The oceanfront Seadust Resort Cancun is that rare find in a family-friendly all-inclusive resort: it works just as well for adults as it does for kids.
The resort features plenty of just-for-kids fun, such as a waterpark, mini-golf and mini-zipline. And it has some features that work for the whole family, including rooms that can sleep five, a host of always-available food options and, of course, just about everything is included so there’s no need to whip out your wallet at every turn.
For adults, there’s an adults-only pool and two giant hot tubs completely separate from the rowdier family pools. And there’s a kid club, baby club and teen club for the kids so you can have a few hours alone with your partner.
Highlights of the Seadust Cancun Family Resort
One of the many all-inclusive resorts that line the beach in Cancun’s hotel zone, Seadust is a popular resort for Mexican families as well as Americans and Canadians. Reviews on TripAdvisor and Google put it in the top tier of all-inclusive resorts in Mexico.
The 502-room, 12-story resort was built in 2006, but got new ownership and a multi-million-dollar update in 2017. It’s on track for another update now with a new management company, Playa Resorts. Planned improvements include a needed refresh for all of the rooms and upgraded restaurants.
What won’t change is the welcoming environment, friendly staff and gorgeous turquoise waters of the Gulf that lap the beach.
The centerpiece of this resort is the pool area. It features three infinity pools right on the beach to give families the ease of a pool with a view of the beach and the Gulf.
The rooms are big, with balconies offering either a lagoon or ocean view, so when it’s time to put the kids to bed, the adults can take a bottle of wine to the balcony to watch the sunset. Or enroll the kids in the kids club and spend some quality time in the spa.
Upsides of Seadust Resort Cancun
- A lot of value at the price point
- 5 swimming pools, including 3 infinity pools with a view of the beach, a children’s pool and an adults-only pool with a swim-up bar
- Plenty of activities to keep everyone busy
- Kids club for ages 5-12, baby club for 18 months to 4, teen club for 13-17 (closed for renovation on the publication date) and in-room babysitting for the littlest guests (reserve 24 hours in advance)
- Large rooms, including family suites with a king bed, bunk beds and a trundle to sleep five
- Friendly, attentive service
- Many dining choices, including 24-hour room service
- Excursions to nearby attractions, such as Mexican cenotes
- The free wifi internet access that works well
Downsides of Seadust Resort Cancun
- Too few sun loungers at the pool — they were all claimed by 8am one day even though no one was in the pool! (There were always plenty of loungers available on the beach.)
- Floors in the rooms are extremely slippery when wet (but those will be replaced with room updates)
- No way to shut off the bright balcony lights before they turn off automatically around 11pm
The Beach
Seadust is on the stretch of beach near Playa Delfines. The staff does a great job of grooming the sand and keeping the beach clean.
There are plenty of loungers, umbrellas and palapas to offer shade. The waves can be a little aggressive. So it’s best to let little ones dig in the sand on the beach but swim in the pools.
Guestrooms
My king suite was large, with a big bathroom and oversized shower. A huge balcony came complete with two padded lounge chairs, two chairs and a small table and, the coupe de grace: a large Jacuzzi tub and bottles of bubble bath.
The bed was comfy, the sheets soft.
There’s a mini fridge stocked with soft drinks. Don’t like the selection? Call room service and order what you’d like.
The floors in the rooms got dangerously slippery when wet — including if you leave the balcony door open while the air conditioning is running. Watch for condensation on the floor.
SheBuysTravel Tip: You’ll get a large bottle of water each day, but bring a refillable water bottle to use instead. While the tap water in Mexico is not safe to drink, the resort has installed filtered bottle fillers on each of the 12 floors of the hotel. So you can save the planet by not drinking from the single-use plastic bottle and filling your own refillable bottles instead.
Dining at Seadust
The hotel design reminded me of a mega cruise ship with the cabins surrounding a public area in the center. That central corridor is the gateway to several restaurants and bars serving an international array of foods. You can check our full guide to Seadust Cancun restaurants, but here’s a sampling:
Big Ben Grillhouse
The steakhouse onsite, Big Ben serves a selection of steak, chicken, pork and fish. I tried the pork belly with sweet baby apple, fried sweet potatoes and dark peach sauce. It was as beautifully plated as it was delicious.
This is one of the most popular restaurants. Go early if you want to eat here. None of the restaurants take reservations and the lines can get long after the nightly entertainment ends at 9pm.
Florencia
Florencia serves Italian specialties. It was tough choosing between the Fetuccini Con Frutti di Mare y Salsa de Pinto Grigio, the artisanal pizza and the house lasagna prepared in a wood-fired oven with finely chopped sirloin cooked in its own juices accompanied by puttanesca sauce.
Thanks to the recommendation from the maître d’, I went with the lasagna. Delish! Whatever you order, save room for the tiramisu for dessert.
Samurai
We stopped at the Japanese restaurant just to sample the sushi. It was so good it made me wish we hadn’t already had dinner!
The Lighthouse
This restaurant serves a buffet breakfast and lunch.
Manhattan
This is the American bistro restaurant. I had a decent Caesar salad and a steak that was flavorful and so tender I could cut it with a butter knife. But the restaurant overall — the decor, the food presentation, the service — paled in comparison with the other dining options.
El Maguey
This Mexican restaurant is tucked away from the main drag, close to the Treasure Island waterpark. But don’t miss it. The tortilla soup is delicious and the tres leches cake is even better. I ate so much of the tasty guacamole and homemade chips that I had little room left for my tacos.
It only serves those tasty Mexican specialties at lunch, from noon to 5pm. The menu switches to Mediterranean choices for dinner.
Food Gallery
This is the international buffet that’s open for all three meals. It’s a large restaurant, but Seadust has the same problems staffing as other Cancun hotels, so it was often a wait even though half of the tables were unoccupied.
The buffet includes Asian, Mexican, Italian, seafood, vegetarian dishes, grilled specialties, fruits, salads, desserts and a candy bar. There’s also a stone oven to prepare made-to-order pizzas.
The Spa
While the spa is not included in the all-inclusive price, I found it well worth the extra cost. That’s thanks to my massage therapist, Dehli, who gave me one of the best massages of my life.
The onsite spa has 12 therapy rooms, including over-the-top couples treatment rooms with a private hot tub, a Thai therapy room and a room for children’s treatments given by therapists dressed as princesses.
You can book procedures a la carte or choose one of the special packages as I did. My massage and facial included hydrotherapy — time in the sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and cold plunge pool.
I had my treatment in the spa, which is located on the lower level off the lobby (the stairs are to the left of the front desk), but there’s also the option of an open-air massage near the beach.
Activities at Seadust Cancun
There is something for just about everyone, with all of the equipment you need available to borrow from the resort. The entertainment staff runs events each day ranging from a mixology class for adults to aquarobics classes in the pool to a guided walk on the beach. (Scan the code when you check in at the front desk to see the full schedule.) And there are a variety of non-motorized water sports available.
Activities include:
- Treasure Island water park with a variety of waterslides
- Tennis courts
- Volleyball on the beach
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Fitness center
- Mini golf course
- Child-sized zipline
Excursions Offsite
There is enough to do on property here that there’s no need to leave. But then you would miss Mexico’s magical cenotes.
Our excursion to the Cenotes Zapote included swimming in three different types of cenotes. These natural pits are common on the Yucatan Peninsula. They were used by the ancient Mayans for freshwater supplies and sacrificial offerings. They’re fed by underground springs, mostly shaded from the harsh Caribbean sun and a refreshing way to spend the day.
Our trip included a lunch of fresh-made tacos.
Book excursions through the resort’s onsite travel agency. Or, if you prefer exploring on your own, book a rental car through the resort and spend a full day exploring the cenotes.
Is Mexico Safe?
The news out of Mexico has not been good lately. As I was flying into Cancun, I admit to wondering what it would be like. The answer? It felt exactly the same as it felt the last time I flew into Mexico pre-pandemic.
But Mexico’s danger is creeping closer to the tourist areas. A few days after I returned home, four people were shot and killed in Cancun’s hotel zone.
I never felt unsafe, though. In fact, some things about visiting Mexico have improved. In particular, customs was easier; visitors holding American passports clear customs via a machine with no need to wait in line for a human customs agent to approve entry.
The most threatened I felt was the same as always: Running the usual gauntlet of people aggressively shilling for the taxi companies at the airport.
If you are nervous about traveling to Mexico, I definitely recommend arranging private transportation from the airport to the hotel so you know who will be driving you. Then you can walk briskly and confidently past the hawkers to get outside where you’ll meet your driver.
Is Seadust Resort Cancun Safe?
Yes. I always felt safe in the hotel, even on the beach. The Federales patrolled regularly and only once did I see a peddler pushing his wares to guests lounging beneath the umbrellas and palapas. Watchful security officers stood guard between the public beach and the resort pool.
And the attentive service inside the hotel made me feel even safer, including the concierges who were ever ready to answer questions and offer assistance, and the bellman who escorted me to my room on Wednesday night and then recognized me – by name – when I walked through the lobby on Saturday night.
Seadust Cancun All Inclusive Family Resort FAQs
Where is the hotel located?
Seadust Cancun is in the Cancun hotel zone, at Blvd. Kukulcan Km 17, Zona Hotelera, 77500 Cancún.
What’s included at Seadust?
The all-inclusive price includes the room, all restaurants, bars and room service, organized activities, sports equipment, access to the kids clubs and water park.
What’s not included at Seadust?
It does not include in-room babysitting, dry cleaning or laundry service, offsite excursions or spa services.
Tipping is not expected, but it’s always a nice thing to do.
Is the Seadust Cancun Safe?
I always felt safe in the hotel. There are security guards on the property and the federal police regularly patrol the public beach. The only times I left the resort was to take an organized tour to swim in cenotes and for a hotel-guided walk along the beach.
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