Family of Five Friendly All Inclusive
Kids Club 18 months to 18 years

The Great Parnassus Resort and Spa Cancun, Mexico is located at the south end of the hotel zone in Cancun, Mexico. This All-inclusive resort has everything for the perfect family vacation...
-All inclusive vacation packages to the Great Parnassus Resort are easy family travel budget.
-Baby care, kids clubs and teen clubs means there something to keep every family member happy.
-Water parks for wet and wild fun.
-Families of five can comfortably share one family room and stay together.
-15 year old teens are still considered kids....yes! Three kids under 15 can share the room with their folks.

HOTEL REVIEWVacationkids.com was thrilled to hear the Great Parnassus had all of these wonderful amenities for the perfect family vacation. Our president Sally Black hopped a plane to get a first hand look and tour from manager Joel Niebla. She was SO impressed with all the smart ideas built into the Great Parnassus that she brought the rest of the Vacationkids staff down to Mexico so they could all see it first hand. We'll do our best to point them out to you throughout this review. Often it's little details that can make a BIG difference keeping our families happy on their vacation.

Large, speedy elevators will help guests get to and from their rooms quickly. Sally says that from the outside, th Great Parnassus resort reminds her of a huge cruise ship sitting on the shore. The interior public areas also look like the promenade deck of a cruise ship. The Great Parnassus is located a quick 15 minutes ride from Cancun airport.

This family-friendly, all-inclusive resort offers something for all ages. We wondered where they came up with the unusual name.....Par-na-SUS (pronounced like Doc-tor-Suess). We did a little homework and found out that back in the days of Greek Mythology, Parnassus was the mountain home of the gods and the muses. So...if the Great Parnassus was the home of the gods...we figure your family will find their vacation muse here too. Upon arrival, guests are welcomed into a huge, open air lobby with plenty of seating. It's a great area to mix and mingle. Suzie was fascinated by the player piano, as were some other guests too.

Just to clear some confusion...there are actually TWO hotels now in Cancun with the name PARNASSUS...The Great Parnassus and the Golden Parnassus. The Great Parnassus is GREAT for families and the Golden Parnassus is for the Golden oldies....meaning the Golden Parnassus is for adults ONLY. We don't mean to imply anything by golden oldies...it just helps us here in the office remember which hotel is for which kind of people. The Golden Parnassus has a very strict NO kids policy. That said, both Parnassus hotels have reciprocal privileges. If grown-ups staying at the Great Parnassus want a vacation from their kids, they can take the complimentary 5 minute shuttle bus ride over to the Golden Parnassus and play for the day. Vacationkids often caters families where the Grandparents or adult relatives prefer staying in an adults only hotel but want to spend time with their kids and grand kids at a family resort. Vacationkids CAN book the Golden Parnassus for your family, we just CANNOT book any children into that hotel. Whew...got all that!

The entire center of the Great Parnassus resort is open, floor to ceiling. Our cameras really couldn't do it justice. The design of the lobby captures the ocean breezes and revitalizes you upon arrival. Again this area is not air conditioned but is designed to make the best ecological use of the winds off the water. Families are impressed with a safe, bright, inviting interior space with an open air feeling. Here is where most of the resort public areas are located. Here's a smart idea - see thru barriers so kids are tempted to climb to new heights while trying to look down into the lobby.This hotel is ideal for kid vacations. There are all sorts of surprises scattered about the lobby. Here you'll find gift and sundry shops, internet access and even a 400 seat theater that offers movies every day with screenings of family favorite motion pictures.

Besides the 24 hour room service, there are 10 all inclusive places to eat including 6 different specialty restaurants, offering a HUGE assortment of tastes and treasures to tempt even the pickiest of palates.
MAGNUS RESTAURANT... Another really smart idea! Instead of your typical main resort buffet restaurant, the Magnus restaurant resembles a mall food court. There are 12 different individual cuisine stations offering everything from pizza to vegetarian dishes. No more never ending buffet lines! Just run up and grab what you want to eat and return to a table with panoramic views. open for breakfast, lunch and dinner

MANHATTAN...New York style Kosher deli open for breakfast, lunch & late night dinner
BORA BORA...A taste of the tropics snack bar situated by the pool
ELITE LAUNCH... Breakfast a la carte and hors d'oeuvres thru the day
CARROUSEL.... Children's favorites, lunch buffet
TASCA ESPANOLA... Waiter service lunch spot serving Spanish specialties.
PORTIFINO...Seafood restaurant, open for dinner
SAMURAI....Tepanyaki, Japanese restaurant for dinner
BIG BEN STEAK HOUSE... a la carte restaurant open for dinner
MESON DE MICHELLE...Adults only gourmet International nouvelle cuisine a la carte dinner, dress code, gentlemen need to wear pants and a collared shirt, closed toe shoes
Afternoon tea is served each afternoon
Remember....24 hour room service too!

The Great Parnassus also offers 5 bars to wet your whistle serving domestic and imported drinks....
ATLANTIS BAR - Adult's only, at the pool
OCTOBERFEST BAR
CARIBBEAN... swim up bar
BONGO ...Swim up bar
PAOLA'S... sport bar

Of course most families don't go on vacation to eat and drink all day...they want to have fun in the sun and the Great Parnassus serves up the perfect family vacation. The resort boasts a large white sand beach that tickles the turquoise waters of the Caribbean sea. Remember mom and dad, the beach on this side of Cancun tends to get a bit rough so do take extra care with new little swimmers. Here families will find plenty of space to run, spash, play and build sandcastles in the sun.

The main pool area sits high on the deck that surrounds the back of the resort. The view from here is all ocean, simply breathtaking. Again it gave us the feel of being on the deck of the cruise ship without all that ocean motion. There are plenty of lounge chairs with a large shaded veranda area too.

For wet and wild fun in the sun, the Great Parnassus offers a total of five outdoor pools...one heated just in case. The main pool is a gorgeous, three-tiered infinity pool offering plenty of activity with endless views to the sea. There is also a separate quieter pool in the main pool deck area which is a bit more relaxing.

The folks behind the Great Parnassus are indeed sensative to the needs of their families. They know that many parents don't appreciate the idea of topless sunbathing around children. Yet the hotel needs to be sensative to the wishes of adults and foreign travelers who consider topless sunbathing very natural. So another smart design feature of the Great Parnassus resort is that there is a completely separarte adults only pool area. It is located on the opposite side of the property. The pool deck faces the front of the resort and the lagoon. It comes complete with pool, jacuzzi and sundeck. This is the only area of the resort where topless sunbathing is allowed. All the rooms on this side of the building will only allow adults. This way children have no visability or contact with topless sunbathers. Please know that the beaches in Cancun are public beaches and the hotel does not have any control over topless sunbathing on the beach. Vacationkids hears these concerns from our parents time and again and we commend the Great Parnassus for their smart compromise with this issue.

Another smart idea built into The Great Parnassus is that this resort is very stroller friendly. This makes life much easier for parents and just about anyone with mobility issues. There are gentle, wide cement bridges all along the pool deck as well as covered, air conditioned passages connecting the ocean front side of the Great Parnassus with the adults only Lagoon side of the resort. Along with the elevators and it's compact floor plan, this resort is very easy to navigate.

Besides the beautiful beach, the Great Parnassus offers loads of activities to keep your family busy all day long...
There's a watersport and dive shop situated right along the main pool area. Non motorized water sports with free shuttle service to the marina...sailing, windsurfing, kayaks, pedal boats, snorkeling
Day and nighttime tennis and basketball courts

Indoor Rain Forest mini golf
State of the art Gym and fitness center

Sauna and steam bath
Gorgeous,VERY impressive Spa!!! (fee for services)

Entertainment staff
Live nightly shows
Daily schedule of activities
Aerobics
Bicycles
Ping pong
Volleyball
Martial arts
Tai Chi
Bingo
Intro to scuba classes
Kids club activities....

And speaking of the kids, they are treated like VIP's at the Great Parnassus. Your kids will never complain that they are bored during this family vacation! For starters, there's Treasure Island waterpark just for the kids, complete with pirate ship and the biggest sand castle you've ever seen.

Here kids can fill their afternoons with splashes of adventure. The water park area is separated according to age so that little swimmers won't have to make room for the bigger kids.

The Great Parnassus offers children's activities and care for kids 18 months to 18 years. All of the kid's clubs are open daily from 9am until 9pm and part of the all inclusive program. The Great Parnassus Kids main kids club is for children ages 4 to 12 years old and is divided into age appropriate arts & crafts, movies and water park. The area is downstairs so it is shaded and cool but not air conditioned. There is a gated, window enterance where parents must sign-in and register their children.

Baby Club offers infant care for children ages 18 months to 3 years old. The nursery area is air-conditioned and is complete with separate eating, play and napping areas. There is even the tiniest pool for the littlest of swimmers!

Most of the staff are English speaking child care specialists certified in first aid. Jan, Suzie and Denise all agree with Sally that is this one of the most impressive kids clubs in all of Cancun!

The teen club at the Great Parnassus is designed for kids ages 13 - 18 years old comes complete with their own disco and waterslide. The entertainment staff offers special teen activities throughout the day.

The building design of the Great Parnassus takes full advantage of it's beautiful surroundings. Just about every room offers some sort of waterview whether it's an ocean view to the back of the resort or a lagoon view from the front. All rooms offer an ample private balcony where your family can greet the morning, relax or enjoy beautiful sunsets.

All rooms at the Great Parnassus offer a spacious, contemporary decor as well as air conditioning, alarm clock, hairdryer, housekeeping, in-room safe, iron, ironing board, maid service, radio, safety deposit box, shower, smoke detector, telephone, TV (Cable), wake-up calls. Again, talk about smart, there are even these nifty little doorbell type gizmos that you can push to let the maid know when it's the right time for you to have your room cleaned and serviced...brilliant! No more missing "do not disturb" signs for the kids to get into.

There are 5 different room categories from which to choose:

DELUXE ROOM - Maximun occupancy of 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. Ocean view with 1 King size bed or 2 double beds. Full bathroom with shower and tub combination.

The Great Parnassus FAMILY ROOM
OH...we just LOVE this!!!
Maximum occupancy 3 adults or 2 adults and 3 children under the age of 15 years...yes you did read that right but it bears repeating.... This room allows three kids under the age of 15 to share the same room with their parents and yes we do see many of your parents jumping for joy out there in cyberspace!
All family rooms have ocean views, complete with a patio, King size bed and a sleek modern decor.

There is a 3/4 wall separating the kids sleeping area which includes 3 twin bunk beds. Please note from our photo, the adult and children sleeping areas on not completely separate. Still this smart floorplan offers a little more privacy than a typical hotel room for parents. If your third child is an infant in need of a crib, it's possible to fit a crib into the area with the bunk beds and not use the trundle. Just know it's a bit of a squeeze. There is a huge closet area with digital safe as well ass a full bathroom with shower and tub combinations.

CLUB ROOM - Allows 2 adults only. As we noted earlier, all of these adult only club rooms are located on the 6th floor and offer a full lagoon view.

This room offers only 1 King size bed, located on the All room with Jacuzzi, full bathroom with shower, mini bar, CD player, coffee maker. Upon arrival guest will receive a fruit basket, 1 bottle of sparkling wine and a flower arrangement. 1 in-room gourmet dinner per stay and lunch on the Cancun Queen Lagoon Cruise (Mondays only - subject to change)

LAGOON SUITE-Allows 2 adults only and come full ocean view. This room offers only 1 king size bed, located on 6 floor. All rooms with Jacuzzi, full bathroom with shower, Mini bar, CD player, coffee maker. Upon arrival guest will receive a fruit basket, 1 bottle of sparkling wine and a flower arrangement. 1 in-room gourmet dinner per stay and lunch on the Cancun Queen Lagoon Cruise (Mondays only - subject to change)

OCEAN SUITE, All with private balcony and full ocean view. This room offers only 1 King size bed. All rooms with Jacuzzi, full bathroom with shower and bathtub, mini bar, CD player, coffee maker. Upon arrival guest will receive a fruit basket, 1 bottle or sparkling wine and a flower arrangement. 1 in-room gourmet dinner per stay and lunch on the Cancun Queen Lagoon Cruise (Mondays only - subject to change)

We think the family vacation gods must have been smiling when they created the Great Parnassus Resort. It has the perfect combination of features and pleasures for all types of families. No matter what age kids you have, we promise they won't be bored. It's the perfect place for a family reunion or even a familymoon. To avoid disappointment for your next family vacation be sure to book ASAP for busy holiday and spring break weeks as family of five hotels are always the first to sell out.

BACK TO TOP