Occidental Grand Xcaret

4.5 out of 5 stars 4.5 Stars - 4 Reviews and 4466 Opinions

Ctra Federal 307, Puerto Juarez Km 381, Predio Canakicuik, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya 77710, MX

84^%

Satisfaction Very Good

Excellent	39%	1781
Very Good	32%	1469
Average	13%	605
Poor	7%	356
Terrible	5%	259

Value Score Great Value!

Good For Families

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I would return!
by tombugs

The hotel's website doesn't fully show off this resort, and the mixed reviews on various websites limited my expectations but I was quite frankly blown away. Where to start? Well if nature is your thing then stay here, if you don't like the idea of iguanas, parrots and various other visitors from the surrounding jungle like Coatis (kind of half raccoon half monkey and very friendly) then stay well away. Personally I loved the wildlife and the way the jungle is sculptured into the design of the resort.
Location-wise its 5 mins in a cab to busy Playa Del Carmen but snuggly hidden in the jungle nearby so you get the best of both worlds. It's right next door to Xcaret too which is a must for all visitors to the Mayan Riviera, you get a discount on the entry and a boat carries you there from the lobby.
Accommodation is clean and well kept, the resort design is incredibly impressive, the main lobby is a masterpiece with a river running through it. the shops are made to look like a little mexican village and the stage/bar/buffet area looks like a town square complete with small market. Many complaints seem to centre on the man made beach which is actually very nice so don't be scared off. It's very authentic and luxurious, there's plenty of fish in the little bay, very few waves and white cool sand. And unlike the 'real' beaches of Cancun to the north you are not constantly hassled by people selling trinkets, beer and days trips.
The staff here are really friendly, and can't seem to do enough for you. Other all inclusives seem to limit staff numbers and access to the bars and food. here you can eat/drink from 6am till 2am and the staff are plentiful and generous, Ramon and Luis would come to our table in the 'plaza' and ask if we wanted more drinks as well as offer us tips on where to go and what to do in the local area. One night there was a knock at our door and a member of staff brought a full bottle of tequila 'compliments of the house' we were worried that there was a catch but there wasn't.
The all inclusive plan was great, all drinks were leading brands (Jack Daniel's etc) and the food changed every night and with the exception of the chinese themed night was excellent every single night. The steak was particularly good, being cooked fresh at the buffet and replenished frequently.
Drawbacks? Few, the 'lively' pool where we were situated seemed to insist on loud music all day from 10am for aerobics etc even though virtually no-one attended. But this was only a mild annoyance (there is the beach and a couple of other quieter pools anyway). Wifi is a complete rip off at $25 (USD) dollars access a day or $11 an hour! And fairly unreliable. I couldn't fathom why when they were so generous with everything else they would take advantage of people's reliance to connect to the internet. Take a USB dongle with a cheap international plan it'll be cheaper.
Otherwise everything else was excellent and very affordable. I would definitely return. Many thanks to all the staff who made the trip so much fun.

Unique Quality: The jungle, the animals and the in-resort Mayan ruins!

Directions: 5-10 mins south of playa del carmen ont he highway look for turnings for xcaret eco park it's right next door.
Occidental Xcaret
by diver-x

Disclaimer: I did not see this tip on VT before we booked at Occidental Xcaret. Had we seen it beforehand, we would not have booked there and unfortunately since we booked through an online consolidator, we couldn't cancel without walking away from our money. Please go to the link and make up your own mind.

That said, we did enjoy our stay. The service at the front desk was very good and our bags were picked up & delivered promptly on check-in and check-out. Our room was cleaned and our fridge restocked daily by a friendly young man who gave us a bottle of wine when we saw one on his cart and asked him how we could get one. I guess he wasn't supposed to give it to us since he told us not to tell anyone so we thought it was very nice.

My complaints?
1: Towel service for the pools was shut down too early at 6:00.
2: The pool bar shut down too early at 7:00.
3: Drinks at the pool bar had barely any alcohol and some I swear were alcohol-free.
4: Service at the buffet restaurant was spotty. A host or hostess was often missing up front to seat you - so you either had to wait for some time or seat yourself and if you seated yourself, you'd be ignored by the waitstaff. We were clearly being deliberately ignored by our waiter one morning at breakfast. Though it was a buffet restaurant, you had to get coffee and drinks from the waiter. We ended up grabbing a carafe ourselves at an empty table.
5: Each building has a "concierge" whose real job is to try to get you to go to a time-share presentation. People also lurk in the main lobby with the same job. We found them annoying but they would back down as soon as we told them we already had all of our time booked up. Problem was, we had to tell them once every day.

Unique Quality: Our room was comfortable and just steps away from one of the very nice and spacious pools. The four pools are very large and they wind around the grounds. The pool bar is interesting with a waterfall "wall".

The food was good, not great, but certainly not bad at all. Except for the pizza, that is. The chefs here have no concept of what pizza should be. Otherwise the food was fine. There are 5 restaurants that you need to make reservations for plus there is a pizza place, taco place and a buffet restaurant for all 3 meals and a buffet restaurant by the beach for breakfast & lunch. The reservation-required restaurants included a Mexican restaurant, Chinese, Steak-house, Italian and a seafood restaurant. We ate at all but the seafood place and enjoyed the Italian restaurant and steak-house the best.

We enjoyed the nightly entertainment, though admittedly it was cheesy, it was good, clean fun. The grounds were lovely but far-flung. Walking from our room to the car was a 15 minute affair. We didn't mind that much except when carrying our scuba equipment. Luckily they have carts that come by every 10 minutes so we took advantage of that when we had bags to carry and had the time to wait.

The hotel gives you one free day at Xcaret eco-park which is very nice. We enjoyed floating in the underground river and all of the other attractions. They have an excellent aquarium, botanical reserve, a raft tour, presentations on Mayan culture and lots of other stuff to do. The best part was the show at night. If you go to Xcaret, don't miss it!

Directions: Occidental Grand Xcaret is about a 5-10 minute drive south of Playa del Carmen, right next to Xcaret eco-park.
Grand Xcaret Claims "Psychic" Found Child Dead
by JBMAC

***Warning***

05-30-94 04-26-03
A lawsuit related to the death of Brent Midlock was filed and is currently pending in state court in Joliet, Illinois. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages against the Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret in Playa del Carmen Mexico (now known as the "Grand Xcaret by Occidental") and alleges that the hotel negligently and carelessly failed to inspect, maintain, and design the pool where Brent Midlock was killed. The suit alleges that the hotel's negligence caused Brent Midlock to be sucked, rear first, to his death, into one of three 12 " drainage pipes which did not have any protective grates or coverings over them at the time to prevent or minimize the suction force that caused his death.

The parents allege that the hotel knew what happened to Brent within two hours of the incident, and yet they allowed the mother and some of the hotel guests to engage in a missing person search for hours afterward.

The parents also allege that the hotel continued to allow people to swim in the pool where Brent’s dead body was for twelve hours, and that the hotel did not begin recovery efforts at the pool until after 11:00 pm because they didn't want to disturb their other guests.

The hotel management told the police that they did not begin recovery efforts at the pool until after midnight because that is when a “psychic” told them that Brent’s body was in the drain pipe.
Read and share www.brentmidlock.com

Unique Quality: **Beware**
The pool defied all international pool safety standards. The Occidental Grand Xcaret designed, built, operated, and maintained a completely faulty swimming pool. Their negligence caused the death of an innocent, 8 year old child.
Details and pictures can be read and shared www.brentmidlock.com

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More about Occidental Grand Xcaret

Xcaret Eco Theme Park

by diver-x

Xcaret Eco Theme Park is a showcase of Mexican and Mayan culture and Mexican flora and fauna, plus some water attractions that should please everyone in the family. The park is much bigger than you think. This was my 2nd trip to Xcaret and I still haven't seen it all. In the park is an aquarium, butterfly pavillion, an underground river that you can float through, lovely beach & lagoon for snorkeling, dolphin encounters, lots of other kinds of animals, an orchid greenhouse, a Mayan village and lots more.

I enjoyed the float in the river and Mayan demonstrations the best. Especially the Papantla flyers who worship the sun god by spinning their way down from the top of 30 meter a pole on ropes upside down. Also included in your admission is a night show which features a Mayan football game, field hockey with a flaming coconut, falconry, fantastic costumes and lots of music and dance. If you can stay late, the show is a must-see!

If you stay at the Occidental Grand Xcaret, admission is free for one day and it's just a 5 minute walk from the hotel shops. Just follow the canal. Otherwise, admission is about $56 USD. If you take the Xcaret bus, you'll pay more. See their web site for details.

Caribbean Village

by A TripAdvisor Member

My wife (24) and I (25) stayed at the Caribbean Village August 3-10 for our second anniversary. We had been to Cancun once before for our honeymoon, staying at the Beach Palace, which was an excellent vacation. Caribbean Village was substantially cheaper than the Palace was, so we were not expecting the level of service and quality that we had received at the Palace. Having read some of the reviews on here beforehand I was getting pretty nervous that this place might be a complete dump. However, here is an honest appraisal of our trip:

Arrival: We arrived on Saturday, the 3rd and were really surprised to wait in at least a 2 hour line to get through customs. We didnt remember that from our first trip and it was a bit frustrating, but we are patient people and young so it wasnt a big deal. Others werent so patient. Im just adding it so that you might expect it.

We booked our trip through Funjet Vacations. I thought they were far inferior to Apple Vacations who we used last time. Anyhow, we found our paid transfer to the hotel and it went relatively smoothly. The Funjet representative forgot to set us up for the orientation, so we never did find out about making reservations, etc. Its not a big deal, were grownups and can figure things on our own, but it was definitely nice when Apple did that for us before. They also werent as friendly.

We checked in and I could tell right away that the biggest problem would be friendliness of the staff. The front desk guys were not overly friendly. Aloof would be a good way to describe them. It wasnt a big deal, but a big difference from our previous vacation when everybody was tremendously friendly.

Food and Drinks: The buffet was, in our opinion, pretty good. The selection was varied, and I really enjoyed the food. I dont usually like buffets that much, so that was a great thing. The buffet service was also very friendly.

There were 3 a la carte restaurants and the procedure for getting reservations there is very complicated, so make sure you ask about this early on. The Italian place wasnt bad. The service was friendly and the place was pleasant to look at. We arent real picky, though. The Mexican place again was decent. Nothing too great. Our sever there was very friendly. Finally, the Brazilian place was ok. Its basically all meat, though, so if you dont like meat, I wouldnt even bother going there. I love meat so it was great for me. My wasnt thrilled, however.

There is one main bar by the buffet and there was a swim up bar and a tiny, almost invisible lobby bar during happy hour. I love to drink and was disappointed by the lack of friendliness by the bartenders. The drinks were very good, however, and we didnt really have any trouble getting what we wanted. The swim up bar was very nice. Supposedly, there is a disco, but we never could even find it. I was disappointed because I enjoyed the happy hour music, dancing, and conversation that the Beach Palace had. This place really didnt have anything like that.

Rooms: Small and nothing special. Completely does not matter to us, though.

Pool and Beach: The pool area was very spacious and nice. We definitely had the best time around there. The entertainment coordinators were pretty good. We like to do this kind of stuff, so we had a good time there. The beach area was also nice, though there is no bar area nor cocktail service down there. The Beach Palace had that.

Overall: We had a great vacation and it would be very difficult for a hotel experience to ruin it. Anyway, we have had two Cancun experiences and the first at the Beach Palace was a better experience overall. However, there is a substantial difference in price between the Palace Hotels and the Caribbean Village. If money is important to you, then the Caribbean Village is more than adequate to give you an excellent Cancun experience. If you are really concerned about quality, however, it might be worth it to spend the extra money and look elsewhere. Either way, for normal people it is almost impossible not to have a good vacation in Cancun. If anybody has any questions about it feel free to email me.

I'll give you an honest review -- please read

by A TripAdvisor Member

This is the most overrated place in Cancun!. I have stayed at Crown Paradise CLub previously and it was 50 times better. I dont know where my $4000 dollars went. When I arrived there the lobby was so pathetic and old I almost cried knowing how much money I spent on the trip. The air smelled somewhat like a sewer. The elevators had nothing wrong with them.

The room was small and the window was large and extremely dangerous if you have children. The shower pressure was excellent. The beach was very nice, I must say. The pool was old and the paint was all coming off. I t was absolutely disgusting!
When I went to play basketball in the pool I found that the hoop was all rusted and bent. All the sports equipment they had was pathetic!

The glasses and cups they had at the bars and restaurants were gross. They were hardly even washed! The food was not very flavorful and tasted like it had been outside for three days. I was sick with a terrible stomachache and had terrible diarrhea! Activities were well organized, but most of the staff took their jobs a joke.

It seems the staff tries to humiliate the guests. Whenever there are shows or activities they force you to get involved or make a fool of yourself. When I got involved with volleyball on my fourth day there, the director humiliated me in my face constantly. I wanted to leave so bad!

And GUYS listen up I am a guy too. I was absolutely disgusted by all the old women topless around the pool! I do not recommend this hotel.

Not So Great

by A TripAdvisor Member

I will give you an honest to God review of this place. I was dissapointed from the beginning. Below are topics for every area of the hotel...

OVERALL VIEW OF THE HOTEL-

Good location, older hotel. Gross at times. Staff is not so great. Facilities are old. Beach is nice. I went to Crown Paradise before and recommend it. I do not recommend Carribean village.

STAFF-

Staff can be rude they're slow but try hard. They sometimes take their jobs as a joke. Bartenders only make a good drink if you tip them. The staff put on a show every night. They try hard, but it is really pathetic. The show is all about humiliating guests so people laugh and have a good time. They made me get on the stage and make a fool of myself against my will. Waiters are good and do a good job.

FOOD-

Food is not so great. A lot of people felt the same way when I stayed there. It can be bland, or super spicy where you cant even eat it. I was sick with a terrible stomache ache every day.

BEACH-

Beach is nice, no one is there to save you if youre drowning. So you have to very careful.

ACTIVITIES-

There are many activities, but they end at only 5 o clock. They are the same thing every day so it's boring.You can rent equipment if you want to play things by yourself. The equipment is old, worn out and pathetic. The basketball rim was twisted, rusted and not usable. One day I played volleyball, the activity director humiliated me to my face many times because I made bad plays. I was so mad I wanted to leave.

POOL-

The pool is old, the paint is peeling and gross.

ENTERTAINMENT-

The entertainment was terrible! It was absolutely perverted and disgusting! The show consists of bringing guests on stage usually against their will and humiliating them. It was extremely sexual in nature and extremely innappropriate. It was extremely offensive to different races, nationalities and myself.

WHAT I PERSONALLY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS RESORT-

It is extremely overrated, it's a dump! I dont recommend anyone going there. I have no clue how anyone could like this place. Those who recommend this dump have probably never been to another resort before.

I Don't Recommend It

by A TripAdvisor Member

I went to Carribean Village with my family from Sept. 17-Sept.24th. Not impressed! My family, wife (47), me (47), ands kids (7) and (16) all agreed with me.

Staff was rude, food was gross, i had diarrhea ever day there. Rooms smelled. Activites were the same every day. Entertainment was extremely perverted and explicit!

september 26, 2002

by A TripAdvisor Member

My husband and I stayed at the Carribbean Village on September 26, 2002. Our room was very clean every day, the staff was extremely polite and helpful, especially Adan at the pool bar and Alberto at the front desk. Time share people were bothersome, but we had a great trip. This hotel could use some a/c in their restaurants , but on a scale of 1-10 I'd say an 8.

Xcaret - Swimming with the Dolphins!

by lokibinky

"Reunion of Friends"

Dave and I went to Xcaret to swim with the dolphins, yes! But, also to meet up with his college bud Mark, and his girlfriend Citlali! There's nothin' more relaxing than sitting here drinkin' from a coconut!

Xcaret is an eco park in Playa Del Carmen that offers tons of things to do: swim with dolphins, pet sting rays, snorkle, ropes course, zoo, underground river, and a show at night...just to name a few.

We just rented a car and drove there from Cancun for the day.

If we go back to that area, I would stay in Playa Del Carmen OVER Cancun...hotels are not piled on top of each other...it's more natural.

"Dave and the Dolphin!"

How cool was this! GREAT!

Dave says he wants to swim with manta rays next...I'm up for that, too!

"Missy and the Dolphin!"

I never imagined being able to swim and touch these magnificent, gentle, and intelligent creatures.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Photos

Xcaret Xcaret

The brochure of Xcaret

Forum Posts

Occidental Grand Xcaret - Specific Question about this resort

by leoinv1

Hello,

I am going to Occidental Grand Xcaret in 3 weeks. I have one specific concern: the beach at the resort is small; it's an artificial lagoon formed by the water from the underground springs and the water from the Caribbean sea (which also makes it a bit cooler than the Caribbean sea). Based on pictures I saw online, seems that that most if not all of the beach at the open sea near this resort is very rocky, and is probably off limits for swimmers. The thing is, I would love to swim in the open sea. I am curious if there is a way to walk from the resort along to the beach to a part of the beach where I would be allowed to swim in the Caribbean sea, or any other part of this resort where I can swim in the "real" Caribbean water.

I am considering an option of taking a 15-min taxi ride to Playa Del Carmen and spend a few hours at the beach there. I wanted to know whether I have any alternatives/other options. Thank you!

Re: Occidental Grand Xcaret - Specific Question about this resort

by juliogg

HIGHLY suggest you go to TULUM. This is where the PYRAMID is on a bluff over the beach. You can swim next to the pyramid. There is a great beach 50 feet from it and great for swimming. Been there, done that, RECOMMEND IT.

Comments (1)

Reply
- Report abuse
Magwa333 Dec 8, 2012 at 8:54 AM

This place is a lie. They claim to have all of these nice restaurants to choose from. LIE! You have no choices...only one gross place to eat breakfast, one gross place for lunch and the same lunch place for dinner (and it's gross). They claim that you can make reservations at their nicer restaurants, but when you arrive at the resort, they tell you all the restaurants are booked solid for weeks. LIE! So you are stuck with nothing to eat but poached eggs in salsa, cold rice, refried beans (with a skin to break through) and other really bad food. I finially got ONE reservation after yelling at them and causing a scene. This seems to be the only way to get them to listen to you. Choose a different resort...this place is a lie!

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Occidental Grand Xcaret

We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:

Xcaret Grand Occidental
Hotel Xcaret
Xcaret Playa Del Carmen
Grand Xcaret Occidental
Grand Occidental Xcaret
Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret
Occidental Grand Xcaret Hotel

Address: Ctra Federal 307, Puerto Juarez Km 381, Predio Canakicuik, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya 77710, MX