Curious about Xcaret Hotel in Mexico and want an honest review? Back in 2020, Denver and I managed to find a couple of nights at the beautiful Hotel Xcaret Mexico and decided to take a weekend adventure to our first-ever All-Inclusive Resort. I’ll kick off this review by saying we came incredibly skeptical and turns out we fell in love with the resort and are counting down the days before we get to go back!
Hotel Xcaret All Inclusive Resort, Mexico
Hotel Xcaret at night 
Xcaret Park Gondola
Hotel Xcaret
About Xcaret Hotel
Hotel Xcaret México is a stunning all-inclusive resort located right along the water in Playa del Carmen along Highway 307. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Cancun International Airport, with plenty of hotel-provided shuttles that allow you to get to and from the airport easily.
The resort itself is named after the archaeological site Xcaret, a settlement constructed by the Mayan people and sinks into the rich sustainable mission of Hotel Xcaret. The hotel group does have a huge sustainability focus that you can learn more about on their website, focusing on re-utilization of the geographical terrain and mission to take care of their community and people. The resort also adapts to the landscape, featuring tons of stunning coves, rivers, forests, and gardens from the geography of the region.
Main Hotel Xcaret Pool 
Hotel Xcaret Rivers 
Xcaret Park
What Does All Inclusive Entail?
In addition to all inclusive food at the 11 restaurants on the property, beverages at any of the restaurants and bars, transportation to and from the airport, and access to all the stunning features of the hotel, Hotel Xcaret also includes access to all 7 of their parks with the hotel!
I cannot stress enough how unique and incredible this is! We loved the all-inclusive eating and drinking and were blown away with the ability to also use kayaking or paddleboarding on the river, so the access to the parks was simply icing on the cake. These waterparks are easily going to entertain you for 7 straight days, and that doesn’t even include the time you can spend exploring the hotel grounds!
Restaurants Included:
Xin-Gao
La Cantina Los Faroles
La Trajinera
Mercado de la Merced
Chibalí
Teatro del Río
Restaurant Cuevas
Restaurant Las Playas
Services Included:
Access to all 7 Xcaret Parks
Shuttle to/from Cancun Airport
River Activities inside hotel
Yoga, tai chi and meditation classes
Access to main gym (+18 years)
Access to the hotels water slides
Concierge services
About the Rooms & Suites at Hotel Xcaret
There are four different types of rooms and suites available at Hotel Xcaret: Junior Suites, Suites, Swim-Ups, and Master Suites. Each of these is available in different “Houses” across the property, with a further selection of whether you want Garden View, Spa View, River View, or Ocean View.
During our stay, we reserved a Garden View adult room on the second story, and it was one of the most incredible rooms we’ve ever stayed at. Including some insane rooms, we’ve stayed at in South Africa and in Hong Kong! The room had EVERYTHING you could think of, and a stunning outdoor patio with a hammock to relax in.
Each Room Includes the Below:
- 1 King size bed or 2 doubles (subject to availability)
- Hammocks on the balcony
- A stocked minibar of snacks & drinks
- Beach bag with essentials
- Jacuzzi bathtub (my favorite)
- Rain showers
- Hairdryers & hair care
- Security boxes
- 55′ flat-screen TV
- Espresso coffee machine
- Complimentary WiFi
While we absolutely loved our Garden Room, we think the best rooms on the property have to be the swim-up suites with direct access to the pool OR the river suites that included stunning diving platforms directly into the river. These are ideal for families with kids, as it’s the best way to keep an eye on kids and let them enjoy the river access from the room!
Las Cuevas 
Tacos at Xcaret 
Fuego Restaurant 
Ha Restaurant
About the Restaurants & Food at Xcaret Hotel
The food at the Xcaret restaurants is some of the best food I have had anywhere. We came in with lower expectations of the resorts food and left incredibly impressed. Regardless of which restaurant you eat at, I have no doubt you’ll find the food to be phenomenal!
Our Favorite Restaurants:
HA – Ha was the only restaurant we ate at that did require an additional cost of $150 per person. To be clear, we did get this meal included as we visited just after the Hotel had reopened from COVID and they were offering the meal included with the stay. However, this was hands down one of the top 3 meals I have ever had in my life and I would pay for this any day. And that compares to some of the best restaurants in the world. The food, the drinks, and the overall experience was truly phenomenal.
LA TRAJINERA – This restaurant is located right at the main pool of the hotel, and this is the one where we had low expectations. However, every bite we had was delicious. We ate here for 2/3 of our meals because we just couldn’t resist coming back. It had the most convenient location and some of the best food!
XIN-GAO – We are absolutely suckers for good sushi (we’re spoiled by Uchi in Austin) and oh my gosh Xin Gao was delicious. We actually barely managed to snag a reservation and had a weird time because of it and got so lucky. Every bite was amazing and even when we got full we kept ordering because we knew we wanted to try everything!
Shop Our Favorite Resort Essentials:
Xcaret Hotel Rivers 
Casa Fuego Rooftop Pool
Xcaret Hotel Attractions & Activities
If the above reviews about the amazing rooms, restaurants, and parks don’t sell you then I hope the bonus of the hotel activities does! Hotel Xcaret is absolutely set apart with the caliber of activities the park offers. Almost every feature at the park itself (not even including the Xcaret Parks) is included with your stay! Some of our favorites include:
Paddleboarding & Kayaking on the River: It was Denver’s first time on a paddleboard, and we loved that this was just casually included at the hotel! Instead of just spending the whole day laying by a pool, we got to be active and enjoy going along these rivers and enjoying their beauty.
Hidden Waterslides: We decided to wander the property one day, and came across MULTIPLE hidden waterslides! These slides were a blast and dumped you right into the river. We loved that these hidden gems existed and spent hours one afternoon looking for all 7 once we heard there were more!
A Fitness Obstacle Course: Our lovely concierge let us know that instead of the gym, we could hunt for the obstacle course on the property! This was a blast, and even how we came across the waterslides. It’s a large ropes and fitness course designed to be a full workout and a blast at the same time.
Evening Shows: While none of the shows were going on during out stay due to COVID, we love that the shows exist for those who don’t want to head over to the parks that evening!
Xcaret Park Shows 
Xcaret Park Shows 
Xcaret Park Cenotes 
Xcaret Park Beaches
Xcaret Parks & Attractions
When you book a room at the Xcaret hotel, you also get access to the 7 Xcaret parks and transportation to and from the parks every day! We had a blast at the hotel, and loved having even more to do at the parks. A huge benefit if you’re there with the family!
Xcaret Park: The main Xcaret park featuring ocean-life shows, underground rivers, stunning beaches, large cenotes, and plenty of restaurants and bars to relax at! We spent our one day at this one and loved it. We also greatly enjoyed the shows featuring Mexican culture from the different regions in Mexico!
Xel-Ha Park: The natural Xcaret park featuring outdoor activities such as snorkeling and swimming! The park to go if you want to spend time walking through the nature forests and enjoying a dip in the river.
Xplor Park: The park for extreme adventures such as rafting through the river, zip-lining along the top of the Riviera, and touring natural caves along the water! A blast if you want a more active day.
Xavage Park: Looking for even more adventure? Head to Xavage for wild ropes courses, 4-wheeler rides through the rocky landscapes, kayaking on the rapids, or speeding on a jet boat. Not just for adults, all activities are safe and enjoyable for kids as well!
Xplor Fuego Park: The nighttime park at hotel Xcaret featuring drives through torch-lit paths, paddling along their “laval” rivers, and flying across ziplines, and enjoying their incredibly delicious BBQ.
Xoximilco Park: The more festival based park featuring gondola rides through the jungle, dancing and singing with mariachi, and a traditional dinner!
Xenses Park: Everything in the park is designed to throw your senses into the wind and explore a virtual and upside-down world. From thrills to whirlwinds to everything in between, this park is not like anything you have ever seen before.
Xenotes Park: This is the only reservation-required park as it does take you to actual outside-park cenotes and adventures. You’ll go with a guide who knows the history and the region, and explore it for yourself. You’ll end your adventure day with a luxury picnic to top it off!
The Final Verdict:
We’re seriously counting down the days until we can go back, because it was the best hotel stay we have ever had. The incredible attention to detail, the delicious food and drinks, the attractions, and the property itself was a level above anything we could have imagined. If you’re debating it, trust me you will not regret your stay. We LOVED it, and would review every aspect with 5 stars.
Comments (2)
Melissa
April 15, 2024 at 9:06 pm
Thanks for such a great review with beautiful pictures! My family and I are considering going but I was wondering if the activities in the parks are also free or is it just the entrance fee thats included? Thanks for your feedback 🙂
michelleclairee@gmail.com
May 7, 2024 at 10:37 am
Just the entrance fee is included, sadly! all the individual activities cost extra