Fall Break at Xcaret

 

For this fall break, our family of 4 spent 5 glorious nights at Hotel Xcaret Mexico. Hotel Xcaret has multiple resorts available, but Xcaret Mexico is the only resort that allows children. This is one of the most expensive resorts in Mexico and it's easy to see why. 

October 13, 2024

Today we left our home for our flight to Cancun, Mexico! We had used two Regional Upgrade certificates for Delta to upgrade to first class but once again it didn't work. This did not dampen my trip however - it's a short flight and I kind of half anticipated this was going to happen. We spent a brief time at the beautiful Centurion Lounge and then boarded our flight.

Centurion Lounge at ATL

As soon as we landed, we saw signs for Xcaret!!

One of the things I REALLY like about this resort is that all rooms include airport transportation. To me, it's not about the money or even the convenience. It's about safety. Traveling in Mexico can be dangerous for a foreigner. Xcaret really put our minds at ease - we saw the pink shirted Xcaret personnel as soon as we exited the airport building and they whisked us onto the bus.

Xcaret pink uniform

The airport bus was luxurious. Comfortable and big, with restroom facility and charging port. It took us a little over an hour to arrive but it didn't bother me any.

Room

We booked two rooms at this resorts because there wasn't any suites available. The kids stayed in a "Garden View" room, and we stayed in a "Garden View Swimout" room. These are practically the most basic rooms for this resort, but they are VERY spacious and has everything included, such as mini bar, snacks, water, whirlpool tub, dual sinks, etc. Both of our rooms were in the Casa Viento building. The girls had room 4564, and we had room 4330.

Garden View Swimout Room (4330)

Right outside of our room is the octopus slide structure and pool. Behind the bed (not pictured) is the spacious sinks, bathroom, garden tub and closet.

As soon as we checked-in, we were absolutely enamored with the beauty of the whole resort. There were bridges everywhere, and caves, and rivers, etc. It's not like anywhere I have ever been to!

By now the time was approaching 4pm so I had anticipated to have very limited dining options but the concierge told us that we could still get lunch! Turns out, at this resort, the restaurants hardly close between lunch and dinner at all. 

Las Playas

Las Playas is a seafood restaurant located close to the beach. We decided to have our first meal here because we were in the area after walking around the beautiful property.

Smoked BBQ Ribs

The Smoked BBQ Ribs was SO tender and juicy. Alice was very happy.

Fresh Oysters

This was our first time so we didn't know how many oysters an order came with. After that, we usually ordered 2 sets minimum. The oysters were so yummy.

Shrimp & Scallop Aguachile

Las Playas was one of our favorite restaurants on this resort and you really can't go wrong ordering anything with seafood in it here. The restaurant has ocean view and the bar seats are swings.

The view from Las Playas

After the late lunch, we walked to the beach, which required maneuvering many swinging bridges.

Swinging Bridge (one of many)

The beach here is pretty rocky but very beautiful. 

The rocks here even made a loud sound with each wave, much like the famous Thunder Hole in Acadia National Park. 

For dinner, we dined at Xin-Gao. Xin-Gao has 4 type of seating, the Teppanyaki Table, the Tatami, the sushi bar, or the regular dining. If you want to order teppanyaki dishes, you must sit at the teppanyaki table. All seats require a reservation. We have dined at many teppanyaki restaurants, both state side and on cruise ships, and internationally. This was the BEST teppanyaki show we have ever seen. The chef did tricks I never saw before. The food was great too. Oh, you also can't order anything other than teppanyaki at the teppanyaki table. That was a letdown because I was hoping to order some sushi for appetizers. 

Teppanyaki

Walkway to Xin-Gao

October 14, 2024

Bio

This morning, we dined at the vegan restaurant, Bio. Bio is located inside a cave and has many healthy options. I probably would have never tried this restaurant if it wasn't for the many positive reviews I read online. It quickly became our favorite breakfast spot on this trip. 

Entrance to Bio

View from our seat at Bio

Bio had the most amazing selection of breads, pastries, juices, smoothies, and Acai Bowl! Honestly I never tried much else there because I would just keep getting the same items over and over again.

Bio is located at completely the other end of the resort from our room, so we got a bit lost on the way back. While walking, we encountered this snake.

Did I scream? Yes. Yes. I did. 

A little bit later, kids were up and wanted to have breakfast too. So we went to Xin-Gao. Xin-Gao is just a regular breakfast buffet in the morning, nothing particularly related to sushi or Japan. It's not as big as the huge buffet here, called Mercado de la Merced, but it's still quite big with many options. 

Made to order omelets

The best thing about Xcaret is how inclusive it is. Not only does this resort include all your food (other than a few special restaurants), your drinks, your airport transfer, it also includes access to the parks that is part of the Xcaret family. There are 3 parks closest to the resort, with shuttle buses running all day long. The other parks require advanced reservations. Since we are only here for 5 days, I decided to focus on the 3 parks closest to us, the Xenses, Xplor, and Xcaret. Today's destination is Xplor!

Pink shuttle bus for the 3 nearby parks

Xplor is a park with ziplines, waterslide, ATV, river swim, etc. When you first walk in, you'll have to get helmets and a key to a locker so you can put up your cellphones etc. Most rides here do not allow you to carry anything, so we don't have many pictures. Several attractions here take advantage of the underground cave system, which is quite unique.

Here's a map of all of the activities at Xplor. 

We did the waterslide (Toboganxote), the raft, the hammock splash, and the amphibious vehicle. The waterslide was definitely the most thrilling. It combined many features of waterslides, like drops, bowls, and ends in a wave pool. The wait for this was long but it's worth it if you like waterslides. This attraction does not allow phones and requires closed-toe shoes. (We did not have closed-toe shoes but they let us on.)

Toboganxote

I thought the hammock splash was fun and unique, the amphibious vehicle was bumpily exciting, and the raft was so relaxing and a great way to enjoy the cave scenery. We had a GREAT day. Our park entrance includes food at the buffet but the food here isn't as good as back at the resort so we took the bus back.

Xin-Gao

Tonight's dinner was at Xin-Gao again, but this time not for Teppanyaki, but sushi and fusion options. 

Pork Gyoza

Hamachi

Tuna Tiradito

Salmon Tiradito

Tempura, Salmon Sashimi

If you are looking for typical Japanese fare, this place definitely fits the bill, but if you are looking for something a little more exotic, you won't find it here. For example, there's no eel or urchin or squid here. 

October 15, 2024

Today we got up and walked around the infinity pool area. The water was pretty comfortable. It was 8am and there were 3 lifeguards on duty with literally 0 people in the pool. 

Teddy at the infinity pool

Then we went to Mercado de la Merced for breakfast. This is the biggest buffet on the property and it gets rather crowded in the morning. We made the mistake of taking the first available seat, which was outside, which means being constantly attacked by birds. If that's not bad enough, one of the birds pooped on my champagne glass...

Mercado de la Merced has 10 food stations, like smoothie station, crepe station, omelet station, etc.

Smoothie station

Great options for fruits

Honey straight from honeycomb

The reflection makes it kind of hard to see here but if you look closely, you can see the honey is straight from a honeycomb.

Infinity pool entrance

Today we decided to check out the main Xcaret park. This is the biggest park in the Xcaret family and closest to our Xcaret resort. The best thing about staying at Xcaret resort is that the park entrance fees are already included, so we don't feel like we have to spend all day at the park and can come and go as we please. We didn't scratch the surface here, and hope to return another time. 

Entrance of Xcaret Park

Xcaret has a combination of animals, shows, cultural attractions and water activities. There were parrots everywhere and we saw a few iguanas. 

After some pictures with the beautiful parrots, we got on the boat ride called Paradise River. The boat ride came with a tour guide in both English and Spanish languages (English is a recording) that told us about the area and Mayan culture. We saw some animals and there's a waterfall inside a cave on the ride (not sure if it's natural though).

Waterfall inside a cave

Next, we got our items inside a locker and picked up some life jackets and swim fins and went to the arguably best activity of this park - the Underground Rivers Swim. The life jackets are mandatory. The swim fins are not, but I highly recommend you get them. Just be careful walking with them when you enter or exit the water.

Swimming in the underground river (wet phone)

The river swim is almost 2000 ft long but there are many exits along the way if you change your mind. The water was chilly when first entering but it was fine shortly after. The entire swim was an AWESOME experience. I would do this again.

We were fairly hungry after the swimming so we did dip quickly into one of the buffets here. It's not as good as the resort's food but it was good for a quick fix.

The restaurant also had live music. 

After lunch, we started heading back to the hotel and saw the Scenic Tower ride so we got on that. It's a tower that is 262ft tall and rotates when it gets to the top. You can see Xplor park really well here. You can also see the Xcaret resorts and the Occidental resort, as well as the construction that's going on for the new resort Xcaret is building.

View of Xplor from Scenic Tower

Riding the Scenic Tower

For our return trip, we took the boat option. Xcaret is the only park that has the option of a boat ride from and to our hotel. This is more convenient for the return trip because the shuttle bus would stop at Xenses and Xplor first before our hotel. The boat ride was awesome. It was relaxing and scenic.

Ava riding the boat to the hotel

Just in time for a late lunch. We are back to Las Playas, our favorite restaurant here.

Diablo Style Lobster Tostada

Oysters

Kids chose to go to the big buffet Mercado de la Merced again.

Seafood on display at Mercado

This iguana was just chilling.

Now we are rejuvenated, we decided to hit the night version of Xenses, called Xenses Insomnia. Xenses is a unique park that plays with visual perception. Before arriving to the resort, I did some research on all these parks and people hardly agreed on which park to go to. Now I can tell you, you really can't miss any of these 3 parks. Xenses is the smallest park but perhaps the most unique, although the individual activities reminded us of certain places we've been to, we've never been to one place that put all these things together. It would make more sense once you are there.

Since we spent most of the day so far in wetness, we didn't really want to get wet again, so what we could do was limited but we didn't plan on staying long anyway. After checking out some fun visual games (much like Museum of Illusions), we decided to take on the Xensatorium. It's a structure that is pitch black on the inside and you will have to use your senses of touch to find your way out. No cellphones or smart watches allowed. Once your sense of sight is taken away, all your other senses are heightened, giving you a very unique experience. We had done something similar in Hamburg, called Dialogue in the Dark, so we were somewhat prepared. This was much harder than Dialogue in the Dark. I can't imagine if this was your first try at something like this.  

When you come out of the Xensatorium, you are treated by the most magical cave systems. 

There's waterfalls, underground rivers, different animals, etc.

One of many waterfalls

Next, we got out from the underground portion and taken on this path where we got to drink free lemonade and kiss a statue that kept saying funny one-liners.

Now we are back at the hotel. Time for dinner. Tonight we decided to go to the Mexican restaurant, La Cantina. The food here was so good I wondered if I should have tried them earlier.

Tableside Guacamole with Castacan

The guacamole has the option of adding grasshoppers. Yes. Yum.

See the grasshoppers? I think I tricked everyone into eating it.

There was live music here as well.

October 16, 2024

This morning we are back to Bio for our lovely breakfast. It had rained over night so everything was pretty wet in here and a few tables couldn't be used because the cave was dripping on them.

I had my usual, acai bowl, concha bread, some health drink. Since this place is vegan, the concha bread is made with almond flour. It's gluten free also. The concha bread here has many flavors to choose from, like chocolate, matcha, and pumpkin. The concha bread here tastes just like the regular ones in the buffet restaurant. 

Acai Bowl

After breakfast, we were back on the shuttle bus to go to day time Xenses! This time we are getting wet, so we had to get a locker and stow everything away. We all did the Xensatorium, this time got out much faster. The girls and I did the Bird Fly Zipline, which was fun! The kids did the waterslide on their own, and all of us did the Riverlaxing and the Sludgerie. The kids loved the waterslide. I think my favorite was the Bird Fly. It's a short zipline but you feel like you are flying like a bird. I also loved the Riverlaxing, which is very relaxing and if you just let yourself completely relax, you would float naturally. The Sludgerie was a float in mud, not my thing, but Alice liked it.

Coming out of Xensatorium (blind maze)

Alice kissing the statue

Illusions on the path of feeling

Alice doing Riverlaxing

Alice doing Sludgerie (mud bath)

The hydrotherapy at the end of the Sludgerie

Alice going down the waterslide

Linda doing Bird Fly Zip Line

Alice Bird Fly Zip Line

Illusion on Path of Feeling

Upside down house

OK, too many cool photos to share so I'll stop. After coming back to the resort, we went on a little kayak excursion in the resort rivers. Unfortunately we had just gotten all cleaned up and had to get wet again because the kayaks had little pools of water where you sit LOL!

Tonight's dinner is at the 1 Michelin star restaurant, Há. I will be making a separate blog about our experience there. This restaurant does come with an upcharge and it's not cheap. I had a bit of "FOMO" setting in so we did it, but I wish I didn't listen to the reviews who said there wasn't enough food. We didn't come starving and it was SO MUCH food for us. I guess maybe the reviewers were people used to All-Inclusives and had bigger tummies than us. My favorite dish, the dessert, we intentionally asked for them to just give us one to share because we were that full. This restaurant is located right on the premise, making it very easy to go to, but it is also open to public. I also noticed that when booking with the resort, they made us prepay ($150 a person, including wine pairing which comes with), but if you make a reservation with opentable.com it doesn't require any prepayment. 

Há

Há is adult only, so we had a reservation for the girls to go to Xin-Gao sushi restaurant, which is located pretty much next door. When I made the reservation, they were aware it was for two children, and didn't seem to have an issue (my older one is 13, younger one is 11). I reserved it so they would go to Xin-Gao first, before we were scheduled to go to Há, so if things weren't smooth, I could send them to their room and order room service (which I had heard was great for this resort). They checked themselves in without a hitch and everything seemed to be fine. Alice was in touch with me through text and let me know that they had placed their orders with their waiter who was very kind to them. I had no reason to believe everything was out of the ordinary. Then, about an hour into our meal at Há, the Guest Services Manager called me ON MY CELLPHONE to tell me that I needed to pick my children up because they aren't allowed to be in Xin-Gao alone. The manager even told me he was aware we were at Há but still told me I had to go get them. He had a very strong accent and I had a lot of trouble understanding him. Eventually, he got off the phone and started texting me on WhatsApp instead, which made it easier to understand. Then, inexplicably, he told me it was fine for them to stay but we needed to go pick them up as soon as our meal was over. Our meal started after theirs and since it's a tasting menu, it would take 3 hours to finish. I never intended for them to stay up that late - they were supposed to finish their meal and go to their room on their own, which they've done many times, but the manager told me they couldn't release them without one of us escorting them. By then I had also talked to Alice, who told me they initially wanted to have a security guard escorting them to their room but the girls looked uncomfortable with that (good for them!). They recoiled at the idea of a man taking them to their room. So in the end, they were allowed to stay and finish their meal, then one of us take them to their room. I told her to let me know as soon as they finished, then Teddy excused himself from our romantic dinner and took the girls home. I'm all for safety of children (and everyone), but I wish they would have told me their "policy" before we started our fine dining, expensive, celebratory experience. My children are not the type that would act inappropriately in any restaurant. I'm guessing some "concerned" guest called the guest services that started this whole drama, but clearly the resort wasn't clear on what their policies were. The manager (nor anyone) ever asked my kids how old they were.

October 17, 2024

This morning, we started our normal routine at Bio, then spent some time in our swim-out pool. This is a smaller pool with the waterslide, and a climbing wall. 

Our "backyard"

Next we walked around the whole resort and tried to dip our feet in each pool. 😄

Next up, Xplor park. We didn't do everything we wanted to do last time and now we'll be there close enough to the time of Xplor Fuego, the night time of Xplor park. 

Alice and Ava @ Xplor

This time we did the Amphibious Vehicle drive again, and the girls and I rode the zipline. The zipline was AMAZING. 

There were 10 towers, meaning 10 zips. Many dual zips with the options of the girls riding together. You end in a pool where you have to swim backwards. It was so thrilling and fun. 

Time to go back to the resort. Tonight's dinner is at Las Cuevas, the Brazilian Steakhouse. We are not big meat eaters so we never go to one of these on the stateside, which is why I try to go to them once per trip, if it's already included in the pricing, although lately I've been skipping them entirely even on NCL cruises. Las Cuevas was actually pretty good, with live music and a fair selection of meats. Nothing super fancy, but the meat I had was pretty tender. 

Walking to Las Cuevas

October 18, 2024

Sadly, we must go home today. We had our last breakfast at my favorite restaurant onsite, Bio, and got our stuff packed. The resort offers transportation back to the airport, in the same bus that we came in with, but they won't let you leave without clearing all your bills first, which can take some time. Also, we requested a later bus than they assigned us - they want us to be at the airport with at least 3 hours to spare. We had to sign a liability waiver that in the event we miss our flight, we can't hold the resort responsible. That didn't bother me, but what I wasn't prepared for, was that the bus was VERY late. Our 11am bus didn't actually leave until closer to noon, and then they discovered that a group had boarded the wrong bus so they returned them back to the resort, which means we LITERALLY didn't leave until noon. It wasn't a big deal to us but I can see it becoming an issue for people who thought they could make it on a later bus only to find out they couldn't. Cancun airport doesn't have any lounges we could use, but the shopping was decent. (Edit: Cancun airport DOES have a lounge we could have used but we didn't realize at the time.)

Alice and Ava at Cancun Airport

Conclusion

This was not a cheap trip by any means but we really had an amazing time and it lived up to our expectations, which says a lot. We didn't encounter any service issues and never got stopped for once for the timeshare sales pitch. The food was very good for an All-Inclusive, and the natural beauty and parks made this one of the most unique trips we've ever taken. The only things I wish they had was nightly entertainment and a dedicated coffeeshop.