[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by summer_gphib

I LOVED Xcaret. It's near Playa, and was by far the most relaxing vacation I've ever been on.

http://www.occidentalhotels.com/grand/Xcaret.asp

We loved the natural theme park that is there too. A lot of fun!

Ditto. Playa del Carmen is our regular vacation spot. I LOVE it. It's close to the Tulum ruins, Cancun,Cozumel, etc. Playa.info is an awesome site just about Playa del Carmen. It'll help you if you decide to go there. The ocean there is beyond anywhere else I've been.

One thing about the Occidental Grand Xcaret -- it is not beachfront. It has a swimming lagoon, but not an actual beachfront. I know some people go there not knowing that. However, some people enjoy being near the Xcaret park.

We typically stay at the Riu Palaces. They are amazing. But, the Playacar area of Playa del Carmen has terrible beach conditions right now. We're going to either the Barcelo complex(farther away from Cancun, but AWESOME beach) or the Iberostar Maya in Puerto Morelos (closer to Cancun). But, there have also been some very good reviews about the Gran Bahia complex.