Hotel Xcaret question

[Aladora]

@dancin Disney style

You posted on the AM thread that you had been to the Hotel Xcaret this year and I was wondering how you booked it. As I said in the same thread, we spent a couple of days at two of the X parks (Xcaret and Xplor) and we had such a good time that we want to stay at the Hotel Xcaret next year.

I've been checking out prices both direct and through various travel sites...where did you book?

Thanks!

 

[JEakins]

Kind of related is the Occidental Grand Xcaret. Your park tickets aren't included but it has its own private entrances to Xcaret so you can come and go as you please during the day.

We went for the morning came back to the resort for lunch went back to the park in the afternoon for a couple hours then relaxed at the resort again before going back over for the night show.

 

[dancin Disney style]

@dancin Disney style

You posted on the AM thread that you had been to the Hotel Xcaret this year and I was wondering how you booked it. As I said in the same thread, we spent a couple of days at two of the X parks (Xel-ha and Xplor) and we had such a good time that we want to stay at the Hotel Xcaret next year.

I've been checking out prices both direct and through various travel sites...where did you book?

Thanks!

I booked at Marlin to get the AM. We were with Air Transat but true to forum they SUCK. That hopefully is going to be my last trip with them. Long story but all the problems were at YYZ only. This is the third time we've had issues with them and three strikes you're out! Now that said if I wanted a trip that was significantly cheaper and it was with them I would only book it with the Option Plus upgrade. That might solve part of the problem BUT it's a pricey upgrade.

This resort has gotten really expensive. I don't know that we could ever afford to stay there again. We were very lucky and got in on the opening specials. When I booked it they had been open for one week and there were ZERO reviews available. It was a big chance.

We had the lowest room category which is garden view but got upgraded to a spa suite. The funny thing was that they didn't offer us the added inclusions. There was another couple on our flight that got upgraded to Fuego which kind of ticked me off because that's the best on the property and they had full access to all the added perks of the building.

PM me if I can answer any questions. We spent more than half our week just on the resort....if was just too beautiful to leave. We used all but two of the restaurants and explored every corner.

Kind of related is the Occidental Grand Xcaret. Your park tickets aren't included but it has its own private entrances to Xcaret so you can come and go as you please during the day.

We went for the morning came back to the resort for lunch went back to the park in the afternoon for a couple hours then relaxed at the resort again before going back over for the night show.

You can't compare the two resorts it's would be like trying to compare a Motel 6 to the Ritz Carlton.

The Occidental resort does have an unlimited park option as well but it's only for the Xcaret park. The Hotel Xcaret gives you unlimited access(including transportation and meals) to all the parks they own which I think totals 9.

The private entrance to the Xcaret park is also used by the Hotel X guests. They have their own boats that go through the Occidental. Hotel X also has constant bus service which runs every 15 minutes from before park opening until after the evening show. There are also bikes you can take and a very well marked path.

 

[Ted in Halifax]

Have to agree with DDS ... Ive stayed at Occidental Grand Xcaret ... Motel 6 on the beach lol.

 

[Aladora]

I booked at Marlin to get the AM. We were with Air Transat but true to forum they SUCK. That hopefully is going to be my last trip with them. Long story but all the problems were at YYZ only. This is the third time we've had issues with them and three strikes you're out! Now that said if I wanted a trip that was significantly cheaper and it was with them I would only book it with the Option Plus upgrade. That might solve part of the problem BUT it's a pricey upgrade.

This resort has gotten really expensive. I don't know that we could ever afford to stay there again. We were very lucky and got in on the opening specials. When I booked it they had been open for one week and there were ZERO reviews available. It was a big chance.

We had the lowest room category which is garden view but got upgraded to a spa suite. The funny thing was that they didn't offer us the added inclusions. There was another couple on our flight that got upgraded to Fuego which kind of ticked me off because that's the best on the property and they had full access to all the added perks of the building.

PM me if I can answer any questions. We spent more than half our week just on the resort....if was just too beautiful to leave. We used all but two of the restaurants and explored every corner.

Thanks for the info! Can I ask, what happened with Air Transat? PM me if you don't want to post here!

We travel a fair amount and have never even looked at Air Transat.

 

[Donald - my hero]

I booked at Marlin to get the AM. We were with Air Transat but true to forum they SUCK. That hopefully is going to be my last trip with them. Long story but all the problems were at YYZ only. This is the third time we've had issues with them and three strikes you're out! Now that said if I wanted a trip that was significantly cheaper and it was with them I would only book it with the Option Plus upgrade. That might solve part of the problem BUT it's a pricey upgrade.

Thanks for the info! Can I ask, what happened with Air Transat? PM me if you don't want to post here!
We travel a fair amount and have never even looked at Air Transat.

I'd be interested in knowing this as well since the travel agent was pushing them for our potential Sandals trip and I'm a tad leery but figure how much worse can it be than Air Canada Rouge? I don't want to spend soooo much money and then be kicking myself that i let price be the driving factor when it's really only a difference of maybe $100/pp

 

[dancin Disney style]

Thanks for the info! Can I ask, what happened with Air Transat? PM me if you don't want to post here!

We travel a fair amount and have never even looked at Air Transat.

Over the years I have travelled with AT many, many times and it has steadily gone down hill.

The ground agents/services at YYZ are terrible. They are just plain rude and miserable. The main issue that we have had on more than one occasion is with luggage handling. Our shortest wait to get bags upon return was 55 minutes and that was with Option Plus. At that time the upgrade was only $40 and well worth the money when you tallied up all that it included. Now, not so much. Our last trip we waited 2+ hours. The priority bags came after only about 20 minutes and then the bags for about half the flight came about 15 minutes later. Then the bags for a different flight came out. After those were done most of the remaining bags from our flight came out. At about the 75-80 minute mark there were about 20 of us left with no bags. Bags from yet another flight came out and still none for us. At this point there were several of us that went to question the ground agent. She literally sat at the desk without moving and just said you have to wait until they come. She actually refused to make a call or do anything about it until about 5-6 more people joined the group and then started raising their voices. She very secretly turned around and made a call. Still nothing happened. Some one went over to the WestJet counter and explained the situation and asked if there was anyone that could help. Finally, after that a Swiss Port supervisor came out and asked what had happened. It then took another 15-ish minutes for him to track down our bags. At this point we are at 2 hours of standing at the carousel. The bags were finally found and they had been sitting outside in the snow the entire time. Now they have no open carousel for the bags so they have to hand care them inside two at a time.

The final straw for me in that whole scenario was discovering that my bag was damaged. It was soaking wet from being out in the snow/freezing rain and the handle would not extend more than about 2 inches. I went back to the lazy ground agent that refused to help locate the bags. Had a very unpleasant exchange with her that ended when she flicked a business card at me, said to call them and then turned her back to me.

As I said the only way I would go with them again is if it was significantly cheaper than the other carriers but I will only do it with Option Plus in order to have the priority luggage handling. I think the current cost is around $70 one way so that would have to be factored in.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I'd be interested in knowing this as well since the travel agent was pushing them for our potential Sandals trip and I'm a tad leery but figure how much worse can it be than Air Canada Rouge? I don't want to spend soooo much money and then be kicking myself that i let price be the driving factor when it's really only a difference of maybe $100/pp

If WestJet is an option take it. We have always had excellent experiences with them. Last year after we got on the plane my daughter realized that she had not downloaded the WestJet app, which you need to access the entertainment system. We were still at the gate so she tried to do it and it just wouldn't download. After we took off she bought the $10 Wifi package so that she could download the app. Again, it didn't work. We asked the flight attendant for help. She tells us that the Wifi doesn't allow for that.....then she apologizes for it ruining our flight, which it most certainly did not. Anyway, to make up for it she brings us all complimentary meals. That's typically how accommodating they are.

On the baggage front every single time we are off the plane, through customs, get our bags and out to the street in about an hour.

It's been a long time since I went anywhere with AC but I would still take them over AT. They both tend to have very similar flight schedules so that generally is a non issue.

 

[bookbabe626]

If WestJet is an option take it. We have always had excellent experiences with them. Last year after we got on the plane my daughter realized that she had not downloaded the WestJet app, which you need to access the entertainment system. We were still at the gate so she tried to do it and it just wouldn't download. After we took off she bought the $10 Wifi package so that she could download the app. Again, it didn't work. We asked the flight attendant for help. She tells us that the Wifi doesn't allow for that.....then she apologizes for it ruining our flight, which it most certainly did not. Anyway, to make up for it she brings us all complimentary meals. That's typically how accommodating they are.

On the baggage front every single time we are off the plane, through customs, get our bags and out to the street in about an hour.

It's been a long time since I went anywhere with AC but I would still take them over AT. They both tend to have very similar flight schedules so that generally is a non issue.

Ditto. I love WestJet. And they are always happy to give you some kind of compensation for any problems. On a trip this past summer, we hit a bumpy patch and the flight attendant spilled a glass of water on my lap. It’s water, so no harm, it’ll dry, but she insisted on writing me a voucher for a $250 flight credit for future travel. Now every time, DH keeps hoping they’ll spill something on me.

I’m not a huge fan of Air Canada, since we’ve encountered a lot of grumpy flight attendants and more delays than we ever have on WJ, but I’d take AC in a heartbeat if the only other option was Air Transat. If the only flight was with AT, we’d likely look at changing our travel dates or driving to another airport (and we live 30 min from YYZ).

 

[Donald - my hero]

Thanks for the comments regarding AT, we have time till we can book our trip and WestJet is our preferred airline as well so I'll just wait for their prices to be released!

Sorry for hijacking your thread @Aladora !!! Reason I've been following along is this resort is still sitting in my list of options

 

[dancin Disney style]

Thanks for the comments regarding AT, we have time till we can book our trip and WestJet is our preferred airline as well so I'll just wait for their prices to be released!

Sorry for hijacking your thread @Aladora !!! Reason I've been following along is this resort is still sitting in my list of options

No hijack....this helps everyone.

I hope both of you get to go.....after this conversation started I went back and looked at the pics on my phone Glorious is the word to describe that vacation.

 

[isabellea]

Ditto. I love WestJet. And they are always happy to give you some kind of compensation for any problems. On a trip this past summer, we hit a bumpy patch and the flight attendant spilled a glass of water on my lap. It’s water, so no harm, it’ll dry, but she insisted on writing me a voucher for a $250 flight credit for future travel. Now every time, DH keeps hoping they’ll spill something on me.

I’m not a huge fan of Air Canada, since we’ve encountered a lot of grumpy flight attendants and more delays than we ever have on WJ, but I’d take AC in a heartbeat if the only other option was Air Transat. If the only flight was with AT, we’d likely look at changing our travel dates or driving to another airport (and we live 30 min from YYZ).

An AC flight attendant dropped hot coffee on DH and he got a 25$ credit that could not be applied to a flight!!

 

[Donald - my hero]

Time to wake this sleeping thread from it's slumber ... I think THIS is where we going to use our travel vouchers for NEXT January!!! It popped up in my youtube search for resorts that handle dietary issues and i got lost in that rabbit hole till about 2 am. I then dug back thru the AM thread and read about your trip @dancin Disney style and got even more excited Is it expensive?? YES, but not as much as a Sandals resort would be and there is soo much more about this one that appeals. Hubby is over-the-moon thrilled because if you ask him what he wants on vacay he immediately spits out "hammock with a drink" and the thought of being able to do that whenever he wants sold him!

Sadly Westjet doesn't offer packages so I'm stuck with AC, Sunwing, Sunquest (???) and the dreaded AT. Air Canada it is .. earn some Aeroplan miles that way. I'd love any extra help or thoughts you might want to share. We'll be staying in the adult only section to guarantee ala carte meals even for breakie , just not sure which type of room yet.

 

[Aladora]

Time to wake this sleeping thread from it's slumber ... I think THIS is where we going to use our travel vouchers for NEXT January!!! It popped up in my youtube search for resorts that handle dietary issues and i got lost in that rabbit hole till about 2 am. I then dug back thru the AM thread and read about your trip @dancin Disney style and got even more excited Is it expensive?? YES, but not as much as a Sandals resort would be and there is soo much more about this one that appeals. Hubby is over-the-moon thrilled because if you ask him what he wants on vacay he immediately spits out "hammock with a drink" and the thought of being able to do that whenever he wants sold him!

Sadly Westjet doesn't offer packages so I'm stuck with AC, Sunwing, Sunquest (???) and the dreaded AT. Air Canada it is .. earn some Aeroplan miles that way. I'd love any extra help or thoughts you might want to share. We'll be staying in the adult only section to guarantee ala carte meals even for breakie , just not sure which type of room yet.

Thanks for reviving this thread!

After looking at prices, I realized that I could either book a week at Hotel Xcaret, get open access to all X parks and fly Delta coach yyj-sea-cun or...

Book a week at the resort we stayed at last year, pay oop for entry into the X parks and fly Delta First Class yyj-sea-cun and save $3000.

So we are headed back to Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, flying first class and pocketing the extra $3000 to help pay for one of our other trips this year.

I’d still like to stay at the Hotel Xcaret but the price difference was massive this time. When I priced out the 3 of us for Tues-Tues at the end of March and it came to $10,500 I almost fell off my chair!

 

[alohamom]

Time to wake this sleeping thread from it's slumber ... I think THIS is where we going to use our travel vouchers for NEXT January!!! It popped up in my youtube search for resorts that handle dietary issues and i got lost in that rabbit hole till about 2 am. I then dug back thru the AM thread and read about your trip @dancin Disney style and got even more excited Is it expensive?? YES, but not as much as a Sandals resort would be and there is soo much more about this one that appeals. Hubby is over-the-moon thrilled because if you ask him what he wants on vacay he immediately spits out "hammock with a drink" and the thought of being able to do that whenever he wants sold him!

Sadly Westjet doesn't offer packages so I'm stuck with AC, Sunwing, Sunquest (???) and the dreaded AT. Air Canada it is .. earn some Aeroplan miles that way. I'd love any extra help or thoughts you might want to share. We'll be staying in the adult only section to guarantee ala carte meals even for breakie , just not sure which type of room yet.

Jaqueline - you will LOVE Hotel Xcaret!!!

My cousins stayed here last year when it opened so they were able to snag opening special pricing.

They wanted to go back this year but it is of course super expensive now.

After having listened to them tell me about it and having seen all their pictures, I am confident it will be better than Sandals. I cant say enough about it and I have not even stayed there!!!!

Have a blast, I am sure you will!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Time to wake this sleeping thread from it's slumber ... I think THIS is where we going to use our travel vouchers for NEXT January!!! It popped up in my youtube search for resorts that handle dietary issues and i got lost in that rabbit hole till about 2 am. I then dug back thru the AM thread and read about your trip @dancin Disney style and got even more excited Is it expensive?? YES, but not as much as a Sandals resort would be and there is soo much more about this one that appeals. Hubby is over-the-moon thrilled because if you ask him what he wants on vacay he immediately spits out "hammock with a drink" and the thought of being able to do that whenever he wants sold him!

Sadly Westjet doesn't offer packages so I'm stuck with AC, Sunwing, Sunquest (???) and the dreaded AT. Air Canada it is .. earn some Aeroplan miles that way. I'd love any extra help or thoughts you might want to share. We'll be staying in the adult only section to guarantee ala carte meals even for breakie , just not sure which type of room yet.

Well I'm super excited for you! Hammock and a drink....this is the place. Most balconies have a hammock. I honestly wouldn't bother paying extra for Casa Fuego unless you want the ocean view....which you will be paying even more for. That building is closest to the ocean and will have the nicest views. The rooftop pool is cool but not worth the added cost and there are so many interesting places to go and swim that it would be a crime not to try them all. There are other breakfast options, yes buffet but the Asian restaurant opens for breakfast and hardly anyone goes there. They will cook pretty much everything to order in there. I don't know your dietary issues but IMO breakfast is very simple and there aren't that many options....eggs, bacon, toast, fruit

I'm not a huge fan of Sunwing. They have a very bad rep for poor customer service and dropping flights last minute. After my trip to Cuba with AC Rouge I can officially say that it's every bit as bad as people say. So since I'm not a fan of AT I guess I'm totally up the creek . You're using vouchers towards this trip so do the former rules still apply....has to be AT, AC or WJ?

In terms of room type we had garden view in Casa Agua. My preference would be river view or river view swim up. They are along the lagoon and offer very unique views. You have to keep in mind that within each room category there are some duds. The FB group I belong to has a file of room view pic. There are a few REALLY bad ones....as in a garden swim up that faces a cement wall, there are a few parking lot views etc. but ALL hotels/resorts have that handful of duds.

 

[Donald - my hero]

Well I'm super excited for you! Hammock and a drink....this is the place. Most balconies have a hammock. I honestly wouldn't bother paying extra for Casa Fuego unless you want the ocean view....which you will be paying even more for. That building is closest to the ocean and will have the nicest views. The rooftop pool is cool but not worth the added cost and there are so many interesting places to go and swim that it would be a crime not to try them all. There are other breakfast options, yes buffet but the Asian restaurant opens for breakfast and hardly anyone goes there. They will cook pretty much everything to order in there. I don't know your dietary issues but IMO breakfast is very simple and there aren't that many options....eggs, bacon, toast, fruit

I'm not a huge fan of Sunwing. They have a very bad rep for poor customer service and dropping flights last minute. After my trip to Cuba with AC Rouge I can officially say that it's every bit as bad as people say. So since I'm not a fan of AT I guess I'm totally up the creek . You're using vouchers towards this trip so do the former rules still apply....has to be AT, AC or WJ?

In terms of room type we had garden view in Casa Agua. My preference would be river view or river view swim up. They are along the lagoon and offer very unique views. You have to keep in mind that within each room category there are some duds. The FB group I belong to has a file of room view pic. There are a few REALLY bad ones....as in a garden swim up that faces a cement wall, there are a few parking lot views etc. but ALL hotels/resorts have that handful of duds.

I can't fully express how excited we are about this trip (ok perhaps me more than hubby ) Let's just say my jobs are piling up around me not getting done while i study pictures, read reviews, plug in dates to see prices, see how full the resort is this week, try to decide which carrier to go with and then even spending time looking at everyone's leftover stock in their boxing day sales for clothes

OK to answer your questions so you can perhaps help out a bit more:
We will be travelling alone, no kids and while I'm fully aware this is a family friendly place and we really want quiet. We had our last Disney trip end on an incredibly sour note because there was a newly-walking toddler on the other side of the adjoining door who had a chest cold which meant he was up coughing all day & night while they let him push a chair around the room and laughed whenever he banged into the door.
My understanding is there are 2 adult only buildings?? One is the spa building has tubs on the balcony and allows some kind of extra spa entrance and the other is Fuego which has the rooftop pool and restaurant that are exclusive use to that building?? Please correct me if i have those mixed up!

I have severe gastritis (thanks to improperly prescribed medication that i took for close to a decade ) and that takes a LOT of stuff out of my diet. My food needs to be prepared from scratch, buffets are out for anything other than baked goods and fruit because of the potential of cross-contamination from other guests. Only if they are able to prepare my hot food from the kitchen and bring it directly to me can i even have the typical eggs, bacon & toast. Meals other than breakie are even WORSE from a buffet because a lot of that food is prepped in advance and i can't have any spices, extras ingredients or a ton of other typically added "filler" foods. Some of the worse meals I've ever had were at Disney locations that promised they could handle a buffet meal for me ... after the 2nd beyond-dry chicken breast (which i loath even if it's moist -- hope you're not someone who hates that word ) served with shriveled up potatoes we cancelled them ALL and only went to sit-down ala-carte meals or counter service places we know will properly handle simple meals.

As for the specific room type I've been looking at it seems like we are limited to Suite Garden Spa Adult only (which isn't even listed on the hotel site so i'm confused!) or Suite River View Adult Only. We can use anything that Transat Travel offers -- AC, AT, & Sunwing for this resort. The price difference between AC & AT can be significant (depending on when i look as much as $2500 total for a week!!) So much to think about. No way I'll book for a long time though because it would cost a TON more the further out i look.

EEK, I've been extremely verbose, sorry just sooo danged excited!

 

[marchingstar]

I can't fully express how excited we are about this trip (ok perhaps me more than hubby ) Let's just say my jobs are piling up around me not getting done while i study pictures, read reviews, plug in dates to see prices, see how full the resort is this week, try to decide which carrier to go with and then even spending time looking at everyone's leftover stock in their boxing day sales for clothes

OK to answer your questions so you can perhaps help out a bit more:
We will be travelling alone, no kids and while I'm fully aware this is a family friendly place and we really want quiet. We had our last Disney trip end on an incredibly sour note because there was a newly-walking toddler on the other side of the adjoining door who had a chest cold which meant he was up coughing all day & night while they let him push a chair around the room and laughed whenever he banged into the door.
My understanding is there are 2 adult only buildings?? One is the spa building has tubs on the balcony and allows some kind of extra spa entrance and the other is Fuego which has the rooftop pool and restaurant that are exclusive use to that building?? Please correct me if i have those mixed up!

I have severe gastritis (thanks to improperly prescribed medication that i took for close to a decade ) and that takes a LOT of stuff out of my diet. My food needs to be prepared from scratch, buffets are out for anything other than baked goods and fruit because of the potential of cross-contamination from other guests. Only if they are able to prepare my hot food from the kitchen and bring it directly to me can i even have the typical eggs, bacon & toast. Meals other than breakie are even WORSE from a buffet because a lot of that food is prepped in advance and i can't have any spices, extras ingredients or a ton of other typically added "filler" foods. Some of the worse meals I've ever had were at Disney locations that promised they could handle a buffet meal for me ... after the 2nd beyond-dry chicken breast (which i loath even if it's moist -- hope you're not someone who hates that word ) served with shriveled up potatoes we cancelled them ALL and only went to sit-down ala-carte meals or counter service places we know will properly handle simple meals.

As for the specific room type I've been looking at it seems like we are limited to Suite Garden Spa Adult only (which isn't even listed on the hotel site so i'm confused!) or Suite River View Adult Only. We can use anything that Transat Travel offers -- AC, AT, & Sunwing for this resort. The price difference between AC & AT can be significant (depending on when i look as much as $2500 total for a week!!) So much to think about. No way I'll book for a long time though because it would cost a TON more the further out i look.

EEK, I've been extremely verbose, sorry just sooo danged excited!

we're all excited for you! you deserve an awesome, sun-filled vacation can't wait to hear more about the trip you plan (I love living vicariously through others and their exciting vacation plans!!)

 

[Donald - my hero]

we're all excited for you! you deserve an awesome, sun-filled vacation can't wait to hear more about the trip you plan (I love living vicariously through others and their exciting vacation plans!!)

No problemo! You might have guessed that i don't mind sharing things like this and spend HOURS planning out things. One little thing required from you though ... you haven't told us anything about your family trip to see Donald. I mean, sure you probably took the lil guy to see Mickey as well but we all know he's secondary, right

 

[marchingstar]

No problemo! You might have guessed that i don't mind sharing things like this and spend HOURS planning out things. One little thing required from you though ... you haven't told us anything about your family trip to see Donald. I mean, sure you probably took the lil guy to see Mickey as well but we all know he's secondary, right

ahh, guilty as charged!!

our trip was...amazing!!

some highlights:
- we stayed in a suite at the Polynesian. The room was probably our biggest priority, because the kiddo sleeps 13 hours/night, and bedtime is 7:00. The suite was a studio, but it had two bathrooms and the smaller bathroom was big enough to turn into his 'nursery,' which was perfect. Plus dole whip at the hotel...it was awesome. If we stayed again, I would rent DVC points instead (waaaaay more affordable), but then again, I'm dreaming of just buying DVC...
- kiddo had an absolute blast in the parks. He's a total people-person (and he's stinkin cute) so he got tons of attention and loved it all. We tried really hard to follow his normal routine as much as possible, and I think that really saved us all from some rough stretches. He's really young, so he won't remember, but we have pictures of him beaming at characters, a book filled with their signatures, and videos of him laughing on rides.
- most days, we had awful weather. As in, tornado watches, flood warnings, and high wind advisories all on the same day! We grinned and bared it, packed extra clothes and waterproof gear to keep him dry, and walked on to tons of rides in MK. It wasn't the escape from bad weather we imagined, but there are worse places to endure heavy rains...
- our final day was the saturday before christmas, which is when they start showing the christmas parade during the day instead of at the christmas parties. so in the morning we packed up, left our luggage with guest services, and caught the monorail for one more morning in the parks. we lucked out with the most amazing parade location: at the top of main street, looking towards the castle. our little sleep champion napped through the preshow buzz, including a literal marching band 3 feet away, and woke up right as the parade music started. it's a memory I know I'll cherish forever <3