MEXICO MY LOVE
Our Dekel Crew just got back from 10 beautiful days in the warm sunshine of Mexico! You may have caught a few glimpses of our wonderful trip on Instagram, and I am so excited to recap (aka: relive) our recent travels and catch you all up now that we’re back in New York. I also received a ton of questions about booking travel (errr, and how to save on it), and am also working on an article with some tips and tricks for finding great travel deals when jetting off with the whole family in tow. Let’s dive right in, then, shall we?!
We spent the first leg of our time in Mexico in gorgeous Cancun, and stayed at the fabulous all-inclusive The Grand at Moon Palace Resort. Since we’d had such a great experience at Moon Palace in Jamaica last year, it was a no-brainer to book with the same chain for our Mexico trip. Having all of our meals (by the way, we frequented the best Brazilian restaurant at this resort - even the kids loved it… more on this later), activities, and relaxation areas on the same physical site made it tremendously easy when juggling three children.
At this point in our lives, when traveling with the whole family, it’s most important to make sure that our kids will have enriching and fun experiences. Moon Palace does not only deliver, but goes above and beyond in this respect. Specifically, the Playroom onsite, open for 12 + hours a day, housed indoor and outdoor activities, an Xbox and Playstation video game room, a toy area, a carousel and more. Best of all, this ‘paradise for kids,’ as it is aptly referred to, welcomes children through age 12, and each of my kids were entertained with age-appropriate activities and a myriad of new friends. My oldest, Yuli, especially enjoyed the Game room, and spent hours at a time there hanging out with other children.
The night activities at Moon Palace were endless, and oh so fun. One of our favorites was a magic show on-site at the resort, that our whole family (yes, even us parents!) enjoyed. And, there is a huge waterpark on the resort grounds that our kids could not get over. Like Noam and myself, our three kids are all water/ beach/ pool lovers and will take any opportunity to be outside, splashing around in the sun. The convenience, again, can not be emphasized enough. The fact that an entire waterpark was walking distance from our hotel suites is really unparalleled - just travel with a kid or two (or three :) ), and you’ll know what I mean.
The all-inclusive aspect of a resort, particularly when it comes to food and drink, makes it practically impossible for anyone to not have a food option they like. Plus, if one of my kids slept through a meal, food was always readily available for them at a later hour of the day. Mamas, this made our lives so.very.easy. Some of our favorite Moon Palace restaurants were Habibi (amazing Lebanese!!! don't miss it! ) and Cosco (peruvian). Best of all? Our kids enjoyed these eats, too – even our youngest, Romi! One thing is that is so important to Noam and me is to make our children citizens of the world- which, to us, includes encouraging openness to trying new foods and expanding their palates. This can be challenging, especially when children are younger and pickier, but we make every effort to enrich their dining experiences all the time. Do any of you Mamas do the same? The last note I’ll say on the food … sometimes, even at all-inclusive resorts, the food on-site just isn’t that great and guests will find themselves venturing out to find tastier eats, feeling almost cheated by the food offerings and the price point paid to the resort. Not at Moon Palace! Honestly, each of our meals (even the basic breakfast spreads- if basic refers to a plethora of exotic fruits, countless pancake options, and mimosas for Noam and I, of course ;) ) was deliciously amazing and I was very impressed.
All in all, Cancun was amazing, much, in part, due to the Moon Palace Resort. The staff was so hands-on and helped Noam and I plan daily activities and excursions; the pools were stunning (Ori had a blast in the water!); the spa was relaxing – there aren’t enough great things to say about this portion of our trip! I’ll be sharing another recap of the rest of our Mexico travels with a guide for booking smartly (think: major savings), which will be coming your way soon.
Let me know where you are heading with your family in the coming months. I’d love any travel suggestions you may have for our next family trip!
Until next week!
XX=neshikot
