Zanzibar, Sri Lanka or Mexico? Easter ‘26 family holiday with DC 15 & 11.

[R00tat00tt00t]

Looking to go somewhere a bit more exotic/tropical for some sun, sea and adventure with DH and DC. Unfortunately the kids school hols are a bit staggered (different schools) so can only get away for 9 or 10 nights which rules out some other destinations (Vietnam, Bali etc).
Any suggestions, recommendations or advice would be great in helping me narrow things down. Thanks

Sri Lanka needs more than 10 days to do it justice, especially if you don’t want to go at break-neck speed!
Have a look at the Xcaret parks in Mexico. Your dc would be the perfect age to really enjoy them.

What sort of things do your DCs like? Zanzibar is great for kitesurfing. Stone Town is an amazing historical site and there are lovely sandy beaches all around the island

It’s a while since we went to Sri Lanka. There weren’t the range of activities there that there were in Mexico. Again, the beaches were great in Sri Lanka, far better than in Cancun.

Thanks @Forgottenmyphone, I’ll take a look at those.

@cheapskatemum They are quite easy to please really. They love to swim and snorkel in warm water and would be up for ‘tame’ water sports like SUP boarding or kayaking. They’d probably quite enjoy a boat trip (yacht/catamaran). They love good food and enjoy seafood and trying local cuisine. Also happy in a pool, maybe with a few slides. Neither particularly into more extreme activities like white water rafting or zip wires and neither are we. We all like wildlife and would be interested to see some local species ideally in their natural environment. We all enjoy experiencing some local culture too but would like a mix of that and relaxation.

Swimming in the sea off Sri Lanka is not very safe (does depend on which side of the island though). The surf is extremely strong. Have a google, I'm sure others can explain it better than me but I've been in the sea off the south coast and I wouldn't repeat it after half drowning!

Thanks for that @user946372, helpful to know.

I know you've said Vietnam is too far but if flight times worked out you could do a 9-10 night stint in the central region and not move around the other main cities - Hoi An and De Nang are a good location for mix of beach, pool and few day trips out to other areas and long enough of a stay that jet lag wouldn't be an issue.

Can fly direct to Hanoi or HCM and then the connection is only around an hour. We've done Mexico and Sri Lanka too and the flight to Vietnam isn't much longer at all, recently did it in only 2 hours more.

From what you’ve said, I think Zanzibar would be a good fit. I’ve been twice and can’t think of any pools with slides, but the seafood & food in general is very good in the resorts and wildlife and local culture is very easy to access. We stayed at Kisiwa and would recommend it.

I've only been to Mexico and would say you need to be aware of the sargassum issues if going in the summer - but it is a wonderful place to take teens. I agree with a PP that the Xcaret parks are great fun and would definitely recommend, as a much cheaper option there are lots of cenotes. The ruins are amazing and there are lots of options, the buses are excellent, there is a brand new tourist train that covers the area (Yucatan) and the taxi prices are generally listed up around - it is a really easy place to travel IMO.

At the Punta Laguna nature reserve (taxi ride from Coba ruins) the locals will take you spotting spider monkeys. We had a really great experience there. For me I'd avoid staying in Cancun or PDC - but I'm not into those big tourist centres - I'd stay in Akumal if you can afford it, turtle spotting right off the beach. Read up on sargassum though as it may be a problem there too. The food, including the street food is amazing.

Thanks for all the great advice everyone. I wouldn’t have thought about the sargassum @Sandy420so thanks for pointing that out.

Going to have a proper look at how compatible the available flights are with our dates and getting back in time for return to school (factoring in for potential delays and jet lag). Also weighing up whether a package deal is better or separate flights and hotel or Intrepid tour… There are quite a few options so need to find the best value. Any suggestions re; companies you’ve used (or who to avoid) would be appreciated.