We're normally independent travelers. I want to get that out there right now. Last time my husband Mark and I were in the Yucatan, we stayed in three places during our seven days, traveled almost exclusively by public bus, and we pre-booked only one hotel. No guided excursions, no buffet meals. We wore ourselves out scuba diving and visiting Mayan ruins and World Heritage sites.

So how did we end up at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, a town void of culture and created for tourists? One where we never converted our dollars to pesos? Where the biggest culinary decision was which room to sit in for our buffet meal?

One word: kids.

My parents, for their 45th anniversary, wanted to take the family on a trip -- six adults and three kids, ages 4 and 6. We wanted a place where we could explore historic spots on day trips, yet have a home base to hang out. We didn't want the hassle of searching out restaurants that could seat nine, then pulling out the credit card for every meal. We wanted baby-sitting with kid-centric activities, giving the adults time for tennis, sailing and scuba diving, things we can't do with the little ones in tow.

We booked a week at Club Med Cancun.

We hoped our kids would learn a little Spanish. They went in knowing how to count to diez, and important words like gracías and hóla.

But only one of the GOs (Club Med lingo for Gentle Organizers, the most visible staff members) was Mexican. Everyone but the cleaning staff spoke perfect English.

Club Med was not a typical Mexico experience.

To get a taste of Mexico, we booked some excursions off the resort: the Mayan ruins at Coba and Tulum and the Xcaret eco-park -- both with the kids -- and an adults-only scuba trip to Chac Mool.

PLENTY OF CHOICES

Less than a two-hour flight from South Florida, Cancun has at least 14 all-inclusive resorts featuring kids clubs, water sports, beaches, round-the-clock food, and of course, frozen alcoholic drinks with umbrellas.

The trend is to make resorts more family-friendly. For those of us with young kids, this is a great development.

After Hurricane Wilma devastated Cancun in 2005, Club Med poured $20 million into its formerly adults-only resort on the edge of the hotel strip, adding ''Mini Club Med'' facilities for kids four to 12, and ''Passworld'' for `tweens and teens.

Club Med has one other Mexico resort, on the Pacific coast in Ixtapa, which we visited in March. While the Cancun site has an excellent kids' program, adults vacationing without children can still feel like they're having a grown-up holiday. Some women even sunbathed topless on the beach. There was no topless sunbathing at Club Med Ixtapa. The focus is all kids, all the time, with programs for babies as young as 4 months.

Both Club Meds have a fabulous circus staff who perform professional quality trapeze shows, while teaching kids (and adults) to use the trapeze during the day.

Club Med Ixtapa takes it a step further, adding tightrope walking and a club-wide circus show featuring the kids. More than 110 kids, complete with costumes and make-up, performed for excited parents. Zachary, my 4-year-old, dressed up as a tiger and did tricks with the ``tiger tamer.''

While Club Med Ixtapa has always catered to families, other resorts, like Club Med Cancun and other hotels in Mexico, are amping up their programs to draw in the generations.

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