjoyed with the company of GOs. Most of the other guests were great company too. However, we now like that at Club Med we can just eat as the four of us, or have the option of joing with others. I'm sorry to say that there were some very ill-behaved children at this village and most of them belonged to our fellow-Americans. Several of them felt entitled to certain things like saving rows of seats before the evening entertainment, killing bugs that were outside, having an attitude with the help if they didn't understand them, using bad language at the pool, etc., etc. No wonder we often get the title "ugly Americans" when we travel.

In closing, Chief de Village Eyal and his team of GOs did a great job in making us feel welcome and having an unforgettable family experience. We're not sure if we'll be back to this village soon or try another family Club Med village. One thing's for sure though, I will constantly be chacking for all of YOUR reviews on TripAdvisor for our next destination. Almost everyone we talked to in Cancun had been checking these reviews too-- so keep them coming! Adios!

I'll write more later and include a couple o' pics, but let me just say that our vacation April 4 - 13 was simply wonderful. My wife, 4-yearold daughter and I are now walking advertisements for this place.

Why? Well, the location is very nice -- great sheltered swimming beach, snorkeling reef preserve onsite, great view northward of Cancun beach. The facilities are decorated with a Mexican/Mayan flair. The updated rooms are attractive and the AC/water pressure are to our liking. The food is good to occasionally great. The drinks just keep on coming. All day. All night. What's not to like, right?

But what won us besides the other guests at the club was the staff -- from the head guy down to the security and cleaning people, they've got their act together. It's all about service and attitude. By that, I mean friendly, professional, accomodating.

The children's staff spoiled our daughter. She fell in love with them. They taught her and her compatriots a hip hop routine to wow the parents. Then, they covertly taught us one to wow the kids. My wife had to threaten divorce to get me to participate. All I can tell you is Da Pimp Daddies and da Hoes brought down the house that night.

Wait till you see the acrobats and trapeze artists do their show by the pool. It's like Cirque du Solei (sp?) but trimmed down to the essentials. And speaking of trapeze, my wife conned me into getting up on that thing and the staff couldn't have been more encourageing and understanding of my fear of heights.

The watersports staff were just the best, even if some of the windsurfing equipment is not. And they have a chase boat for those overwhelmed or too lazy to come back in. Catamarans are primo, as is the instruction.

The culinary staff prepared a birthday cake for my daughter's 5th and I have to say it was by far the best cake I think I've ever eaten. And that's no exageration. Rich chocolate. Not too sweet. With little surprises of fruit somehow hidden in the layers.

When a security guard said to me, "If there is anything you or your family need, don't hesitate to call on me," I was completely bowled over. Since when does secruity staff act like a conceirge?

Anyway, we went to Punta Cana last year and loved it, but Cancun somehow managed to raise the bar another notch. Any questions, feel free to e-mail.
Phil Lanier

My family and I just returned from my first stay at a Club Med. The Cancun property is very nice. It is probably on the best part of Cancun's beach. The snorkeling is good, but it ain't Hawaii. The food is not bad. Some items look better than they really taste. I would stick to the Mexican dishes. The rooms are in good shape, but they do not change the sheets on a daily basis. The children's swimming pool is actually better constructed than the adult pool. The adult pool is out of date. It has a vinyl lining that is starting to buckle. The children's pool over at the "kids club" is tiled.

Be wary of the rules. We have two children. They are ages 6 and 3 1/2. Despite an indication from our travel agent that the "mini kids club" would likely accept our younger child, they refused to do so. The cut off is four years old. There are no exceptions. It was a bit difficult having one kid in and the other excluded. Most of the folks who work there as GOs are extremely outgoing and helpful. They want you to be happy and involved in the activities. The pool areobics is fun. The manager is a very friendly guy from Israel (army vet) who has been with Club Med for about nine years.

Finally, keep in mind that it is not easy to get off of the compound. There is no access to bicycles or mopeds. You either take a taxi or you walk on the beach over the Westin, tresspass through their lobby, and walk down to the main road where you can take a bus that drives down along the strip of hotels and into town. The folks at the Club Med like to keep you on the compound. They may ask why you would want to leave the property outside of a Club Med organized excursion.

Our family of four has never been to a club Med before, and we are now hooked. My kids LOVED all the activities, especially wake boarding (13-year old son) and trapeze (10-year old daughter.) They each had the freedom to go where ever they wanted, when ever the wanted. My son made friends and hung out with them; getting all the virgin pina coladas a teenager could want. My wife and I loved the food, beach, pool, sail, evening entertainment, and staff (GOs). We checked out the other beaches; we walked 2.5 miles up the beach from this property, and there is no question that the Club Med beach beats the Hilton's and Westin's. There's snorkeling too. All this is walking distance from your room.

I understand that this property has made a total redo after the hurricane Wilma in 2005, all for the better I might add. Everything has been upgraded; there are flat panel TVs in all the rooms.

What the best part? In general my 13 year old son has a low opinion of his parent's ability to do anything right. The day after we got home, he told me that going to Club Med Cancun was the best vacation ever. And he even thanked me! That is a first!