Shrieking for help, the fair damsel floated on a raft in the center of the swimming pool, pursued by a fearsome crocodile. Over the course of a half-hour that had young people cheering and adults chuckling, a series of heroes came to the rescue, only to be foiled in various ingenious ways. Adding to the pleasure was the fact that Superman had doubled as your tennis teacher that morning, and the “damsel” taught you yoga the day before.

Club Med Cancun Yucatan, until recent years just one of three North American Club Meds that did not allow children, has gone from the singles to the family scene. After Hurricane Wilma in 2005 smashed into the so-called Mayan Riviera, bursting windows, hurling furniture and flooding guest rooms all along the gorgeous beach anchored by Club Med, renovations were clearly in order. The new club, which reopened in 2006, has joined the 46 Club Meds in all parts of the world that cater to children and young people.

In an area once reserved for an active singles scene is a newly constructed game room, with padded play areas, life-sized toy cars and a number of different ball games — an ideal entertainment park for youngsters. Programs for young people, from sport lessons to a circus to crafts, fill children’s days with fun and learning. 

Even the very youngest visitors are accommodated. Included in the package are cribs and equipment to prepare your infant’s meals. On a recent visit, the gorgeous dining room, which looks over the water, was equipped with a phalanx of highchairs and had added a special Baby Zone filled with sweet and savory baby food. or children 4 months to 8 years, an evening “Pajama Club” offers supervised napping, reading and videos while parents dine and enjoy the shows, and there is even individualized in-room babysitting.

For those no longer in Club Med’s traditional single clientele, the switch provides an almost ideal setting for a family vacation. Also included is Mini Club Med, for children 4-10 years, in which children are supervised as they experiment with the flying trapeze, tennis, soccer, sailing, in-line skating, games and arts and crafts. For teenagers, there are these activities plus excursions, evening events, the chance to participate in performing arts such as hip-hop, theater and musical instruments, and the opportunity to hang out and make friends in a protected and supervised environment.

All of this is added to the amenities that have long made Club Med in general, and this particular club in particular, attractive. Club Med Cancun Yucatan is situated on a prime piece of real estate — the best beachfront in Cancun. Not only can visitors enjoy the white sand and azure water, they can water ski in the lagoon that adds so much to the natural beauty of the setting.

I visited the club recently because I was curious about the recovery from hurricane damage to the hotel and the surrounding area. The resort has been masterfully restored. The front desk has been glassed in and its décor updated, making one’s arrival quite elegant. The rooms are refurbished in what seems to be the new Club Med look (see my article about the newly reopened club on artinique) with television and mini-bar. The former outdoor bar has been glassed-in as well — in my opinion a less-than-satisfactory move. But new outdoor seating and bars have been added. The only witnesses to the destruction are a few towering palm trees that are entirely decapitated.

One of the attractions of the Yucatan area is its proximity to centuries-old ruins that bear mute witness to the Mayan culture and sometimes cruel customs, which I detailed after a visit a few years ago. I was curious to see how these areas had withstood the hurricane’s wrath, so I visited Tulum, a former port with a fascinating array of stone structures.

Again, the only sign of Nature’s heavy hand was in the vegetation. When I questioned a guide, he nodded nonchalantly, reminding me that these stone ruins had lasted through hundreds of hurricanes.    (Shortly after I left, Tulum was again struck by Hurricane Dean; I held my breath as the storm originally targeted the long-suffering hotels. I understand from news reports that the ruins escaped major damage.)

Another change that is, in my opinion, for the worse is the disappearance of the dive boats that used to operate from a dock on the Club Med campus. Now if you want to dive, you have to go downtown, either by taxi ($12) or by bus (70 cents). I rode down on the former because I was anxious about missing the start time, but returned on the latter, carrying my dripping equipment (the bus driver didn’t seem overly concerned). The dive was fine, if crowded, but the whole process is a much bigger hassle and more expensive than it used to be.

Diving aside, since its renovation, Club Med Cancun Yucatan has been reshaped into the perfect playground for active people with children, who will learn new skills and be thoroughly entertained, while parents feel pampered.

Happy Traveling!

Captions: 1. The renovated resort includes luxury rooms overlooking a lagoon. 2. The renovations have made the resort baby- and child-friendly. 3. The closed-in bar was not a particularly welcome addition to this visitor. 4. The only signs of the hurricane that forced the renovations are damaged palm trees. 5. The ruins of Tulum have survived centuries of storms, and look to survive centuries more.