Hotel Xcaret Mexico

We had a fantastic experience. This was our 4th time in Mexico and was our most Mexican experience yet. The hotel was a great adventure in itself with plenty of nooks to explore. The parks were equally good and really rounded the experience for us. As it was a 2 week holiday we ate in the majority of the restaurants and honestly can’t say I had a bad meal, however I do love Mexican food so for people who want American may struggle. Overall my best experience in a AI with plenty to do and I can’t recommend it enough. Slightly ‘better if’ is the checking in process. We got a taxi so we missed the crowd however it still took us over an hour as we were with another family and they just couldn’t work out how to get our rooms close together. Even so still great and would go back in a heartbeat.

Everything at the resort was fantastic. The rooms were wonderful and clean, The restaurants served delicious food with a great variety. The pool was the best I've ever been in. The closeness to the beach was fun and beautiful. All the parks that were included with the resort were lots of fun and full of adventure. I LOVED IT !!!!

One of the most beautiful resorts I’ve ever visited. The architecture, landscaping, and connection with nature are truly breathtaking. You can tell the owner had an incredible vision when creating this property. While there were several things we absolutely loved, there were also some service issues that kept the experience from being exceptional. What We Loved * The river was absolutely magical. Our kids loved swimming in it and stopping to pose for pictures. * The Muluk Spa, family spa, and complimentary morning yoga classes were fantastic. The yoga instructor was excellent, and it was the perfect way to start the day. * Our 9-year-old son loved the water slides and spent hours enjoying them. * The coffee and cookie station near the outdoor lobby quickly became one of my favorite spots. * The two hammocks on our balcony were my husband’s and my favorite feature of the room. We spent many peaceful moments relaxing there. * The room layout was perfect for families. We stayed in a room with two queen beds and a sofa bed, which comfortably accommodated our family of four. * Bring a reusable water bottle. The resort has filtered water refill stations everywhere * The infinity pool overlooking the ocean is stunning and one of the highlights of the property. * Transportation between the hotel and parks is very convenient. The complimentary buses run regularly (expect about a 20-minute wait at times) and make it easy to explore without worrying about driving, especially if you’re enjoying the all-inclusive drinks. * Next time I’d love to stay at Casa Sol, where some rooms have balconies that lead directly to the river. Being able to jump into the river for a morning swim looks amazing. Areas That Need Improvement * Housekeeping was inconsistent. Our minibar and bottled water were not restocked, even after several calls to reception. * Restaurant reservations were impossible to get. We booked 1.5 months before. We were told reservations should be made months before arrival. Thankfully, the buffet restaurants offered plenty of variety. * The buffet stations need better staffing. Many stations had only one employee taking orders and preparing food, resulting in long lines. Communication was minimal, and if ingredients ran out, the station would sometimes sit unattended for 10–20 minutes while the employee went to the back. * Check-in and check-out lacked warmth. The process felt transactional and didn’t reflect the warm hospitality Mexico is known for. * Service throughout the restaurants was inconsistent. Servers often brought our first drinks but didn’t return to check on us or offer refills. * The membership presentation was disappointing. Flor, our sales representative, was wonderful—knowledgeable, friendly, and respectful. Although we declined to purchase a membership, her manager became aggressive and made us feel uncomfortable by insisting we would regret our decision and that there would be “no turning back.” It left a negative impression. * Some of the bus drivers were friendly, while others ignored guests who thanked them, especially if they hadn’t received a tip. * The boats to Xcaret Park were difficult to use. Although they are scheduled every 30 minutes, they were always full when we tried, so we never had the opportunity to ride them. Overall Hotel Xcaret México is an extraordinary property with incredible architecture, thoughtful design, and a unique vision that celebrates Mexican culture and nature. It has the potential to be one of the best resorts in the world - especially because you have full access to all the parks and many excursions as part of your all inclusive. 5 days at this hotel was not enough to enjoy all its amenities and attractions. However, what holds it back is the inconsistency in service. The physical resort exceeds expectations, but the hospitality often falls short of the standard the property deserves. Better training, stronger management, and greater attention to guest service would elevate the experience to match the owner’s remarkable vision. The property itself feels like a 5-star experience, but the inconsistent service keeps it from reaching that level.

We bought a ticket to go on a swim with dolphins at the airport. We were not informed it involved anything. The provided transportation to get there from our hotel. When we got there we were told we need to attend a 90 minute presentation which we never knew was part of it. We spent 5 hours there going from a sales person to a supervisor then to a quality control …etc. At the end we didn’t want to buy what they offered and after that nobody wanted to even talk to us. We alro didn’t get to swim with the dolphins. We lost an entire day of our vacation on a sham sales pitch. A horrible experience.

I cant knock the hotel itself, beautiful and well maintained. The negatives, which you should all read if you are intending to stay. I pre-empted a list of questions to the hotel chat months ago, so I had all the (what I thought) correct info. They need to train their staff more. 1) After a ten and a half our flight from London, we arrived evening time, with moany, tired kids. We were told it would be a simple case of meeting with hotel staff on arrival. No-one was there in arrivals. We had to walk outside and ask random people where we get the transport to the hotel, eventually we were directed to a Hotel Xcaret lounge/room, (just as you walk out of the terminal, on the right this was terminal 3 Cancun airport) - Air con in the room (thankfully) and there was one guy with poor English who sat us down and I filled out some forms. Transport to the hotel was fine. 2) The rooms were clean and lovely, we asked for two pool access rooms with twin beds within close proximity, 6 of us travelling, 3 per room. One room was in another casa, which was too far way. Neither room had 2 double beds, we used the sofa beds so the kids could "sleep over" and swap if they wanted. If you want anything specific, they seem to just ignore your requests. Also if you did loose a wrist band, it would cost you $400 dollars, they made that clear, so that was a constant check that the kids had not lost one. 3) The room linen was changed daily, no problem there, but the mini bar and coffee condiments were not. Even when I asked multiple times, they said yes yes, but no they were not. 4) The buffet restaurants, we learnt quickly, get in there for breakfast before 7.30am and you didn't have to queue long, otherwise it was a 30+ minute wait in the sun to get in. The buffet restaurants are ok food wise, but its very very same-y. 5) Unless you want a shock, book the Japanese restaurant before your holiday, I was told you have book the bookable restaurants when you are there, and its a day or two wait, but there was no free slots so we couldn't book a meal during our stay. 6) Be VERY careful with HA and the other bookable restaurants, even with an all inclusive, these are not included, we had 2 bottles of French wine with steak and lobster and at hotel checkout the meal cost £1417 USD (I have uploaded the "invoice" here as proof). That was for 1 meal for 4 people (2 adults and 2 children) One child just had a plate of fries. I just sat there and laughed at my own stupidity and paid it. A bottle of Red wine, (which same bottle is sold for about £17 in Waitrose) was marked up to $170 dollars. So stick to the two buffet restaurants or the restaurant by the kids "Octopus pool". 7) The XCARET parks are great, obvs its busy, but the transport buses are good, the boat to Xcaret park from hotel Xcaret is best, but its busy and some days they only had one boat doing the trip. 8) Unpleasant when leaving the hotel, we had to wait for about an hour at the reception area standing in the sun not being told what was going on. Also got hassled with booking at the hotel again at a reduced rate which was unpleasant, we just wanted to get to the airport. Lovely hotel, lovely setting, bad customer service. Will I return? No, this was a one off, the hotel is lovely, the bars /pools are great, parks are worth it, but its mostly the poor service from the staff, if you ask for anything, you get ignored or fobbed off. The amount of money I paid for the holiday does not match the 5 star experience I was expecting at all.