In January 2022, my husband and I decided to rent our townhouse in Canada and move with our daughter to Mexico. You can read more about how that journey came to be over at 5 Reasons why we Moved to Mexico.
In the first month, I continued to work with my clients as a virtual assistant while my husband occupied our 16-month-old daughter. It started off okay, but after a few weeks he was running out of things to do with her and she was not enjoying her life to the fullest either.
We made the decision to put her into a Spanish-speaking daycare (she was in daycare in Canada too, so this was not new to her) so that my husband could maintain some sanity. At the same time, our daughter continued to learn, grow, and socialize with others.
We would send her there for a few hours a day, but when she was not there we still needed to find some fun things to do with her as a family. Some of the fantastic things to do in Playa del Carmen that are fun for kids are as follows:
Tulum Archaeological Zone
Tulum is another city/area that is just outside of Playa del Carmen area. You can visit there by car or by bus. The ruins in Tulum are a collection of ancient stones that provide an amazing historical sight worth seeing. If you or your kids are older and are big on history, then I would recommend hiring a tour guide to learn more about the Mayans and the ruins’ history. By visiting the park you can see a piece of history, walk around and inside some of the tunnels, as well as spot many iguanas basking in the sun.
Chanolandia
If you’re looking for a simple water park to visit while staying in PDC, then this is a good place to visit. It is not a wild waterpark, but rather a spot with small slides and wading pools. It is best suited for smaller kids who are just learning to swim or just want to frolic in the water. It’s a great place to spend a day in the sun with the kids if you’re not the biggest fan of the beaches and having sand everywhere.
Playa del Carmen Beach
But speaking of beaches, if this is your vibe, then head on down to Playa del Carmen’s actual beach area. Just south of 5th Avenue, the beach offers a nice time for kids to play around in the water, make sand castles, and just all around enjoy soaking up the sun. If you are staying at a hotel on the beach, then take full advantage of playing on the waterfront. If you are not staying beachfront, you can always rent chairs and umbrellas from locals for a decent price.
Parque Infantil de la Colonia Pedregal
The name of this park translates to a children’s park and the name of the street it is on, but I digress, you can simply search ‘playgrounds in PDC’ to find this playground. This place was well worth the visit as it was one of the best parks we have found in the PDC area. It is a hidden gem, tucked away from the main streets, but well worth the visit. It is a playground that is suitable for kids of all ages and is well taken care of. Nothing is better than a park with ramps, slides, swings, seesaws, climbers, and more.
Xcaret Parks
This collection of parks is great fun for kids and adults alike. Located just out of Playa del Carmen area, Xcaret Park is a water theme park and ecological area designed for fun, within the park, there are various other parks for different ages and different adventure needs. You can swim or snorkel at Xel-Ha Park, zipline through the trees at Xplor Park, white water raft at Xavage Park, or put your senses to the test at Xenses Park.
Playa Kids Playground
This is an indoor playground designed for kids who are looking for a fun time but perhaps need to escape the hot weather. You can stay here for a few hours, and parents can take a seat and wait while their children run around and burn some energy. They host birthday parties for locals and expats regularly. Another perk to being there is they offer popcorn as a snack free of charge, but you can also buy other drinks and snacks while you are there.
Cenote Azul
If your kids are good at swimming or enjoy being in the water, then a visit to the cenote is a must. This is a deep body of water with clear blue waters. Even for those who cannot swim, a trip to see a cenote is well worth the time. To access the shallow water areas, you can use the stone steps where you can wade, and look around for the fish. There are also cliffs up top to jump into the cenote if anyone in your group is a thrill-seeker.
There are plenty more places to visit when in Mexico, some of which are in other cities, towns, or islands nearby. If you are staying at a resort, many of the places you can visit will arrange to have a bus pick you up and drop you off at the hotel for the excursion/day trip. If you are staying off the resort path, you can easily venture off by taxi or on the transit system.
I would very much recommend having accommodations with a courtyard, rooftop terrace, or lobby to have space in order for your kids to have fun and run around. Bonus points if your accommodations have amenities such as a gym or pool to help entertain the kids. We have stayed at houses with courtyards, playgrounds and pools, as well as condos with rooftop infinity pools and gyms so that our daughter could still play if it was rainy or if we were in between adventures. Have you travelled to Mexico and visited any of these places before?