Review of a Five-member Family Friendly All-inclusive Resort

152 Shares

Review of a Five-Member Family Friendly All-Inclusive Resort: Family Travel

Being a family of five presents challenges when looking for vacation accommodations. This past January we found Crown Paradise Club in Cancun fulfilled our family travel needs perfectly. The room had places for five people to sleep and this resort was family friendly. For a family of five like ours, this is a key requirement for our vacation choice.

This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure page for details. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% my own. Product recommendations are 100% my own.

This all-inclusive resort had everything we were looking for in a fun, relaxing family vacation. We enjoyed the on-site active kid-friendly options plus the buffet and restaurants. It was our first experience at an all-inclusive resort. We called it a cruise on-land, which would be beneficial to those who like the cruise atmosphere, but don’t like being out on the ocean.

My Own Personal Opinion

My review of five-member family friendly all-inclusive resort is 100% my own opinion.

Fun Kid Activities

zip line — Zip line with rock climbing wall and water slides in the background

The resort activities were a huge hit for my three boys of ages 6, 9, and 12. This was especially true in a side area I coined the kid-haven nook. There were two water slides, one slower paced for the younger kids and a faster ride for the older kids, or more daring youngster. Also offered in this area were the zip-line (height restrictions) and a rock climbing wall. The resort only offered these services in the morning so we planned our day around this schedule. Also tucked in this nook was a mini-soccer field, a sand volleyball court, and lounge chairs.

water slides cancun — Water slides in the kid haven nook

child on water slide — Fun on the water slide!

We received a fun surprise while the kids were going down the water slides one day in the kid-haven nook. The staff was trimming the palm trees and giving out fresh coconuts to guests. The kids enjoyed their first ever drink of fresh coconut milk and coconut fruit fresh from the tree.

child with coconut — Fresh coconut milk!

The Pools

Each of the three larger pools created a different experience. Each pool had its own benefits. One pool was covered by a roof which offered a shelter to get out of the sun and wind, but with an A-line roof and an open side it still had the feel of being outside.

covered pool — View of pool below our second floor room

At the second pool, which was the largest, the resort staff guided contests, bingo games, exercise classes, and water sports for all to participate in. This reminded me of the fun atmosphere we’ve seen on cruises on our other family vacations. There was also a shallow end in the pool for young kids. This pool was beautiful as it appeared to flow right into the ocean as a continuous flow of water.

pool to ocean — Pool appears to go right into the ocean, but there is a beach below.

The third pool was more quiet and included a small kiddie pool. The atmosphere at this pool was more relaxed and laid back as there were no activities going on there. There was a bar placed nicely in between the two pools to get that refreshing beverage or margarita.

Sports & Leisure Activities

View of mini golf course from our balcony.

kids at mini golf — Kids doing the mini golf course.

The family fun options didn’t end there. Our family loved the miniature golf, especially our six year-old; he loved being able to play whenever he wanted. He always got right in to play whenever he desired. He only had to wait a few minutes once, otherwise he always got right on to the course without a wait.

There were other family fun activities at Crown Paradise Club including a movie room, a game room, and sport courts. The movie room screen was simply a white wall, but the kids enjoyed the movie from the theater style chairs. They had already seen the movie, but they didn’t mind at all. There were also sport courts including basketball courts and tennis courts. The game room was a favorite for my boys with ping pong tables located conveniently next to a lounge area. This proved to be perfect placement because my husband and I could enjoy a cocktail at the lounge next door and still see our kids in the game room.

The nightly on-stage shows were entertaining but the magic show was by far our favorite.

Kids Area

Though our boys chose to stay with us, the resort had an area that allowed guests to check in younger kids for supervised play time. This area was so fun and colorful with a pool, sprayers, and water slides. The area also offered a basketball court, a craft area, and a movie room. We went into the check it out at the first part of our week there.

kid area with pools, water slides, play area — Kid area to check kids into for supervised play

The Beach

The beach area was a perfect layout with many comfy lounge chairs and a large flat area for sand play. We were told January waves are the highest usually which was a delight to our boys. They were able to ride big waves with the body boards we purchased in the gift shop. The resort posted flags when the waves were high, medium, or low for safety reasons. The ocean was warmer than the pools and we enjoyed the private beach where only a few vendors were allowed in to offer to sell goods. If you indicated you weren’t interested, they left you alone. My husband and I enjoyed the beach-side bar on the same level as the sand.

Food & Drink

The restaurants were a hit with our family. The buffet offered food all five of us liked, including the pickiest of our kids, the six-year-old who had cereal every morning. The rest of our family enjoyed the fresh made-to-order omelet line. Guests could pick ingredients by scooping them onto a plate and then handing the plate to the omelet chef where he made your omelet fresh. The made-to-order fresh crepe line was also a hit with our family, and the one we loved best was the banana with cream cheese with chocolate syrup drizzled on top.

The buffet at Crown Paradise Club was also a daily visit in the afternoon for our boys to scoop up their own ice cream cones. The food was tasty and the fruit and salad bars were beautiful and colorful as much as they were delicious.

Margarita! While in Mexico, one must have margaritas!

Our family’s favorite dinner restaurants were Los Gallos and Wayne’s boots. To my delight, the Mexican restaurant custom-made me a vegetarian dish with three mini delicious vegetable fajitas. Live music at the Mexican restaurant and giant margaritas were a hit with my husband and I. Wayne’s Boots offered a mechanical bull for patrons to attempt to stay on and this was highly entertaining to watch as no one could stay on for long. There were the same kid-friendly menu items at each restaurant which satisfied our little one, plus they offered plenty of ketchup packets for our little ketchup monger.

Excursions

We went on two excursions while staying in Cancun. The first one was an all day excursion which began as a boat ride to the island of Isla Mujeres. The boat ride to the island was longer than we expected at almost an hour one way with no bathroom so the free beverages on board were not something we partook in. The scenery was gorgeous however and we saw many different types of boats.

View while riding in golf cart Isla Mujeras — View while riding in golf cart on Isla Mujeras

The excursion brought us to a private beach with kayaks, optional massages for purchase, and lunch. There were activity choices before lunch and we chose to rent a golf cart to explore the island. Be sure to bring extra cash as we were told we could use a card to rent the cart but their card reader broke so we ended up using all our cash just to rent it. This caused us to run out of cash for buying souvenirs. The golf cart was the highlight of the excursion for the kids.

The second half of the day excursion brought us to the downtown area to shop. Remember to bring cash as well because if you use a card, they charge an extra fee. Many shop owners tried forcefully to sell to us. Another option for buying souvenirs is available. Vendors come to the resort lobby some nights to sell crafts and products, so you don’t have to go downtown to shop.

Personal Tips on Souvenirs

Here are some tips to make your trip to Crown Paradise Club more enjoyable.

Buy a Bubba drink cup in the resort gift shop to keep the slushy drinks frozen longer in the heat. Purchase it right away so you can use it while on the vacation. The kids loved sipping on the unlimited slushy drinks in them too. It was a great souvenir because our kids love to drink out of the Bubba cups at home. We bought five, one for each of us in different colors and we use them all the time at home.

Affiliate link of a product I love and use, I recommend you buy an insulated Bubba Cup ahead of time to bring along.

Bubba Classic Foam Insulated Desk Mug, 34 oz, Black

Bubba Classic Foam Insulated Desk Mug, 52 oz., Black

Buying a body board to surf waves the first day is also a great way to buy a souvenir because the kids can use them all week. Bring them home as a carry-on or pay it forward by handing off to another kid at the resort before you leave.

Personal Tips Poolside

One aspect we did not enjoy at the resort involved people leaving their towels on the poolside lounge chairs all day to save a spot for themselves. Whether they were poolside or not they left their towels. This made open chairs hard to find. No need to bring a beach towel as they do have them at the resort. Leaving your own towel at home saves room in your suitcase.

Visit the poolside snack bar for delicious snacks, especially the nachos, but watch the seagulls who are not afraid to swoop down for a bite.

Don’t forget to tip the friendly staff

The staff at this all-inclusive resort was attentive and friendly. We were able to tip easily with the stack of dollar bills we brought along on the trip. We loved the personal service we received from familiar smiling faces from the same staff members day to day.

Adult Night Life

They also have adult night life, an adult only pool, and an adult only restaurant for adults to partake in. The night life on the weekend can get loud so be prepared, but we still liked the second floor location of our room which made using the stairs convenient rather than waiting for the elevator. Bringing along a white noise machine to use at night might help cover the sounds up. We use the clock sound machine below at our home and I recommend it. I will bring it along next time to Crown Paradise Club.

Plus, the white noise helps everyone sleep while sleeping away from home.

Affiliate link of a product I love:

Conair Soothing Sounds & Relaxation Clock Radio

Personal Tips: The Room

The balcony was nice to have when the kids wanted to rest for a few minutes but I wanted to sit outside and take in the view and the Mexican sun. The evening views were gorgeous as well. Order bottles of water through room service. The staff kept the room clean during our stay.

Wine on the balcony — Enjoying wine on the balcony!

My Recommendation

This was a relaxing vacation because there were so many things to do we found we didn’t need to leave the resort every day to have fun. We had a nice mix of activities and relaxation. I would highly recommend Crown Paradise Club for families, especially for a family of five because the room comfortably fit all of us with a bunk bed, trundle bed, and a bed for my husband and I. We look forward to visiting this resort again someday.

Lobby at Crown Paradise Club Cancun, Mexico

Don’t forget a book so you can sneak down to lounge by the ocean for some alone time. I enjoyed relaxing and reading to the sound of the waves with my margarita filled Bubba cup. When I’m shivering in the screaming Minnesota winter wind, it’s the happy place my brain goes. Bon voyage!