BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Karen And Robin from Wellesley, Ontario

"We did the upgrade to the Royal Club - totally worth the extra money. The food in the restaurant there was better than anywhere else on the resort and the wait staff were superb. The tuna sashimi just melts in your mouth.....yum. Mango margaritas- YUM. The air conditioning was the quietest I've ever experienced. A rolled up towel on the lounge chair means it's available. The staff put rolled up towels on all the chairs at the Royal Club in the morning. It took us a couple of days to realize that and we kept thinking all the chairs were claimed. Watch out for the 'Vacation Club' presentation - they say it's not a time share but it is. It is part of the concierge's job to get you to go to the presentation. They say it will take 90 minutes - we were 4 1/2 hours - lost an entire afternoon. Don't do it. Unless you are into it - we had them down to $13,000 from $40,000 with a free trip to Hawaii thrown in....so keep pretending you're not sure and they'll keep dropping the price. Xcaret park is worth doing - the evening show alone is worth the price of admission. Go early in the morning for the river swims - much quieter and more enjoyable. The resort is big - it took a full 10 minutes to walk from the Royal Club to the main lobby, but alot of the pathways have shade. Playa del Carmen is a short drive away - worth going to for shops, bars and restaurants. About a $12 cab ride. Most shops are open until 11pm. Mango's Bar and Grill in Puerto Aventuras is excellent, but it is a bit farther away - $22 cab ride.....I loved the mango coconut shrimp - flambeed at your table. It's a small open air restaurant that is easy to miss. We're so glad we didn't miss it."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Chuck O'NEAL from Gold River, Ca

"Warning , a good value is not always a good deal !!!  Reservations at this 'all-inclusive' resort confirmed a 'Deluxe Room with upgrade to a Junior Suite.' Upon arrival at noon, it was confirmed that a Junior Suite was available but the room would not be available for 3 more hours.  Upon our return for the room key, the  Junior Suite was no longer available. The 'Honeymoon Package Upgrade' was non-existent. There are no elevators in the various 3-story residential buildings. Stairs are the norm. This is a very large property and access to the various restaurants, the main hotel lobby,  and the beach areas require za lot of walking. You need to be in good physical shape. Housekeeping service was 'spotty.'.  One day, there was no maid service. On other days, soiled towels were not replaced, even if they were purposely  left on the floor to get the housekeeper's attention.  We were provided only one washcloth during our entire stay. There was no hot water after our first day at the beach. On another day, water shut off altogether in the middle of a shower. Although there are 5 specialty restaurants on this property, reservations are required and can only be secured via a concierge specifically assigned to your building. You may not call a restaurant for reservations! You may not call your concierge for reservations! You are required to see your specific concierge personally to make reservations. On just one day, the computer was 'down' three times, and reservations could not be made. Often, there were people waiting in line to make dinner reservations. After a lot of hassle, we managed to eat in two of the specialty restaurants during our seven-day stay. Posters on the property advertising two free tickets to Excaret Eco Park venue were no longer available upon inquiry. There was no substitute offering. Food at the hotel was, at best, average. Table settings and service staff were always very pleasant. Cleanliness of the buffet and food presentation did not seem to be a priority, so early attendance for meals is encouraged. Wi-Fi is not free ..... $5 per hour / $20 per day. Taxis are charged a fee to enter onto the property to pick you up to travel to other destinations around the Playa del Carmen area.  As a result, you will pay 30% to 50% for for taxi fare to leave this property. There are several travel / tour agent companies on the hotel property, all who sell excursions at inflated rates . We bought a full day tour to Chitzen Itza at the inflated rate, then learned later that we also had to take a $15 taxi ride just to get to a pick-up point elsewhere. The actual tour operator was so embarrassed at our lack of assistance that they actually made arrangements to insure that we would be dropped off directly at our hotel on our late night return. One very positive note....the grounds and public bathrooms were impressively maintained."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Jason from Athens, Ga

"We just returned from our honeymoon 2 days ago. We could not have been more pleased! The staff was beyond friendly, every single staff member spoke to us every time we walked by. They dropped what they were doing to help us and answer our questions - instead of pointing to the direction, they escorted us to where we wanted to be. Upon arrival, our suite was immediately upgraded. The room was perfect - very secluded and private. We stayed at the Royal Club, hands-down the best way to go. You get a private pool, restaurant, beach, and room service on top of all the great amenities offered in the rest of the resort. Our biggest issue was trying to decide what to do each day - there are so many options from pools, to activities, to beaches, to scenic areas. Our only complaints - the bars did not open until 10:30am which is really not that big of a deal. Also, it says Adults Only but that is clearly not the case. I was disappointed at first, but after the first day I really did not care. There are so many things to do that you don't notice the kids - there are also so many family/kids activities during the day that they are mostly in separate areas anyway. The biggest disappointment was the bed, usually at hotels the beds are the best, most comfortable part but the bed was really firm - EXTRA FIRM and not too comfortable. Needless to say, we cannot wait to return and bring friends! :)"

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Katrina

"This was a great vacation. There are always little things that come up where ever you go, but the overall experience was worth it. From the food to the room we felt our money was well spent."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Stephanie from Omaha, Nebraska

"At this resort, be prepared to walk miles, as this is a rather large resort. In the entry way of each villa, their is a man awaiting to help you plan your excursions; however, they will also ask you to view their 'time shares'. FYI go to the front lobby/hospitality to plan your excursions. The buffet is not so good...cockroaches in there, and any place that you go to eat, you must wear a shirt, shorts and shoes, including the snack bar. The so called ecological park adjacent to the resort is nearly $500.00 USD for a family of four just to get in. Rip off! Anything that you decide to do in that park costs extra. I felt that the staff was friendly, but was more apt to do more if you tipped well, which is common. Man made beach was terrible. The rooms were clean, but the pillows smelt like musty rags. We won't ever go to this resort again."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Mg from Doraville, GA

"Beautiful, but they ran out of ice, small cups for drinks, mexican food not that good)strange for being in Cancun), sushi great but you need to wait hoursssss for service."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Matthew Fahl from Palm Bay, FL

"Overall, we had a very pleasant stay at the hotel. All of the staff was extremely helpful and friendly. The food was very good, even at the generic buffets. The park next door was a unique experience, especially the main show. Watch out for many attempts to tie up your time with timeshare presentations (unless you're into those). We first ran into these at the airport where a someone who appeared to be an airport information guide directed us to a salesman who first gave us a lot of information about the area, but ended up enticing us to attend a timeshare presentation at another resort (with a $50 deposit to make sure we attended). At the Occidental, we were accosted every time we came downstairs from our room with offers to attend the presentation there. When we finally gave in, the promised 90 min presentation turned out to be 3 hours. One last warning - watch your speed on the highway between the airport and the resort. The speed limit changes constantly and everyone seems to drive at least 10 kph over the limit. We were stopped by the local cops for 93 khp in an 80 zone."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Angelita Dimacali from Stamford, CT

"Very kind, polite, friendly staff. Had a fun time during the 5 days stayed in the hotel."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Diane Travis from Ruby, MI

"The only thing 4 star about this resort is the grounds and the buildings. The grounds are beautiful and very clean and well kept. The hotel service is average. Just what you would expect at any hotel. I stayed for 5 nights and was only allowed to eat at the ala carte restaurants 3 times. The food at these restaurants were of the quality of a family restaurant nothing special and so was the wait staff. The Buffet food was average and alot of the hot foods were just warm. Usually you had to go and get your own drinks, there were very few cocktail servers. Selections of mix drinks were good but beer was Corna draft only or 2 dark and 1 light bottled beer which was only served at 1 bar and the beer was warm. The front desk staff was very friendly and extra helpful. Be careful of people offering you discount tickets it comes with a 3 hr vacation club talk."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Felicity from Milton, Ontario

"Great place to stay for both adults and teenagers! Clean,food was good and staff were courteous, informative and spoke english!. great location to ecological park...as must see as well as not to far from other great sightseeing tours (tulum,coba). I would recommend this resort to anyone and everyone...so much so that we bought into the properties! thanks to all for an amazing vacation!"

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Jeff from Minneapolis, Minnesota

"This is our second time and we loved it even more the second time. the lagoon beach and excellent lodging including food that we now have to try and exercise off our bodies made it a wonderful trip. Great location near awesome excursion adventures that we saved money by reserving with the beach fun club instead of paying big travel agency expense higher costs. stay away from the 90 minute sales pitch though, it's 3 hours and a really hard sell. They need to do better with that."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Dennis K. from Loveland, Colorado

"We had a great relaxing and rejuvinating vacation. We have been to many different places in Mexico and have been to other places in the Playa del Carmen area but this was our first time stay at the Occidental Grand Xcaret. Easy check-in at the front desk with no problems, even requested and reeceived a king sized bed. The first thing we noticed was the expansive size of the resort but don't let that fool you it is still easy to walk around. And the best part is for people who have a hard time walking is they have a great shuttle service that goes around the outside of the grounds and has a number of key stops for pick-up and drop off. Beautiful well maitained landscaping. The food for the most part was pretty good at the buffet. We did do a few nights at there many different restaurants, the best we thought was the Asain. The rooms are large and very clean, one draw back is the too small of mini bar in the rooms. Great varity of activities to do day and night. Great staff who try very hard each and every day to brighten your stay. One big key plus for us was their pool side wait staff taking orders for beverages!! We had Susana in the adult only beach by the ocean and she was outstanding!!! Bottom line, great value for your money, wonderful place for families of all sizes and ages to relax and have fun!"

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Dolores LaDuke from Macomb, MI

"Would not go back. They kept assigning people to rooms that were already occupied. Then the room keys deactivated for the people who were originally assigned the room. Shower head broken. Air conditioning broken. They refused to move us, so we spent our entire first day of vacation with a staff worker in our room trying to make repairs. After waisting an entire day of our vacation with staff trying to repair the shower head and air conditioning, they finally moved us to another room. Very frustrating! Definitely not a 4-5 star resort. Should be a 2-3 star."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Cathy from St.clair, Mi

"All in All- The weather just can't be beat, always nice and hot, Go to relax, and enjoy. The resort is nice, the food is just ok,(make sure u bring anti-diarrhea pills)Bring ur own cups, don't think they are rinsing the cups @ bar good, looks like they have soap still in.,(that will give u diarrhea) The resort is clean, friendly, We have been to nicer places for the money. The guys hate having to wear long pants to dinner, we are on vacation come from cold, and they don't want to be told want to wear,, They look nice in dress shorts and see no reason why that will not do!!!!!!!! I will not recommend just because we have stayed @ lease expenives places and no one had gotten sick!!!!!!!Things in mexico r getting more and more expensive, lets support the usa more."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Kathy from Brooklyn, Iowa

"Our stay was wonderful. Our safe would not open upon are arrival, but concierge contacted maintenace immediately it required new batteries and was fixed. We had a promotional upgrade to a suite, received the upgrade so had bottle of tequila and rum waiting for us along with fruit and chocolate covered strawberries and other snacks everyday. Only thing we think could be improved is door on bathroom, it had louvers in the middle so not much privacy in the bathroom. Overall buffets and restaurants were very good and all you want to eat and drink. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Grounds and beach were very clean sand was raked daily. Many activities, water aerobics, miniature golf, snorkeling, archery, tennis, shuffelboard, karoke, ect. We're ready to go again. Thank you for a great time!"

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Martha Banning from Overland Park, Kansas

"We really enjoyed our stay at the property. We got a very good deal and everything went very smoothly. I will definitely book here again."

BookIt.com® Verified Traveler Trenna from Airdrie, AB

"What an amazing experience. I did, however, worry if everything was going to fall into place properly and it did. This hotel is a great choice, it has everything you will ever need....a village in itself. You could just spend all of your time there and be happy."

"Reservation was messed up, thew moved us 3 times, 2nd time i was with a room for 5 hours, Service was very poor, i noticed that the hotel was short of staff, 1 waiter for 50 people not GOOD., YOU SHOULD RATE THIS HOTEL WITH LESS STARS AT LEAST WE WOULD REALIZE WHAT TO exPECT!!!!!!!!! also need to let Us people know that WIFI is 86 DLLS por week! and there is only a horseshoe shape beach. The place is beautiful no doubt about it, shame for the service!"

"We had a fabulous time at this resort. One thing I was very impressed with was the amount of and variety of entertainment throughout the resort even into the night. Lots to do right there. Very good food. The only thing that bothered us was that we were sucked into the Members Club pitch. We were very clear that our only intention was to receive the discounted tickets to Explor, and were told that it would only last 90 minutes. Well double that. Even when we tried to nicely say we weren't interested, we were harassed about it. So if you go to this resort, just pay full price to go on excursions if you have no interest in becoming a member."

"Our recent stay at the Occidental Grand Xcaret was relaxing and rejuvinating to say the least. Our expectations were exceeded at every turn. On two occasions our own carelessness placed us in a predicament which, with one simple call to the front desk, was quickly eficiently and cheerfully remedied by the Resort staff. The property is very clean, well cared for and in excellent repair. The location, adjacent to Xcaret Park, and very close to Xplor, The Jewelery Factory, CoCoBongo, Deep Sea Fishing, Snorkeling, and shopping in Playa Del Carmen, is also extremely conveniant. We had a wonderful time here, will return, and will definitely recomend this location to anyone planning to stay in the area."

"LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!!!! We received VIP treatment from the moment of arrival right up until we left. I would recommend the resort to any and all. When I go on vacation again, I would pay attention to the added things that you can take part in as it is not adverttised. eg., painting pottery/renting the scuba equipment, etc. Also, it is a larger resort, being 27 acres, so lots of walking and stairs. Fantastic gym and equipment, top notch for a resort. A massage on the beach or in the open air was one thing I was looking forward to, however, the prices are very high so I did not partake.

THE ONLY DRAWBACK is the fact that it is not beach front property, lagoon is not a beach front property, which we were under the impression that it is. It also advertises that it is 5 minutes from Playa Del Carmen; more like 15 minutes, by CAB."

"exelente resort tuve una estancia muy placentera."

"Fantastic! Greatest vacation every. Lots of pools, great beach, fantastic staff, great rooms, food is amazing, bars are allot of fun, nightlife, friendly guests, great shopping, whatever you want, lots of activity. We had the most amazing time just makes me want to holiday there definately worth the money time and travel."

"That was an amazing paradise everything was fantastic. Great job Mexico :)"

"If you asked me would I come back, in a heart beat...... My wife and I spent our 30th anniversary here and it was perfect. Best day was great at setting up our tours and even thought there was a scheduleing problem they fixed it and made it seemless. I love this place.

"

"I have been on 2 cruises that past 2 Christmas' and this year we wanted to go to an all inclusive in Mexico. After reading the reviews my family and the friends we went with were very nervous about going. We left the week before Christmas and returned Christmas Eve. Before going I e-mailed the MOD at the resort and ask for an free upgrade to the Royal club. They E-mailed me back and said they were booked for that week in the royal club but would take care of us. I never thought any more about it. When we arrived we all had VIP next to our names we had 3 rooms booked all suites. They took us in a back room an served us champenge and fruit and checked us in and they walked us to our rooms. We had requested rooms in building 18 close together and that is what we got. The MOD when we arrived had a bottle of tequilla in each room and a basket of fruit and little sandwiches. The resort is beautiful. The first day I ran into the manager that I e-mailed and she remember me and welcomed us and made sure everything was okay. I had a gallbladder issue before I left and was limited on what I could eat. Plenty of fruit and veggies and fish and bread. Their were 8 of us in our party and none of us got sick. We only had a toilet run over one time and that was the highlight of our 'bad times'. I think people that have been to this resort really need to take a look at themselves and what they expect. We knew it was buffett food and that the restruants did not have great reviews but to say it was not edible is crazy. We enjoyed most of the food. Your vacation is what you make of it. We will return to this resort and tell all of our friends about it. My son really enjoyed the tennis expert. He really learned a lot from him. We had one of the best week of our lives. I know that if we go again we will get the same and know that at any resort you can eat something that may make you sick. We did not feel pressured by the time share people however we did do the tour because we were interested. The staff were constantly working on the resort. I read one review that should a few missing tiles in the pools. Yes there are missing tiles in and around the pool but there are probably over 300,000 tiles!!!! get over it and move on they can not fix everything at once or drian the pool all the time then people would really complain. Occidental Grand Xcaret get a 5 star from me not matter what little things could have been better they went above and beyond our expectations. Hope your stay goes as well as ours. If you have a problem just be calm and ask for what you need and there should not be a problem."

"My husband and I went here with a group of 6 best friends. Overall, we had a very good time. The price was great for the length of stay. The food was good, the views were excellent, the rooms were nice. We went to the Xcaret Park next door and had an amazing time floating in the caves. Two of us went to Xplor Park and had a great time as well with ATVs, more cave floating, and ziplining. It was also great to have coffee on the beach.



However, there were some things we would all change... 1) The beds were very firm. None of us were used to having such a firm bed! 2) This is NOT a no-smoking resort. I wish I had known this when I went. As a non-smoker, this was a major downfall for me. Everywhere we went there were smokers--poolside, outside of restaurants, in hallways, the lobby. There was not a specific reserved smoking area. 3) This is NOT an adult-only resort. There were children that were on their best behavior, but there were also screaming children and crying babies. Sure, there were adult swimming areas, but they only had 20 beach chairs, and there were STILL children swimming with us! 4) Be prepared for in-your-face marketing, whether for excursions or for the Occidental Timeshares available. We would be laying on the beach, and next thing you know, you have an employee waving pamphlets for you to view. I simply went to the beach to relax, but felt like I couldn't. 5) They don't tell you this, but there is a restriction to the number of reservations you can make for the finer restaurants. We were there for 7 nights, but we could only eat in the Italian/Mexican/Oriental/Steakhouse/Seafood restaurant for 4 reserved dinners. The rest of the time, we ate the same buffet every day. I have never been to a resort where you were limited on reservations.



All in all, I had a good time, but these are things I would change."

"Wonderful trip we went to celebrate my wife's birthday and were extremely happy. If I had one thing to comment on in the negative sense it would be the folks that came up to us and tried to get us to take a time share tour. But it paid off if you dont give in the first day or two they will offer you tickets to the Xcaret park for free and a free bottle of tequila :) We had a birthday dinner in the Steak house (Senora) which was Outstanding completed with a wonderful cake and Mariachi singing Happy Birthday."

"The place was fantastic, the food was delicious, the staff were very friendly and helpful, I am planning on coming back."

"This was to be my husbands second trip to the resort after a great first time 4 yrs ago. This was our honeymoon! We were promised champagne and chocolate strawberries, breakfast in bed etc and we got NONE of these even after multiple complaints to management. Things broke easily in the room or were already broken, and the staff gave us those I doubt it looks. We weren't allowed to take any food out of any buffets or restaurants, and I was almost mugged by staff bc I walked out with a diet soda. Supposed to be all inclusive, and to take food for a snack later (i am diabetic) I had to sneak it out. To top it off the buffet food was not up to par and never changed. The steak house was good though. Our waitress at the pool was GREAT thank you!!!! The pools all had huge amounts of mold on the walls, tiles missing everywhere to cut your feet on, and black mold all over the swim up bar!!!! I took pictures that I wish I could post here. The beach was great it was a fav spot, but it is small. The resort is very large so if you mind walking or can't this isn't the place for you. Xcaret park next door has a great show at night, but otherwise it's a lot of walking to see animals in not very large living areas. It made me sad for them. Overall the staff were friendly but definetely made us feel we were being yes'd to death with no results. We will never return, and I am just glad my husband and I can have fun anywhere because this resort stunk. There was no nightlife basically, and we went into the sports bar where they had advertised sunday night football and the bartender Refused to change the channel from soccer to football! My hubby was NOT happy!!! From the outside it looks like an amazing place, but up close it is filthy!"

"Check in was a bit of a hassle at the Occidental Grand Xcaret. About an hour after check in we were told they did not have a room for us. Little time later we finally got our room and turns out those keys didn't work. After a couple trips back and forth between the villa and the lobby(decent size walk) we had to get yet another room. Workers at the front desk were not very helpful during the situation. Other than that the resort itself was gorgeous. Waiters/waitresses were wonderful and the restaurants were delicious. Buffet was alright at both locations. I recommend the coba trip... Worth it!"

"I thought they entire hotel was very nice and the people were extremely friendly, the only complaints that I would have is I did not think the rooms were all that great as the beds were hard, our room smelt like smoke, door handles would fall off, and it just didnt seem all that clean like the rest of the resort. My other complaint would be the lack of entertainment more so during the night life. It seemed like every night was a routine because there was also one stage show that would last until about 11pm and then everything clsoed except a disco bar so every night you went there unless u wanted to go to bed early. All the pool bars closed at 7pm and other outside bars at 11. The place itself was gorgeous and we also really enjoyed our shore excuresion."

"We just came back from a 4 night stay at the Occidental. We had a great time. The resort is beautiful but VERY large and sprawling. If you have any issues walking around, you will want to bypass this resort. But if you enjoy walking you will get plenty of walking in! The beach was small but very clean. The downsides are that there is wasn't much to do here at all except lay, eat or go shopping (they have plenty of stores. The food was okay. The restaruants were very good but the buffet was average. We couldn't get into the restaurants we wanted so we were dissapointed. But all in all, we had a nice time with the kids for a great price."

"If youre debating whether or not to stay here take it from me I researched all the hotels this was by far the best choice! If you want a combination of jungle with the beach this is your hotel. I celebrated my 24th birthday here and I was very pleased with the hotel.

If you stay here it is worth your money to get the all-inclusive package you will not pay for anything!!
Unlimited drinks!!! (Tequila, wine, beer)
Unlimited food (breakfast, lunch ,dinner and a tacos or pizza place for late night cravings is open until 2 am.)
Daily stocked mini-fridge includes soda, beer and water.


This hotel was huge! There are so many places you can go without leaving the hotel.
Of course the number one attraction is that Occidental Grand Xcaret is connected to The Ecological Park Xcaret if you stay at this hotel you are literally 3 minute walk from the park. Or if you want something more relaxing there is a cute staff member waiting to take you on a gondola. So you do not need to pay for transportation and entrance fee.
I paid 20 us dollars to get in to the park!


I absolutely loved the staff everyone was super friendly. They have 11 restaurants to choose from, my favorite was the one overlooking the ocean.
I will definitely be returning to this hotel. I fell in love with the weather and their pictures on the internet do not began to describe how phenomenal this place really is! You will not want to leave :)
"

"Awesome Resort! Above and beyond your expectation of service, beach was amazing, food variety flavor and preparation was excellent, Inter-resort shuttle transport ran every 10 minutes or less as described. We will return and recommend highly to all our friends!"

"Rooms and resort were very clean. Staff was extremely courteous. Lots of walking. Way too far between snack bars/restaurants for drinks. Food was good, but nothing special at all. Just okay. No washcloths were available. Come on. What resort doesn't have washcloths. Also, no bottles of cream. Just the little things that made it a 3."

"The trip to cancun Mexico (Occidental Grand Xcaret) was excellent. The resort was very nice, food was great and the people were very friendly.... I will recommend it to all my friends..."

"Rooms were clean as was the entire facility. Buffet provided a wide variety of food to meet most anyones taste. Staff was always pleasant and pools cleaned regularly. We would return to this facility without reservation. Not a 5 star but legitimate 3.5 to 4 Star all inclusive"

"My sister and I went to celebrate our bdays to Cancun and stayed at the Occidental Grand Xcaret. The hotel was beautiful but more so the people and the way they treat you from the moment you arrive until your departure. The rooms were great and this was an all-inclusive and the food was Phenomenal. They had a wide variety of foods and restaurants and it was all first class. Truly a 10 in our book and already planning a return trip."

"Staff was VERY friendly and courteous. Resort clean. Dont give enough info on activities.Food was fair at best. Alot of walking-not good for elderly or handicapped. There is not really a beach.,more of a man made lagoon.
Overall- it was ok.Probably wouldnt stay there again."

"Everything was just great.. My wife and I really enjoy our vacations."

"Grande Xcaret is a beautiful resort, but you will do a lot of walking. Overall had a really relaxing time. Anybody thinking of getting married in Mexico should concider the Xcaret fabulous wedding planning. "

"I've been to a few other resorts in Cancun and decided to try the Grand Xcaret. The resort itself lacks several amenities that I've come to expect no matter what in an all inclusive. There was no room service at all which blew my mind, they gave you 2 Modelo cans of beer in your mini fridge and were very stingy by only refilling it every other day. The bars were okay, the food however was poor. It was near impossible to get reservations at the restaurants even though they were always less than 50%. We quickly got tired of the buffet and the a la carte restaurants/snack bars. Not being able to order room service made it even worse. Be careful to not be fooled by the 'lagoon'. There is NO beach, as the shoreline is rocky, and though the lagoon is sandy, it is very small, and packed with people in such a huge resort. Not only is the actual area in the water small, but the lounge chairs are crowded together as the beach is no longer than 100 yds. Overall the staff was very friendly, but was not willing to go out of their way to help. Whenever you called the front desk, they were quick to mysteriously 'hangup' if it was something they did not feel like doing. The room was cleaned daily but they'd often leave wet towels on the floor and not switch them out for new ones. Being in Mexico is always fun and you can't complain about the bars, but other than that I would never go back. Ever"

"We just got back from a beautiful honeymoon and we truly enjoyed our experience. The staff was exceptionally nice and polite and was very helpful. The restaurants had awesome food and service. However the buffets and snack bars could have had a better selection/variety of options. The pools and beach were very nice and relaxing. The excursion we went on was truly an experience and something we will remember for a lifetime. We are planning to take a trip back here in the very near future with our family."

"My girlfriend and I had an amazing time. We don't understand why this place had so many negative reviews. Wish we could've stayed longer...didn't get to see most of the place because we were out on excursions, but the grounds are beautiful and full of wildlife. We will definitely go back!"

"If you are love to eat don't stay this hotel, food same everyday. But you will love to walk under forest, it's so beautiful . Clean, nice, close to the xcaret park and explore. Kid clud have a lot of activity. Spa room super clean, strong recommend to family with kids. Nothing to complaint, accept boring food buffet. Otherwise, this resort is the best. Thank you the bookit. Thank you all."

"We spent 4 nights at this hotel. I loved the style of the hotel because it is not too modern like other hotels. My husband and I like hotels that have local feel to it than cookie cutter modern looking hotels. For that reason this hotel has a lot of local feel to it. and It is a huge place. There is a shuttle going around every 15 min or so, but my husband and I enjoy walking and it is not too bad walk around so we walked a lot, it also helps you to digest all the food you ate at the buffet, ha! I wasn't really happy about the food especially the restaurants that you have to make reservations, Mexican restaurant was O.K....Mediteranian restaurant sucked soooo bad. Don't go there. I was soo disappointed that I didn't even finish half of the plate we had to go to a Mexican snack bar to fill up my empty stomach. The buffets were ok. We expected more of authentic Mexican food, but a lot of stuff was Americanized.
First day we had a problem with our key, it didn't work so we had to wait about 4 hours to get it fixed. we thought they would offer a different room, but they made us stay at the same room, in the end they had to change the whole door lock. We went out to take pictures, walk around and have dinner and came back, so we didn't waste too much time waiting on them to fix the lock but it was still waste of time and it wasn't really professional how they handled the situation.
other wise, we loved the little cove, and the whole nature around the hotel. Bring your own snorkeling equipment to do snorkeling around the cove. "

"If you're looking for a walk on the beach, don't stay here. There really is no beach other than a manmade lagoon area with some sand. The restaurants are good but trying to get a reservation is difficult when they are all not open on the same night. The food was fine...not great. The grounds were beautiful. Expect to do a lot of walking to get anywhere since it's so spread out...they do offer a shuttle service if you get too tired. The rooms are nice and clean with a mini-fridge that is stocked every other day. Shower pressure is awesome but you may need to ask for extra towels. Shampoo and bath gel dispenser in shower but no conditioner..also a hairdryer and ironing board if needed. The evening entertainment shows were fabulous and worth watching. Overall, a nice resort but I would not select it for a return visit."

" We spent 2 beautiful weeks at this resort and thoroughly enjoyed or holiday. The hospitality of the staff everywhere in this resort was great. The food and drinks at the 3 buffets and all the restaurants was great--so much variety . We enjoyed the massages at the spa. The Xcaret Park was great and their evening show was fabulous. There is a nightly performance at the resort theater which were very well done--a different show each night. We found many excursions were very close to this resort and were all great. We will be back!"

"We travelled to this resort with another couple on February 4th 2011. We had an amazing time!!! Can't wait to go back (which of course we plan to!) the food was awesome, the staff was great, the pools were plentiful and the whole experience was terrific. Do not listen to any negative reviews as the resort was a wonderful, the adjoining park is an experience everyone should go to! Enoy all."

"Visited the resort with two teens, our best vacation by far. There was not enough time over our 5 night stay to enjoy everything, but what we did manage was wonderful. The eco-park in walking distance from the resort is a must! Our room was comfortable and clean, the food good, and all of the staff was extremely friendly and helpful, so many knew my son by name and helped be keep tabs on his comings and goings. The grounds of the resort are absolutely beautiful, truly a tropical jungle like oasis. Planning a trip back next year."

"The cove was so great ..the grounds were beautiful.. there were many unique animals running around..the pools were clean and big..food was very good..they can make any drink you can think of..overall this was a fantastic trip..I will probably come back this coming summer..best resort you can stay at."

"food was subpar, had to switch rooms because of no airconditioning



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"This was our third time at Occidenial Resort. We loved it each time and hate to leave. Everything is always exceptional. The park is a must and we talk about how much we miss the 'underground river' all the time. The grounds at the hotel are always well kept. We love the beach b/c our kids bring nets and spend lots of time trying to capture fish. It's a safe beach (lagoon) and there is no worry about large waves and undercurrents. Food is great, plenty to eat. can't wait to go back"