Tulum with Baby

I’ve been dreaming of visiting the Mayan Riviera for years and we finally had the perfect excuse…. a wedding! We were thrilled when our friends chose Tulum as their wedding destination (and they had spent a year exploring parts of the world so they knew what they were doing!!). We were lucky enough to make the journey to Mexico accompanied by the in-laws which meant the plane ride stress free between the long nap and the toys snuck on board by the shopaholic grand mother. My dad linked up with us at the Cancun airport and we made our way to the Bahia Principe Tulum where our friends awaited us. The Cancun airport is fairly easy to navigate but if you’re looking to link up with others remember to confirm the terminals. We arrived into terminal 2 and my dad arrived into terminal 3 and luckily for us we had pre-arranged a pick up so it was easy for us to drive over to pick him up at his terminal. There is a complementary shuttle but with a baby, car seat and a butt load of suitcases that would have been a pain to navigate.

We spent three days in Tulum and four days in Playa del Carmen and was chauffeured between our various destinations by Viajes Meca. Courteous and timely service made for a smooth journey and they even had a car seat for the Little Monkey! Had I known, I might have not taken ours. Fortunately for us she still fits in the infant version which locks on our stroller but I have a feeling our days with this car seat are soon coming to an end. The transfers were arranged by my dad and his contacts so I can’t comment on the price but will gladly recommend their services.

The Bahia Principe Tulum was perfect for us. Attentive service right from the start set the tone for a relaxing trip. My father in law was very hesitant to visit Mexico and we were extremely surprised when he agreed to come along, so needless to say we wanted everything to be stress and carefree. We stayed in three rooms at Villa 16 which unfortunately was right across from the construction (looks like they’re building a new wing) but the noise did not stop the Little Monkey from taking her daily naps! We took our Phil and Teds travel crib but the resort did have one set up for us as well ( looks I carried a lot of unnecessary stuff on this trip!). Food wise we had a lavish spread catering to all whims, from burgers to Mexican fare and they even had special plates for kids. The Little Monkey loved dining on fruits, eggs and all sorts of cheese. I was quite surprised that each and every restaurant (the resort is HUUUGE) had high chairs available for us. I took the individual cartons of Baboo milk and they were easy to store and ration out when needed. Another recommendation are water shoes, some of the beaches were quite rocky so the water booties helped keep the Little Monkey’s feet safe… I even got a pair for myself and it definitely prevented any cuts from the sharp shells and rocks at certain parts of the beach. We had an unfortunate incident at the resort with something being stolen (and you can’t really hold the resort liable because you never know who it might have been, we had many service personnel come by to fix things in the room) but the manager completely went out of his way to correct the issue and even handed my very shocked mom in law some cash to compensate for the stolen jewelery. This was absolutely unexpected and we really appreciated the gesture because she had just bought the set for the wedding and did not even get the chance to wear it once. I’ve always stayed at Bahia Principe whenever we did a resort stay and I can easily say that we will stay again… they might not be super fancy but they are perfect for families.

You could easily spend a week or two.. heck even a month on the resort. Between the many pools (hello swim up bars), games, beaches and water activities there was no shortage of activities to keep one occupied. Did I mention that they have a kids club? It’s for those aged 4 and over but the Little Monkey loved the large sandbox and toys. We aren’t the typical resorty type… instead we like to explore the local culture and food (especially the food!) so three days was  just perfect for us on a resort. The hubs and my dad managed to sneak in a golf session (it comes up to about $100 a person with the mandatory golf cart and fees) and you can get it cheaper by sitting in on a sales pitch for holiday home purchases but we definitely did not have the time or patience to sit through one  of those sessions!! Given that we were only there for three days we did not make use of the many free activities available to us but rest assured, there’s plenty for everyone!

We did manage to squeeze in a quick three hour trip to the Tulum Ruins one afternoon. Taxis from the resort can be pricey (I was quoted $40 each way for a 6 passenger van) but a short walk (or golf cart ride) to the main entrance will bring you to  the taxi stand. We negotiated quite the deal… $60 for the three hours. The driver took us to the ruins (15 minute drive), waited for us to visit the place and then brought us back to the hotel. Quite the bargain I thought! Before entering the ruins there’s a huge maze of shops, be careful not to lose party members as we did. It took us an hour and half just to find our mom! If this does happen ask a shop keeper to take you to the administration office and the lovely English speaking gentleman will be more than happy to get his security guards to round up the missing person! Entrance and a personal guide came up to about $80 for 5 adults and again we found our guide to be knowledgeable and he ensured that we actually knew what we were looking at. The place is relatively stroller friendly but there are quite a few steps that may cause a bit of a problem. The Bjorn on a hot day like the one we went on would not have been fun. The Tulum ruins have a stunning beach so ensure you’re prepared for that. We knew about it but unfortunately did not take our stuff with us. All in all the ruins only take about 45 minutes to go through but you are allowed to spend the day at the beach (we did not notice any food or drink vendors inside the ruins though..) and exploring the property at your leisure.

There’s many things to do in Tulum with a baby but unfortunately for us time was running out and we wanted to spend as much time as possible with our friends at the resort. Xel-ha, the biggest natural aquarium in the world, was on my list of must visits but Playa del Carmen beckoned and off we went instead of exploring the Tulum end further. I guess there’s always a future visit! Stay tuned for our real adventures when we went off leash in Playa del Carmen!