What do you get when you combine some of the most famous kids TV shows ever and a luxurious all-inclusive resort? Family-friendly heaven, that's what.
When parents hear the word "Nickelodeon", it brings up lots of nostalgic memories from our childhood. From the Rugrats (remember them?!) to the Ninja Turtles, and who could forget Double Dare? And the famous bright green slime. Oh, the slime.
Well, now that a new generation has been introduced to some of Nickelodeon's greatest hits (here's looking at you, Dora and Spongebob) the new all-inclusive Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya is sure to become a major vacation bucket list item for many families. Designed specifically with families in mind, the new resort is a short 30-minute drive from the Cancun airport and boasts over 250 suites — each accomdating familiies of five — that each come with two full bathrooms. That's not even the best part. Each suite is also an ocean view swim-up suite, meaning families have access to a little pool right off their patio, which is a godsend for if you still have a baby or toddler that naps but want the older kids to still be entertained and quiet.
As a family of five with kids ages 3, 7, and 10, the room was spacious and more than easily accomdated us all. The two older kids shared a pull-out couch bed and the toddler was thrilled to have the super cool Murphy bed to herself. Us parents were thrilled to have a door to our "room" so we could still keep the lights on (and not have to tiptoe to the bathroom) after the kids went to sleep. And two full bathrooms for a family is just a gift when traveling, amirite?
While some all-inclusives are lacking in one area (usually food), this one had it all — delicious food, fantastic entertainment and spacious accomodations. Basically, we can't wait to go back already.
Things to Do:
Aqua Nick
Even if you don't end up staying at the resort, their awesome Nickelodean-themed water park, Aqua Nick, is open to the public (for a fee) and well-worth a day trip. For hotel guests, it's included in the cost. The attractions were thoughtfully placed to ensure there's something to do for every member of the family from the Paw Patrol-themed toddler area with smaller slides, to the more bigger kid Spongebob area where a daily Slime Time occurs, to several super high and thrilling slides for the more thrill-seeking kid or adult. And we can't forget everyone's favorite water park attraction: the awesome lazy river. We easily spent an entire full day here and came back each following day for more water fun. There are food and drink stands spread out across the water park, including our fave — a poke bowl stand!
Character Breakfast
We'd be remiss to not mention the amazing character breakfast. That's one thing you'll definitely want to make sure you make reservations for ahead of time. It was dance party after dance party with so many favorite Nickelodean characters, the kids couldn't get enough. The food was beautifully prepared and delicious and, yes, the characters come around to each table to give families the opportunity to take pics with them.
Character Meet-and-Greets
All throughout the day, there are various character meet-and-greets around both the resort and Aqua Nick. From Spongebob, to the Ninja Turtles, to Dora, the Paw Patrol and more, there are tons of opportunities for kids to take pics with their favorite charcters.
Evening Entertainment
Each night of our stay there were planned evening activites for families from a magic show, to an outdoor screening of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie (completely with picnic dinner!) to magic lessons for kids.
Beach Time
If the kids ever get sick of all the swimming (which isn't likely), head down to the beach and enjoy the turquoise blue Caribbean water. There are comfy lounge chairs and sand toys for the kiddos.
What to Eat:
The dining options were plentiful and really tasty, which isn't always the case with all-inclusives. Our favorites were Good Burger (yes, based on the Keenan Thompson movie from the 90s) – make sure to order the giant burger that can easily feed an entire family. There's even an ice cream truck inside where kids can make their own sundaes whenever they want throughout the day.
Another fave was breakfast the the Yacht Club. This bright, gorgeous space had customized crepes the kids couldn't get enough of, fruit, yogurt, Belgian waffles, fresh juices, traditional Mexican breakfast items, and of course, the customized omelette bar — all with a stunning ocean view.
The Ninja Turtle-inspired Italian restaurant, Piazza, was also a huge hit with their delicious pizzas, pastas and soups. It's more an upscale Italian experience vs. a casual pizza joint which made it feel more special (but still totally kid-friendly judging by the life-size Ninja Turtles everywhere).
Basially, you really can't go wrong with the dining options on site.
Know Before You Go:
COVID Testing
There's on-site COVID testing, which you'll reserve at check-in as the many countries require a negative test within a certain timeframe of flying back. It was super easy, with no wait and they were great with the kids. We got our results back in under 24 hours.
Mosquitos
Bring your own bug lotion/spray if you have a favorite otherwise you'll be paying premium resort prices to buy them there — and you will need it, especially at night in the balmy tropical weather.
Water Safety
There are life vests provided at Aqua Nick, so no need to bring your own unless you want them for the pools at the hotel.
(Disclosure: Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts provided partial press accommodations for this trip. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.)
