by Terri Mandell

Fifteen years ago you'd be hard pressed to find a luxury hotel or resort that offered special activities for kids -- supervised by trained staff -- anywhere in the world. But as America's second-wave baby boom progressed, the hotel industry figured out that this lucrative new market could be tapped by offering on-site child care, which would free parents to pursue adult diversions. Thanks to the pioneering efforts of places like Club Med, kids club and kids camps can now be found in just about every major hotel chain and resort in North America and the Caribbean, and as a result, more families than ever are traveling.

Mexico's hot vacation spots in particular, once the dominated by honeymoon couples and young singles, now attract families from all over the world. And no destination in Mexico is better designed for family fare than Isla Cancun, a 14-mile strip of commercially developed land along the coast of the tip of Yucatan peninsula. Twenty years ago, the Mexican government decided to transform the once-desolate area into a tourism paradise. Today there are 90 glitzy hotels along the strip, and the place is riddled with restaurants, boutiques, high-end shops and nightclubs.

Why They Call it the Mexican Riviera

Eighty per cent of the two million visitors to Cancun each year are Americans, and the retailers know just how to make them feel at home. The main drag mimics Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive, and is studded with familiar landmarks like the Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, Gucci stores and even a BMW dealership. Tourists apparently love to shop for overpriced goodies they can find just as easily at home, so there's no shortage of air-conditioned American-style shopping malls, most notably, the Plaza Kukulcan and the Plaza Flamingo. In these brightly-lit air conditioned malls, among the American-style restaurants and high-end shops, you can also find Mexican food and a few locally-made trinkets. But if you want to real bargains and a chance to hang out with the locals, your best shopping option is the Plaza Caracol, which is near the part of town where the locals reside. It's a 5 minute bus ride from the hotel zone.

The Cancun concept is about providing a Mexican vacation experience for people who don't want to feel like they're in a foreign country. Frankly, it's tacky, but tacky works great for families. English is spoken in the major shops, restaurants and hotels, so it's easy to stay in your comfort zone. The hotels can refer you to organized snorkeling excursions, day trips to Mayan ruins, fishing, parasailing, jet skis and boating, and families can easily spend a week without ever venturing out on their own. There are even amusement parks within minutes of the hotels -- a Wet 'n Wild water park, and Aqua World, which offers every imaginable watersport and a bungee jumping facility.

During our visit, we were lodged at the 5-star Melia Cancun, in the heart of the hotel zone (directly across the street from Aqua World. We could look out our window and watch people bungee jumping). Although the Melia has no staff-supervised children's program, the place was crawling with families, and the kids were busy day and night frolicking in 900 linear feet of connecting swimming pools. There are loads of organized activities for kids, including sand castle building, sack races, contests, and games, but younger children would need to bring a parent along. Kids old enough to maneuver more or less on their own will have no trouble keeping themselves occupied here, and parents can indulge in brilliant Caribbean sunrises, water sports, elegant dining, golf, tennis, a swim up bar, nightly entertainment, or just lying around on the beach.

Melia's sister hotel in Cancun is the Melia Turquesa, a super-luxurious property with VCRs and CD players in the rooms, two phone lines, and some suites have big screen TVs and Jacuzzis on the terrace. It's a favorite haunt of celebrities, including Bruce Willis & Demi Moore, Sly Stallone, Steven Segal and Camilla Parker Bowles.

You may as well give in and go for luxury and glamour in Cancun. It was designed for that, and there aren't many alternatives. A warning: be cautious about making calls to the states from your hotel room. There are exorbitant service charges for these calls. We also noticed that there were no public phones in most of the hotels, so the hotels' profit-making systems are unavoidable. If you want to call home, go into town and use a pay phone. You'll save a bundle.

Getting Out And Getting Around

If you want a real taste of local culture, we recommend renting a car and getting out to see the sights on your own. The beaches are unbelievable, with crystal-clear turquoise water and pristine white sands. If you have kids, use the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico side, north of town... the Caribbean beaches can be a bit rough.

The short and inexpensive boat trip to Isla Mujeres, a tiny island just five miles from Cancun, is highly recommended. The Isla Mujeres landscape is not dominated by Gucci stores, although there are plenty of little shops and unobtrusive hotels. The main attractions are the beaches and the slow pace of island life. It's a perfect way to spend a day.

A stellar experience for the whole family is the close encounter with nature provided by a wondrous ecological park called Xcaret (pranced Scare-ett' It means "nature's sacred paradise"). The 212-acre archeological park, 45 miles south of Cancun, will remind you of Jurassic Park when you first pass through its gates. In the middle of the jungle, in a Sea World-style setting, you can observe animals like jaguars and flamingos in their natural habits, walk through an enormous butterfly garden, swim with dolphins, or take a snorkeling trip along a river that runs through a cave. There are beaches, lagoons and wading pools galore, and place is so ecologically sound that guests have to use only Xcaret-approved sunscreens, because the commercial ones pollute the water.

The main restaurant at Xcaret is called La Laguna, and serves indigenous Yucatan food, which is extaordinarily good. Try a healthful drink called Chaya Water, made from a spinach-like plant that's mixed in a blender with water, sugar and lemon juice. It looks and tastes like green lemonade. Kids love it. We adored Xcaret. Your children will develop an enduring reverence for nature, and learn more in a day here than in ten year's worth of science classes.

It would be criminal to travel all the way to the Yucatan peninsula and not see the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, Tulum, Xel-Ha, or any of the hundreds of other ruins that are continually being unearthed in the area. The day-long tours might be a little much for kids, but a half-day excursion is quite manageable. The ruins are staggeringly impressive, and the information you'll absorb about the Mayan culture will fascinate you. We spent an entire day at Chichen Itza, wandering among the thousand-year old pyramids and buildings. These sites are truly mystical, and if you're at all in tune with the energy around them, you'll be profoundly affected. Any hotel concierge can help you arrange transportation to the ruins, Xcaret, Isla Mujeres or the local beaches. Wear a hat and bring sunscreen and drinking water wherever you go. It's hot and the sun is fierce.

Cozumel... The Real Thing

If you really want to feel like you're in Mexico, then the best way to do it is to travel across the water to the island of Cozumel. It's a 20-minute flight on Aerocaribe (the local airline), its costs about $30, and it will take you to a different world. The real world.

If you saw a movie made in the early 1980's called "Against all Odds" with Rachel Ward and Jeff Bridges, then you've seen Cozumel. It's a tiny laid back little island, only 3 percent of which has been developed. Jacques Costeau called Cozumel "one of the finest diving areas in the world" because the waters offer visibility at depths of 200 feet, and there's an abundance of underwater caves, colorful fish and spectacular coral reefs. There are dive operations all along the coastline and at the hotels, which offer instruction for beginners all the way up to dive master courses.

If scuba isn't your thing, then at the very least spend some time snorkeling at a place called Chankanaab National Park. There's a great little Palapa-covered restaurant at Chankanaab where you can eat local food and sip tropical drinks, but the focus of the place is the beach, where you can rent snorkel equipment and swim with zillions of tropical fish. During the high season, the water at Chankanaab is crowded with tourists, including lots of young children snorkeling around on the surface. But the fish don't seem to mind a bit. They swim right up to you.

Everything in Cozumel is beautiful, simple, friendly and unspoiled. At night, the downtown area rocks with partying tourists, and the restaurants and bars are filled to capacity. But it's all very casual and unpretentious. During the day there are the usual recreational opportunities, like horseback riding, excursions to the ruins, jeep tours, water sports, fishing and boat tours. We recommend renting a car or a motorbike and cruising around the island. Most of it is wild and natural, with little cantinas and roadside vendors here and there.

We stayed at the Paradisus Cozumel, an all-inclusive hotel with garden and ocean view rooms. Being all inclusive, all means, beverages, snacks, activities and tips are included, and the common areas -- pool, restaurant, beach, bars -- function as cozy family gathering places. You'll make friends with everybody instantly. The beach is gorgeous, and there are iguanas walking around poolside.

Unlike the Melia in Cancun, the Paradisus has a children's program. It's called Iggie's Club, and it runs from 8 am until 8 pm. You can keep your kids in the club for as much of the day as you like, while you spend your free time as you choose. The kids will be kept busy with supervised dancing lessons, crafts, pool games, videos, and beach play. During our stay, the place was packed with families.

The best way to learn more about Cancun and Cozumel is to call the Mexican Tourist Bureau at 800 -44 -MEXICO and ask for a package of information. The best time to visit the area is September through April. You don't need a passport, but you will need proof of citizenship in the form of a birth certificate, and don't forget to bring them for your children as well. Depending on what part of the country you're in, most airline flights will channel through major hubs like Dallas, Atlanta or Miami. Check with a travel agent for the most efficient and cost effective plan.

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