The Good, The Bad and the buggy!

Posted on by Kenneth Reece, Agent of Modern Travel Professionals
The Capilla Espiral (Spiral Chapel) sits between Hotel Xcaret Arte and Hotel Xcaret Mexico.  

You can get married in the chapel with stunning views all around you!

Last Fall, I visited Hotel Xcaret Arte. I went to Cancun last summer with co-workers on a tour of All-Inclusive Resorts so I could help my clients with first-hand experience of this amazing region. After touring 18 resorts in 4 days, I wanted to go back and actually be a guest of Hotel Xcaret Arte. It was the one hotel that I couldn’t let go of, it was just incredibly beautiful. Today, I’d like to bring you an honest review of this resort, bugs and all. (Yes, there were BUGS!)

First, let me say that our trip was truly enjoyable and I had a great time at the resort.  And, to be completely honest, I CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK. However, we did encounter some very frustrating circumstances.

The good news is that now that we’ve experienced these frustrations firsthand, we’ve put procedures into place to ensure that our guests never have to deal with these issues.  At Hotel Xcaret Arte, a travel agent with direct resort contacts (like me!) is essential to a smooth trip.

So, on to the review: (PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL OF THE PICTURES IN THIS POST WERE TAKEN BY ME, WITH MY iPHONE…this place is really gorgeous).

Overall rating:  A

Pros:
Stunning resort.  The resort is incredibly beautiful.  Everything is built to live harmoniously with the Mexican landscape.  The natural rivers that run throughout the resort add to the ambiance.

Cleanliness.  The resort was incredibly clean and well-kept.  Staff members were constantly cleaning and maintaining the property.

The beds!  These were, quite honestly, the most comfortable beds I have ever slept on.

The food.  The food, overall, was some of the best and most unique food I have had at any resort.  There was a real focus on fresh, authentic cuisine and it was delicious.

The inclusions.  Since this was a short trip, we only had the chance to visit one of the included parks — Xcaret Park. If that had been the only park included, it would have made a stay at Hotel Xcaret Arte an incredible value (it was a great park) and you have eight parks and tours included. Also, transportation is also included at this resort (airport transfers AND transfers to the included Xcaret parks & tours). To read more about the Xcaret parks, click here!

The staff.  Everyone was extremely friendly and always happy to help.
The view from my balcony. I stayed in the Musica building, with a River View.

Cons

  • The art classes.  This was a real disappointment as they heavily advertise that you can take art classes. What they don’t tell you is that there are only roughly 50 spaces per day across ALL the classes in a 900-room resort.  This means your chance of getting into a class is pretty much nonexistent.
  • Dining reservations.  As requested, I emailed the resort prior to arrival to make dining reservations.  In fact, I emailed three times and never got a response.  When we attempted to make reservations on arrival, everything was booked.  Note:  I now have a personal contact to make my clients’ dining reservations so that this does not happen to those booked with me!
  • Lack of information.  Information was very hard to find and was not offered where it should have been. For instance, we were not told how to schedule our COVID tests to return home or our transport back to the airport.  Note:  I have all the information written up for my guests so they don’t have to go hunting.
  • Confusion.  There was a definite feeling that the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing and we often got conflicting or incorrect information from staff members.  Note:  I have all the correct info to share with my guests!
  • BUGS!  They were even in the food!  OK, this is a joke.  The Oaxacan restaurant had several dishes that included insects. My friend ate an insect tostada.  Ew…GROSS!!!

Please note: Look closely at the above tostada — there are bugs all over it, and I distinctly remember that this had “grasshopper aioli”. I didn’t order anything at La Cantina Vi Ai Py that had insects included in the description. I have to be honest, I couldn’t really enjoy my shrimp dish, as I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that there were bugs in the kitchen. Yes, they were INGREDIENTS, but still. After dinner, I went back to my room and ordered room service! LOL. Room service was good! 🙂

Who Should Go?


Hotel Xcaret Arte is a great option for: 

  • Travelers looking for a resort that doesn’t feel like every other all-inclusive resort out there.  The resort and the clientele(which is only about half American) offers a really unique experience.
  • Foodies. (10-course Mexican-Chinese fusion tasting menu, anyone?)
  • Adventurers.  Ziplining, driving ATVs through the jungle, subterranean river swimming — all included.
  • History buffs.  Tours to the ruins at Tulum and Chichen Itza included.


Was our stay at Hotel Xcaret Arte perfect?  No.

Did we have a great time?  Absolutely.

Will I go back? Absolutely.

If you would like to read a little bit more about my trip, you can here.

Published by Kenneth Reece, Agent of Modern Travel Professionals

Hi! My name is Kenneth Reece, a native from Stockbridge, Georgia. I am a travel agent for Modern Travel Professionals. I opened Enchanted Gardens Florist & Gifts in 1986--when I was just 19. My love affair with Disney started in 1998 when I added Walt Disney collectibles to my merchandise displays. When I started to learn about the rich history of The Walt Disney Company, (which is required to successfully sell Walt Disney Animation Art) is when my store came alive. I've enjoyed hosting Disney Artists, Sculptors & Imagineers for in-store signing events, and was thrilled to tour the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank a few times as a guest of the company. One of my fondest Disney memories is that of holding one of Walt Disney's personal Academy Awards while visiting the Walt Disney Archives in Burbank, CA. As my love of Disney grew, I began planning trips to Disney for my clients at my store, which grew into a new career! After a few years of both running my retail store and planning travel, I closed my brick & mortar store, moved to Vero Beach, Fl where I've been planning travel full-time now for over five years. Vero Beach has small-town charm with world-class luxury. It's an incredible place to live. I help take care of my parents here, and travel extensively with them. Together, we visit Disneyland and The Walt Disney World Resort often. I've planned tours in England, Scotland, Paris, Greece, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, & France including Disneyland Paris. Living in Vero Beach, where retirees seem to outnumber all other age groups, I've become an expert on helping people travel who are "young at heart". Living a short road trip away from the Orlando area, I visit the theme parks at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando & Sea World often. Many times I'm there once a week! I've stayed at every Disney Resort in North America, toured every hotel at the Universal Resort, and have taken over 25 cruises, being a Platinum Castaway Cay member with Disney Cruise Line. I've cruised to the Caribbean, The Bahamas, Alaska, the Panama Canal, Trans-Atlantic (East & Westbound), Mediterranean & Northern Europe. Also, if you need restaurant recommendations, I've personally ate at most of the restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort & at the Disneyland Resort in Southern California. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is my favorite Walt Disney World Resort, and Disney's Grand Californian Resort & Spa is my favorite resort at Disneyland. I've attended various events at Walt Disney World such as: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Star Wars Weekends, Disneyana Conventions, EPCOT's Food & Wine Festival, The Flower & Garden Festival and the new Festival of Arts. Contact me for personalized, concierge-level service. I'll help you as much (or as little) as you like, whatever your needs. I want to provide you with a worry free, incredible vacation, with memories that will last a life time.