Mexico 2020 - Crown Paradise Club Review

We got an amazing Black Friday Sale through WestJet Vacations and travelled to Cancun January 10th-17th with friends whose children are the same ages as ours (3yo and 6yo). We truly had an amazing time and can't say enough good things about the resort (Crown Paradise Club) we stayed at. 

Beach was clean and not too busy but very wavy with no real ability to go swimming at all. We were able to kind of run in and out and play in the waves a bit (kids had life jackets) but we didn't go in more than a couple meters, and more just played "run away" from the waves than actual swimming there.

There were three reasonably sized swimming pools, two outdoor on the main deck and one under a roof, down a bit from the main lobby which was a bit warmer and great if the weather turned. We spent most of our time throughout our trip in a pool compared to anywhere else.

We also used the mini putt a couple times and the water slides were fun and the older kids (6yo) were tall enough to go on 2 of the 4 slides. Sadly the zip lines were closed when we went.

The Baby and Kids Clubs were run exceptionally well with great activities and wonderful staff who quickly learned our kids' names and truly were happy to see when they came to events or spent time in the Clubs. The evening hours worked out such that we could feed the kids at the buffet, drop them off at the Clubs and have an hour or so to eat a fancier dinner without them.

One tip we learned was to make sure to book some dinner reservations in advance (3 choices) and then book them daily as soon as you arrive (on Day 1 you can book Day 4's dinner etc). We liked all the dinner restaurants but preferred the French restaurant as there were just so many options on the menu we wanted to eat and a better bar. However it was the only one that had a strict dress code of collared shirts/not jeans/nice shoes for men and dress or dress pants/nice top and nice shoes for women.

Cons of the trip included needing to switch rooms because we couldn't get the humidity controlled (room was on 4th floor overlooking pool and door didn't seal well) and E was sleeping on a top bunk and it was hot up there. I travel with a little thermometer when going hot places and it was off the chart. Hotel staff got us a different room with little difficulty and it was a lot better.

Even though we would 100% go back here for a family trip, we did find the quality of the adult beverages to be just okay. They used fewer fresh fruit etc in their beverages than in other resorts we've been to and the fast foot/buffet was good, but again, we've had better. So, overall great for a family trip but going with just adults, I'd probably save up and go somewhere a little pricier/fancier.

Let us know your recommendations for family-friendly warm resorts/trips!