luvdmouse Posted September 17, 2007 #1 Share Posted September 17, 2007 We've been to Chankanab last cruise, but this time we are looking for beach/resort to hang out at with two other families. A pool would also be great since our kids hate swimming in the salt water cruise pools. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julienatul Posted September 17, 2007 #2 Share Posted September 17, 2007 We always got to Playa Mia. It is a short cab ride from the pier and costs $7 or 10 pp to get in I think, but that credit is applied towards food purchase. It has a very large covered area with chairs as well as beach chairs on the beach, a fresh water pool, water toys, massages on the beach, great food great prices, large changing facilities/ bathrooms/ showers. The beach has nice sand and water, not rocky. You could probably google it. Its where the cruise ships do their excursions. We found it by doing and excursion on Carnival then realized we could go there by cab for a fraction of the price on our own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelingirl70 Posted September 17, 2007 #3 Share Posted September 17, 2007 We went to Paradise Beach. You will find tons of posters on this board who rave about it and it truly lives up to its name! Depending on your kids ages and swimming abilities, there is tons to do. There is no charge for admission or chairs, although you need to purchase wristbands for $9 if you want to use the water toys (a giant trampoline and inflatable iceberg to climb on) and they do expect you to order some food/drink. The have waiters who come right to your beach chair and take care of you all day long. My oldest spent the entire day on the trampoline and iceberg while my youngest enjoyed building sand castles (I brought some sand toys from home). I also took the youngest on a wave runner which she loved. (Wave runners cost extra, of course, and are not run by Paradise Beach.) We had friends who went to Playa Mia (the previous poster's suggestion) and their experience was not so favorable for a family environment. There was a booze cruise that stopped there that day and they said it felt more like a college scene than a family one. Maybe that's not always the case because the previous poster seemed to have an enjoyable experience. We are going on another cruise in 2008 and Paradise Beach is on our "must do" list - and we rarely do the same thing twice on vacation, so that speaks volumes as to how much we enjoyed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginacc Posted September 17, 2007 #4 Share Posted September 17, 2007 We went to Paradise Beach. You will find tons of posters on this board who rave about it and it truly lives up to its name! Depending on your kids ages and swimming abilities, there is tons to do. There is no charge for admission or chairs, although you need to purchase wristbands for $9 if you want to use the water toys (a giant trampoline and inflatable iceberg to climb on) and they do expect you to order some food/drink. The have waiters who come right to your beach chair and take care of you all day long. My oldest spent the entire day on the trampoline and iceberg while my youngest enjoyed building sand castles (I brought some sand toys from home). I also took the youngest on a wave runner which she loved. (Wave runners cost extra, of course, and are not run by Paradise Beach.) I agree! We loved this beach. I didn't see a fresh-water pool, but the activities for the kids seemed to keep them occupied non-stop. The cab ride cost us $15 USD each way. The wristbands are $9, and drinks are about average price. Highly recommendable. They even have lockers and nice showers, and the staff will spray your feet and legs down to get all the sand off before you get in the cab to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted September 17, 2007 #5 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Playa Mia has a freshwater pool but I honestly wasn't impressed with it. Picture a bunch of drunk adults sitting in the shallow end so they can be closer to the bar. :rolleyes: If I had it to do all over again, I woud go to Paradise beach. And the food (buffet is included with the deluxe ticket purchase) was yuck. And that's the only way I can describe it, yuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdmouse Posted September 18, 2007 Author #6 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Anyone been to Playa Uvas? I'm wondering if it's kid friendly. We are a group of 6 adults outnumbered by 8 kids and it looks like a fun place. Any feedback? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmcruise Posted September 18, 2007 #7 Share Posted September 18, 2007 I'm considering and have reserved a spot at Playa Uvas next Friday (woo!) with DH and 5 year old DS. If nothing happens to change that plan, I'll let you know how it is when we get back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julienatul Posted September 18, 2007 #8 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Playa Mia has a freshwater pool but I honestly wasn't impressed with it. Picture a bunch of drunk adults sitting in the shallow end so they can be closer to the bar. :rolleyes: If I had it to do all over again, I woud go to Paradise beach. And the food (buffet is included with the deluxe ticket purchase) was yuck. And that's the only way I can describe it, yuck. Gosh, my experience both times visiting Playa Mia was very family friendly. It was not very crowded and had kids everywhere. We didnt see any drunk people or teenagers there at all, just families with young kids. I have heard Paradise was great and may try that next visit to Cozumel. I have been hesitant because I heard it was very rocky. It actually would be cheaper since we dont use the water toys! Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abitaturbodog Posted September 19, 2007 #9 Share Posted September 19, 2007 We went to Paradise Beach and plan to go back in December. There wasn't a pool, but the water toys, food and service was top notch. I don't recall any rocks...does anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelingirl70 Posted September 19, 2007 #10 Share Posted September 19, 2007 I didn't see any rocks either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmcruise Posted October 2, 2007 #11 Share Posted October 2, 2007 We went to Playa Uvas on Friday (me, DH, DS - 5). As promised, received a warm welcome at the gate, with our name on the board even though I only booked the $7 pp admission package. We managed to enjoy our day though I think we might try somewhere different next time. It's a great place if you want to try the clear kayaks, snorkeling or other activities. It's a nice small environment compared to some of the huge, bustling beaches at the cruise ports, with individual service. Immediately upon entering, we were ushered to a table, where we were allowed to hang out all afternoon. The hammocks were fun and the teak loungers comfy for watching my son in the pool while I enjoyed a beer. The beer was cold, cheap and plentiful Dos XX (if you have cash). A couple of words of warning: 1. BRING CASH. Our confirmation said MC/Visa accepted, but they definitely shun it, trying to convince you that it's cash only. We expected we could put down a card and pay for admission and anything else we'd do - not the case. We hadn't brought much cash save for taxi fare, so as a result, we didn't spend much. Spent $14 of what little cash we had at the front gate as we tried to explain our situation but the only answer we kept getting was "but it's only $14..." Yes, but we didn't bring much cash, can't we put our food/beverage bill and the admission on MC/Visa all together? "But it's only $14..." Then, when the waiter (very nice guy) brought our check, he tried to tell us again that it was cash only. We pointed again to our confirmation, told him we didn't have the cash (we really didn't) and he finally agreed to accept it, asking that we tip in cash. Wow. Tough situation since we don't travel with wads of cash. Definitely kept us from spending more, though. We didn't rent umbrellas even though we usually do, because we just didn't want to deal with the hassle. 2. BRING WATER SHOES. The beach is small and the water, very rocky. DS is very adaptable and thought it was a big adventure, especially since we even saw a few fish near the shore, without snorkel equipment or anything. I was afraid I'd break my ankle at any time. Fortunately, he loved the tiny pool and spent lots of time splashing around. 3. BRING YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR. The cab driver tried to convince us that it's not that great a beach and we might be better off somewhere else, but we stuck to our guns. On the whole, depending on how old your family is and what they like to do, it might be the perfect place (individualized service and nice water activities for older travelers who carry boatloads of cash). For us, it was a nice enough day on a wonderful cruise, but I'd pick another stop next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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