Sharing the details of our recent trip to Cancun Mexico with two littles! Sharing a Seadust Cancun Family Resort review!
After travelling to Maui in the fall and having an absolute blast, I realized that yes, we can travel with little kids! Is it hard? Yes. Especially the flight. Is it worth it? YES! So much yes. Even if I feel like I need a vacation after the vacation 😉
Disclaimer- I paid for this vacation out of my pocket, however some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I'd get a small commission if you purchased through them. As always, all opinions are my own!
I knew we needed to get out of town for Spring Break this year, and after a brutally cold winter, Mexico started to look pretty darn good!
After browsing the Trip Advisor website, I saw the Seadust Cancun Family Resort and knew it would be perfect for my busy little boys because waterslides. pool. beach. games room. baby room. kids club.
If I've learned one thing from travelling with two little boys, it's that there is no such thing as too many activities for them. And it turns out we picked really well because everyone had an absolute blast!
TIPS FOR FLYING WITH 1.5 YEAR OLDS
These flights were hard with a 1.5 year old. I'm not going to lie. He is BUSY, he is still not entertained by a tablet, and this time around, he didn't easily sleep, which meant a lot of work for us.
- bring toys, snacks, a tablet with their favorite song (baby shark, anyone?). Basically anything that might distract them.
- be prepared to walk up and down the aisle with them a few times. Walking toddlers hate being confined and letting them out to roam
- be prepared to weather some crying (especially if the flight overlaps with nap or bed time). It's harder for 1.5 year olds to get comfy on the plane
- remember the big picture: beaches, sunsets, family memories. It's going to be worth it!
Kai (our 5 year old) was such a good traveller this time! He has come leaps and bounds since we first started travelling with him. He is happy to watch the tablet and to lay down when he feels tired. I know Zeph will get there with time and practice.
Seadust Cancun Family Resort
I picked the Seadust Cancun Family Resort for one reason alone: all the activities for kids! It turned out to be a great pick, because the resort was full of families with young kids and tons of fun things to do.
We stayed in a family room, which had a king sized bed for Ben & I, bunk beds (which Kai was thrilled about!), and they put a play pen in the room for Zeph. I loved that it had a little nook for the kids, so when naps/bed was happening we weren't tip toeing around as much.
We had what was called a 'partial' ocean view, but look at it! We were pretty happy with that view.
What we ate
The Seadust Cancun Resort has a ton of options for food, but in my opinion, the food here is not the reason you stay at this hotel 😉
Buffet
Most of the time, we ate at the buffet, which had a huge selection. It was easy enough to find food that everyone in our family would eat. I highly recommend the Mexican food section, as it was the best by far for me!
Unfortunately by the end of our trip, I was getting pretty sick of the buffet. There are *some* healthier options, but there is also a lot of fried foods, a candy bar, desserts etc, and I definitely wasn't making the best choices all the time :S
Restaurants
The Seadust Family Resort has a number of restaurants as well, but since our kids are not 'restaurant kids', eating out with them was stressful, which is why we ate at the buffet most of the time.
The other issue we had was the selection of foods was often not healthy at all, so we did try to limit our meals at the other restaurants.
- Waves- is the poolside restaurant which serves pizza, french fries, chicken wings, etc. And margaritas!
- La Creperie- if you need a donut or churro in the afternoon (or at 9 pm after your kids are asleep!)
- Carousel- near the waterslides and kids area. Serves chicken nuggets and french fries.
- Dinner Restaurants- we did try the Mexican Restaurant (El Maguay) and the Lighthouse Restaurant. The food was best at the Mexican restaurant!
Tips for eating at Seadust Resort
- bring your own reusable straws for margaritas, as Seadust does not provide straws
- bring your own reusable water bottles, there are refill stations on each floor
- many people had insulated mugs for the pool/beach
What we did
Waterslides
The main draw for this resort is the waterslides! Here's a photo of Kai outside the pirate ship waterslide. He was too nervous to go on the slides (he didn't want to get his hair wet), but most kids were having an absolute blast.
Ben had fun going down the castle water slides that you can see on the other side of the wall.
Baby area
There is a warm baby pool that Zephie splashed around in a bit, and there is also a baby play area with a play structure that Z had a blast climbing on and running around.
Kids club
Kai loved the kids club and begged us to drop him off there! They will watch your kids for up to 3 hours at a time and will even take them for dinner at the buffet. Kai wanted to go for dinner with Kids Club because he got whatever he wanted for dinner (LOL).
After 3 hours, you can check on your kids and they can stay longer if they want. We let Kai stay till 9pm the last two nights because he was having so much fun.
Baby club
They also have a baby club where they'll watch your 18 month + kids for up to 2 hours (I think?).
Z was not a fan, but turns out he was fighting off an infection so he was extra fussy those days.
Pool
Towards the beach side of the resort is a beautiful infinity pool with three levels. It was great when the sun was out but a little cold on days when the sun was hiding.
Tip
- stake your claim on a poolside chair before you go for breakfast by leaving a towel on your chair!
My favorite memories of the whole trip were in the pool. It was great for the kids and a fun place to be. Super convenient having the pool restaurant right there if anyone gets hungry and we don't want to get fully dressed for the buffet.
Beach
The water in Cancun is absolutely unreal...I've never seen so many shades of blue! It's also so pleasantly warm and the waves were fun to play in.
The beach was a fun place to hang out but is still a bit much for the baby. So much sand, and the sun was pretty intense for him...so we only really spent one day at the beach, and the rest were at the pool.
So. That is about it for our family holiday!
We didn't even leave the resort, and it was perfect. Honestly, with a 1.5 year old, you are somewhat limited. I can see how much fun it is going to be when he's a bit older!
My advice? Travel with your kids. It is hard, but each time we travel, it gets a bit easier.
- my kids get more adaptable
- they learn new things
- we learn new tricks that make the next trip easier
What I learned on this trip
- pay the extra money to book your seats together on the flight- both times, we were not seated together and it added stress to the trip for sure.
- arrange time for yourself each day- Ben gave me an hour to do what I wanted and I did the same for him. You NEED a break when travelling with littles.
- bring money with you- we totally forgot to bring any US cash with us and were without tip money for a few days. Definitely would arrange this beforehand next time!
Seadust Cancun Family Resort Review
That's our trip in a nutshell! Do I recommend the Seadust Cancun Family Resort? YES. Particularly if you have young kids.
Let me know if you have any questions!
XO
Kate says
Hi! My family has just booked in to visit Seadust in April 2022. Our kids will be 2 and 7 months. Should we bring our own infant floatie (with a small shade canopy) for the baby in the pool? Do they even let toys like that in? I can't find this answer anywhere!
I enjoyed your review. Thank you for the helpful tips.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Kate! I wish I could remember. I think it would be best to contact Seadust and ask. Glad you enjoyed the review and hope you enjoy the trip!
KC says
Hi! I’m looking at the Seadust for spring break with my husband and our kids (11, 13, 14). Was it extremely busy during spring break? We tend to be more beach people rather than pool people, did you notice that the seats were full on the beach? We went to Crown Paradise two years ago and had to fight every second for a seat on the beach! Not fun! Also, with my kids ages do you think they will have fun? Or is this more of a small kids place? Thank you!
Denise says
Hi KC! It was busy but not crazy busy for us...I think schools everywhere have different spring breaks so that helps spread out the crowds. We didn't spend much time on the beach, but the day we did it was hard to find chairs together. We didn't get down there until close to noon so I don't know how it was during the morning. Your kids might be a bit old for the Seadust (at least for the waterslides). I think the waterslides are more geared to 10 and under ages. Hope this helps!!
Christine says
We are looking into the Seadust for a spring break get away. We have a 5 and 3 year old. I have read many negative reviews about this resort and because of that I am leary to book this resort. I have stayed at many resorts in Cancun are and never had an issue. We are not picky people, I do have a husband that is a picky eater, but other then that we are easy to please. Can you tell me about the AC how well does it work? What about the condition of the kids play area, I have read it is out dated and many missing tiles. What would you say was the condition of the rooms were they clean? How about the staff?
Denise says
Hi Christine! I am so surprised to hear there are negative reviews, as we had a really positive experience! We also are not super picky. The AC worked well in our room, the kids play area *could* have been in better condition, but it wasn't dangerous and it wasn't in a state that we worried about. The waterslide area was AMAZING, the infinity pool area was incredible, and our room was extremely clean!
Also, I don't think you'd have to worry about your picky eater husband as the buffet has so many options. I will definitely say that by the end of the 7 days I was so sick of the buffet food, but I eat a lot of fresh veggies and they were harder to come by there.
I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
Lyndsay says
Thanks for the info - we are considering this resort for a post-Christmas vacation. My question is about the bunk beds - are they standard sized (twin) beds? I have a tall teenager, but I think she would like have that separate area all to herself... unless the beds are tiny.
Thanks!
Denise says
Hi Lyndsay! I think they are standard length beds, but you might want to email to check. I have a 5 year old so length definitely wasn't an issue for us. I hope you enjoy! We had a blast!
Iris says
Hi Denise. We are going next week and read reviews about how hot it is in the room as the AC is not working. Did u find the room uncomfortable? Do I need to bring pesos or just USD? Do u have any issue with kids club? I am wary about dropping my boys as it's our first time going to Mexico. I also booked with air Canada. How do we arrange transfer to the hotel? Do we just wait at the airport?
Thanks in advance.
Denise says
Hi Iris! I'm so excited for you, I hope you have the best time in Cancun! Our AC worked wonderfully when we were there, it was not uncomfortable at all for us.
I think for tipping either pesos or USD would work? Unfortunately the ATMs only dispensed $20 USD bills so it was hard to break them to tip.
Kids club- they were WONDERFUL! My 5 year old was begging us to drop him off. My youngest was still a little young and wasn't a fan- he wasn't even 18 months at the time so he's only ever had a couple of caregivers and isn't used to that.
Air Canada arranges for a bus that is waiting just outside the terminal! We went and talked to the transportation people (there are a bunch of kiosks just after you go through customs) and I believe they directed us or gave us a ticket or something? I was taking care of the kids and my husband was talking to them, LOL.
I hope this helps, and I hope you have an awesome vacation!
julianna says
Hi! i will be traveling to cancun soon. i have a two year old and wondering if i need to take a carseat for her? and also what transportation did you use to get from the airport to seadust resort?
Denise says
Hi Julianna! We didn't bring a carseat. Because we booked a vacation package, Air Canada had a bus to take us to the resort. If you don't have a vacation package, I'm not entirely sure but there were a TON of taxis around you could probably take! The ride from the air port to hotel was about 15 minutes. Hope this helps!