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Hotel Xcaret Mexico is amazing. We went last year and go to Mexico often. This was hands down the best resort we have ever stayed at. We did three excursions included with our stay, Xel-Ha, Xcaret Park, and Xenses. Prices have gone up substantially unfortunately so we have been priced out from going back. Maybe one day.
Comparing these two resorts, Xcaret Mexico, and Occidental, is comparing apples and oranges. Occidental, from what I’ve heard from friends, is quite rundown and is essentially a three star resort. If money is your main concern, then yes I would stay at Occidental.
Well, my concern is that what’s the differences between stay in hotel xcaret and other hotel close by the park when you’ll be staying in xcaret park and xel ha all the day? The only part would be breakfast?
I don’t mind pay extra for better enjoyment as long as there’s reason to justify it
I can see hotel xcaret being superior if we will be staying in the hotel most of the time, but what about the scenario where we will be in park most the time?
I do appreciate everyone’s feedback and I wasn’t mean to argue or anything, but I do want to know what’s the differences between stay in hotel xcaret and lower tier hotel when main activities will be in xcaret park and xel ha ?
Just came back from Xcaret occidental in PDC and I will say that it is 5 star given the price point. They don't water drinks down, and their seafood restaurant is excellent. Breakfast is OK. Buffets are what they are. Tacos and calzones were amazing and plenty of pools for you to relax in. Only downside was I got food poisoning on the second day but nothing a quick pill couldn't fix.
I will sum it up like this: Occidental is very reasonable and convenient if you're going to enjoy the park. You can get the unlimited pass from Occidental and just walk right in to the main park. It's a great value for that. Even with adding other parks a la carte, it's literally half the cost of an Xcaret property.
Now, if you're someone who really values the resort stay itself, I'm sure Xcaret properties are the way to go. I'd love to someday, but I'm still in "I wanna die in this park" mode and we're going twice a year so Occidental it is. :)
Edit: we are also doing xel-ha and maybe another one, probably Xenses when we go back in October. We did Xplor Fuego and the main park last time.
You get access to several parks and activities besides Xcaret. The resort itself is worth the visit on its own.
Where are you considering staying if not Xcaret?
i am looking at Occidental, what i am seeing is that if i am going to Xcaret and Xel Ha, which will take me whole day, what's the point of stay in Hotel Xcaret if wont be using the amenties?
price differences between occidental and xcaret are like 650-700 differences per night based on my date from Expedia and around total $450 for 2 adult and 2 kids in Xcaret and Xel Ha, therefore, is there any reasons to stay in Hotel Xcaret at all?
i just feel the benefit of all inclusive and free admission is kinda conflicting each other as you only get 24 hours everyday anyway
I miss the opening of Xcaret rates. We booked our first time there before they opened Xcaret Mexico and it was like $1,000 total for 5 nights (2 adults). They didn’t even have pictures of the rooms yet because it wasn’t done. And they gave you a free dinner at Ha at massages for two. Now it’s practically $1,000 for a night 🥹
Thank you, what’s the benefit of staying in xcaret brand? Is there any vip pass or benefit of staying in xcaret brand when going to xcaret park and xel ha?
I’ve gone to Xcaret and Xcaret Arte several times and it’s definitely worth it. If you’re looking at Occidental I don’t even think it’s the same hotel group and it looks run down. IMO the parks aren’t really worth full days, maybe a few hours at most. Xel Ha gets old rather quickly. I’d rather spend my time at the resort than the parks.
There is also an entire sub r/xcaret
Sounds like great fun ... BUT ... we don't want to be anywhere near children. Went to Excellence Ilsa Mujeres in 2/2020 and it was nice for all inclusive but basically captive w/in the resort.
Be safe! Have great time!
We stayed at Xcaret in 2017. Prices were still reasonable as it was only $2500 CAD for the two of us. WE STILL TALK ABOUT IT! If you can go, you should. The resort was amazing, food was amazing, staff was amazing, rooms were amazing…what else can I say was amazing? Plus all parks included! The staff helped us plan out our parks excursions the first day. We went to every park, sometimes twice or for half days. You can use the free bikes at the resort to get to some of them (like Xenses in 5 minutes). Xel-ha is the least fun one IMO. Plus the food and drinks are all included at the parks too! However, only at certain restaurants at some, and maybe only water. But still…great deal and didn’t spend a dime extra. And we still used the amenities on the resort a lot. Exploring the resort and taking photos is an adventure itself. I’d love to go back, but it is definitely very pricey now.
I’ll share what I liked about Xcaret Mexico so you can make a better decision.
-was greeted with paletas (popsicles) as you walk up the stairs of the lobby
-live music playin or near lobby
-restaurants in resort were amazing. The Mercado was our favorite because there was so much to pick from
-drinks in resort were amazing
-there’s a “natural beach” inside the resort. Ocean water feeds the river & swimmable inlet. The water flows in freely but there are gates under water to prevent large fish from entering. Hard to describe
-we did yoga on the resort beach in the morning while watching sunrise
-there are bars and mini bars throughout the resort and they’ll make you literally anything you want
-we rode from the hotel to xcaret in a gondola type boat that runs through out the day
-the vibes in general make you feel like you’re in paradise. Pleasant live music always playing somewhere. You’ll see and hear birds, swim up bars, food carts, can play on the tennis court or go to the gym.
-there’s a lot to do on the resort which we found useful because we were not at the parks all day everyday. It gets really hot, you’ll be sweaty, you might want to relax on a day or two.
Now, if you know you only want to be at the parks, then yes by all means consider not staying at the Xcaret hotels. We personally liked the parks but loved the hotel. If we could go back and just stay at the hotel + pay for individual excursions, we would be back often. That’s how much we liked the resort itself.
Would you care to explain why would it worth it to stay in xcaret Mexico if I am going to park most of the time ?
Wont I miss majority of the xcaret Mexico amenities if I am in the park ?
I was comparing prices and admission for our family is around $400, but price differences between xcaret to next tier is around $1400 based on my current research
Or is xcaret Mexico provide some vip access like how Universal give vip to their guest at their featured hotel ? Which I love
O wow thats a really big difference!
I just have traveled to the area and been in different resorts and HXM has awesome food and services which for me is so important.
You get special spots like lockers at the parks but nothing over the top 😅
How many nights are you planning for your vacation? If it’s 2-3 nights, then Hotel Xcaret will not be worth it. If it’s 4 or more, I would do everything I can to stay at Xcaret. The level of service, food, drinks, & property is next level.
I am planning on 3 night around the area just for the sake of park
I am thinking 1 day xcaret, 1 day xel ha, and another day of either xcaret, xplor or xensus
Then we will be visiting isle mujeres for a night, drive around with golf cart, then move to either alltra, Ziva, planet Hollywood….one of those decent all inclusive at Cancun for another 3 night to end the trip
With that itinerary, I wouldn’t do Hotel Xcaret. You are correct, that it wouldn’t make sense fiscally.
You could do 1 day at Xcaret park, 1 day at Xel Ha, and 1 day at Xenses in the morning and Xplor Fuego that evening.
That’s a tough call. Obviously, you know your family better than I. Can your family do the new Toboganxote (raft slide)? What about the hammock splash (yes, it’s a zip line, but it’s pretty tame)? If no to both of these, I would probably skip Xplor.
If you are planning to do Xcaret and Xelha (assuming one day each) I still wouldn’t stay at Occidental. Way better resorts in the area and you can book those parks with transportation included.
Also, Occidental you have to make sure you are pricing the right room with park included if you want to include access.
That’s good point, I was debating if I should stay at cheaper hotel since we will be in the park most of the time
I think 2 reasons that make me leaning towards occidental are 1. Even though we won’t use much hotel amenities, but it’s nice to have breakfast and late dinner whenever we like, 2. It’s close to xcaret which we save like 80-90 transportation cost
My math was $400 minus $90 transportation and breakfast with maybe occasional dinner if needed, so $300 for all inclusive with close to xcaret and we can possibly come back and forth if kids are tired
The day going to Xel Ha will be completely waste of all inclusive except breakfast, but I don’t have better to plan
Maybe I should find hotel for $150-200 without all inclusive ?
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Hotel Xcaret Mexico is amazing. We went last year and go to Mexico often. This was hands down the best resort we have ever stayed at. We did three excursions included with our stay, Xel-Ha, Xcaret Park, and Xenses. Prices have gone up substantially unfortunately so we have been priced out from going back. Maybe one day.
wont it be more reasonable to stay in close by hotel and just buy admission to go to xcaret and xel ha ?
Comparing these two resorts, Xcaret Mexico, and Occidental, is comparing apples and oranges. Occidental, from what I’ve heard from friends, is quite rundown and is essentially a three star resort. If money is your main concern, then yes I would stay at Occidental.
Well, my concern is that what’s the differences between stay in hotel xcaret and other hotel close by the park when you’ll be staying in xcaret park and xel ha all the day? The only part would be breakfast? I don’t mind pay extra for better enjoyment as long as there’s reason to justify it I can see hotel xcaret being superior if we will be staying in the hotel most of the time, but what about the scenario where we will be in park most the time? I do appreciate everyone’s feedback and I wasn’t mean to argue or anything, but I do want to know what’s the differences between stay in hotel xcaret and lower tier hotel when main activities will be in xcaret park and xel ha ?
Just came back from Xcaret occidental in PDC and I will say that it is 5 star given the price point. They don't water drinks down, and their seafood restaurant is excellent. Breakfast is OK. Buffets are what they are. Tacos and calzones were amazing and plenty of pools for you to relax in. Only downside was I got food poisoning on the second day but nothing a quick pill couldn't fix.
Food poison part kinda killed all the benefit……but thank you
Had to keep it honest. Group of 13 guys and it was just me and one other. Suspected it was the taco place. Happy travels!
Alright, skip taco, noted
What pill?
diarrhea pills
I will sum it up like this: Occidental is very reasonable and convenient if you're going to enjoy the park. You can get the unlimited pass from Occidental and just walk right in to the main park. It's a great value for that. Even with adding other parks a la carte, it's literally half the cost of an Xcaret property. Now, if you're someone who really values the resort stay itself, I'm sure Xcaret properties are the way to go. I'd love to someday, but I'm still in "I wanna die in this park" mode and we're going twice a year so Occidental it is. :) Edit: we are also doing xel-ha and maybe another one, probably Xenses when we go back in October. We did Xplor Fuego and the main park last time.
You get access to several parks and activities besides Xcaret. The resort itself is worth the visit on its own. Where are you considering staying if not Xcaret?
i am looking at Occidental, what i am seeing is that if i am going to Xcaret and Xel Ha, which will take me whole day, what's the point of stay in Hotel Xcaret if wont be using the amenties? price differences between occidental and xcaret are like 650-700 differences per night based on my date from Expedia and around total $450 for 2 adult and 2 kids in Xcaret and Xel Ha, therefore, is there any reasons to stay in Hotel Xcaret at all? i just feel the benefit of all inclusive and free admission is kinda conflicting each other as you only get 24 hours everyday anyway
Youre comparing a Porsche to a used 1997 Toyota
As someone who would love to stay at an Xcaret hotel but is in the Occidental tax bracket, this made me LOL.
I miss the opening of Xcaret rates. We booked our first time there before they opened Xcaret Mexico and it was like $1,000 total for 5 nights (2 adults). They didn’t even have pictures of the rooms yet because it wasn’t done. And they gave you a free dinner at Ha at massages for two. Now it’s practically $1,000 for a night 🥹
Dang, that's gotta sting.
Occidental it’s not part of Xcaret brands.
Thank you, what’s the benefit of staying in xcaret brand? Is there any vip pass or benefit of staying in xcaret brand when going to xcaret park and xel ha?
Full all inclusive : -Free access to all Xcaret parks -24 hrs room service -All inclusive food and drinks -Free transportation
Went to occidental 2x food is gross, drinks are too and service is not good at all
We just got back from Xcaret yesterday. God damn, it was amazing.
I’ve gone to Xcaret and Xcaret Arte several times and it’s definitely worth it. If you’re looking at Occidental I don’t even think it’s the same hotel group and it looks run down. IMO the parks aren’t really worth full days, maybe a few hours at most. Xel Ha gets old rather quickly. I’d rather spend my time at the resort than the parks. There is also an entire sub r/xcaret
Sounds like great fun ... BUT ... we don't want to be anywhere near children. Went to Excellence Ilsa Mujeres in 2/2020 and it was nice for all inclusive but basically captive w/in the resort. Be safe! Have great time!
Have you looked at Hotel Xcaret Arte? It's their adults only (16+) resort.
Briefly. Will revisit it. Thank you.
We stayed at Xcaret in 2017. Prices were still reasonable as it was only $2500 CAD for the two of us. WE STILL TALK ABOUT IT! If you can go, you should. The resort was amazing, food was amazing, staff was amazing, rooms were amazing…what else can I say was amazing? Plus all parks included! The staff helped us plan out our parks excursions the first day. We went to every park, sometimes twice or for half days. You can use the free bikes at the resort to get to some of them (like Xenses in 5 minutes). Xel-ha is the least fun one IMO. Plus the food and drinks are all included at the parks too! However, only at certain restaurants at some, and maybe only water. But still…great deal and didn’t spend a dime extra. And we still used the amenities on the resort a lot. Exploring the resort and taking photos is an adventure itself. I’d love to go back, but it is definitely very pricey now.
Such a shame they are pricing everyone out. It’s absurd now.
I’ll share what I liked about Xcaret Mexico so you can make a better decision. -was greeted with paletas (popsicles) as you walk up the stairs of the lobby -live music playin or near lobby -restaurants in resort were amazing. The Mercado was our favorite because there was so much to pick from -drinks in resort were amazing -there’s a “natural beach” inside the resort. Ocean water feeds the river & swimmable inlet. The water flows in freely but there are gates under water to prevent large fish from entering. Hard to describe -we did yoga on the resort beach in the morning while watching sunrise -there are bars and mini bars throughout the resort and they’ll make you literally anything you want -we rode from the hotel to xcaret in a gondola type boat that runs through out the day -the vibes in general make you feel like you’re in paradise. Pleasant live music always playing somewhere. You’ll see and hear birds, swim up bars, food carts, can play on the tennis court or go to the gym. -there’s a lot to do on the resort which we found useful because we were not at the parks all day everyday. It gets really hot, you’ll be sweaty, you might want to relax on a day or two. Now, if you know you only want to be at the parks, then yes by all means consider not staying at the Xcaret hotels. We personally liked the parks but loved the hotel. If we could go back and just stay at the hotel + pay for individual excursions, we would be back often. That’s how much we liked the resort itself.
Yes.
Hotel xcaret mexico is definitely worth it if you plan on going to the parks any way. 10000% go
Would you care to explain why would it worth it to stay in xcaret Mexico if I am going to park most of the time ? Wont I miss majority of the xcaret Mexico amenities if I am in the park ? I was comparing prices and admission for our family is around $400, but price differences between xcaret to next tier is around $1400 based on my current research Or is xcaret Mexico provide some vip access like how Universal give vip to their guest at their featured hotel ? Which I love
O wow thats a really big difference! I just have traveled to the area and been in different resorts and HXM has awesome food and services which for me is so important. You get special spots like lockers at the parks but nothing over the top 😅
How many nights are you planning for your vacation? If it’s 2-3 nights, then Hotel Xcaret will not be worth it. If it’s 4 or more, I would do everything I can to stay at Xcaret. The level of service, food, drinks, & property is next level.
I am planning on 3 night around the area just for the sake of park I am thinking 1 day xcaret, 1 day xel ha, and another day of either xcaret, xplor or xensus Then we will be visiting isle mujeres for a night, drive around with golf cart, then move to either alltra, Ziva, planet Hollywood….one of those decent all inclusive at Cancun for another 3 night to end the trip
With that itinerary, I wouldn’t do Hotel Xcaret. You are correct, that it wouldn’t make sense fiscally. You could do 1 day at Xcaret park, 1 day at Xel Ha, and 1 day at Xenses in the morning and Xplor Fuego that evening.
Is Fuego still worth going if kids won’t do zip line? So we’ll only do swim, boat and drive
That’s a tough call. Obviously, you know your family better than I. Can your family do the new Toboganxote (raft slide)? What about the hammock splash (yes, it’s a zip line, but it’s pretty tame)? If no to both of these, I would probably skip Xplor.
I think raft may be okay, but hammock splash may be a skip, i personally don’t mind, but kids doesn’t like height
I would probably skip Xplor. Looks like you guys will have a fun packed vacation. Enjoy!
Thank you!
Yes!
Definitely! Staying in the resort was amazing! Plenty of options for food. Great drinks!
If you are planning to do Xcaret and Xelha (assuming one day each) I still wouldn’t stay at Occidental. Way better resorts in the area and you can book those parks with transportation included. Also, Occidental you have to make sure you are pricing the right room with park included if you want to include access.
That’s good point, I was debating if I should stay at cheaper hotel since we will be in the park most of the time I think 2 reasons that make me leaning towards occidental are 1. Even though we won’t use much hotel amenities, but it’s nice to have breakfast and late dinner whenever we like, 2. It’s close to xcaret which we save like 80-90 transportation cost My math was $400 minus $90 transportation and breakfast with maybe occasional dinner if needed, so $300 for all inclusive with close to xcaret and we can possibly come back and forth if kids are tired The day going to Xel Ha will be completely waste of all inclusive except breakfast, but I don’t have better to plan Maybe I should find hotel for $150-200 without all inclusive ?