- Mexico Holidays
- Riviera Maya
- Occidental at Xcaret Destination
Enjoying a fantastic location frontline to the powder-soft white sand and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, the exclusive Occidental at Xcaret Destination hotel is ideally situated, surrounded by an ecological and historical preserve. It is a perfect luxury 24 hours all inclusive refuge at 10 minutes from Playa del Carmen and offers a lovely garden and pool landscape as well as a wide variety of first class amenities and services. All a la carte restaurants, requiere prior booking, subject to availability and with restrictions.
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
We highly recommend the Occidental at Xcaret property with no hesitation. This was our first experience at an all-inclusive resort. We have done cruises before, and this was a much better experience. The staff were all extremely friendly, engaging, and eager to please. They quickly learned our names, our preferences, and even our routines and habits, and allergies. The landscaping and grounds are very lush, tropical, and jungle like. That’s exactly what we anticipated and what we got. As a bonus, there are multiple wild animals, including monkeys, deer, iguanas, and others roaming the property. This was a lot of fun to watch. The restaurants are all very good, the lunch options are somewhat limited to buffet, But there was variety, the weight staff was very attentive, and the food was delicious. I have seen other reviews regarding the reservation system for the restaurants that were negative. I have to say I do agree with that. I think they need to utilize an app or something similar. You can only make a reservation two days in advance, regardless of how full the restaurant is, so when we arrived, we were not able to get a dinner reservation until the third day. However, that is not going to deter us from returning as soon as possible.
I loved my whole experience except they want you to buy into a place that definitely could use some major upgrades. The rooms needed some major TLC, the TV service could use a upgrade so you can use your phone or tablet to stream. Bedding needed to be replaced as it was in major disrepair. Our balcony door had no outside handle. I did love Xcaret though the park was beautiful and so much to see and do so book lots of days for that. The night show was spectacular and I highly recommend seeing that more then once! The foods was Subpar for sure. The breakfast was horribly greasy everyday and the buffet left something to be desired for sure. The service though was excellent the servers always went out of there way to make sure you had drinks and anything else you needed.
We actually stopped here in Feb 2025 - I'm just awful at writing timely reviews; however, Occidental at Xcaret really does deserve positive comments.
This was my partner's and my first time in Mexico and the Occidental at Xcaret really helped make the holiday feel incredibly special.
Firstly, the location - Right off the highway, down about a 2 km private road to the hotel or Xcaret park (with an armed guard checkpoint) the hotel is a little way out of PDC, but the access to the highway means its easy to jump on a collectivo or, use the excellent new cycle and footpath to walk or jog in (as we did a couple of times) Being that removed from the town does mean it really feels like a jungle escape, with LOADS of wildlife to enjoy, including a private cove free of any sagrasum whith loads of sea life (I saw a young baracooda) The resort also has an adults only, sea fed salt pool that lovely to swim in and is also brimming with fish - this then gives access to the rockey shore line to explore further.
The Rooms were beautiful; we were in the black that backs onto the adults-only pool and can't really find anything to complain about. The rooms were kept spotless, the mini bar stocked daily, and any additional needs were a call to the concierge away.
Food was pretty good! The main buffet was average, but the 24/7 tacos were excellent, and the seafood restaurant for both lunch and dinner was exceptional, both in the level of food and also the staff. We took breakfast at the beach buffet most days; it was slightly quieter, and getting that early morning sun and watching the sea set you up for a great morning.
Another huge plus for Occidental at Xcaret is the access to the park! for around £150pp (I think) you get unlimited access to the xcaret park for the duration of your stay - which you can enter via the small boat from the loby, walking along the river it takes or via the tunnel access near the beach.
All in all, I can't really complain about anything, its a stunning resort with staff that are a credit to the hotel.
Trip was great. Only suggestion is to add more variety of le buffet dinner service. Food tended to be repetitive.
Increíble attentive, the staff was very nice and warm
