Geoff Maynard and family have the slime of their lives at a Nickelodeon hotel in Mexico’s River Maya, where slime is unleashed from the top of tees and delicious food is plentiful
Slime, slime, slime…we love slime!’ And you know what – I confess I really do! I am in the middle of a frenzied splash mob of holidaymakers revelling in being completely splattered with cold, green gunk from a water tower above.
After an over-excited musical build up prompting some silly dad dancing, yours truly with my wife Lauren and children Clara, 10, and Adam, nine, are expectant in the line of fire. We are in the Aqua Nick water park at the Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts, in Riviera Maya, Mexico and have stumbled our way into the main event of the day – a group super sliming.
After a countdown a green tidal wave is unleashed from the top of a pineapple-shaped podium above us and we are drenched in the sticky, green stuff for a full minute. It’s bonkers but fun and you just cannot help but laugh. It rather helps that the temperature is always at least around 30C in these parts and a drenching, whatever the colour, comes in handy.
The holiday had all started in such a calm and clean fashion.
Thanks to hosts British Airways we had a truly enjoyable experience from booking via its dedicated family travel page to taking full advantage of the generous baggage allowance that comes in handy with little ones in tow. We then cruised through Gatwick like VIPs. I consumed about four breakfasts while the kids enjoyed themselves in the swish Club World lounge before stepping on board our 11-hour flight to Cancun with their Skyflyer fun packs.
On board the flight was surprisingly enjoyable as the kids glued themselves to the in-flight entertainment system, including the new Paramount+ Kids channel.
Lauren looked at home tuning into all her TV comedy favourites while I foolishly listened to Man United’s latest loss using the mid-air wi-fi. For us this was an overseas travel experience that had been a few years in the waiting, after we chose the staycationing delights of Cornwall or Norfolk when the children were younger.
And it was certainly worth the wait. We felt totally relaxed when we touched down in Mexico and headed to our 5-star all-inclusive hotel 20 minutes south of the airport.
The Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts, Riviera Maya is only three years old but it looked like it had been built yesterday. This is a pristine palace built for family fun and relaxation. The buildings and grounds are kept spotless by an army of staff maintaining the many restaurants, shops and luxurious rooms.
After checking in we are whisked straight to our suite by the regular shuttle bus.
The kids are soon ripping open their suitcases to don swimming costumes as we open the sliding back doors to reveal our private entrance to a swim-up pool. A cooling dip in the Mexican heat is the perfect way to relax as we head to Wanda’s swim-up bar for a cocktail to celebrate our arrival before drying off and heading back inside to collapse on the king size beds. The next morning reveals the dramatic sea view and the sound of crashing waves on the golden beach below us.
After a relaxing dip in the warm Caribbean Sea I walk across the sands and spot sudden movement away to my left. Basking in the sun on an abandoned fishing boat is a black spiny-tailed iguana staring at me like I am the intruder here, which of course I am. Above me fly giant raptor-like pelicans scanning the shoreline for a meal – and theirs are not the only hungry bellies. It is time for a bite and we have plenty of gastronomic options here.
Our tranquil seafront rooms and pool area are cleverly tucked away from the main hotel lobby and slime-infested Aqua Park, but are home to three restaurants. I enjoyed a chicken Caesar salad for lunch at the beach front Bikini Bottom Bar and there was the fast-food style Good Burger restaurant to keep my chip-loving daughter happy. But the highlight was our evening dinner buffet experience at the Yacht Club, where we gorged ourselves on everything from freshly made tacos to kids’ favourite pasta and pizza.We were lucky enough to be staying on Halloween, which the Yacht Club celebrated in spectacular style. From the spooky decorations that appeared overnight, to all the staff in costume and the incredibly inventive Halloween-themed buffet food, it was a fantastic evening as we watched the sunset over the sea.
In this delicious environment our waistlines are in serious danger. Our days start with a minibus trip to Le Spatula restaurant in the main lobby where buffet breakfast is laid out in almost endless fashion amid SpongeBob SquarePants inspired decor. Yes it’s breakfast but I take special delight in raiding the kids section for a few chips and sugary sweets before opting for the fruit platter and then scrambled egg. I get back to the table to find Lauren sipping champagne, Adam downing a chocolate milkshake and Clara getting stuck into Diet Coke. It’s 8am but why not? We are on holiday!
In a desperate bid for exercise we leave the breakfast eating marathon for the resort’s main attraction – Aqua Nick. This is a self-contained water park in the hotel complex where most residents are headed for their daily fix of fun in the sun. We head to the first of two almost endless lazy rivers which wind their way around the park and allow me to bob around in a blow-up ring while the kids delight in splashing me.
Next it’s the Paw Patrol Adventure Bay, where I join the mini ones on the slides and in classic Brit fashion forget to apply any sun cream and soon get crisply burnt. Undeterred, the kids drag me to the pool area where the fun continues. It is brilliantly designed to challenge the little ones with a rope bridge and moving water platform for them to negotiate.
We enjoy the waves created by a massive diver’s buoy that plunges up and down and Clara bravely tries out a climbing wall with the pool beneath providing a watery, soft landing. It’s the rainy season but a quick tropical downpour does not dampen the spirits as the sun and heat resumes within seconds and a cooling Pacifico beer or two is consumed.
The Aqua Park is also home to an array of mega slides for the full-on thrill seeker. But even the climb up the tower beats me and I chicken out and head back to the lazy river. Grab and go food is never far away with a series of fast food options available pool-side including pizza slices, chicken strips and of course burger and chips.
But we have a special brunch to enjoy. Just like Disney, guests are able to book brunches with the characters from their favourite TV programmes at the Nick Bistro. While consuming a fabulous spread the star-struck kids were able to pose for pictures and collect autographs from SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer and the Paw Patrol characters.
It’s all becoming Nickelodeontastic and we finish off our last day by the pool with dinner at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle themed Piazza, where it’s all about the turtles favourite food – pizza. For families with kids this really is total heaven.
All you can eat food, cooling dips to escape the heat in the pool and favourite TV characters wherever you turn. Head to Mexico, head to the Nickelodeon – and have the slime of your life!
Book the holiday
- British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya in Mexico from £1,989pp, based on a family of four travelling from Gatwick on selected dates in March. Includes 23kg baggage and all-inclusive accommodation, book by January 6. britishairways.com/content/holidays/caribbean/cancun
- More info at visitmexico.com
