Hotel Xcaret Mexico

🌍 So long Hotel Xcaret, it’s been a good ride 🌍 We first visited Xcaret in 2018, just after it opened, and it was like nothing we'd experienced before. As avid travelers, we loved how unique this destination felt, especially with its easy access from the East Coast. The hospitality of the staff was always genuine, and we quickly fell in love with the property. Fast forward to our sixth visit…Xcaret Mexico snd Arte remain stunning and a fantastic destinations, however, we’ve noticed significant changes. The crowds have grown year after year, and what once felt like a peaceful retreat now has a more touristy vibe. As much as we love the food (which is always amazing!), we noticed the staff were struggling to manage the increased numbers. Restaurant reservations can be tricky. The grounds are still beautiful, and it’s a perfect spot for weddings and corporate events. Unfortunately, staying at Casa Viento wasn't ideal due to the loud noise coming from the DJ. The bass thumped until 11 pm, and even after being moved to Casa Espiral, the same thing happened the next night. It was especially frustrating since we were paying $1300 a night, and the management was slow to respond, offering only an apology. We are early to bed, early to rise. We also wanted to share some thoughts on the spa experience. While we love the spas at both Xcaret Mexico and Arte, we were shocked by the recent price hike. A 50-minute massage jumped to $270 on Feb 15th and the 80-minute one is now $342. The hydrotherapy went from $30 to $60, and while the spa is nice, these prices are steep—especially when my massage was rushed and ended after only 45 minutes. Additionally, the time it takes to get to the airport keeps increasing. We were advised to arrive 5 hours ahead this time, which felt excessive. While there’s been talk of construction, I didn’t see any happening during my tecent two visits. The bus ride itself took about an hour, and we scheduled it four hours in advance. I know they need time to turn the rooms over but five hours seems very cautious. We stayed five nights and only received one little basket with turn down treats. No biggie but I know this means a lot to folks who are looking forward to their visit. Lastly, the timeshare sales experience has definitely evolved. When we first visited in 2018, the lowest price for a membership was under $30,000. This year, the entry price was $97,000, and we were passed between multiple salespeople. After enduring the pressure, we were offered four nights for $2,349, which seemed fair, but I can’t say I’d want to deal with that again. In summary, Xcaret is still a beautiful and unique destination, but growth has brought CHALLENGES for the hefty price tag! If you're planning a trip, you’ll likely have a fantastic time, but keep in mind the growing crowds and higher prices. I’m curious to see how the new hotel opening in July will accommodate everyone! 😳 So long, Xcaret. It’s been a great ride, and we’ll always cherish the memories. Best of luck with the next phase(s) of growth and Xpansion. 😉

The reservation process is very confusing. If you don’t care about money and feel is ok to be charged for many experiences you’ll never enjoy, then this is your hotel. I called and asked for prices on different occasions and was given higher prices over the phone vs going directly to their web site. I wonder how many people have over paid for not asking the right questions. Representatives seemed confused about packages, attractions, things to do. They also seemed to be annoyed for questions regarding our stay. I’d suggest you explore other options in the area, more fairly priced, with an actual sand beach, less crowded restaurants, more variety in their culinary offerings, and with the possibility of having the parks you want included (not all of them which you won’t have time to go but still would be charged for).

Resort felt like if I was in a movie. From the moment they picked us up from airport, they offered us drinks. As we arrive at the hotel they greeted us with a damp towel to refresh ourselves and with popsicles. Service was outstanting and food was delicious. It has many choices. Employees were super friendly and helpful. You will never be bored. Highly recommended.

This resort is amazing! I’ve never been to a hotel that’s as nice as this. The hospitality was wonderful. I loved my time here. The weather was beautiful. The water was so clear. The food was so good.. The people were so friendly. The rooms were beautiful and very nice and comfortable. The only problem was the check-in was frustrating because it took a long time. The beautiful caves and water near the beach was unbelievable. I would recommend this 100%.

I travel for work extensively and my husband and I have vacationed all over Mexico and this was by far our favorite hotel and vacation thus far (and we have stayed at some VERY nice places). Most hotels have a beach and a pool and some restaurants and you basically walk back and forth from each and that's it. But at Xcaret, everyday can be a new adventure!! It was a 5 out of 5 stars for us with only a few tiny gripes which I outline below. We stayed for a week at Xcaret Mexico Hotel with our 3 and 5 year old and absolutely loved it! So much to do with kids both young and older. It took us a few days just to explore the grounds and the numerous pools and lagoons. We loved the suspension bridges connecting the buildings too! My kids especially enjoyed the octopus pool with slides just for littles and digging in the sand of the lagoon beaches. Something I will note is that each waterway had life guards on duty! And they were paying attention! The hotel has multiple lagoons with crystal clear ocean water and a white sand beach. There are fish, lizards, turtles, waterfalls, hidden slides and coral reefs. This is great for families with young children! Super safe beach without waves!! The actual beach front is smaller and rocky but you can sit out there and listen to the waves. We had red flags the entire time we were there so no swimming. There is a lifeguard there too. All of the other lagoons and pools either had swim up bars or servers getting drinks for guests. They did a great job bringing drinks and checking in. The service really was wonderful. Genaro at the front desk treated us very well and let us change our room on the day of arrival. The concierge is also very helpful with bookings and moving things around. Just call and you can help with anything. (Tiny gripe #1: they didn't always answer the phone so I had to call back, and you MUST talk to them to change your restaurant or park reservations) The food was AMAZING. We are foodies so we booked a reservation at the hibachi restaurant, the steakhouse, the theater, HA, and Fuego. Truly, this place has the best food I've had at an all-inclusive resort. Even the Mercado Buffet was phenomenal with authentic Mexican and international dishes. We also ate at the seafood restaurant and the beach bar. Again, really good! The seafood restaurant and the buffet both had ceviche bars with my fav aguachile ceviche! The hotel even have street tacos and dessert carts randomly around the property at different times of the day, we LOVED the street tacos!! (Tiny gripe #2 at times the items in the buffet would run out and not be restocked for a long time, this was especially frustrating when it was the chicken tenders which are the one thing my children will eat sometimes) Given this gripe, I must say that there is a second buffet near the kids pool that is SUPER kid friendly and basically has everything your child could ever dream of including donuts, candy, ice cream, hash browns, chicken fingers, pasta, and burgers. We ate there almost everyday for breakfast or lunch. For young kids (again) this place is ON POINT! The theater show was REALLY fantastic! It doesn't start until 8p and was a bit loud if you were sitting right in the front with little kids but worth it. The singing, dancing and instruments were amazing. The harpist is incredible! The bars will serve top shelf liquor and the wine is pretty good as well. Fuego and HA are absolutely worth the extra expense. At Fuego, my husband ordered truffle pasta and it came with big shavings of truffle... yum! (Tiny gripe #3: you must book the hibachi, steak house, HA, and theater a month in advance to get in, you just call the hotel and they will set it all up and email you an itinerary; Tiny gripe #4 don't mess up your reservations because they will charge you a no-show fee for the parks or restaurants). The shuttle to/from the airport is really nice. It's also free and runs every 30 mins. It's a large coach. Don't book separate travel, just arrange to take that from the hotel. The kids club seemed to have good activities that changed everyday and every hour, though my daughter wouldn't stay. You must be 4+ to use kid's club. The parks are an added benefit. You get free admission to 8 parks with your bracelet. We only made it to Xcaret (because there was so much to do at the hotel itself) and we were very impressed. The park is clean, shaded, well laid out and easy to navigate, and so unique. We had an amazing day there. The food and drinks are not included at Xcaret but there are concessions and restaurants everywhere. We saw all kinds of animals and swam with dolphins. Highly recommend with kids again! The shuttle will take you to Xcaret in about 10 minutes but it does have to stop at a number of parks on the way back and can take 30-40 mins. There is a boat that will take you to Xcaret but it was closed for a month during construction while we stayed (we were bummed about this). The Spa is fantastic. My husband and I both had spa services, and that is a must do as well. The spa is so unique and dug into the side of a cave. The hydrotherapy hour is fabulous and there are at least 5 different temperature pools for this plus steam and sauna. My massage was great as was my facial, thank you Nubia! You also get a discount if you book a second service while you're there. For those with littles, the hotel works with Kangaroo babysitting service. I have reviewed them separately on their Facebook page. They were such wonderful, professionals. I am a nervous mom and this was a little out of my comfort zone, but I am so glad we did it. My kids are still talking about their babysitters and what cool fun toys and activities they did. They made us feel at ease and kept our kiddos safe and entertained while we had a lovely adults only dinner! Safety - If safety is top of mind for you, you cannot go wrong here. I NEVER felt unsafe at this hotel. We passed by armed guards at the main entrance to the property, which is HUGE, and includes some of the other parks as well. The main hotel is pretty far back into the property so it felt very secluded and safe. The beach front is not large so there was never anyone there who was not from our hotel. It's also not crowded, so it was not a draw for anyone from outside. We never left the property except to head to the airport and to Xcaret which is within the same grounds. If you are concerned about safety, or traveling with young children, this is a great property for that. A few things to note: there is no food served at the pool, so if you want to eat, you must change out of your wet swimsuit. You can upgrade your room when you get there, we did this and ended up with a swim-up room at the swim-up bar. Great for littles again and for entertaining our 5 yo while our 3yo napped. There is also an app that has a map that is somewhat helpful but plan extra time to find some of the restaurants or beaches. We got lost but it made it fun! Bring bug spray!!