Andrea Zelinski
It was brutally cold, and the power was out across much of Texas. That's when I first thought about family travel to Mexico.
I was one of the lucky Texans still with power and internet during a February 2021 storm that had knocked them out for many. I was a political reporter at the time and so was quite aware that one of our senators was leaving the state to take his family to Cancun.
Amid all the questions circling my mind at the time was this: Is Cancun a family destination? I assumed it was a beachy, high-energy sort of place teeming with spring breakers and intense nightlife, not a destination that catered to families with kids.
Now, as travel editor covering Mexico, I know. While this country is loaded with culture and mezcal, it's more than an escape for adults; it's also full of hotels and resorts increasingly catering to families.
"Families are traveling differently than they did a decade ago -- parents now expect resorts to offer a balance between shared family activities and spaces designed for adult relaxation, wellness and personalization," said Abel Villa Sanchez, general manager of Hoteles Buenaventura and president of the Puerto Vallarta Hotel and Motel Association.
The trend is less about adding amenities but creating flexible, multigenerational travel experiences, he said.
Family travel has been on the rise since the pandemic, with multigenerational travel a big part of that. In the second quarter of 2025, about 41% of visitors to the Mexican Caribbean were traveling with families, according to the latest reports from the Tourist Information System of Quintana Roo. That was up from 39% the year before.
Luxury hotels have come a long way to cater to families, said Lisa Takacs, founder of Wildhood, a consultant that works with luxury hotels to make them more kid-friendly. In addition to activities and places for kids to be kids, sometimes appealing to families means offering kids' robes and slippers or finding ways to entertain them during experiences that don't necessarily target them, like serving them their own welcome drink during check-in.
"Parents shouldn't have to decide anymore between, 'Are we going for the luxury that we like, or are we going for the kids' option,'" Takacs said.
Families make up 40% of the guests at Buenaventura Grand & Great Moments in Puerta Vallarta during the busy seasons, a steady uptick from years past. The hotel responded by upgrading family accommodations and by providing supervised kids' club programming for children ages 4 to 12. Activities range from arts and crafts, beach games and sandcastle building to Xbox gaming, movies and music. The resort also offers a children's pool and family activities like kayaking, beach soccer, cooking classes and dance lessons.
And lest we forget the adults, there's yoga, an on-site spa, a sky bar, a beachfront setting and an adults-only pool with wet loungers to unwind while separated from the kids.
Other resorts are also making investments. Fresh off a $50 million renovation, the newly reopened Paradisus Cancun now has a splash park, kids clubs for younger and older kids and an adults-only haven with pool and beach areas.
Some luxury resorts take kid-friendly catering a step further. For instance, Grand Velas Riviera Maya is now offering spa treatments for children, along with teen and kids clubs, and a "baby concierge" that provides everything from pacifiers to babysitters (the latter at an extra charge). And sister resort Velas Vallarta launched My First Golf Experience this spring, a one-hour golf clinic for 6- to 15-year-olds at the neighboring Marina Vallarta Golf Course.