Hotel Xcaret Mexico

Nice place for tourists and business man

This place is like a bad cruise ship that never leaves the port. We bought the top package at this place, $2500 a night, and it was still terrible for us. Yes we are Americans, and not used to HEAVILY authentic Mexican food, picture bowls of slop you can choose from to put on your plate at the buffet, unless you want to wait 30 minutes for the custom egg or torta line, then go wait another 20 minutes for your coffee or cocktail before you sit down. Our “package” came with a butler, when we told him about the horrible experience, the solution was to send us breakfast in our room. Great in theory but the food never came. In all, we ordered room service 5 times and it only arrived once. The butler’s solution was to only order room service through him. Except… it STILL did not show up. We had to have our travel agent instacart us groceries so our kids would eat. A big disclaimer is that my kids are real picky eaters but we thought Mac and cheese could be found somewhere… think again. There were amazing restaurants that my wife and I were allowed to dine at but kids were forbidden. Crazy that this is a family place. You are forced to eat at buffets if you want to eat with your kids. The food at these places was just plain gross. But they have steak… overcooked cheap cuts of steak. But they have shrimp… unpeeled undeveined shrimp. And the food is supposed to be the selling point of this place?! Our trip was a little comical on how bad it got as a very loud whirling noise woke us up out of bed in the morning and did not stop till we went to bed. The butler informed us that it was an emergency generator and nothing could be done but listen to it for the rest of day. Then It started raining and our roof started to leak and we just had to find the humor in it. We informed them of the issue and still no answer. I’m finding it hard to put in words how bad the experience was and this was with the top tier package. They seemed horrified when I told them on the way out they we would not be back, as if they could erase the fact they just gave me 5 days of horrible food and service. I will end on a positive note, I had a blast with my family and I’m proud of them that we didn’t let Xcaret ruin our precious time together. One last shout out to the pool bartender who smiled and served drinks tirelessly, she was amazing.

I genuinely don’t understand the hype around Hotel Xcaret. After spending thousands of dollars for a family vacation, this was one of the most disappointing luxury resort experiences we’ve had. We’ve previously stayed at Nickelodeon Riviera Maya and Moon Palace, and both offered significantly better service, food, and overall value. The biggest issue is that Xcaret’s reservation system feels like it’s stuck 15 years in the past. For a resort that markets itself as world-class, it’s astonishing that you can’t simply make restaurant reservations or manage your stay through the app. Instead, you’re forced to hunt down one of the many “concierges” standing around with iPads. Unfortunately, most of our interactions were unhelpful—they seemed more like human kiosks than people empowered to solve problems. A perfect example of the poor organization happened while waiting for a shuttle to one of the parks. Nearly 100 people were standing around waiting for a bus that could only accommodate about 70 passengers. There was no employee organizing a line, answering questions, or managing expectations. People became frustrated as they realized they’d have to wait another 20 minutes for the next bus simply because there was no basic crowd management. Our biggest frustration involved our room reservation. During the online booking process, the system would only allow four guests in the room and would not let us add our 6-year-old daughter. Rather than booking a second room for a small child, we figured we’d simply pay whatever the additional child fee was upon arrival. Instead, we were quoted an unbelievable $3,200 to add our 6-year-old for just four nights—more than half of what we had already paid for the other four guests. We were fully prepared to pay a reasonable amount, somewhere around $1,500–2,000, but $3,200 felt completely unreasonable. Even more disappointing was the complete lack of empathy or willingness to work with us. After multiple conversations, the only “solution” management offered was a discount on a future stay. That response completely missed the point. We politely declined because there won’t be a future stay. The room itself also wasn’t what you’d expect from a premium resort. The plumbing was poor. The sinks drained slowly, there was an unpleasant sewer odor coming from the drains, and every toilet flush created noticeable suction in the sink plumbing—clear signs that the plumbing system isn’t functioning properly. The food was another major disappointment. Despite all the marketing around their “world-class” dining, most restaurants served very similar, mediocre food with bland seasoning. Much of it felt repetitive regardless of where you ate. Then, after building up expectations, they constantly encourage you to pay extra for premium cuts of meat or seafood. The portions at many restaurants were also surprisingly small—closer to tapas than full entrées. For a luxury all-inclusive, we expected much better. The pools themselves were clean and well maintained, but the operating hours were shorter than we would have liked. Extending pool hours would have made the resort much more enjoyable in the evenings. The children’s facilities also felt strangely designed. There’s a room for ages 3–10 where parents are expected to stay with their children, which limits its usefulness. Then there’s a separate teen room where parents are not allowed inside at all, despite having no idea who is supervising or interacting with your children. That policy felt odd and uncomfortable. Another game room consisted mostly of a small collection of aging retro arcade machines, which wasn’t particularly impressive. The grounds are undeniably beautiful, and access to the Xcaret parks is a major advantage. However, beautiful landscaping alone cannot make up for poor organization, inflexible customer service, mediocre food, outdated technology, and policies that leave guests feeling like they’re inconveniences instead of valued customers. For the amount of money Hotel Xcaret charges, I expected a luxury experience. Instead, I left feeling that the resort prioritizes appearances over customer service. We’ve stayed at Nickelodeon Riviera Maya and Moon Palace, and both delivered a much better experience with superior food, smoother operations, and staff who actually seemed empowered to help.

I wouldn’t be writing this review if my husband hadn’t spent so much money on this vacation. First, Andrea, our concierge, was absolutely amazing. She was kind, attentive, and the highlight of our stay. Santi was also wonderful. Unfortunately, the rest of our experience was incredibly disappointing. For a resort that markets itself as luxury, the service was nowhere near the price. Many employees were rude, dismissive, and treated us like an inconvenience. Almost every request was met with “we don’t have that,” from bottled water and straws to simple requests like a high chair for our toddler. Housekeeping missed our room multiple times, dirty towels sat outside for days, and the walkway outside our room stayed dangerously slippery. The food was another huge letdown. The “fresh” orange juice was obviously watered down, buffet stations were often missing items, and the quality simply didn’t match a luxury resort. Our worst experience was at Los Faroles. After declining a wine recommendation, our server’s attitude completely changed. He then served our toddler a raw steak, which was unacceptable. After returning home, both my husband and I got sick. I can’t say where it came from, but it certainly added to an already disappointing trip. The property is beautiful, but beautiful views don’t make up for poor service, constant upselling, and an experience that fell far below expectations. We expected luxury. Sadly, we didn’t receive it.

Had a great stay for business at The Hamilton. Great location and great customer service. A special shout on to Sabrina at the front desk for going above and beyond to make sure my stay was pleasant. Great job!