Hotel Xcaret Mexico

Disappointing Decline at Xcaret Mexico We’ve been loyal guests at Xcaret Mexico for years, and we even invested in their Platinum Membership, paying top dollar for what was promised as a truly exclusive experience. Sadly, our most recent stay was extremely disappointing and has likely been our last. We arrived at noon and were told our room would be ready at 3 p.m. — we had planned our whole day around that. Instead, our room wasn’t ready until 6 p.m. We couldn’t access our luggage or do anything meaningful with our afternoon. Worse, this isn’t the first time — it’s the second trip in a row this has happened. What’s most frustrating is how membership “benefits” are being quietly stripped away. As a Platinum Member, I’m supposed to receive priority service and exclusive perks. But during this stay, a manager candidly told me (to my face!) that some benefits are deliberately made hard to redeem — describing it as a strategy to make more money. Not only was this shockingly unprofessional, he was downright rude about it. Another example: our membership contract specifically promises discounts on purchases including spa treatments. When I tried to use it for hydrotherapy, the spa staff just laughed it off and said “members no longer get discounts on that” and actually told me to “read the fine print.” It’s not about the money — it’s about changing the rules on loyal customers without notice. When we first fell in love with Xcaret Mexico, it was for the amazing service, attention to detail, and the feeling of being valued. That’s completely gone. During this visit we met other guests having similar issues and complaints. For us, this was the final straw. It’s incredibly sad to see what used to be our favorite place decline so much. We won’t be returning, and I’d caution anyone thinking of investing in their memberships to think twice — they promise exclusivity and special treatment, but they’re clearly more interested in squeezing out every dollar once you’re locked in.

We had an unforgettable time at Xcaret Mexico, and one of the highlights of our trip was the outstanding service we received from Mauro M. at Las Playas. He went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed and taken care of. Mauro’s warmth, attentiveness, and genuine hospitality truly elevated our experience. Every interaction with him was met with a smile, and he made sure we had everything we needed to relax and enjoy the beauty of hotel River. Thank you, Mauro, for making our stay extra special — we can’t wait to come back!

When you see the last several pages of bad reviews PLEASE read and believe ALL of them! I was debating writing a review and thought, “maybe we just had a rough experience.” Then I read all of the past few weeks and I empathize with everyone that shared in these bad experiences. We booked back in March for our July trip for our 20 year anniversary and to quote the exact email it said, “Our main goal is to provide you with a stress-free experience in an exceptional destination, where the jade-colored jungle meets the turquoise sea. For this, our Guest Service Team will contact you in advance to prepare a tailor-made stay and coordinate your check-in.” Well, we never received any follow up and finally I decided to call, then had to call again a few weeks prior to arrival. We did the whole selecting of our “tailored experience.” So it came back with none of the places we wanted to eat were available, the cave restaurant was one of the main reason we booked this place. We did not do the shuttle, we did the Amstar premium round trip which I would suggest if you can spare a couple hundred dollars, super chill and relaxing especially for an hour drive to and from. Check in is AWFUL!!!! We almost left day 1! We arrived at 12:30 and understand if rooms aren’t available, no worries at all so I asked if there were any upgrade offers and they said, “Since you had issues with no contact and showed proof from guest services we are going to give you 30% off your room or any upgrades, the best room for your family would be the junior suite.” So I said great let’s do it, the they said, “oh, we don’t have any.” And then only offered me the highest room they had then tried to get me to pay even more. Took nearly 3 hours to check in so I just said give me the original upgrade for ocean front and then they said, “oh it’s just garden view.” They just ran me around and almost ruined the first day, defiantly cost us some good quality time! For the record we did not get 30% off. I was so frustrated I asked one of the girls that stand there if they could get me a manger for help and they said there isn’t a manger and I could tell them, when I refused and asked again for a manger they said they would get one, I don’t believe the guy they got was a manger, he did nothing for help at all. We booked the catamaran and then realized we got booked on the ferry, when I went to guest services they said, “there is no more availability for catamaran, we tried to call for you too and no space for Sunday.” So I decided to get online and call, shocker it was available, so they lied, again! Then they charged me $600 for the catamaran, it is not as advertised at all.. The property is gorgeous, no complaints there. It is packed! Room service defiantly doesn’t work, the buffets are slammed, the pizza at the buffet station should not be the best food on site and rarely open. The slides were advertised even on social media while we were there and they were defiantly not open, not sure how they got away with that! Food was decent, monarca was our favorite, Soto was the best waiter the whole time and maybe people don’t know about it but it was empty, it’s super hard to find and a hell of a walk from the other side of the hotel… so for the most part what everyone says is true, it’s a long walk anywhere so be aware of that. I felt like the staff knew they were overwhelmed with the push of opening the new side. The pool tables were blanketed off so you could not play, air hockey was turned off with no power so my kids were pretty disappointed. Upon checkout, the lady said we would be charged for not gong on the catamaran that I paid $600 for! When I told her that made no sense because we did go and the hotel bus took us and brought us back. She then asked if we had picture proof we went and needed to see our photos, what in the world! The parks are super cool, we liked Xel Ha and Xplor Fuego the most. My overall take was the hotel is flat out beautiful, the river was cool. The wait staff is doing their best and super nice. Oh, they do a wonderful marketing job, maybe that’s the issue, no way to live up to the hype. My advice is do a hotel like Garza or Ziva and sign up for the parks on your own. I don’t regret going and I rated it as average because we still had a great time but we won’t be back. They had a really good future booking deal upon checkout and they acted shocked I didn’t do it. The girl seemed offended I didn’t jump to sign up.

We stayed at Hotel Xcaret in January and absolutely loved it — that experience was what convinced us to return in July. But this time? Total nightmare. I genuinely regret coming back, and we still have five more days left here. I wish we had chosen a different hotel. The most outrageous experience happened at the kids' pool. We stepped away for just 15 minutes to grab ice cream, only to come back and find all our belongings taken — including my child’s bathing suit. The pool supervisor, Marco, had removed everything and given our loungers to another family. When I asked what happened, he yelled at me and showed zero remorse. His manager later admitted that their official policy is to remove items only after 2 hours of absence — not 15 minutes — yet no real apology or solution was offered. Instead, they told us to go sit on the beach, which is nowhere near where we wanted to be. It felt incredibly unfair and discriminatory. Marco clearly treated the local Mexican family differently than us — we are white Canadians and felt completely disrespected. It didn’t stop there. The concierge? Useless. We were told all the à la carte restaurants were booked solid and we should’ve made reservations before arrival — how were we supposed to know that? The restaurants are understaffed. No plates, long waits for food or even a simple scoop of ice cream. Mini bar never restocked. Towels are a hassle to find. Room phone? Never answered. And the icing on the cake: the staff constantly push you to sign up for their timeshare presentation instead of actually helping. I don’t know what happened to this place since January, but the quality and service have completely collapsed. What once felt like a luxury resort now feels stressful, chaotic, and poorly managed. I still have 5 days left here, and I already wish I was anywhere else. Do yourself a favor — skip this place.

We postponed our April spring break trip to July 1 which coincided with the opening day of their new area/buildings. This probably contributed to the negative experience. My frustration began 3.5 weeks before the trip when guest services failed to respond to my park and dinner reservations. We had a party of 12. If you also have a large party, send your request separately. My friends, who traveled on July 2, received their confirmation within five business days. I think guest services are just not capable of handling large parties. Another tip — make sure the minor has the same last name as one of the travelers. My sister was traveling without her husband. At check-in, they wanted proof that the two minors, who have different last names, are her children. The resort is beautiful and I like the parks, the food was just okay. We made a dinner reservation, and after waiting for 45 minutes, we were told that they had accidentally gave our table to another party, and there was "nothing they could do." One guest's retainer was accidentally tossed out after the first housekeeping service. It was not wrapped in tissue, placed in towel, or set in a glass. No one answered calls at the front desk, no matter how long it rang. This does not feel like a AAA Five Diamond Hotel.