Cancun, Mexico Family Vacation // Finest Playa Mujeres Resort Review

For our first family vacation of 2020, we stayed at the Finest Playa Mujeres Resort in Cancun, Mexico.  We read a lot of positive online reviews and heard so many good things from friends.  This resort did not disappoint – my husband, kids, and parents all had an amazing time!  It’s one of the most luxurious all-inclusive family-friendly resorts I’ve ever stayed at in Mexico.  The grounds and our rooms had modern and elegant decor. We loved that it wasn’t so big that we always felt lost or had to travel far to get to the other side of the resort.  Everything was within a short walking distance, with lots of restaurants and bars to choose from.

The beach and pools were so beautiful and exceptionally clean.  We spent most of our time there, even though there were plenty of activities available throughout the day.

We spent five days here and could’ve easily spent two weeks.  If you are considering staying here, I would encourage you to book as far in advance as possible to have more room options and more time to look for good deals.  I also recommend joining the Facebook group, FANS of Finest Playa Mujeres.  There’s a lot of helpful information, pictures, and people who are more than happy to answer questions.

Transportation

We had a 4 hour direct flight* from Newark to Cancun International Airport. To save time and hassle at the airport, we prefill the Mexico and US customs paperwork online and print it out. Finest Resort is located on Playa Mujeres and is about 35 minutes from the airport.  To get there, we booked shuttle transportation with Happy Shuttle Cancun, which has stellar reviews online and the best price we found.

*For ideas on how to keep kids entertained on the plane, check out this post.

Room

The resort offers three types of rooms – Finest Suites, Finest Club Rooms, and Excellence Club Rooms (adults only).  The Finest Club and Excellence Club rooms include upgraded amenities such as access to a private beach area, pools, lounge, and restaurant.  We would have opted for the Finest Club room, but they weren’t available by the time we booked (~6 weeks out).

Our party of six stayed in two Junior Suites (Junior Suites have a room capacity of four and Family Suites can fit five) with a private pool.  I might have considered one Family Suite if it was available since it has an extra bedroom for the kids to sleep in, but we had plenty of room on the oversized king size bed for all four of us.

The room was clean, modern, and very spacious – we felt very comfortable.  It had a roomy bathroom with a two-person rain shower, large closet with shelves and hanging space, and an extra long sofa bed.  My favorite feature of the room was the private terrace (something I look for during all my trips). There was also a two-person jacuzzi, sunbed, sun loungers, chairs, in addition to the private pool.  We also got to enjoy the extra amenities like complimentary 24-hour room service, complimentary pillow menu and turndown service, complimentary stocked mini-bar with bottled wine and liquor, toiletries, robe and slippers, and garment steamer.

By request, we had our room set up with some baby necessities.  We particularly liked the baby bathtub (since the kids prefer baths) and the baby monitor (so we could relax outside on the terrace or swim in the private pool while the kids napped).

Beach

I love being by the ocean.  My mom and I would wake up early to catch a peaceful and beautiful sunrise.

Then after breakfast, we went to the beach with the rest of the family to enjoy soft powdery sand and the calm and swimmable ocean.  There were always plenty of chairs and lounger sets, which had a thatched roof umbrella and plenty of shade. The staff was super friendly and came around often to take drink orders.  If you have a Finest Club or Excellence Club room, you can reserve a cabana sunbed free of charge.

Pools and Jacuzzis

When we weren’t at the beach, we were at the pool.  The pools were exceptionally nice and our favorite place to be most of the day.  They’re clean and expansive and we never had a hard time finding towels or lounge chairs.  There are so many pools at this resort, that you can always find a great spot for the family to relax.

The main pool has a swim-up bar and is located close to the beach.  It tends to get busier when they have music and other entertainment.  We personally preferred the pool by the Tropical Smoothie Bar, which was conveniently located next to our room.  It was quiet, less busy, and still a sizable pool. Plus, we could easily grab a smoothie, cocktail, and fresh coconut at the bar.

There are plenty of jacuzzis scattered throughout the resort. The pool by the Tropical Smoothie Bar had two jacuzzies attached to it.  The water was only lukewarm, which was perfect for the kids. They loved playing with the floaties we brought, which we inflated at the Finest Club section of the beach.

Entertainment and Activities

There’s so much to do for both kids and adults.  A newsletter of the day’s activities is sent to your room every day, which include Spanish lessons, archery, yoga, beach volleyball, tennis, jet-skiing, parasailing, paddleboarding, and kids’ club activities to name a few.  We didn’t take part in most of the day activities since we spent most of our time at the beach/pool and/or eating and napping.

We did, however, thoroughly enjoy all of the nightly shows and live entertainment.  The kids had a blast dancing to the various singers and bands. One night there was a show where performers danced with fire torches and rings!  There are also must-see shows in the theater. The kids went crazy for the Disney show, which was so cute. The Michael Jackson show was very lively and enjoyed by the whole family.  The resort does an excellent job of keeping everyone entertained night after night that we never felt the need to venture outside the resort.

We didn’t get to go to the Spa but we heard that it’s incredible.  You can get massages, facials, use the hydrotherapy pool, etc.

Kids Club

Finest Playa Mujeres is amazingly family-friendly and it really shows in the kids club.  There are two water park areas, one for the little kids and one for the older kids.  My two-year-old son loved going down the slides in the little water park.

The kids club has three separate areas – mini club (3 to 6 years old), maxi club (7 to 11 years old), and teens club (12 to 15 years old).  Each one caters to the interests of that age group. Children age 3 and up can be dropped off and supervised by the staff. Children under 3 can still play at the kids club but need to be supervised by their parents.

Since our kids are 2 and 4 years old, they played in the mini club.  They loved all of the toys in the outdoor and indoor play areas, which had a playhouse, push toys, a kitchenette, a multipurpose room with games, a nap room, changing rooms, and bathrooms for adults and kids.

There are also fun and new kid club activities planned every day.  During our stay, there was rock painting, bubble blowing, a puppet show, and even horseback riding on the beach!  

The Imagine Lounges are special kid lounges located in the main lobby, near most of the restaurants.   It’s completely supervised and kids can watch movies, play video or board games, read books, and play with toys during breakfast and dinner time while parents enjoy some time alone.  Note they only allow potty-trained kids ages 3 and up.

Food

The highlight of my husband’s vacation was the food at the Finest Playa Mujeres Resort.  There are tons of amazing restaurants and types to choose from, including fine dining french cuisine, fresh seafood pool-side lunches, grilled meats on the beach, an amazing breakfast buffet, hibachi dinner and so much more.  With so many options, we wish we had more time to try it all.

We ate breakfast most mornings at The Market Kitchen. They have a huge stationed buffet with a juice bar, traditional breakfast items, pastries, fruit, meats and cheeses, and really anything you could want.  They had the best soft scrambled eggs and I loved trying the different juice combinations. My mom loved the vast fruit selection and the kids loved the bacon and yogurt. There’s also a lowered buffet section for kids so they can reach their favorite items.

For lunch, we ate at the outdoor pool-side restaurant, Insieme Trattoria.  We highly recommend the Mediterranean salmon and shrimp risotto.  My mom said the salmon was perfectly cooked and seasoned and the shrimp risotto was very tasty. Las Dunas Beach House is located right on the beach and serves a variety of foods including ceviche, nachos, pizza, fruits and salad, and a full grill.

The Tropical Juice Bar often has themed lunch parties that shouldn’t be missed!  One day they had paella and sangria and another day was freshly grilled bbq food.  Everything was served under a pavilion with music playing in the background.

Eating at The Market Kitchen was so easy and convenient, we often came back for lunch and sometimes dinner.  We all agreed that the best meal we had was the seafood medley of calamari, mussels, and bay scallops.  It’s all sauteed to order and served during lunch and dinner. My husband often had it added to his bolognese pasta.  We liked the selection of the buffet, but not much of it changes day to day.

For dinner, we were only able to try two of the al la carte restaurants – Shoji and Le Petit Plaisir.  Shoji is the only restaurant at the resort that requires a reservation for the teppanyaki (hibachi) table.  It was a fun experience and the kids loved the tender hibachi fish and flavorful fried rice. Another night, my husband and I were able to dine at the adults-only French restaurant, Le Petit Plaisir.  It was very romantic and the food was beautifully plated and delicious. Note, there is a dress code for all of the al la carte restaurants.

The resort also held a Valentine’s outdoor dinner buffet on Valentine’s day.  They went all out with decorations, a live band, a specialty drink, and a large array of food.  We wished we could’ve enjoyed it more but the mosquitoes were running rampant that night and we decided to move inside for dinner.  On our last day, they were setting up for a Mexican fiesta and it looked like it would’ve been a lot of fun.

Another nice feature of the resort was the cute ice cream and coffee shop, The Sweet Corner.  They offer a delicious selection of coffee, milkshakes, pastries, and sandwiches.  It’s a great place to stop for a boost of caffeine and sweet treat, which we took advantage of every day.

Bars

We had so much fun tasting the wonderful drinks the Finest resort had to offer.  Every day, there was a different featured specialty drink for adults and non-alcoholic drinks for kids.  There are sixteen bars at the resort and we had four favorites.

Golden Bar

The Golden Bar is located in the lower level of the main lobby.  The bar is grand, offering exquisite drinks with plenty of seating at the bar and surrounding area.  We often came here before and after dinner and shows.

Tropical Juice Bar

We were so lucky to have The Tropical Juice Bar located next to our room.  We loved the smoothie selections, pina coladas, and all the fresh coconuts (available 12 PM to 4 PM).

Central Plaza

Central Plaza is a covered outdoor bar and it was conveniently located between the beach and our room.  We loved stopping by for a drink or two while enjoying the breeze.

Sky Bar

The Sky Bar is located by the pool and only open at night.  It’s very spacious and I loved the openness of the outdoor area.  You can look out to see the amazing views of the ocean. There are also daybeds, where we enjoyed drinks with a view comfortably.  If you go, have the bartender make you a delicious gastronomic shot called coochie coochie.

What are some of your favorite things to do in Cancun?