Occidental at Xcaret Destination

The resort was amazing and the kids loved the childrens club facilities, big thanks to Belem and Sol!

I am a travel advisor, and sent my clients—a couple traveling with their 18-year-old daughter—to this resort after booking and paying for the "Royal Level Luxury Unlimited Xcaret Xperience."
Unfortunately, what they received was very different from what they purchased.

Upon arrival, they were placed in a standard room with two beds and were not provided the Royal Level accommodations or concierge services. Even more troubling, they learned on Day 2 that they also did not have the unlimited Xcaret Xperience included in their stay.

I provided the clients with their confirmation documentation clearly showing what had been booked and paid for. I have now spent considerable time on the phone trying to get the resort to provide the services that were already purchased. Even worse, my clients had to pay for the Xcaret Xperience AGAIN while on property, and my supplier has offered to reimburse them.

A vacation should not begin with guests having to prove what they paid for or spend their valuable vacation time resolving reservation errors.

Sadly, what was supposed to be a special family vacation has turned into a frustrating and disappointing experience. The biggest issue is not simply that a mistake was made; mistakes can happen. It is the amount of effort and time required to get the mistake acknowledged and corrected.

If you are considering booking this resort, I strongly recommend confirming your room category, Royal Level benefits, and Xcaret Xperience inclusions directly with the resort before arrival—and keeping copies of all confirmation documents.

As a travel advisor, I work hard to ensure my clients have the experience they paid for. It is extremely disappointing when that trust is undermined by the suppliers or resort's failure to deliver confirmed services.

This was our third visit to this hotel and a few of the things we appreciated the most have disappeared since 2024, which will likely cause us to not return, or to wait much longer before doing so. The people are still friendly, helpful and lovely to be around, so that’s most important to note. The property is fantastic with incredible plants and wildlife all around. There’s entertainment in just walking around. This was our second year booking Royal and I don’t know that is worth it anymore. The option for private airport transfer was removed, replaced by a free and group shuttle. This is fine if you don’t mind waiting around for a full shuttle upon arrival (HOT!) or arriving to the airport way before your flight. There wasn’t any mention of the delays on arrival, or anything about the timing for our return trip. A taxi right now is $85 to get to the airport, so budget an extra $100 on either side if you want control over your arrival and departure. Last time we were here, the Royal restaurant had a rotating menu, and the food at this level was one of the main reasons we pay extra. Unfortunately some big wigs made it into an exclusively French restaurant. In Mexico. I’m not sure anyone comes to Mexico for French food? Kids are allowed in Royal, but there’s no kids menu. You’re left with seafood, steak or duck and none of that really appeals to us. If that’s your thing, you may love it. Even the menu for breakfast and lunch felt too stuffy and not appealing for the average Joe on vacation. We ended up at the buffets for all meals, and that food is overall just okay. We never heard anything positive about the other restaurants and didn’t enjoy our first year, so we didn’t bother. Do your research on food! Theres also active construction happening nearby. We didn’t hear this most of the time, but it should be announced on their website that it is ongoing. Additionally, the pool tiles are coming up in so many places. The girls at the lobby warned us to be careful not to cut our feet. I wish repairing that was a priority since they are in constant use. Beautiful people and property, but the decisions made around food will be enough to encourage us to stay somewhere else in the future. I realize my $3k every couple years won’t make a difference, but I can no longer whole heartedly recommend this resort to friends or family.