Have you ever been somewhere and had to ask yourself “is this real life?” That’s how I felt during our week at Hotel Xcaret Mexico. My husband and I returned from our stay just over a week ago and can’t stop talking about it. Conversations have recently been going something like this:
Me: Hey, remember last week when…
Him: That was the best resort I’ve ever been to.
Me: I know. Can we go back!
Him: I wish.
Sadly, it’s not very likely that we will return to Hotel Xcaret because when we booked our stay (in December 2017 for our February 2018 trip) we got an amazing deal. One of those “too good to be true” deals, but this one was for real! The resort opened in early December 2017 and they were obviously quite eager to get guests on the property, so deals were everywhere.
Take this journey with me as I walk you through the Hotel Xcaret Mexico resort features, amenities, our experience, and the beautiful scenery (that photos cannot do justice) from earlier this month.
The Resort:
The resort was located approximately 45 minutes from the Cancun Airport and a 15 minute drive from Playa del Carmen. It is a large resort with over 900 rooms, but it didn’t feel too big. The resort prides itself on being part of nature and bringing the natural elements into the design and overall experience. It is set in the Mayan jungle and on the coast of the Caribbean with beautiful lagoons, walking paths, beach areas and wonderful foliage everywhere.
There were numerous pools to choose from – if you liked action the main infinity pool (that was also heated) was the place to be. If you like a more quiet atmosphere, there were four pools in the middle/back of the resort, and if you had children there was a kiddie pool with an octopus slide and waterfall. Every pool had either a swim-up bar or a bar nearby, and there were always resort staff coming to take drink orders regularly throughout the day.
The main building was centrally located and had the main buffet, and three additional restaurants, sports bar, lobby bar, conference rooms, shops, and concierge/front desk. The remaining restaurants were located closer to the beach. I really enjoyed the layout of the resort and found that there because there were so many options to choose from for pools/beaches you could always find a chair easily.
Points to note: restrooms were very spread out and not ideally located near some of the pools/beach areas. Lifeguards were at every pool, and spread out throughout the lagoon area. If chairs with towels were unattended for a period of time, lifeguards/pool attendants would remove these to ensure chairs were not sitting “reserved” all day long.
Our Room:
The room was quite spacious and very comfortable. We were located near the main building, so we found it very convenient for getting to restaurants, the main lobby and the quiet pools (which we preferred anyways!). The room is what I would call “open concept” meaning the bathtub is out in the open in the main area, the sink is right behind the bed, and there isn’t too much privacy. We didn’t mind this, but something to note if you are going with friends/family. Watch the video tour of our room here.
Points to note: there were toiletries provided and refreshed daily as they were used. The hammocks were very comfortable! The bed was very comfortable – I wish my bed at home was this nice.
Food & Drink:
This resort has 10 restaurants and eight bars to choose from. I won’t go into detail on each, but you can check out the detailed descriptions on their site. We tried to go to as many restaurants and bars as possible and found the food and drink quality to be fantastic at all of them.
We liked La Trajinera for breakfast because it had lovely views of the pool and ocean and they had a great selection of fruit there. The Snack Bar was great for lunch, because we could go in our beach wear and had beautiful views of the lagoon area. For dinner we liked going to the main buffet Mercado 17 because they had great tacos and generally the wait was not long (maybe 5 minutes).
The Xin-Gao Teppanyaki restaurant took reservations for the interactive dinner show and these filled up fast! We were lucky that there was a cancellation and we got to attend. Otherwise, there were only reservations for 10:30pm! Way too late for me. The steakhouse said they didn’t take reservations, so you had to go very early, or wait up to an hour and a half if you went too late… we went to late and waited over an hour, but we waited in the sports bar upstairs where you could order appetizers and drinks.
The bars were located throughout the resort and had consistent quality and service. I really liked that this resort didn’t use cheap plastic cups or straws. All drinks were served in glass or heavy plastic cups that were washed and re-used. I didn’t see a single straw the entire week, which is part of their commitment to the environment.
Points to note: We didn’t try the theatre restaurant, as it was closed the week we were there, Fuego Restaurant was exclusively for Casa Fuego guests, and Ha Restaurant had an additional charge to dine there (and it was something like $100 US per person!). The Chibali snack bar was open for lunch and looked geared toward picky eaters and kids – it was mostly kid friendly food to choose from.
All-Fun Inclusive:
When we were researching this resort we saw that it offered “All-Fun Inclusive” and we had no idea what this meant. After we looked into it we learned that it included access to the Experiencias Xcaret’s nature parks and tours, as well as unlimited food and drinks at these parks. We didn’t go to any of the parks (I think you would need two-weeks of vacation to relax and do the activities here) but we did go to Xoximilco Cancun (a fantastic Mexican fiesta with music and dinner on board colourful barges) and on the Xixhen Deluxe Tour (to see Chichen Itza, have an authentic Mexican lunch and to see a lovely cenote). These activities alone would have cost us over $300 USD and it was included… a fantastic deal.
Points to note: Most of these parks/tours cost at least $100 USD per person! If you are very active and like to have adventure, this resort is a fantastic deal for you and your family. I’m not a numbers person, but with six parks and four tours included… that is a huge potential savings!
Service/Amenities:
The service at the hotel was fantastic no matter what restaurant, bar or pool you were at. Employees were onsite in abundance, and the only time I really had to wait for a significant period of time was at the concierge desk as that is the main desk for booking excursions, getting information, and booking transportation. The hotel offers their own private airport shuttle service to and from the Cancun Airport. You can reserve your spot 24 hours in advance, and these shuttles leave every 30 minutes. If you’re travelling with children or teens, there are programs for them at the Kids Club and Teens Club to keep them entertained. For fitness fanatics, there are three gyms on site – two of which are for specific room categories only. There is also a spa on site, with services available for additional charges.
Points to note: The staff at the resort went out of their way to ensure you were comfortable, had what you needed and were all very friendly. I’ve been to resorts in the past where this was not the case, and I think it makes a world of difference!
Overall:
I will say that our travel style is not luxury and we don’t look for anything that is extremely fancy. As my blog clearly states, I am an average tourist, and both my husband and I have what we would say are middle-of-the-road expectations for our vacations. We aren’t really interested in camping/hostel vacations (not that there is anything wrong with them!) and we aren’t looking for extremely high-end ritzy accommodations. I hope you enjoyed my Hotel Xcaret Mexico resort review, and get some tips if you’re planning a vacation there. This has been the nicest resort both my husband and I have ever been to, and I would be extremely happy to return in the future.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
4 comments
We are staying at the Hotel in July and we are getting the swim up garden but it is not showing the room inside, what room did you stay in?
We were in 4602 in Casa Viento. The swim up rooms are similar from what I’ve heard though.
Thanks so much for this super detailed description of your stay. I was skeptical at first because there were no pictures of the rooms. However, your blog really is making me lean in this direction. I have a few more questions for you:
– Was there an even mix between authentic Mexican and American food?
-Even though its all inclusive, did it feel like the food was ordered off a menu?
– How were the alcoholic drinks and were they limited?
Thanks so much!
Thanks for the comment! It was a fantastic resort and we were skeptical booking as well for similar reasons. Here’s my take on your questions:
– I thought there was a good mix between authentic Mexican food and American food at most buffets and restaurants. The only one I thought was “too American” was the one by the kids pool. But that was probably because it was geared toward children (a lot of fried foods, pizza, sandwiches, burgers etc.)
– There was a good mix between sit down & order your meal restaurants, and buffet. If you prefer one over the other they good variety for both.
– Drinks were great and unlimited. They had top shelf alcohol included, and the drinks were all served in nice cups/glasses – not the cheap flimsy plastic ones at most resorts. I heard that some very expensive brands were not included (but I had Hennessey and it was included) and never actually heard anyone being charged for more expensive alcohol. The beer is very light (I like stronger beers like IPA and ales) and they had Corona, Corona light, Modelo and Modelo Dark. They only had cans of beer as well – the taps weren’t set up yet.
Hope that helps!