Hotel Xcaret Cancun - An Honest Review

Although I had read excellent reviews about Hotel XCaret, Mexico I can be particular when it comes to resorts. My family and I prefer smaller, boutique-style hotels, so booking a large resort like Hotel XCaret was a bit daunting for me. Nonetheless, I decided to give it a chance.

At approximately 7pm, we used the transportation provided by the hotel to arrive. Due to exhaustion after a prolonged day of travel, the concierge gave us a condensed introduction to the resort, which we gladly accepted. The brief orientation enabled us to gain a rapid understanding of the resort and avoid the vacation club sales pitch, which did not interest us.

After putting our bags in the room, we went directly to the hotel’s main buffet called the Mercado. While eating our meal quickly, we couldn’t determine whether we were extremely hungry or if the food was indeed excellent. Nonetheless, we concurred that if the buffet’s quality remains as good as this, we’d have a fantastic week ahead.

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Make sure you read our review on the best adventure parks in Cancun.

The following morning, we woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel’s vegan restaurant named Bio. We were delighted to find out that the breakfast was just as enjoyable as the previous night’s dinner. We were impressed because everything about the resort surpassed our expectations. I am thrilled that we chose to spend our spring break at Hotel XCaret Mexico, as it is genuinely one of a kind. Allow me to explain why.

The Location

Hotel XCaret is a beautiful resort that seamlessly blends with the natural surroundings of the Yucatan. The jungle, lagoons, and rivers throughout the resort create a secluded atmosphere. The hotel is situated in Playa Del Carmen, about an hour south of Cancun.

The Ambience

The Hotel XCaret may have 900 rooms, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming due to its spacious design. Despite this, the resort never feels busy and we were able to easily find a spot by the pool or beach without any issues. Additionally, we never experienced any noise problems or had to wait for an elevator during our week-long stay.

You can easily reach: Bus stop, nice Restaurants, Clubs and bars like Coco bongo, the Senor Frogm, La Vaquita, , The City and others.

)Train station and beach are nearby. Grocery stores and a Walmart. You can do some souvenir shopping at  Plaza Kukulkan, Plaza las Americas, La Isla Walmart and Other malls. You can also reach Mercado 28 with a taxi or rental car (using an uber is not recommended while in Cancun

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The resort has 11 restaurants, 13 pools, and a large beachfront lagoon suitable for both kids and adults. The lagoon is especially impressive because many of the beaches in Cancun have seaweed accumulation issues, but we didn’t encounter any seaweed here.

Although drink service is available at the pools and beach so you can get your cocktail and cold beer, there is no food service provided. We found ourselves wanting to order some snacks or tacos by the pool instead of having to go to a restaurant. However, there are quick-serve food carts located around the pool areas that serve items such as burgers, crepes, elote, and ice cream. You will need to go to the food carts instead of having food delivered to you.

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The Rooms

The rooms are large and well-furnished, with our room having two queen beds and a pull-out couch which easily accommodated our family of four. However, the bathroom arrangement was somewhat open-plan, with the sink and whirlpool tub located in the room and the toilet and shower hidden behind a sliding mirror. This layout didn’t suit our family needs, especially with young children.

It is difficult to perform tasks like washing hands and brushing teeth without disturbing others due to the sink being located in the sleeping area. Additionally, the storage space provided, including the drawers and closet, was barely sufficient to accommodate our clothing. The room appears to be designed more for accommodating two people rather than four.

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During our stay, we decided to upgrade our room and switched from an ocean-view suite to a jump-off river suite. It turned out to be a great decision as we got to experience a new section of the resort and enjoy the lagoons and river directly from our room. If possible, I would highly recommend booking one of these rooms.

The swim-up suites provide access to a pool, while the jump-off lagoon suites provide access to the ocean-fed lagoons and rivers, and these are two different types of rooms.

Click to see the best Cenotes near Cancun, our post on how you can get around in Cancun, our guide on our experience in New Year’s in Cancun, the vop places to snorkel and our review of the Dolphinaris and Aquarium.

Restaurants and Dining

The resort has a total of 11 restaurants and a 24-hour room service that is very impressive. We had the opportunity to savor breakfast on our patio, which overlooked the lagoon and watched fishes swimming by. It’s important to add that the resort offers a wide range of options for vegans and vegetarians, including Bio, their entirely vegan restaurant.

Kids

Yes, the Hotel XCaret Mexico allows guests of all ages, whereas its sister resort, Hotel XCaret Arte, is exclusive to adults. Despite this, my 12- and 15-year-old children had an amazing time at Hotel XCaret Mexico and enjoyed the freedom to choose their activities. However, I found it disappointing that an adult companion is required for those under 18 in the game room. As a result, my husband and I were unable to enjoy some private time while our children played.

Bottom Line: Hotel Xcaret Cancun

Although I usually prefer to explore new destinations when traveling, I would happily return to Hotel Xcaret Cancun for another vacation. There is so much to see and do at this resort that we only scratched the surface during our stay. While Hotel Xcaret does many things well, I do have a few suggestions for improvement. Firstly, it would be great if the resort offered a wider variety of room options with different layouts, although I understand this may be a big request. Additionally, it would be fantastic if they provided poolside food service with easy-to-eat and kid-friendly options.

Although we experienced some minor inconveniences, the positives of our stay at Hotel XCaret were much greater. We are definitely planning to visit this hotel again.

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Check out our post on how you can avoid the Sargassum Seaweed in Cancun, when is the peak of the hurricane season and Cancun’s Time Zone.

Hotel XCaret goes beyond the traditional all-inclusive concept and offers an “all-fun” inclusive experience. Guests have unlimited access to nearby parks including Xcaret, Xel-Há, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xoximilco, Xenses, Xavage, and Xenotes. The hotel also includes excursions to various places such as Tulum, Chichén Itzá, and Isla Mujeres. Round trip transportation to the parks is provided as well.

I difficult to choose from all the available activities and options. Eventually, I had to accept that it was not possible to experience everything in just one week. So, I prioritized the activities we were most interested in, which included visits to Xplor Fuego, XCaret, Xel-Ha, Tulum, and Xenses. Additionally, we made sure to dedicate a few days for unwinding and enjoying the resort.

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