Club Nick, courtesy Karisma Resorts
Delving into the specifics of baby-friendly all-inclusive resorts in Cancun and the Riviera Maya has taught me several important points about vacationing with a very young one–out of all the resorts in this area of Mexico there are very few which offer comprehensive baby-friendly services, and be prepared to pay an overall higher vacation price since most baby-friendly properties are luxury resorts. But then even some of those luxury resorts do not offer a full baby-friendly experience for families with young children which allows parents to combine time alone with quality baby time at no extra cost.
Such is the case with the new Nickelodeon Riviera Maya. While this resort is even more expensive than other family-friendly luxury resorts in the area, it doesn’t offer any exclusive place for babies to spend time away from their parents. What it does offer, however, are the following amenities:
- crib
- pack ‘n play
- baby food
- baby bottle warmers
- stroller
- bath monitor (I’m not exactly sure what that is–perhaps along the lines of a general baby monitor??). It makes more sense to offer baby bathtubs. Ever have to give a bath to a baby under age 1? You definitely need a small, shallow receptacle to do so safely.
And that’s it…babysitting is an extra cost. While I would appreciate not having to lug around all the equipment needed for a baby, I need more when vacationing with a little one, especially when I’m paying top dollar to begin with.
Very discouraging for parents with young ones who want to vacation as a family. As I’ve been doing my research on this topic, there are some AWESOME resort Kid’s Clubs but they typically start at age 4, but that is a separate series of blog posts. It looks like it won’t be too long before I will begin that new series…