Need help on excursions to take with a 6 year old boy

[nycmom]

Have been watching this board for some time -- it is very helpful!
We will be at the Maya 12/25-1/2 for our first trip and I am very excited.  From reading the boards, I have a good idea of what goes on inside the resort. I am wondering what there is now to do outside of the resort.  (It sounds so wonderful, I don't know if my husband and son will ever want to leave the resort but want to be prepared. )

I would like to go to the ruins, but don't know if it is too far and would keep my son's attention. Any help on distances, best guides or tour operators (private guide okay) would be greatly appreciated. Also, I recall reading about two waterpark type places that seemed fabulous but don't know if they are open yet due to hurricane damage. Anyone know their current status and best (least stressful) way to get there? Is going to PDC worth it? What is there to do?  And does anyone know if the golf course has reopened and the condition? Thanks for your help.

[IB lover]

HI NYC,
I took my 13 and 10 year old sons to PDC and the 10 year old got board after about 1/2 a day. So if you plan to go i would only go for 1/2 a day at a time. As far as the xel-ha he had a great time there but from what i heard the xcaret is better for younger kids. Sorry i can't help you with the runins we didn't make it there.I think that Tulum is about 30 minutes away from the resort . I have heard that it is very hot there so if you go its best to go in the early morning. I have heard that the golf course is open with 18 holes ready to play.
He will probably just have a great time playing in the sand and the wave pool in the resort.
Hope this helps
Have a great time

[blacker]

NYC

IB lover is correct in saying all that was said, but allow me to add a bit...

There is lots to see & do in PDC, but admittedly it is for an adult crowd. There are people that will gladly "tattoo" kids with a Henna Dye that is temporary, braid girl's hair with beads & feathers, and numerous shops that display all sorts of treasures.  Beware however, that most shops have a "you break- you buy" policy, and some shops display their goods in such a way that breakage is very possible.  Also, in the case of breakage, you are charged the marked price, you cannot easily barter as you are now obliged to pay.

Both Xcaret & Xel-Ha have indicated that they will be open for business as usual for the holiday season & beyond.  Both these parks are excellent family choices.

A trip to Chitzen Itza would be too much with small children, as the bus ride there is very long (4 hrs +), and even an abbreviated trip to the ruins at Tulum might be an ordeal.  The trip to Tulum is over an hour, as the tour busses stop at numerous hotels along the way.  Unless your child expresses an interest in history and/or archeology you may wish to take a pass on this, although my wife & I found the tour of Tulum facinating, and our tour took us there for the morning, then off to Xel-Ha for the afternoon.  This may be a good compromise for your family.

Numerous other day trips are offered at the resort, ranging from Jungle Safaris to Horseback riding & dirt bikes.  There is no reason at all to get bored !!!

Hope this helps !!  Have a GREAT holiday !

[nycmom]

Thanks for the immediate responses! Appreciate the opinions.  A few more questions -- how long does it take to get to Xcaret or Xel-ha and what is the best way to get there (taxi ourselves, bus, etc.)?  Are these places better to go to in the morning or the afternoon? I heard they have shows after dinner?Thanks again.

[blacker]

Xcaret is minutes south of Playacar which is just south PDC.  A taxi works just fine for this trip(I think this would be a lot cheaper than the tour), although you can use the tour groups as well.  We went with the tour as we didn't know where the park was, but later found that some other guests had just taken a taxi there & saved $$$$.  You may want to check this out when you get there.  Xcaret is a full day, you can't see it all in just a couple of hours. The underground river is a definite must-do; be sure to buy some waterproof disposable cameras before your trip, as they are expensive on site.  !Also there are live shows/demonstrations put on throughout the day which are very interesting, ie the flagpole spinners, the show in the amphitheatre, the Mayan ball game, etc. all happen at different times. We started the day about 10 AM &  didn't get back to the resort until after 9 PM.  You will need a good day to recover from this excursion!

Xel-Ha is quite a bit further and not nearly as extensive a site as Xcaret.  It is about 45 min south of PDC non-stop, but as I said before, the tour busses make numerous stops to pick up more passengers.  Snorkelling is the main attraction here, and you can spend a lot of time with this activity.  As I said earlier, this can be packaged with a trip to Tulum ruins making for a full day.

As best that I can recall, the cost of the tours is about $50 US / person, but it has been a couple of years that we did this.