Occidental at Xcaret Destination

We loved it! We had dinner at La hacienda, and Blanca was an amazing waiter. Francisco was friendly and gave us helpful recommendations. He suggested the Rib eye dinner, which was amazing, and took time to explain other parts of the resort too. If you visit La hacienda Mexicans at occidental by xcaret, make a reservation at La hacienda and ask for Francisco. Highly recommended.

For the price, I expected much better comfort, service, and quality. The hotel presents itself as high-end, but our experience fell far short, and it left a very negative impression of our first stay in Mexico. We arrived exhausted after a night flight, hoping to eat and check in quickly. All the food outlets were closed, with no alternatives, and check-in took an unexpectedly long time even though reception was nearly empty. Our luggage also took far too long to arrive, despite the room being close to reception. The room was in poor condition, with visible humidity, mold, limescale stains, and general deterioration. In the jungle climate, with poor ventilation, nothing dried properly, and by the end of the trip the dampness had affected our belongings. Food didn’t match the price category either. The buffet choices were limited and uninspiring, and the à la carte restaurants disappointed as well. Cocktails were the one consistently good part. The “welcome meeting” turned out to be a sales pitch for an annual membership. After we politely said no, the interaction noticeably changed in tone and felt unprofessional. I had also posted a detailed review before, but it’s no longer visible, so I’m reposting to give future guests a complete and transparent picture before they book. I’d advise travelers to think carefully about whether this property fits their expectations.

Staff were very nice, and getting easy access to Xcaret Park was a big plus and a major reason I didn’t rate the resort lower. The late-night little eating areas were handy too, though they sometimes ran out of food. I’m sorry to say this definitely didn’t feel like a five-star resort. The food was tremendously underwhelming and seemed the same at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Activities were lacking: the arcade had about seven games, four of which didn’t work, and the games didn’t give tickets for prizes. There’s only one pool table in the sports bar, so you’re usually waiting, and five of the eight TVs showed the same game. At certain times, the sargassum smell in the air was really off-putting. The resort is badly lit at night, making it very dark and hard to see. Sometimes I couldn’t make out the face of someone right in front of me. Watch for bugs getting into your room, since it’s a jungle setting. They talk about animals roaming around, which is partly true, but mostly it’s iguanas and coatis. I didn’t go in with high expectations because I didn’t know what to expect, and still, there were a lot of disappointments. Thank you, Occidental, for the stay, but nothing wowed me.

I’ve stayed here with my family a few times, mainly because it’s the cheaper option near Xcaret. I actually enjoyed much of it: the food was okay and the hotel is beautiful, at least the areas guests can access without “royal” status. Still, there’s a reason it costs less. One visit, we’d just walked back from the park and didn’t have time to change before lunch service ended. A buffet hostess turned my family and me away for wearing beach clothes. I understand dress codes at the nicer à la carte restaurants, but we were dry and had shirts and shorts on. The resort is big and takes time to get around, especially for seniors. I explained we couldn’t make it back in time to change, but she made me wait while she called someone to ask whether we could come in. It was embarrassing and felt unnecessarily rude. We were starving and nearly left. The other issue is the royal club membership, or whatever it’s called. Nobody wants to spend vacation listening to a sales pitch. It feels like you have to pay extra to really enjoy the place. If I were going to splurge on a nicer vacation, I’d choose somewhere without this nickel-and-dime elitist nonsense.