Hotel Xcaret Mexico

Although we paid for the premium restaurant package, we were unable to get reservations to any of the premium restaurants we planned to dine at during our week long stay at Mexico. They premium restaurants ( except the ones where you pay additional charges) were essentially all fully booked prior to our arrival, forcing us to eat at buffets virtually every night. When we made our hotel reservations, we were advised by the hotel’s booking system that we would be contacted 30 days prior to our arrival to book restaurants and activities. This did not happen. We then tried several times to book restaurants and activities through the hotel. We did not receive a response from the hotel after several attempts. When we arrived, we again asked for reservations but were told that basically all the good restaurants were fully booked for our week entire week stay. The hotel did say there may be openings, so each day we asked and each day we were told there were none. They did however tell us just to go to the restaurant and put ourselves on the waiting list as there are cancellations if guests do not arrive within 10 minutes of their reservation time. We did that and were told we were sixth on the list. After an hour, we checked to see how much longer it would be. They told us we were still sixth on the list. We once again ate at buffet.

To start, in my opinion, avoid the reviews and fan pages on Facebook. They heavily monitor and review all posts, so anything negative is almost never allowed. To preface this review, we’ve been to multiple family friendly resorts in Cancun area with our family of 4. The most similar imo to Hotel Xcaret is The Grand Moon Palace. My review takes into consideration the extra cost of Hotel Xcaret Mexico vs. The Grand. We spent $6,500 for The Grand while Xcaret was around $8,000. Arrival: We stayed from March 17-24 in Phase 1 (older side) of the resort. We did a private Costco shuttle, which was great. Arrived at the hotel before 3pm, so room was not ready but they took our bags and allowed us to enjoy the resort. Checkin was normal for an all inclusive, a bit lengthy with numerous sales pitches along the way. We declined the membership meeting. Tried to give us lots of freebies but still declined. Room: Room was really nice even on the older side. Our room overlooked a pool and the river at a distance. I would say overall the rooms are smaller at Hotel Xcaret vs The Grand but comparable in quality. Room Service: The Grand’s room service is light years better than Hotel Xcaret. Hotel Xcaret has wait times of 2-3 hours consistently. Often orders never showed up with no indication why. The Grand is always an hour or less. They NEVER bring water to the room. Despite around 6 requests to front desk, concierge, and room service, we never got more water to the room. Or any drinks for that matter. We ordered room service 6x while there, 3 orders never showed. Drinks/Food/Restaurants: Alcohol drinks are similar at both hotels, not much difference. Food is superior at Hotel Xcaret Mexico but reservations are more difficult. Buffet quality at. hotel Xcaret leans heavily Mexican, which is a major plus and far better than The Grand buffets. Amenities: The amenities at both resorts are awesome. I would say there is more activity at The Grand resort, better water park, more arcade, rock walls, etc. at The Grand. hotel Xcaret has the cool parks to visit, but honestly, we only really enjoyed Xplor and Xenses. Xel-ha isn’t really worth the time unless you are really into snorkeling. Xcaret Park is mostly zoo and cultural center. We were pretty underwhelmed by the parks broadly. We visited all of them and only like two. I have two adventurous 13 year olds, so they have limited patience for boredom. Overall: If you are a major foodie, pick Xcaret. Not that the Grand food is bad, just not up to Xcaret. Unless you plan to heavily use the parks, there is far less to do at the Xcaret resorts. Service was generally poor at Xcaret given the price. The lack of water aside from sparse water filling stations was rough. Pools and drinks were awesome. I guess overall I’m not sure it’s worth the extra cost above other resorts.

We traveled with young kids and felt so much joy exploring the property. Every corner we turned revealed a hidden gem, or a stunning view. The property offered such a unique experience and had everything we needed that we never felt that we had to leave. The staff were incredibly accommodating, and the culinary experience was delicious for both a quick bite and a sit down dinner. Our room was comfortable and clean. The property is large and perfectly maintained.

The resort is beautiful. They have a ton of restaurants but we are here for a week and there are 0 reservations available at any restaurants for our entire stay. Apparently you are supposed to call 2 months prior to your stay, but none of the emails or reservation information tells you you need to or how to do it. For a $15,000 vacation, this is ridiculous.

Our wedding week at Hotel Xcaret Mexico was truly unforgettable. From start to finish, everything felt seamless, intentional, and incredibly well done—for us and all of our guests. The service was exceptional, but what really made our experience stand out were our butlers, Julieta and Alejandro. They were absolutely incredible—attentive, thoughtful, and always one step ahead, making the entire week feel effortless. The property is stunning, the food and experiences are top-tier, and our guests are still talking about it. It wasn’t just a wedding—it was an experience we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.